There's been some discussion on the PCPP forums recently about the golden age of gaming. Most PCPP readers seem to agree that the 1990s was the time to be alive when it came to PC gaming.

Yet I've noticed some of the younger forum members citing games that a more recent, from the early 21st Century, for instance. And this begs the question: was there ever a "golden age" of gaming, or were we all once at the golden age for gaming?

Undeniably my best gaming experiences were had in late high school and at university. Multiplayer Quake for the first time. Lugging computers across town to set up direct cable connections. Red Alert showdowns in the newsroom at Charles Sturt. Great times.

After uni, before I came to work at PCPP, I had some great gaming times as well. Starcraft and I lived together for many years. Then Quake 3. Great times again.

Flip forward seven or eight years and where am I, in my personal gaming? Fact is, I just can't put in the hours like I used to. Once, days would go by where all I would do was play Dune 2. Or Starcon 2, I poured a hell of a lot of hours into that. Now, two hours into a gaming session and I'm ready for the next thing.

Part of it is writing for the mag, of course. When you're bombarded by every single PC game that gets released, the gems are often lost in the rough. Games do pop up for me from time to time. No surprises, the same games you single out. C&C Generals in particular had a big impact. Deus Ex of course, you're probably sick of hearing about that one.

But where once I would spend a whole day on Alpha Centauri, now I can't seem to justify STALKER. Tim was kind enough to flip me a CE copy of Supreme Commander, and I haven't even taken off the shrink wrap. (Don't worry, it hasn't gone to waste - hotware auteur Christina Goudge is currently spending time with it in between USB coffee cup warmers).

Another part of it is the consoles of course, I'm ashamed to admit. Guitar Hero II, what can I say? And Flow on the PS3 is just so relaxing, like meditating in a pond. Don't worry though - if there's a game that comes out on Xbox 360 and PC (think Bioshock, Oblivion, etc) I'll always grab it for PC ahead of the consoles.

Ultimately though I'm just not putting in the hours on the games I used to. There's always a garden to be weeded, a dog to be walked, a car with which to be tinkered. I guess it's just all part of growing up.

I'm not too worried. Because when I log my game time I realise I'm still spending just as much with the good games. It's just the crap that I'm no longer indulging. Age means solidifying your personal tastes, and being more confident in knowing what you like.

I know what I like. I still like games. I just like doing other things too, now.