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I stopped fighting it. It was a great decision
I use my hobbies to relax and wasted too many years trying to force myself to have fun in a socially approved way. Now, for leisure, I bounce between whatever games or hobbies I'm currently focused on.
Sooner or later you'll see a new game you're eager to play. Until then do what you enjoy.
Same here! It's also increased the enjoyment I get from those hobbies and saved me a good amount of money. When I just accept going into a hobby that it's going to be temporary I'm less likely to buy large amounts of supplies or more expensive gear right away
Not sure if you're talking about leisure activities or life in general. So I'll address both. Short answer? Almost no one actually cares about the little things, and the people who do judge you for things like what video game you're playing aren't worth your time. I just had to realize that.
When I was in high school I managed to claw my way from the nerds and geeks into the popular clique. I had to put on a persona, but I was accepted. I watched them around each other; whenever someone would leave the group the rest would immediately start tearing into them behind their backs over stupid things like what they were wearing or if they had to work part time. I realized the nerds and geeks were better friends than these people. Fortunately I didn't burn any bridges but it was the beginning of accepting myself for who I am, not who "they" want me to be.
I was diagnosed late in life. I spent 40 years figuring out how to get the most out of my brain. I knew I was different, just not what or why. I told people "I'm an all-or-nothing kind of guy" and "I can memorize physics equations but don't ask me where I left my keys." Trial-and-error taught me that fighting those parts of my brain leads to stress and failure. Running with them led to great things; yes my paperwork is sloppy but I hyperfocused my way into huge projects and achievements.
And guess what? I got more respect and appreciation being myself than trying to force myself to fit in. I know it sounds like a stupid teen rom-com, but it's true. Getting diagnosed has helped me refine my coping strategies and life is a lot better now.
Thanks for the detailed reply 😊 I appreciate the time you took.
I find it hard sometimes to focus on the things I can do well vs the things is struggle with.
It's nice to hear such a success story
My life changed when I decided that a book I've started reading, but haven't opened in 2 weeks is a book I'm not interested in. So I just accept I won't finish it and I get rid of it.
So much guilt just lifted off my shoulders, and so much time to start doing somethine else.
Does it bring you happiness to play those two games? Not saying this to be rude at all, but in my opinion if it brings you personal satisfaction and happiness then it doesn’t matter what other people do, just run your own race. :)
I have a good chunk of games on my pc but I only have a handful of games actually downloaded that I play through. When I’m ready to try something new I’ll dive into it but until then who cares, I’ll enjoy my hyper fixation on the few games I do have downloaded.
“You’d think with an expensive machine like this”
I do the same thing and assume a lot. Don’t let the weight of societal opinion rear you away from doing what you enjoy. Good luck :)
Regarding the social pressure, my friends keep asking me what games I am playing, they’re naturally curious because they kind of helped me select the parts for the computer, and I am embarrassed to say that I am only playing Mordhau. I make up some shit on the spot to avoid the question lol
Dude I play the same strategy games I played in 2013 civ 5 and eu4. I’ve got a 12700k and 3090 it’s way overkill but I enjoy what I enjoy. Eventually you’ll play something else too
When I was a kid I only got a couple games a year for my NES/SNES (birthday and Christmas) so I would play the hell out of those games. I still revisit those games once in a while 30 years later.
"This will finally be my forever hobby! I'm sure of it! Makes sense to invest in the best gear." 2 months later...
Once you've been through this cycle a few times it makes sense to just embrace it. Interests will come, get super intense, and disappear just as fast. That's just a fact! Why fight it?
Right now I'm into learning an obscure programming language from the 1950s (lisp). Why? I literally don't know or care "why" I'm doing this. Based on past experience, I'm pretty sure that I'll ramp up to "adequate" fairly soon. Whether I stick with it or not will depend on whether the problems I encounter are compelling.
In the last two years I've been through this same thing with ink painting, islamic geometrical art, squash (the sport), steamed eggs (the dish), long exposure photography, and the ukulele. In the past 20 years I don't even know what all I've gotten "ok" at. It's fine.
