Multitasking while playing games

[aozgolo]

People think I am a little crazy but I actually really enjoy multi-tasking while I play games.

I recall at one point I was farming wood from trees in a MMO, while listening to an audio-book and playing Final Fantasy Tactics on PSP. I'd only need to interact with the MMO to go switch to a new tree, rest, or go put my cut logs in my bank, making it very minimal. Final Fantasy Tactics is oddly rather mindless outside of story missions when you are just setting up jobs, skills, and doing random battles, so it was easy to focus on the story of the audio-book.

I have also listened to audiobooks while playing games like Minecraft. Minecraft let me listen to the entire Wheel of Time series (14 loooong books total) while playing it. Granted listening to audiobooks only works for games where music and voice acting aren't important. You can keep sound effects on but you'll need to be able to focus on the book itself, so it also can't be a game that requires intense critical thinking or concentration, so story driven games are usually out.

I've done similar things like watch a movie while playing a rather slow game, something like Civilization or Banished that has long periods of waiting for things to happen. I will admit having dual monitors helps achieve this a lot better since I'm not having to turn my head a lot.


Share your experiences of multi-tasking while playing games.

 

[False Messiah]

I usually have a movie playing during slow(ish) games. Even up to Supreme Commander. I love listening to podcasts while playing Euro Truck Sim and I almost always have an idling game (like cookie clicker) running on my phone.

Only when playing action games like FPS or TPRPGs I'll focus fully on the game. Dying Light for example is intense enough that I'm not able to focus on anything else. And when playig competitive MP games like DotA I think it's unfair to my team if I'm running anything else then music on the background because they depend on me.

 

[Ramus]

I tend to prefer games that I can play on my TV while watching something on my laptop at the same time. Euro Truck Sim and Elite Dangerous are great for this. I even watch stuff during dying light, but only while im exploring in the day. At night or during quests I pause because it does get nuts. For competitive games I leave something on but I usually just hear it as background noise. Minecraft is definitely the best for this, I think i've knocked out a couple of huge TV show seasons during hours of building crap.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

"You people crazy!!"

Seriously though, I can't ever listen to an audiobook without being distracted by what I see or think.
Sometimes I go off on tangents in my mind and become so focused I would have to rewind to where I last remembered I was at.
The thought thing even happens while I read a book, though not as frequently.

When I do a thing I'm usually 100% focused on that and that alone, be it reading a book, playing a game, watching a movie/show, listening to music..etc.

I only multitask when doing something I don't particularly enjoy so the first thing that comes to my mind when people say they multitask entertainment is...
Why? Don't you enjoy it? If you don't, why do you even do it?

 

[False Messiah]

Why? Don't you enjoy it? If you don't, why do you even do it?

"Because our highly evolved and efficient brains get bored when doing only one thing!"
Nah, just joking.

I think that multitasking is an acquired skill, usually you pick it up if your job or study demands it. When you do you'll always have a nagging bit of your brain feeling useless if you're not fully focused on something, and some games just won't let me. If you look at Banished, there are long periods where you need to watch the numbers to see if everything is going well, but you're not actively doing stuff.

On the other hand, I do sometimes multitask when doing boring stuff at work (like answering the phone). My boss still doesn't like me gaming or painting 40k minis at work, but I keep hitting my targets, so he allows it.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

Why? Don't you enjoy it? If you don't, why do you even do it?

I think that multitasking is an acquired skill, usually you pick it up if your job or study demands it. When you do you'll always have a nagging bit of your brain feeling useless if you're not fully focused on something, and some games just won't let me. If you look at Banished, there are long periods where you need to watch the numbers to see if everything is going well, but you're not actively doing stuff.

I think I'm rather good at multitasking when required to (I really enjoy playing <link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnPvv1OLHMo>Quadnet for example. Not my vid btw), it's just that, to me, doing something else besides the thing you are supposed to enjoy feels like it diminishes it somehow.
Oh, and I take stock and plan my next moves during those slow times in games.
I'm a stickler for things being neat, ordered and proper, in games at least. ,)

 

[False Messiah]

I think I'm rather good at multitasking when required to (I really enjoy playing <link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnPvv1OLHMo>Quadnet for example. Not my vid btw), it's just that, to me, doing something else besides the thing you are supposed to enjoy feels like it diminishes it somehow.
Oh, and I take stock and plan my next moves during those slow times in games.
I'm a stickler for things being neat, ordered and proper, in games at least. ,)

I think it's a matter of preference then And thinking about it, I wouldn't be able to consume all the media I do now if I didn't multitask between them, I follow too many podcast, YouTube channels, series, games and audio books, and there are only so many hours in a day. You have to make the choice, either be stricter in what you do, or do more at the same time. A quality or quantity thing.

 

[Maximum Bert]

"You people crazy!!"

Seriously though, I can't ever listen to an audiobook without being distracted by what I see or think.
Sometimes I go off on tangents in my mind and become so focused I would have to rewind to where I last remembered I was at.
The thought thing even happens while I read a book, though not as frequently.

When I do a thing I'm usually 100% focused on that and that alone, be it reading a book, playing a game, watching a movie/show, listening to music..etc.

I only multitask when doing something I don't particularly enjoy so the first thing that comes to my mind when people say they multitask entertainment is...
Why? Don't you enjoy it? If you don't, why do you even do it?

