I would have continued to play basic dungeons and dragons alongside advanced dungeons and dragons. I would not have given basic up
I would have played and purchased as many games as possible. It was really hard to get new games and essentially the closest we got the game stores were the music store & the head shop which sometimes carried role-playing materials. I probably would’ve had to buy many of them by mail order sending in a self addressed stamped envelope and money orders.
I would have been more aggressive about joining groups and creating stable game groups. I would have had more people live near me that were willing to play. Not just people my age, but people who had been in the hobby in the seven or so years before I started playing.
I would not have taken a break like I did. I would have continued to play.