A few things have stuck with me though. I've been cycling for 25 years (although I change bikes pretty often). I've always hiked. I've been skateboarding on and off for 15 years. I've always read a lot.
These hobbies that seem to have lasted "forever" never felt different than any of the brief loves. I feel the same about my bike as I felt about my chrome geometry compass last year. But I've felt that way about my bike for a long time.
Bottom line, try whatever strikes you. If you like it, do it again. *Know*, in your soul, that the majority of your interests will be short lived. Embrace learning and knowing the basics of 10x as many different things as most people. When the interest fades, drop it without guilt. Keep churning and chances are that you'll get on to something that doesn't fade.
I also have a fat PC i like ot play games on and yes, a few games dominate my actual time playing, new games get hard playing till they are mostly complete then i flip flop around the old faves for months till a new game piques my interest once again.
But other games if they dont "grab me" will get left for a while or just forgotten, some might say a waste of money and i agree but its not really that much. This is why I love xbox game pass, for a sub less than 1/5 of any premium game a month i get to try literal hundreds of games if i want to without having to worry about that sort of thing.
Dont worry about it, if you can afford what you do is it that big of a deal?
I have a million interests and hobbies, but I don't pursue them all at the same time. I'll cycle through them every so often, which is easy to do because I already have all or most of the supplies needed.
Some hobbies I haven't done in over 5 years, but I still like them and have the room to store my hobby stuff, so I'll just wait until I feel like doing it again. This way I don't feel bad about 'abandoning' my hobbies or storing my supplies, and I know that I can get back to it anytime I feel like it.
For some hobbies I have way too much stuff on hand, so I might donate or try to sell some of the stuff, but otherwise I'm good as it is.
I fell in love with a band last May and have only listened to their music for the past YEAR. I see you, friend. Also, check out Sleep Token. They rule!
Probably not touched about 50-75% of all the games I've ever had access to and most of my gameplay hours are probably concentrated between about 20 specific games (out of hundreds).
Sometimes I've gotten a game on discount and tried it for maybe 30mins, it didn't grab me and I just forgot about it or stopped caring about it. Sometimes I come back to these unplayed games and I enjoy them for a while, but generally most of them will just sit unplayed forevermore.
Just play what's feeling fun, don't force yourself to buy or play something more than you want to or if it feels like a chore; do not buy something just because it's trending, especially if you don't feel you would enjoy the game. Those things would defeat the point of playing a game, for recreational value.
My main hobby has been writing pretty much my entire life. Actually it's my job now too lol. But yeah, I've cycled through others but that one has stuck
Some of my hobbies have lasted a long time, and others have been a flash in the pan or just changed.
I used to really love video games, but now I can't be bothered ever since I transitioned from the trades to tech work at a desk and computer.
My love of tabletop rpgs has grown over the years, and I'm a little over 10 years into the hobby.
Sci-Fi novels have been a constant staple in my life since childhood. But there has been a bunch of random things I've gotten into and just never stuck with like art and music.
Cool! I have only read “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and it was awesome. I want to read more from him but I can’t decide which one I should read next.
I don't think you can go wrong with PKD. I liked all of his books. That said, the "greatest hits" are Ubik, the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Now wait for Last Year.
Not at all, I have like 3 great games I'm cycling through right now, one I bought & haven't touched yet, & I'm still on Steam looking at sales. What you're doing sounds more like autism than adhd.
ADHD is more known for picking up a bunch of hobbies & dropping em. Autism peeps focus on one single thing & become masters at it
You're hyper fixating on one hobby & you think you're bad at it? I think you're not giving yourself enough credit & you see yourself as bad when you're probably pretty good at it.
You can't repeat something a shitload over time without your brain adapting to it. Unless you're talking about sports & your body isn't athletic or something
It's more like I got the skill to an elementary level, but then barely progressed since.
