My interest in gaming has hit an all time low today

[Deleted member 17092]

Yeah if you have an SO who doesn't want to watch you play games (which in my experience is most people in general), it's hard to play many games. You either have to do it late at night or if you have a day to yourself or maybe a bit on the weekends.

I'm lucky to finish a few games a year.

Also with a regular work schedule a lot of the time gaming feels more like work than it is relaxing, so even if I do have time to myself most of the time I read or watch a movie/tv.

Life during the work week is basically work, eat dinner, sleep, repeat.

That's pretty normal for anyone who works 40+ hours a week.

 

[Maximus]

I used to play almost everyday for hours, but a lot of life changes later and a ton of responsibilities and less free time mean I am super selective about what I play and how much I can play. Some games have been a drag and have made me reevaluate what I should do with this time. I also have significantly less time to play with friends, but I don't entirely miss it.

Just do what feels right to you and if you're not enjoying something, it's time to play something else or move on. You don't have to game everyday.

 

[AmosThatBook]

The remedy to this: play fewer AAA games.

More variety, shorter playtime, greater satisfaction.

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Using competitive multiplayer games like Apex Legends or Overwatch to "relax" seems like a terrible idea. There's plenty of "jump in to play for 10 minutes" games out there, I always have a few on rotation (currently Dicey Dungeons and Crypt of the Necrodancer).

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This is what did it for me. I was starting to feel the same way as OP last year; between school and work, I just didn't have much free time. When I could game I was playing Overwatch and I burnt out fast. I usually play games to relax, and competitive multiplayer games just stress me out. Took a couple month break from games, then on a whim bought Celeste and Dead Cells. Found that playing both games in shorter bursts was much more in line with what I want out of games when I can play.

 

[Ogawa-san]

I'm 31 and lately I've often come to the conclusion that life is short and video games are these artificial endorphine injectors that just falsely make us feel as if we've accomplished something tangible.

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I've gone through The Divison 1 and Destiny 2 recently, and that's the reason I've dropped both minutes after beating the story - which is barely their tutorials. They're fun, but games like those are fun precisely because they're designed around giving you those micro endorphine doses at regular intervals to keep you endlessly interested.

Hell, even single player games are like that nowadays. I've been going through Injustice 2 and the loot system is entirely around loot boxes, you get them by the dozen. There's a menu just to open those boxes and it'll light up whenever there's a new one. The game wants to go there and keep gambling your time in hopes of getting something fun.

I had more fun before realizing how easily we're manipulated to have fun.

 

[Darkmaigle]

This is just kinda life, I usually beat 1 AAA game a year and spend the rest of my time playing indies in 30 minute bursts. Great way to save money.

 

[Manzoli]

I know exactly how you feel.

I work from 7:00am to 6pm most days and it sucks the energy out of me. When I get home I just wanna sit back and relax watching YouTube or reading era.

However, the Switch got me playing again in short sessions, especially because of the easy pick up and play nature.

I don't play league of legends anymore and i certainly won't be playing any RPGs soon but some smaller games are cool, like, I've finished Mr. Shifty on a Saturday afternoon and it was a blast.

 

[pixelation]

I barely play games at all anymore. Whenever I have free time I prefer to watch something streaming (Netflix, Amazon, YT).

 

[KingLear]

I've been through it, you're just drained. Maybe swap to Netflix, anime, working out or try some table top stuff with your gf.

 

[Suburban Thug]

I'm in the same boat - between a girlfriend, social life, and demanding job I've just lost interest in most games. These days it feels like I'm forcing myself to play when I'm not truly enjoying it. Haven't found a solution yet.

