Do You Play/Read/Binge-Watch More Than One Thing At A Time?

I used to only play one video game at a time. It just felt wrong to bounce around unfinished titles. But in the last couple of years I've found myself doing that, until the last few weeks I've unintentionally found myself going back to a "one game at a time" style. It may be coincidence, but I feel like my experiences have been richer for the change. The first was when I finished the main story of Horizon Zero Dawn, a game I suddenly found myself loving. Now I'm totally married to Dragon Quest Builders.

I've never tried binge-watching more than one TV show at a time, though I have a friend who binge-watches multiple shows at once. And it has never worked for me to read more than one fiction novel at a time. Just breaks up the momentum or something.

What do you guys prefer? What about your choice works better for you than the alternative?

The game I have played for the last several years is World of Tanks (free to play, free to win, but it is handy to spend cash). It is quite competitive and +/-20 ms of lag can make a HUGE difference.
So, when I am playing that game, I do nothing else. At night, my wife and I watch Top Gear (UK), and that is about it.
However, when I get burned out on WoT, I will play StarWars the Old Republic, which is timer based (almost turn-based) so a hundred ms of lag is neither here nor there. When I do that (or play my Total War games) I will binge watch a Netflix series. The Expanse, Legends of Tomorrow, the Marvel Netflix shows, whatever comes up... just started the Walking Dead recently. (I'm not what you would call an "early adopter")
But... I don't jump back and forth between them. I will watch a show until I'm out of episodes and then go to another. I wont watch a couple episodes here, a couple there, etc. The few times I've tried that, whether it be on my own or with my wife, I lose interest in one of the shows. ...in fact, I hate live tv. I absolutely love a series coming out all at once, it makes so much more sense as a long film rather than a hit or miss episode a week. I mean: you just watched a bad episode of Hawaii Five-0? Well, it will be six days and 23 hours until you might see a good one. But, on Netflix? Maybe the next one is a cup of coffee away. Or possibly you need to go to bed and try again after work tomorrow. Whatever, it is so much nicer.

Not being a massive gamer I don't tend to stick with one game until I'm finished with it, although when I get the taste for Super Mario Maker I can spend hours finding new and exciting ways to torment my 11 year old with it...

TV is different, I usually have one boxset on the go which my wife will enjoy with me, and one I'll catch a couple of episodes of while she's out. Of course, Doctor Who is the exception and must be watched as it airs!

I can also only read one novel at a time, although that's partly because I've usually got two or three of my own rattling around in my head at any one time...

My gaming is very sporadic, and I certainly don't stick to one game at a time. I'll play whatever I feel like at the time.

My viewing also tends to jump around a bit.
Right now, for example,
* My wife and I are going through Warehouse 13 DVDs. We watch one every now and then. We don't actually sit down to watch TV together all that often. With her work schedule lately, if she's not working a late, she's probably exhausted from working an early and just wants some time out alone with a book.
* I'm marathoning Stargate SG1. Started out as my "something to watch while making the bed or doing dishes" show. Then got really hooked back in and has become my primary go-to show for relaxing at present.
* I still have Marvel Luke Cage on the go. (but for some reason the pivotal episode 7 is not available in Australia. That kinda let the air out of my sails). Anyway, I'd seen a few episodes a while back, but saw something about defenders, and thought, "I really must catch up on my Marvel stuff so I'll be ready for it".
* Kinda also have the Netflix show Travellers on the go. SG1 distracted me away from this, but I enjoy it when I watch it.
* Various other stuff on the go, like a re-watch of Stargate Universe Season 1 on DVD, but I might just wait until I finish SG1 and Atlantis. Gonna watch SG1 and Atlantis together, so episode of 1, episode of the other. Should be fun to see the Stargate universe chronologically like that.

As for books, I'm like Steve. I only read on at a time. (wife will have several novels on the go however. Something light, a classic etc)

Warehouse 13 is terrific! In a corny, not-at-all-well-done way.
I loved that show...and I don't think I ever saw the last season... thanks for reminding me, I need to check that out.

I use to just focus on one thing at a time but now I do multiple as long as they're not similar genres. but now that my ps4 controller is acting up I have to put a lot of games I started on hold

Rickster wrote: now that my ps4 controller is acting up I have to put a lot of games I started on hold

What kind of symptoms are you having with it?

Paeter wrote:

Rickster wrote: now that my ps4 controller is acting up I have to put a lot of games I started on hold

What kind of symptoms are you having with it?

It's weird everything works when i'm on the main menu of the PS4 but when I start a game or an app only the PS and share button work and I just bought this controller in March

Paeter wrote:
I've never tried binge-watching more than one TV show at a time, though I have a friend who binge-watches multiple shows at once. And it has never worked for me to read more than one fiction novel at a time. Just breaks up the momentum or something.

What do you mean by binge-watching more than one show at once? To me, that sounds like you need two or more TVs playing multiple shows at the same time, and I definitely don't have the type of mind to be able to follow multiple stories like that!

Rickster wrote: I just bought this controller in March

Warranty, baby!

Reed Benson wrote:
What do you mean by binge-watching more than one show at once? To me, that sounds like you need two or more TVs playing multiple shows at the same time, and I definitely don't have the type of mind to be able to follow multiple stories like that!

lol! Funny mental image!

No, what I mean is watching your way through an entire show or season of a show whenever you sit down to watch a TV show. And usually it involves watching episodes back to back in clumps. For example, I binge-watched the entire Breaking Bad series a few years ago. It took me a couple months I think, but at least 2-3 nights a week I was just watching episodes of that show during my free time at night. So I'm asking if anyone does that, but alternates between shows. Maybe 2 eps of X-Files on even nights and 2 Eps of Deep Space 9 on the odd nights. Or one of each every night.

Paeter wrote:

Reed Benson wrote:
What do you mean by binge-watching more than one show at once? To me, that sounds like you need two or more TVs playing multiple shows at the same time, and I definitely don't have the type of mind to be able to follow multiple stories like that!

lol! Funny mental image!

No, what I mean is watching your way through an entire show or season of a show whenever you sit down to watch a TV show. And usually it involves watching episodes back to back in clumps. For example, I binge-watched the entire Breaking Bad series a few years ago. It took me a couple months I think, but at least 2-3 nights a week I was just watching episodes of that show during my free time at night. So I'm asking if anyone does that, but alternates between shows. Maybe 2 eps of X-Files on even nights and 2 Eps of Deep Space 9 on the odd nights. Or one of each every night.

Oh, OK. Well, in that case, I don't really binge-watch stuff that often by myself. If I watch something like Daredevil on Netflix, I'll usually watch one or so episodes at a time, and not always every day, until I get close to the end of the season. Then, if I'm invested, I'll watch more at a time when I'm near the end of the season.

I have such a short attention span, though, I'm more likely to binge YouTube videos than hour-long episodes of a series.

My wife and I do tend to binge-watch comedies together around lunch and/or dinner time. Right now we're in season four of Cougar Town. Since shows like that are only half an hour, they're easier to watch in bunches.