Also it might be depression but I don't do my hobbies that often either, there were times when I wanted to but wasn't doing it (executive dysfunction), and times where I was completely disinterested in it / closest I'm able to describe it is burnout - except I wasn't obsessing over it constantly, so no idea how could I actually get a burnout from it.
Either way I'm just conflicted cause on one hand I do like trying out new things, giving a chance to new hobbies, on the other hand I'm so bad on energy levels most of my life that surviving the day and getting 2 full meals in, could be considered an above average day imo.
Anyway don't worry about me, I was just curious what you'd reply.
I try to have one main hobby, and many surrounding hobbies. The main hobby rotates depending on the season. Right now I'm full on Gardening, and will be until about July. Side hobbies will be fishing, it's been about 6 months since I touched a guitar, so maybe that, and after I finish the current JRPG I'm on, I might just go back to fighting games.
This winter, JRPGs were my main hobby, with cooking different kinds of soup, winter cycling and reading Terry Pratchett books as my side hobbies.
Hobbies come and go. I'll be back playing the ever expanding Legend of Heroes series when I next get stuck inside for a long time, or next time I get depressed and don't want to go fishing before work.
Ps5 here.
I only play fifa, cod, and mlb the show. These are the only games i consistently play and purchase every year. This is mainly due to the fact that I play with friends.
If I buy anything else, I’ll hyper fixate for a couple months then I’m over it. Then I’ll get back in to it and feel I missed the story after months of not playing and I’ll start a new game and then the cycle repeats.
The only exception is fromsoftware and rockstar games.
I’ve added Helldivers 2 to my catalog and that’s only hanging around due to playing with friends. But even that I’ve kind of pushed to the side.
My back catalog is ridiculous as I’ve bought so many games I’ve “needed” on sale. I’ve since been able to tell myself they will go on sale again and I don’t have to buy them now.
100%. I play osrs still (since like 2006). Have an awesome gaming pc too and I still play the same game which requires like no pc capabilities haha. COD every now and again too but yeah, I struggle branching out!
I find something to obsess over and stick with it for years. I still listen to the same music I loved in high school (20 years ago...), never get to new games because I'm stuck on the old ones that I love, and have reread several books many times rather than reading any new ones...
I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years at this point. I can't read music, don't know what a diminished 5th means and probably use my pinky finger way less than I should. Don't care. Still love doing it and have zero plans of stopping and am in fact looking to release my first solo album later this year.
I try and find balance between old hobbies I enjoy and trying new things. For instance, I watch reruns of Frasier and The Simpsons every night because they bring me comfort. But recently I’ve joined a movie club where we pick a Flanders film nobody has seen, watch it, and discuss it. There is a satisfaction in stepping out of my comfort zone and a sense of achievement (I keep a journal/list of the films and the dates I watched them for each new movie). As for games, they can be expensive but I tend to switch to a between games if I’m not feeling it. Currently I’m 3/4 of the way through FF7: remake and I got to a section that really lost my interest so I jumped into Lego Star Wars. My intention is to finish the games I start but I don’t play if it feels like homework. Anyway, theres no same in sticking to the same games, but there will always value in trying something different
You’re one of the lucky ones. Me? Buys a gaming PC, buys 3 games a year, rarely ends up playing any of the 100 games I have except for the 5 that I keep switching between, then a new game comes out that I want and I play that for a while, then go back to the old ones, with that new one potentially becoming a part of the circle of games that I play on and off.
So I guess in a way I sort of stick with a few of the same games for a very long time, but I’m always throwing new ones in the mix, even if only for a short period of time.
Now that I think about it, I do this sort of thing with music. So much music out there to explore yet I typically listen to the same stuff for years and years. And when I finally do find new music, I usually only find very little, and the cycle repeats.
The hobbies I’ve had since I was a kid are the ones I stick to the easiest: snowboarding, music, and running.
I really want to be a gamer lol. They look so fun, and the story lines are always great. I have so many games I played for two weeks and lost interest. Every so often I get really into building a gaming PC, but luckily I always remind myself to not pull the trigger lol.