 

[noyram23]

I just deducted just a bit of sleep and other extra things like fb, internet browsing. My time is very scheduled now due to business, work, family, gym, then I even added running during off days. Playing games are basically my main hobby at this point so I probably won't discard it, it seems OP that you're stressed at work and probably feel a bit burnt out on gaming, I suggest taking an off period, if you really like that hobby you'll eventually comeback

 

[Neo-Saiyan]

My advice? Replay some all time favorites. I get like this on occasion and I own a small business so I get pretty damn busy. When this happens ot's hard to get into newer games... Happened recently with Sekiro and DMCV (though I eventually beat DMCV) I just devote to replaying some of my favorites.

Lately that's been Uncharted 4/Lost Legacy, God of War, Wondeful 101, and Shadow of the Colossus.

Playing some faves can be a joy because you can get the rush you got when you played them a while ago. Don't be afraid to go back as far as possible either assuming you have access to older games in some way.

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This totally resonates with me. Every now and then I get totally burned out on modern games, the past couple of weeks when I finished work, everytime I turn on the PS4 and deciding what to play, I end up switching it off again 2 mins later because I haven't got the motivation to play any games on it but on the other hand I've been playing Metroid Prime and Super Maro Sunshine on the Gamecube and been having a blast with them

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Yeah if you have an SO who doesn't want to watch you play games (which in my experience is most people in general), it's hard to play many games. You either have to do it late at night or if you have a day to yourself or maybe a bit on the weekends.

I'm lucky to finish a few games a year.

Also with a regular work schedule a lot of the time gaming feels more like work than it is relaxing, so even if I do have time to myself most of the time I read or watch a movie/tv.

Life during the work week is basically work, eat dinner, sleep, repeat.

That's pretty normal for anyone who works 40+ hours a week.

Click to shrink...

Between the Switch and the relative affordability of gaming laptops, I think there are reasonable ways to get a little gaming in while the SO watches something, if they aren't inclined to join in/watch you game.

 

[Deleted member 20831]

I basically start at 9AM and I'm not back home until 18.30PM.

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I have similar timings, but with an hour and more added to it accomodating travel.

Generally found that switching away from multiplayer only games (like Apex) saved me a lot more time to commit on larger single player games and also made me much more relaxed.

 

[Deleted member 733]

Take a break. Definitely enjoy the time with your girlfriend. If you get in the mood and have time, play again, especially if it's a singleplayer game or a short experience. If you find pleasure, then you're back! It's ok to take breaks.

 

[POE_001]

Play more Nintendo.

 

[dalq]

Couple years ago I moved to another city, started a new career path, went back to college to study and found a six hour/day internship, on top of doing a specialization course that takes most of my Saturdays. Before that I was unemployed and wasn't studying and spent my days playing.

Looking back, I don't regret the change one bit. Yeah, I barely have time to play stuff nowadays and I reach the weekend completely tired, but I am surprisingly enjoying the time I DO have to play.

Before that I would spend hours playing Overwatch and getting angry because my team sucked. Now I can just log off and go do something else because, honestly, I feel like my free time is too valuable to waste it on getting mad at not being a 360 no scope sweat. One of the reasons I never spent more than one match on battle royale games, tbh.

Few weeks ago I bought a bundle with some older AC games and managed to beat AC Rogue in a holiday+weekend. I think it's the only game I finished this year besides What Remains of Edith Finch, and I'm really enjoying not bothering with the million collectibles and on the few occasions where I have more free time, I end up just getting bored at the repetitive loops of most AAA titles.

 

[WBacon]

I'm 48, married with two children, and still try to squeeze in 2-4 hours a week of game time.

Though my play time is sporadic and limited due to work and other IRL commitments, I do find games as a mean to unwind from my busy lifestyle.

One recommendation is to stick with one game at a time, play it at least once a week even if it's just an hour, and finishing it to completion. Preferably a non-GaaS type game. Or a short, iterative, arcade-style game that doesn't require long term commitment or has a grandiose 'ending' that you need to work towards.

I've experienced gaming withdrawal couple of years ago when I juggled several games at a time. I ended up dabbling only a few hours per game just to get a taste of each, and then dropped most of them due to IRL commitments.

