I use whatever I can find that fits my needs. Nail polish, Scalefinishes, House of Kolor, Tamiya (mostly for interiors), Testors Model Masters lacquers, Duplicolor and PlastiKote. If I can thin it with lacquer thinner, I'll probably try to use it.
My kids have both built a couple of kits here and there but it's not their thing. My wife fully supports me in the hobby these days. She thought it was a passing fancy until she saw how serious I was about it.
Agreed; many of my builds are inspired by video games. I rarely play anything other than racing games so for me the two kind of go together. Before Gran Turismo originally came out, a Skyline was a restaurant in Cincinnati. Forza 4 is my current favorite and I am in the process of building a few cars from my "garage" so I personally think that model cars and video games CAN cohabitate.
I don't frequent many forums much anymore (three actually) but this is one of them. It would be cool if some of these guys could keep a decent perspective on things and try to realize things that should and shouldn't be put on a public forum. Gregg, hopefully you see fit to let this forum continue; it IS a very good resource for us modelers. Thanks for making it happen.