Have been playing for more than 20 years (Fall 86 was my first memorable game of Diplomacy). Started with traditional wargames (WWII hex), RPG (Call of Cthulu, Star Wars, D&D and some more) and Diplomacy. Some years later, played US games (Rep. of Rome, Acquire, Hist. of t World, the great "Britannia", and so on), german games, and Blood Bowl. Never again got into traditional wargames or RPG. Never really got into Magic, ASL or Warhammer.
I like games with a strong theme (a war, an adventure, an exploration,etc.) and/or with some kind of direct interaction (war, fighting, negociation, bluffing, eventualy bidding, if it is the center of the mechanic, cooperation, etc.)
I am not too tolerant towards length, complexity and the brainburn aspect of a game, but it depends on how rewarding it is.
I really like playing but, I have to confess, the best part of a game is being able to gather some friends and have fun, before, during and after a game.