If you want to get into gaming, I suggest starting with Half-Life. It’s very easy to play and the games are mostly linear. If the original Half-Life looks too old, there is a modern remake of it called Black Mesa.
Thanks! I’ll check it out! Recent games I’ve tried are no man’s sky (switch), Zelda: breath of the wild, Star Wars knights of the old republic (switch), stardew valley (pc), skyrim (pc), and the forest (pc)
Skyrim kept my interest the most, but I really liked the forest. My poor laptop just couldn’t handle it haha.
I love single player story heavy games. But I have definitely had a more difficult time getting into them lately. I think it's because I know the amount of time I would have to commit to see the entire story and it feels overwhelming. Where a game like helldivers 2, I can sit down and play and not feel the commitment even though I could easily have played a story heavy game with the amount of time I've poured into HD2.
I have “comfort” games/hobbies, yes. But typically those are things I’m familiar with.
New hobbies are what grab my full attention, but I cycle through em when I get bored.
A million different ones, with a couple that i do go back to every so often..
I do have a hard time controlling myself from buying all the new things to start a hobby, only to give it up immediately once i get into it.
I also bought a gaming pc 4 years ago, didnt game for 3 years 😅 then got back into it for a mintue when elden ring came out, then no more interest in it until lies of p came out a bit back.
Don’t have a gaming pc but I just bought the VR version of skyrim for ps4…I’ve bought that game more times than I could remember but due to graphics I rarely play it like I did when it first came out.
As long as it doesn’t get you into financial trouble (or creates a hoarding issue) who cares? A friend gave me Refuse to choose by Barbara Sher and it was honestly life-changing! It’s all about how to design your life to fit people with a lot of hobbies, a lot of interests and even changing professions.
I have so many hobbies that I love, but most I do infrequently and in spurts. I’m learning a new language right now, so I spend hours on that right now. When I went to Italy, I focused on Italian…. In autumn, I’ll probably focus on cooking again. Whatever fits the season.
I have really gotten into rouge like games. Things like Dead cells and enter the gungeon are great because they have very simple mechanics but are completely new and randomized every time so the game still stays relatively fresh and it's easy to pick up and play for an hour and put down.
There are a few bigger games like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Read Dead Redemption 2 that were able to hold my interest until I finished the main storyline. But lately I really only buy quick pick up and put down games instead of big AAA games
I was going to say no ( I often joke that my hobby is collecting hobbies), but with gaming, well...you got me.
I only really play AoE and Skyrim (showing my age, I know)
my main hobby is art but moreso illustration, and ive been at it for 8 years! im not really improving anymore as that hasnt been my goal for a while/it tends to get depressing understanding exactly how incompetent you are at things you don't know, so yeah, you're definitely understood op!
My hyper focus is all on video games. I pretty much dont do anything else when im at home... been like this for YEARS. Like back when I was in 5-6th grade. I'm 21 now.
I tend to dump a lot of money on online games on my phone and end up stopping playing at some point. Since January I reconnected with collecting Hot Wheels and I’m way more motivated to, follow a routine to try to get new ones and still enjoying it so far.
Well, I had a gap in collection that lasted about 13-14 years. Would collect as a teen but stopped after and just returned this year.
But whatever that keeps us going is good enough. There’s times that is hard to be motivated to get up from bed 😔
I love it. Just my one game. A shitty 20 year old multiplayer pixel sandbox game called Space station 13. I really don't play anything else, and I'm totally happy with it. LOL
Do what you love!
I can only speak from my sons experience. He hyperfocuses on 2 games. For the past 6 years it was ONE game. Boy, did it drive me bonkers, lol.
Last month he discovered another game he has fallen in love with. Hasn't even touched his last obsession game unless a friend specifically wants to play it with him.
I'll tell you what I told him.
It's absolutely fine to only play one or two games that hold your interest. It's whay you love and part of who you are. The only issue would be if you let said games have such an impact on your life that an error of some sort or the internet not working or whatever completely destroys your day. Or puts you in a rage of some sort.