The problem is when you set the game down for more than a couple of weeks, you forget where you left off. The byproduct of this is that you lose motivation to go back in. You think, "Do I restart to get the full experience or f the story/plot line and power through it?" Either option is not great as it becomes a stress/nuisance.

So back to my original point: try sticking with one major game at a time and finish it. There is nothing more rewarding than the catharsis and the lingering sensation of accomplishment you feel when you complete a game. It's what drives me to look forward to picking up the next game.

Good luck!

Edit: I also tend to stay away from competitive online multiplayer games. I don't have the time commitment nor energy to stay competitive. And losing sucks. I don't play games to get my ass handed to me every single time by randos. :)

 

[Ichi]

Couple years ago I moved to another city, started a new career path, went back to college to study and found a six hour/day internship, on top of doing a specialization course that takes most of my Saturdays. Before that I was unemployed and wasn't studying and spent my days playing.

Looking back, I don't regret the change one bit. Yeah, I barely have time to play stuff nowadays and I reach the weekend completely tired, but I am surprisingly enjoying the time I DO have to play.

Before that I would spend hours playing Overwatch and getting angry because my team sucked. Now I can just log off and go do something else because, honestly, I feel like my free time is too valuable to waste it on getting mad at not being a 360 no scope sweat. One of the reasons I never spent more than one match on battle royale games, tbh.

Few weeks ago I bought a bundle with some older AC games and managed to beat AC Rogue in a holiday+weekend. I think it's the only game I finished this year besides What Remains of Edith Finch, and I'm really enjoying not bothering with the million collectibles and on the few occasions where I have more free time, I end up just getting bored at the repetitive loops of most AAA titles.

Click to shrink...

This. Especially when all AAA games are been there, done that. Just no Motivation to pick up the controller to do the things I've been doing the past 20+ years. Kill another enemy, shoot another enemy, slash another enemy. I'm enjoying Baba Is You now. I'd play more if there were more innovative game designs than the same old tired ones and it's being homogenized now.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

The remedy to this: play fewer AAA games.

More variety, shorter playtime, greater satisfaction.

Click to shrink...

I agree when it comes to bloated open world, but AAA Japanese games with rich combat and/or level design like Bloodborne, DS3, Nioh and now Sekiro really reignited my love for gaming.

I'll also add The Last Guardian and Astro Bot to that list. The former really hit me in the feels and the latter is just pure joy.

 

[Frunkalicious]

I think this happens to most people at one point. Maybe pick up an old favourite and give it a go? Usually does it for me if Im not feeling like playing anything new and shiny.

4 hours a night is unhealthy. Videogames are awesome of course, but if you have that much free time you should really push your energy towards self improvement. Do anything else, do something that makes you a better person.

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I can see why someone posting this might want to prioiritize becoming "a better person" instead of playing videogames. Good on you.

 

[Rogue Blue]

I'm 27 myself and I know exactly what you're talking about.

A couple of years ago, when I went into my first full time job, I had hardly any time to play any of the games that were coming out, much less the ones I already had.

As the saying goes, I had the income, but no way to actually enjoy it.

How you get back into gaming is going to depend on you personally. You're going to have to create your own schedule if you want to make the time. Maybe play a little in the morning and some more at night after work? Personally, I find playing in the morning to actually be quite relaxing. Again, it depends on you.

There's nothing wrong with taking a break either. For me, entire weeks would pass where I wouldn't play anything, and yet I never felt like I was missing out.

Heck, it made me enjoy the gaming I would do afterwards all the more.

Also try to play other types of games. Playing the same kind all in a row is bound to burn you out even more. For instance, right now, I'm playing Okami and Mario & Luigi SuperStar Saga. I feel like it's a nice balance between the RPG and Action/Adventure genres that I love so much.

Hope this helps.

