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Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
I don't game very much (just recently I started playing outer wilds though a few times per week). I feel like I probably enjoy tweaking my laptop more than actually using it.π I dont even code much. I like finding open source alternatives to software and generally improve my laptop. Spent about 4months learning nixos:)
I don't know, at least I might be able to help others improve their pc's too
I used to use mine for games but I donβt really play games any more. So for the last year or two my PC has been mostly dedicated to CAD, PCB design, coding, et cetera.
My gaming PC became my self-hosted server around 5 years ago. Now it runs 24/7 serving up media through Emby, providing backup/cloud/vpn services to my mobile devices, DNS adblocking for everything on the LAN/VPN, password manager syncing, and whatever else I feel like playing with :)
Time, energy, and willpower just never seem to come together for gaming anymore. And on the rare occasions it does, that PC still games just fine; even after making the move to Debian last year.
I'm a sysadmin, so non-game stuff is my entire day job.
When I use my PC at home, it's a variable split between internet, media and gaming, depending what I damn well feel like at the time :D
I donβt use my laptop much anymore (donβt have a desktop either): Some modeling, accounting, spreadsheets, or doc composition; things that are cumbersome to do well on a tablet. General browsing and videos are on my phone, tablet, or cast to the TV. When I want to game itβs usually on my switch.
Itβs The laptop is really my device of last resort. I know it will do exactly what I want it to do, but I have to dig it out, clear space for it and usually plug it in if itβs not a quick job because the thing is old and an energy hog. My tablet is newer and I got it a convertible laptop-like keyboard case. The battery lasts so much longer and itβs just easier to lug around to where I need it for whatever.
Laptops ... I never could get used to them. The keyboards feel too tiny and I can't stand trackpads. Give me my dual monitor PC! Apparently there are people who actually write code on phones, which would be my idea of hell.
Coding, surfing (too much), little gaming. To a 90s kid most modern games suck donkeyballs for lack of story or being developed to be console-friendly, or both.
I don't even really have a computer.
For games, I have a switch or Xbox, and everything else I use my phone or iPad.
Same as you. I used to game a lot (too much) in my younger days. Now I use the computer to support my tabletop gaming hobbies, 3d printing, a little coding, and streaming.
Linux, emacs, Python, forth, microcontrollers, kicad, gimp, blender, FreeCAD, spice, and astronomy are my main uses in no particular order. I occasionally play Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead. I used to be a regular cafe gamer, but I expect a clear and strait forward transaction of ownership with all purchases. Renting something that cannot be owned and reading some long legalise nonsense are not at all interesting to me. Maybe one day there will be a game industry again, but as far as I'm concerned, the world of proprietary exploitation, subscriptions, and extortion is the same as nonexistence.
I work all day on the computer. Its been a long time since gaming took up the majority of my computer time.
I think the stagnation in graphics improvements, combined with the extreme costs of high end GPUs and the massive growth in the industry, is what changed the dynamic. Most gamers just don't care about the high end like they used to and now its corporate BS that has a more direct impact on their gaming experience instead of better hardware.
I know you said youβre not into games much anymore but If youβre into D&D you might like Baldurβs Gate 3. I also know of a group for older gamers if youβre ever thinking of dabbling again.
I mostly use my computer for:
Every now and again I'll get addicted to a new game and use my PC for that too. My latest addiction was Baldur's Gate 3 when it came out π€·
I don't use my computers for modern gaming. Like OP, I prefer tabletop games, though I do speed run crossword puzzles and play some PixelDungeon on my phone when I have spare time. I also built a Retropie, and play some old Atari and PS2 roms on a bored Sunday. My stuff can run Civ IV, which is probably the last title I bought.
My main systems are for work, or for supporting self-hosted services including local infrastructure, home lab stuff, email, blogs, home automation, media servers, etc, etc. Lately I've been getting into SDR projects using RPi or old laptops.
So, uh... Yeah. Fun stuff, but not so much gaming.
My job is coding so my primary use is doing that stuff. I do game an awful lot though.
Programming, research and education would be my primary computer uses.
I think, here on Lemmy, there's relatively many folks who use their computers for other things, given there's so many techies here...
I used to play a ton of games throughout my teenage years but fell off in my 20s. Now in my late 30s I still keep up with gaming news and discussion, but I rarely actually play through games anymore. I go through maybe one a year.