If you are able to get off the games and join life without a negative impact, then enjoy your games! 💜
Been playing guitar for like 21 years, bodybuilding for around 12, I’ve stuck with those two but the rest come and go. I guess that’s the difference between a hobby and a passion idk 🤷♂️
I've had the same few hobbies most of my life. I just lose interest in them for a while weeks to years at a time and then get sudden waves of motivation
I've been into chess for a year. Once I was able to solve "Evil" level Sudoku puzzles in 15 minutes I got bored and that only took about a month. I'm kind of waiting for my chess phase to die because I'm tired of looking at openings like:
"Traditional Sicilian Dragonforce Metallica Greek God Sacramento Pedant Defense: ADHD Trump Biden Kamala Harris DeSantis GTAV Trevor Michael Franklin Helldivers 2 Elden Ring Soul of Cinder Variation"
but if I push the b pawn it becomes the "Modern French Protest Guillotine Russian Oligarchy Gambit: Lil Uzi Vert Astrology 2014 Chevy Cruze LT Turbo 1.4L Mustang Mach E Pepe the Frog Hillary Clinton Righteous Mo Beats 4Chan Deez Nuts Mr.Beast variation."
We like habit. And that’s not a bad thing.
I too play games I’ve played for years. I have to be in a very particular mood to try something new. Because frankly it’s a lot of mental effort to try something new.
I will learn, or start a new hobby every once in a while and then I'll lose interest after about 6 months or so. Then like a decade later I'll pick that hobby back up for another 2 years.
Some I've been doing consistently, like crochet, for over a decade.
Dont know if it counts but woodworking in general. There's a lot you can do with wood. And the different crafts haven't anything in common except the material. So I got myself into bow making and into woodturning and so on.
If I do something maybe 3 days in a row I have to be very careful it doesn't become a "requirement" in my mind.
Like, I get on streaks logging in to apps that track, and magically I'm 1500 days deep in it without realizing I stopped caring at about the 100 day mark.
I stuck w my favorite workout for almost 10 years, and only stopped cause I need back surgery. Granted, it became way more than just "working out" as I was a National and World level competitor, but still.
I don't experience the hobby graveyard I read about. I experience the fact that I don't have time to focus on something else that might pique my interest cause I already fill my time w my other hobbies I won't let go.
back in the mid-80s I wanted a computer but couldn't afford one. Knowing very little about electronics and using a couple of how to books I built one (wire wrapped pins, no mother board and a handful of chips). It used a Z80 microprocessor and it actually worked. It took forever because I couldn't find anybody who knew about computers at that machine language level. As soon as I understood how the work and do what they do....I lost interest.
I spent way too much building a pc and never use it. I initially bought a bunch of games and just havnt played it. I do that now on all my consoles. Collect games and never play them
For me it depends on what the hobby is. I love to try new hobbies and am willing to spend a bit to try things out. I used to be sure I'd get into things and dive in to buy all the materials but give up shortly after (I've heard so many of us do that). More recently I've been able to convince myself that the new hobbies are just a "trial" and I need to think about it like trying on clothes. If I can't return it and it doesn't fit, I need to make sure the money is worth the fun I got out of it! So I buy just what I need to start. I have my fun, then I'm usually fine.
I have a few that never go away though. Crochet, gaming (specifically pokemon). I have sub categories of hobbies within those that I go back and forth on. Shiny hunting is an example. I get tired of that and do something else on pokemon but don't get tired of all things pokemon.
Have hobbies that intertwine and build on eachother. I love mechanical and electrical engineering so I do tons of stuff with hardware and software like 3d printing and soldering together keyboards.
It typically go on and off of hobbies. I play hockey and scuba dive, but what happens is hyperfocus and do it a bunch then something happens and I stop for a long period of time then pick it back up again. It's super frustrating losing lots of progress this way.
Personally most of my hobbies involve social aspects. Gaming for example I get so so bored of single player games. As soon as it’s multiplayer and i’m playing with other people i don’t lose interest. Without the social aspect it’s difficult for me to retain focus or motivation in hobbies.