 

[RoninChaos]

I went through the same shit. Got a different job years ago, family, and it cut back in gaming, movies and reading. Nowadays I barely game, I barely read and I barely watch anything I enjoy because I don't have time. I find myself insanely impatient with any entertainment that wastes my time. Especially games. I used to love super long games but now every game feels like it's 49 hours too long and has an open world. I have tried to play shorter games and having a switch has helped a lot because I can pick up and play when I have time. It lets me chip away at things when I have time.

Anyway, I wish I had some advice. The best I can give is to realize you can't play everything and to not buy games you don't have time for. Otherwise you end up with an insane back log that will feel like a weight around your neck.

 

[Atisha]

You are probabaly stressed.
Don't play stressful / competetive game - at the moment. Watching your girl play is a relief valve for you. You are free from the driver's seat - but still get to enjoy the show.

 

[RoninChaos]

Well when you have less time then you're going to be more desperate to get enjoyment out of the limited time you have for gaming which in turn is stressing you out cause you can't properly enjoy a game cause you lack the time.

Find shorter games or games that appeal with quick ins and outs.

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This man has it spot on. Less time actually makes your gaming time more stressful because you want to maximize the time you have. So then when things start to suck you're like "FUCK THIS". It's so frustrating. Shorter games will help.

*edit* fucking auto correct.

 

[Arebours]

Play games that you enjoy. no need to overthink it. So what if it takes you two months to complete a 90 hour rpg? Nobody cares about your game completion rate. Ask yourself if you look forward to coming home and playing the game after work. If not, then change game.

 

[Deleted member 17207]

OP, you get breaks and a lunch at this new gig?

If so, do what I did. Switch to a Switch, and let the gaming continue. Seriously. I work a 9-5 job, spend time with the fiancée in the evenings, and have hobbies other than gaming to fit in as well. The Switch is my travel companion though, letting me beat games at a pace that would otherwise take forever. I might not be playing the same types of games I used to, but the enthusiasm is still there, as is the fun. I play on my breaks, sometimes my lunch, and even at home if there's 20 minutes to spare and nothing going on. It's easy to pull out a switch whereas sitting down in front of a tv/screen and console is a bit more of an "I'm about to spend a chunk of time" activity.

 

[JakeNoseIt]

Congratulations, you are on the very cusp of freedom.

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After the OP I really appreciated the full laugh this gave me

 

[funtastrophe]

Things are different for each person, but for me the solution to being burned out on my gaming hobby was to add some diversity in my hobbies.

This year, I'm building a chainmail shirt and learning Irish. On the side, I'm occasionally pursuing geneology to work out my weird and twisty family tree and trying to lightly get back into gardening (no expectations there, hah!). In the past, I've dabbled in other things like brewing, cooking, costuming, programming, etc, generally trying to have two or three new hobbies every year.

The thing is that playing games feels more rewarding when it's not the only thing you're doing during your downtime. Sure, there's much less time for gaming, but that's kind of the point: At least in my case, when games were the only outlet, my interest and enjoyment were subject to diminishing returns. It really blows when gaming starts feeling more like an obligation than a side fun thing.

Coincidentally, I was around 27 when I started doing stuff as above.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Arriving at 9AM and getting home after 6PM is the reality for most of working America I should think.

3-4 hours per day of leisure time is abnormal for most people out of school who have something other than gaming going on in their lives. I live with my gf, and while I don't have kids or work to bring home, I do still have sports, gym, cooking, and occasional friend outings that eat into gaming time. And yes, even TV/streaming. It's just a fact of life. I'd be more worried if you still managed to finish 50 games a year with all that you have on your plate.

My purchases nowadays are more selective, and even then it's hard to imagine that I'll ever finish something like RDR2 in my queue (took me 11 game hours, but the real life equivalent of about a month to beat my first run of RE2). Sekiro will probably take me the entire spring. Thank goodness it has a pause button and quick travel.

