How Do You Play Games?

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I realized that I don't strictly "play" games, a lot of the time I'm just testing them.  That's why I can rent a game from gamefly, play it for 5 minutes, and be done with it for good.  I have enough experience with gaming that I can predict how much fun I'll have with the game - in total - after only a few minutes.

I've been going through games in this way for quite a while but I only realized it a few days ago while I was catching up on watching the first season of Penny-Arcade TV.  They post a show every Friday which range from about 7 to 10 minutes.  Each episode is based around a topic or event.  If you like Penny-Arcade at all it's worth watching.  It's probably the best "reality" TV show that I've ever seen.  Anyway, their episode on videogames is what started making me think about how fast I can wade through new software, because the PA guys do the same thing.

I try almost every game I can get my hands on, but only a few actually get purchased and played through completely.  The latest, for me, is StarCraft 2.  I bought it on launch day and I can tell that this is a game I'll be playing for years.  The other main game that I've gotten more than my money's worth out of is Team Fortress 2.  It's been out since 2007 and I still play it on a regular basis.

I don't know when I started consuming games this way.  When I was a kid I would treasure every game I came across and play it to completion multiple times.  I know that I used to have games memorized from start to finish but I would still play them and love the time I spent with them.

So now I'm wondering how everyone else consumes games.  Do you pick and choose what you play carefully?  Do you buy every new release that looks promising?  Do you flit between demos and take everything for a test drive?  Do you cherish every single game that you get your hands on?  How do you play games?

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