You're right that the discussion has changed, and that's due to a number of factors. Mostly, new games are pretty configurable and will run on pretty much any modern hardware. Long gone are the days where you simply couldn't play something unless you ponied up for a Voodoo 2. Add to that, that PC hardware is a lot more standard now. Gaming enthusiasts dont need to learn a bunch of competing hardware standards to keep up anymore.
And the other side is that with the introduction of microtransactions, keeping an eye on how companies are trying to monetize games is important. AAA games these days have Hollywood movie budgets and if they're not profitable, then hundreds of people are out of a job. Looking back, it's pretty amazing what 10-15 people could accomplish with a fraction of the budget and time that modern developers get(indie games notwithstanding)
Maybe you're old enough to remember Sierra Games - King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, etc - in the 90s they hardly had any in-house game developers. Mostly they just marketed games written by very small companies or even lone developers. Back then I did a contract job for them to create an online tournament system (which they never used).
I learned English from kq1 on an ibm xt. Parents was pretty surprised of me as an 10 year old hogging the English dictionary. I still remember spending half a years pocket money on kq4 when it finally was available in Norway. Also loved that heroes quest series. I believe it was renamed quest for glory at some point
Quest for Glory was one of my first computer games, after almost a decade of console-only play. Good times.
I have played through many Sierra games, although I was always more partial to the LucasArts adventure games. I feel like they had better writing, and the idea that there was no failure state meant that you didn't end up in unwinnable situations.
I didn't know about the staff situation there though, that's super interesting. I just assumed that they had a small number of teams working on each title that each worked under the Williams'
Does collaborative writing for fun count as games? The communities involved call them games, but there's no thoughts about control schemes or graphics, and no need to do anything outside your browser. That, chat, social media, reading (both for work and personal time), and the like take up the bulk of my PC time.
I would call collaborative writing computer use but not a computer game. Programming feels like a game to me!
My usage is a roughly even split between games, music, and all other media (including social media).
Programming and other digital projects used to be on par with music but back then games was a clear first place and social media use was a blip.
My main computer is a 500$ laptop that I use for writing, bills, shipping, etc. My gaming laptop comes out maybe once a week.
I am an adjunct professor. My evenings are taken for making slides and marking. I wish I had time for gaming.
Yeah, I like gaming but lately I don't have the time for it and just like you I've switched to in person tabletop as it has the added benefit of interpersonal interactions face to face.
Anyway answering your question, yes I use it a lot, sometimes more or less depending on my job situation but mostly browsing, illustration, emails and 3D software make about 80% of my computer time.
The primary use of my computer is for work as I am a 3D artist. I also watch a lot of videos and it serves as my audio rig for my music and headphones.
I rarely use my computers for games. Occasional bomb squad game with my wife. That's about it. I use it a lot for watching things, and coding a lot, related to work/personal projects and such. It was weird for me to find out most people that spend a lot of time on computers here are doing it because of games. Not because computers are fun to work with.
Rarely. I barely have time to game, never mind do the other things like code or whatever. Had my gaming pc for only about a year though
Yeah. I don't play computer games, and the computer my kid plays games on? She uses it more for drawing. The kids (not little kids) have laptops and use them for school. So about 1/5 of the computer use here is games. Lots of music streaming. One kid has a PS4 though, so there is a lot of gaming overall.
Xennial here. My non-admin use is probably split 60% learning, 30% programming, 10% gaming
Work: Video editing. And browsing the web! Andddd a lot of video games lol
Main uses for me are coding, bookkeeping, email, office apps, and general web browsing. I haven't played games in years. Not how I prefer to unwind these days anyway.
I'm 54 and don't game at all on my PC, it is used only for coding, a Beelink SER5
I mostly use my laptop for coding, language learning, and watching TV series. I do play games on it but rarely, I got enough consoles and handhelds and I prefer using them instead of the computer, I'd use the computer if I want to play a game for a console I don't have tho.
I mostly use my computer for Discord, watching videos, and just generally browsing the web. I'm not a huge gaming person, although I was as a kid. I don't know how to code or anything, though...I have a healthcare related job.
My computer isn't good enough to run a lot of games anyway. It's a laptop from around 2018 that I have hooked up to a keyboard, mouse, and second monitor.
These days, my home PC is mostly used for consuming media, editing my own media, and (at least this time of year) business and tax paperwork. Games are definitely not my primary use.