 

[gutter_trash]

It's totally normal to have interests in videogames and stuff wane with age

 

[LavaBadger]

I get that it takes time to get into the groove of a new schedule... But honestly? 3 hours of gaming a day sounds like a lot. Any person should consider themselves ucky if they consistently can get that amount of time. People with jobs and families just can't consistently clock that kind of time in most scenarios. If I had kids, I imagine I'd almost never play.

It's totally normal to have interests in videogames and stuff wane with age

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Is it? Priorities change, but why would you suddenly stop being interested in video games?

 

[Rizific]

Life. Now try having kids.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I just play mobile these days.

That will change when Fire Emblem: Three Houses comes out, though. I'll buy a Switch just to play the hell out of that game.

Other games on Switch will be a bonus, but I'm not about consuming games like I was a few years ago. I ended up never playing some of them.

Seems like you have to adjust your mindset.

 

[hanshen]

Sounds like a pretty normal hour to me. I don't get home until 7pm when we are not busy. And my firm is actually really adament about work life balance. On one of my internships, I worked to midnight everyday while getting paid almost nothing.

 

[HanzSnubSnub]

Take a gaming break for a few weeks or months. Let the burnout fizzle and one day it will come back to you.

 

[Ishaan]

Welcome to being an adult! It isn't as bad as it looks. Having money's nice, and you'll soon discover other things you enjoy doing with your spare time. (For me, it was cooking)

Back to the matter at hand, though. I went through this a few years ago myself, and grew comfortable with knowing that I wasn't going to get to play everything I wanted. In some ways, that made me incredibly picky in terms of what I would give my time/money to, and so I'd like to think I only play the stuff I know I'll really enjoy these days.

I usually have one game that I take a few weeks to work through at any given point in time, and alongside it I have another couple of games that only take 5-6 hours to complete. I just wrapped up Starlink: Battle for Atlas (30 hours), and alongside it I completed Subsurface Circular and Red Strings Club (about 2 hours each).

The next game I'm probably going to pick up is the Switch port of Dragon's Dogma, or Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age. I'd imagine either one of those will last me a month or so. Alongside them, I'm looking at picking up Forgotton Anne or The Sexy Brutale. That should keep me busy until E3 rolls around.

Portable gaming is going to be a big part of your life from now, provided you don't have any hang-ups about that. For me, it was the DS and 3DS, and now the Switch. I'd imagine you're past the point where you want to go back and explore the 3DS library, so start exploring the Switch eShop.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I was your age when that happened to me.

Only a few years out now and it's resurged something fierce. It really just depends on time management. Sometimes you can just game all weekend if you want to.

Other times you can't. Life responsibility takes over... you'll probably never game like you did as a kid again, unless you're on vacation.

But that doesn't mean you need to give it up. In fact, I find managing your time to fit in games makes them more enjoyable, because you savor every last bit of it, and it forces you to weed out games you only "kind of" enjoy.

 

[Yesterday]

I have similar hours but I have no girlfriend so I can play as much as I want. Do recommend

 

[Deleted member 27471]

I wouldn't read to much into your reaction that you had.

Also, nobody needs to play video games for hours every day. I mean if you want to, go for it, but there are far more rewarding things to do in life than endlessly consuming every hour of every new released game. Mix things up a bit. Get out with your GF, go on a trip, try a new restaurant, read a book, find new hobbies, do some volunteering, go to the gym, find ways to better yourself personally and professionally, do whatever and if you feel like a game play a game. Stimulate your mind and challenge yourself.

It's really easy to get comfortable in life and get into a routine of doing the same thing every day. If you don't have kids, you have no excuse lol and take advantage of the time now.

 

[Illusion]

It's called burnout and it's a huge problem in current society. You're told that in order to have a good successful life you should be working, but during your time off you find it difficult to enjoy yourself; thinking only of the complexities & difficulty of your job and feeling exhausted coming home. Essentially, your work is affecting your home life and no amount of time off will fix that, at some point, you will completely burn yourself out and get stuck in a slump.