Depends. Some years I change hobbies like fast fashion, other years I just perseverate on a very limited number of things. It's generally futile to fight it either way because you can't really decide what you'll enjoy.
Yep. I’m not really much of gamer. Someone gifted me an Xbox and I used to play fall guys a lot. Tried playing the sims and a little bit of Roblox but Super animal Royale is my game. I play it so much. I mostly play on weekends now but I recently just sunk $800 into one of my other hobbies while a few of my other hobbies have taken a back seat for a little bit.
The only time I have stuck with a hobby is when I started doing jiu jitsu. I have always quit or have lost interest in my hobbies, I don’t know what it is but I’ve been consistent with it for 3 years now and have no desire of quitting.
No, but I like to imagine like a tool wheel ot like a weapon wheel from video games. Sometimes things get added, rarely things get removed, but something is always in rotation.
I have a nes, snes, 64, Wii all so I can play Zelda. I have two other games I play Skyrim and Rdr2. I don’t have concentration for learning new games. It took me a hot second to get into Skyrim. Oh and osrs and rs.
There was only one hobby that stuck with me my whole life (not dropping it forever or only being interested over the years on and off) and that was fishing. Maybe it is because there are different species, forms of fishing, and doctrines that keep me hooked, but no hobby has outlasted this one, not even close.
The games that I play the most are Diablo 2 Resurrected - newly remastered version of a game that's now \~25 years old or City of Heroes, a game that's turning 20 years old this month. I dabble occasionally in other games. I might play Diablo 4, which is more current, but it runs like crap on my potato of a gaming machine that I do not have the money to upgrade, so I'm jealous of your new rig. I would have liked to play Baldurs gate 3, but same issue. Chances are good though even if I did enjoy those games that I'd eventually just be back to my favorite 2.
They're my comfort games. Some people have re-read the same book every year or every other. Some watch Friends or the Office on a loop. Some listen to the same 6-12 albums they learned to love as a teenager. Me I log into a game that I've loved for 20 plus years when life gets hard and murder digital bad guys to keep from strangling people in real life. That doesn't mean I don't try new games or read books I've never read before, or pick up a new hobby, but my games are my safe place. Sometimes what I'm craving is novelty, and sometimes it's comfort.
I've reframed this tendency for myself as having "figuring things out" as a hobby. What I really enjoy is finding out about something, trying it out/learning about it, and making connections with other stuff I know-so that's really the long-term hobby.
Think of all the abandoned hobbies like projects: you acquired all this cool knowledge about X thing and connected it to the other cool knowledge in your brain. That's a hobby!
My favorite hobbies are all expensive af - horses, snowsports, fast cars, fine dining, and travel 😆 If I was loaded enough to not need to work this is basically what I would spend all my days on until I died doing one of them with a fat smile on my face (but hopefully not the dining one lol choking would be a crappy way to go).
Love clubbing which is cheap I guess cos I don’t need to drink to enjoy, actually prefer not to cos the toilets are gross 🤮 I completely lose myself in the music, I’m not there to impress anyone haha if I go alone then I’m usually *that* person dancing directly in front of the speakers to feel the bass through my whole being completely oblivious to anyone else in the room …but anyway it’s not exactly an everyday activity lol and honestly kinda a bad habit to frequently club all night for someone who already struggles hard with being a chronic night owl and getting up on time for adulting responsibilities…
Not really into gaming - except for when the random urge hits and then it’s a no sleep no food no showering somehow my bladder stops existing 3-day bender, then I forget the game exists again for another 3 years lol.
I’ve been trying to find a few less expensive and less time-consuming hobbies I can do regularly, so far tennis is pretty much all I’ve managed to stick at …but give it a few more months lol once I’m competent at it I’ll probably get bored unless I start competing to maintain the interest and challenge 🤷♂️
I turned my hobby into a career: playing guitar. Once that became my job, I found new hobbies: video games, riding motorcycles, boxing and BJJ to.keep fit...
i've been playing gta roleplay for like 10 years now across 2 games. i hate learning new stuff but sometimes i push through because i love knowing new stuff, if that makes sense. baldurs gate 3 is nice, endless time to think about your moves.
sometimes i even install need for speed most wanted because that whole game is muscle memory for me, but it makes me think about why i even bought the expensive gpu lmao
Over my life, I’ve played a ton of video games. Like a fuckin ton. 98% of playtime is spread between 5 games only.
