2 Gamers, 1 Console

At some point or another I think anyone who plays video games ends up in a situation where two people want to play video games but there is no way they can both play what they want at the same time.  Whether its siblings, roommates, or even parents and kids you end up having to share.  And while sharing is caring, I want to play my game right now damn it! You've had your turn!

Our house is no different.  And while we both have other hobbies that don’t involve video games, inevitably, one of us will want to play their game while the other is playing theirs.  As we are grown adults one of us will normally ask if we can play for a while, and normally we are reasonable people.  But some days we just both want to play.

There a few different approaches to this dilemma:

Take Turns
Seems easy enough.  I play for an hour and then you play for an hour.  Normally I like to watch others play video games almost as much as I enjoy playing them, so this can be win win.  But, if you are in the middle of a quest and your hour is up, now what?  Do you get to finish the quest?  Does that mean the other person tacks on some time to their hour? What if your quest ends up taking you 2 hours and now there is no time for the other person to play?  Taking turns is nice, but not perfect.

First come, First serve
The law of the wasteland! If you are first to the console, you get to play.  End of story.  When you are done, and only when you are done, someone else can play.  Certainly not fair, but neither is life, suck it up Nancy!

Multiplayer
This works well if both parties are into the same type of game.  If one of you likes hack and slash and the other likes puzzle games, you might have a harder time.  This also works better if you are at near the same skill level. A pro and a n00b will end up at each others throats in multiplayer unless the pro is very gracious.

Schedule
Make up a schedule of what time each of you gets the console. This, like communism, looks good on paper, but doesn't tend to work great in reality.  Life happens and the next thing you know your time on the schedule has come and gone and there was never an opportunity to even get the game out of its box.

Double Down
Buy another system. And another TV.  Also, if you like the same games, you are going to need to get two copies. Now you have two of everything, no more fighting.  You will also be eating Ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a while.  Tastes like progress.