 

[pikachief]

I have a similar schedule in the sense that IF I get game time on a weeknight, its for 1-2 hours. But even with that schedule and spending good time with my wife and both our families I'm doing the 52 games challenge and im 23/52 already and that includes games like KH1-3, RE2, Anthem, and Astrobot.

I do hit walls where it feels like I'm playing games just to play and not to enjoy them and in those days its okay to watch tv or watch someone else play or read or just find something else or veg out. Theres been a few weeks where I don't play anything.

Also I found it helpful to find some short and sweet experiences to mix things up and fits my time management way better. I beat Goragoa, Florence, and The Gardens Between and really enjoyed those games are theyre all 2hrs or less. I'd look into some interesting but short indies to fill the gap if you really want to keep gaming but are feeling kinda bleh about it, or just learn to be okay with not gaming sometimes.

I even started listening to gaming podcasts on the way to work like EZA and Bombcast to get my gaming fix without gaming lol

 

[Deleted member 8561]

Is your job worth that much devotion from your life?

I'd hate everything if I had to work those hours.




Wage Slavery is freedom?

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Uhhh, yea, having a job gives you money so you can do stuff.

And those hours are 9:00 to 6:30... that's a normal day.

 

[Kyuur]

There's nothing wrong with breaks and you don't have to constantly play games. I routinely don't play anything for months until the next release that I'm REALLY excited for comes along.

 

[Thorn]

Uhhh, yea, having a job gives you money so you can do stuff.

And those hours are 9:00 to 6:30... that's a normal day.

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I was under the impression 9-5 is normal.

And I'm of the opinion an 8 Hour work day is too much anyway.

 

[lt519]

It happens, you get older and have less time/patience for the bullshit that accompanies competitive PvP games. You also have less time to dive into massive games because you won't feel like you can make good progress on just an hour a night.

You'll also adjust to having the job. It's jarring at first, full work days are mentally tiring and the last thing you might want to do is play a mentally taxing game. But eventually you'll find ways to work the longer games in. I usually settle down on a weekend I know I have nothing going on and marathon a small/medium size game (usually at the cost of sleep) because I know I won't play them after work.

Your next realization will be that you don't have the patience for hard games because you don't want to feel like you've wasted a night not making progress.

Also don't be ashamed to take vacation to play some games. I took 2 days off to play BotW and routinely take half days on release dates to get a good session in. It's a nice treat and if your work allows it just try and make up the time without using vacation (i.e. work an extra hour M-Th and take a half day Friday solely to go home and dive into a meaty game).

 

[Servbot24]

It's okay to not play video games. There's nothing inherently virtuous about them. Maybe try reading books or something instead.

 

[valuv]

I was under the impression 9-5 is normal.

And I'm of the opinion an 8 Hour work day is too much anyway.

Click to shrink...

Wait until you find out the kind of hours the people who make your games put in!

 

[duckroll]

The first thing you need to realize is that this:

Before my new job happened, I would just sit and play videogames for at least 3 to 4 hours a day and -more importantly- I would enjoy it. Last year I managed to play and finish over 50 games, which included fantastic experiences such as God of War, Breath of the Wild and Spider-Man. I would just have a smile all over my face when playing this and I still do when I remember last year.

Click to shrink...

is not the normal rate of consumption for the majority of people playing and loving games. And it's okay to not remotely approach that level of consumption and still be a "real" gamer and totally love your hobby in a healthy way. You don't need one hobby to define your entire life and your life can exist without partaking in a hobby at every free moment you have.

Once you get over that you'll stop worrying about days you don't play games at all, and start to focus on picking up games you are naturally interested in and excited about whenever you feel like spending the time on them, and you can still be super happy playing games. Don't need to think about them 24/7.

 

[Ishaan]

I was under the impression 9-5 is normal.

And I'm of the opinion an 8 Hour work day is too much anyway.

Click to shrink...

You must be European.

 

[kittens]

I barely play anymore and honestly it's been nothing but positive for me.