Im sort of the same if something isnt engaging me enough to give my full attention then I always ask why am I bothering? usually its because I have to cause its my job or an obligation or something.

I do tend to mutli task if I am grinding in an RPG or summit but thats usually because I want to get back to the good bits to the game and so persevere I also multi task if I dont feel like giving something my full attention i.e im knackered and just feel like doing some brainless monotonous tasks while im sorta out of it so they dont bore me when im awake.

Its also the reason I dont like one drink and prefer to either get smashed or stay stone cold sober I dont like doing things by half.

I personally cannot listen to audio books it just feels very impersonal and weird love reading books but if my mind wanders its either because im knackered and so put the book down its boring the hell out of me so I stop reading completely or I have something else heavily on my mind and so I try and get that done if possible.

In short I dont like to multi task if I care about what I am doing.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

I think I'm rather good at multitasking when required to (I really enjoy playing <link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnPvv1OLHMo>Quadnet for example. Not my vid btw), it's just that, to me, doing something else besides the thing you are supposed to enjoy feels like it diminishes it somehow.
Oh, and I take stock and plan my next moves during those slow times in games.
I'm a stickler for things being neat, ordered and proper, in games at least. ,)

I think it's a matter of preference then And thinking about it, I wouldn't be able to consume all the media I do now if I didn't multitask between them, I follow too many podcast, YouTube channels, series, games and audio books, and there are only so many hours in a day. You have to make the choice, either be stricter in what you do, or do more at the same time. A quality or quantity thing.

Ah, I hadn't thought of that angle.
I do feel that I value quality more than quantity and can be rather peckish when it comes to such things.
It is a rather stressful life we live today and with the internet comes so much new (and old) things that could catch our eyes it take a life-time or more to consume.
That would tend to lend itself to multitasking perhaps.

Anyway, thanks for in-depth chat. ,)

 

[remnant_phoenix]

My MMO days are behind me, but back when I was big into WoW, I would often turn the game sound off completely and listen to music, assuming I was just leveling an alt and replaying areas I'd already experienced, or grinding, or gathering resources...you know, anything that doesn't require paying close attention.

When I was around 12, I got into a run of replaying old Zelda games with the sound off, ignoring dialogue boxes and listening to audiobooks.

Now? Most of the games I play I want to be completely immersed in: I want to experience the gameplay, visuals, and sound as complete experience as the designers imagined. I mean, would Bioshock Infinite or the The Last of Us be any good if you didn't dial in and focus on all the parts of the experience?

There are exceptions. My wife and I are on a Diablo III kick right now, and we often put the sound low, ignore journals and such, and talk/joke about whatever while we play, pausing only if we reach a critical story moment, which are few and far between.

Also, there's a big difference between playing a JRPG for the story and running around to grind/loot. The latter is vastly improved by having someone to talk to while you do it, even if it's just over the phone.

 

[Michel Henzel]

Depends on the game really. More immersive games I won't really have anything on in the background and am usually to busy with the game to be doing anything else. But if I'm playing like a MP FPS I'll have music on in the background, or some podcast when playing Minecraft or an MMO. Often have some chat going on on my other monitor or talking on TS/vent/skype/etc.

 

[NeutralDrow]

If it's something I really need to pay attention to, like a story-based game or one that relies on audio cues, I devote it my full attention. If it's just something to do, I'll have Youtube on in the background.

Listening to a few Jwitz lists while checking out the new Starbound update, at the moment.

 

[Risingblade]

I can't play any strategy/rpg game without something in the background playing. Usually a movie or an audio book

 

[CrystalShadow]

I used to do stuff like this when I was younger, but it has become more difficult over time. Still do it sometimes if the game is not too demanding...

 

[Guffe]

That's what I have FireEmblem for
Well the two GBA games, at the moment playing Sacred Stones, on my WiiU, using the off screen game mode (GBA games look horrible on anything bigger than 26" unless they've been well modified). So when watching snooker or some random football matches I can usually do a map or so simlutaneously, but not generally. I usually focus on one thing with like 85% concentration, so the other things just fade away into the background or I forgett about them

 

[Cowabungaa]

I rarely ever do only one thing at a time, it's why I often struggle to boot up games and stuff in general that requires me to do so.

The last week or so for instance I've played a crapton of Guild Wars 2 while going through American Horror Story and Metalocalypse on my second screen. If I want to consume all the media I fancy I'm bound to have to multitask. There's simply too much.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

I might have a Youtube vid up or a dvd playing on my PC while I am playing a game in either another window on a console with my monitor rotated around to view it with the TV. (VESA desk mounts are the shiznit!) I might even get another monitor for some more viewing area, when I win the lotto. There's also playing on portable systems and watching some other video.

Usually the games I play like that I am already a veteran of, or are really grindtastic, and the video/DVD/TV show/Richard Simmons workout tape is something I've seen before or have just a passing interest in. Then there are times when I watch an LP, while playing the same game, to see new secrets and tricks, or just to feel like I'm a part of the discussion taking place (cue the Kim Jong Il lonely song from Team America).

 

[Tegual]

Quite often i will do a couple of things at once. Games like EU4 and CK2 are great to be watching youtube videos, and i often browse the news and take notes while tanking in MMOs since quite frankly half the time i am not really doing angthing after the first minutes other than avoiding stuff.