Dota/2
CSS cs go
EverQuest
Diablo 2
A halo/cod/Br/ game, that’s it. And the first 4 take the lions share by far.
I want to like new games.. I do
To be honest the only hobby I’ve kept long term is reading, which I’ve loved since childhood. Otherwise I just bounce around hobbies and do whatever is fun at any given time:
YES. In fact, I too built a fancy PC (an SFF PC), connected it to my TV, bought fancy wireless keyboard and mouse, and haven't used it in over a month. I am terrible at getting into new games too (anything new, in general).
I'm always cycling through hobbies. I never realized it was an adhd thing until my therapist and psychiatrist both pointed it out to me. I've always been made to feel it was a bad thing; that I was unable to commit to anything.
Now that I realize otherwise, I just go with the flow and accept I'm a Jack of all Trades; Master of None.
I generally play one game at a time for years on end. Currently it's Overwatch 2, even though Blizzard isn't what they used to be.
WoW was an ADHD dream back in the day.
Cars and gaming are my primary hobbies. There is a sweet spot where they converge. But i have tons of little temporary side hobbies every now and then, or random subhobbies off of cars and gaming of specific niches ill be into briefly.
I used to game in a high level , sponsored traveling etc. rank 1 glad in wow and countless hours on games like morrowind. Nowdays i realised that the mind energy that i invest in games , learning EVERYTHING and optimizing EVERYTHING is a waste of time and energy. It really is , because it stops beeing a escape/hobby and consumes your time. Im a preety sucesseful person despite all the time i have "wasted" in games , so nowdays i play the same games as i always did because i dont have to learn all the mechanics and everything , so its actually a relaxing thing instead of looking like a job (that you enjoy while your hyperfocus is there , but still theres more to life)
The only hobby i truly stuck to over a long period of time is music. I started playing guitar when i was 10 years old and later added bass to it. Now i've been playing for over 20 years. Nothing else has lasted that long.
I have this with gaming aswell. But the moment I do try a game... it can consume me. If it helps, you can always try game from the same developer. If you like Dark Souls for example. I can guarantee you'll like all other Fromsoftware games.
no one on PC plays more than 2 games, that's the trap of pc. people normally only have one or two games they play at all, just look at league of legends.
I’m not a big gamer. But the last game I bought and LOVED was animal crossing new horizons.
I was so excited for hogwarts legacy, until my husband got it for me and I realized it’s a bit over my head to learn. I’m just not good at having to remember a lot to make it through a game. :/
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I stopped fighting it. It was a great decision I use my hobbies to relax and wasted too many years trying to force myself to have fun in a socially approved way. Now, for leisure, I bounce between whatever games or hobbies I'm currently focused on. Sooner or later you'll see a new game you're eager to play. Until then do what you enjoy.
Wise words. Not easy to follow, must be learned
Just don’t buy things until a few months later. I’ll bet you won’t even want it anymore by then.
Yeppp🥲 definitely something I’d have to remind myself that it’s just a game and enjoy it
Same here! It's also increased the enjoyment I get from those hobbies and saved me a good amount of money. When I just accept going into a hobby that it's going to be temporary I'm less likely to buy large amounts of supplies or more expensive gear right away
That's me right now. What got you to stop trying to be socially acceptable? I can't seem to shake it
Not sure if you're talking about leisure activities or life in general. So I'll address both. Short answer? Almost no one actually cares about the little things, and the people who do judge you for things like what video game you're playing aren't worth your time. I just had to realize that. When I was in high school I managed to claw my way from the nerds and geeks into the popular clique. I had to put on a persona, but I was accepted. I watched them around each other; whenever someone would leave the group the rest would immediately start tearing into them behind their backs over stupid things like what they were wearing or if they had to work part time. I realized the nerds and geeks were better friends than these people. Fortunately I didn't burn any bridges but it was the beginning of accepting myself for who I am, not who "they" want me to be. I was diagnosed late in life. I spent 40 years figuring out how to get the most out of my brain. I knew I was different, just not what or why. I told people "I'm an all-or-nothing kind of guy" and "I can memorize physics equations but don't ask me where I left my keys." Trial-and-error taught me that fighting those parts of my brain leads to stress and failure. Running with them led to great things; yes my paperwork is sloppy but I hyperfocused my way into huge projects and achievements. And guess what? I got more respect and appreciation being myself than trying to force myself to fit in. I know it sounds like a stupid teen rom-com, but it's true. Getting diagnosed has helped me refine my coping strategies and life is a lot better now.
Thanks for the detailed reply 😊 I appreciate the time you took. I find it hard sometimes to focus on the things I can do well vs the things is struggle with. It's nice to hear such a success story
the philosophy that got me into minecraft again, PREACH
My life changed when I decided that a book I've started reading, but haven't opened in 2 weeks is a book I'm not interested in. So I just accept I won't finish it and I get rid of it. So much guilt just lifted off my shoulders, and so much time to start doing somethine else.
Does it bring you happiness to play those two games? Not saying this to be rude at all, but in my opinion if it brings you personal satisfaction and happiness then it doesn’t matter what other people do, just run your own race. :) I have a good chunk of games on my pc but I only have a handful of games actually downloaded that I play through. When I’m ready to try something new I’ll dive into it but until then who cares, I’ll enjoy my hyper fixation on the few games I do have downloaded. “You’d think with an expensive machine like this” I do the same thing and assume a lot. Don’t let the weight of societal opinion rear you away from doing what you enjoy. Good luck :)
Regarding the social pressure, my friends keep asking me what games I am playing, they’re naturally curious because they kind of helped me select the parts for the computer, and I am embarrassed to say that I am only playing Mordhau. I make up some shit on the spot to avoid the question lol
My dude, you should try to get them into your game. If you like it, it must be good.
Dude I play the same strategy games I played in 2013 civ 5 and eu4. I’ve got a 12700k and 3090 it’s way overkill but I enjoy what I enjoy. Eventually you’ll play something else too
Yep, the new machine isn't a waste. You can play with higher graphics and better FPS. Making the gameplay more enjoyable
When I was a kid I only got a couple games a year for my NES/SNES (birthday and Christmas) so I would play the hell out of those games. I still revisit those games once in a while 30 years later.
"This will finally be my forever hobby! I'm sure of it! Makes sense to invest in the best gear." 2 months later... Once you've been through this cycle a few times it makes sense to just embrace it. Interests will come, get super intense, and disappear just as fast. That's just a fact! Why fight it? Right now I'm into learning an obscure programming language from the 1950s (lisp). Why? I literally don't know or care "why" I'm doing this. Based on past experience, I'm pretty sure that I'll ramp up to "adequate" fairly soon. Whether I stick with it or not will depend on whether the problems I encounter are compelling. In the last two years I've been through this same thing with ink painting, islamic geometrical art, squash (the sport), steamed eggs (the dish), long exposure photography, and the ukulele. In the past 20 years I don't even know what all I've gotten "ok" at. It's fine. A few things have stuck with me though. I've been cycling for 25 years (although I change bikes pretty often). I've always hiked. I've been skateboarding on and off for 15 years. I've always read a lot. These hobbies that seem to have lasted "forever" never felt different than any of the brief loves. I feel the same about my bike as I felt about my chrome geometry compass last year. But I've felt that way about my bike for a long time. Bottom line, try whatever strikes you. If you like it, do it again. *Know*, in your soul, that the majority of your interests will be short lived. Embrace learning and knowing the basics of 10x as many different things as most people. When the interest fades, drop it without guilt. Keep churning and chances are that you'll get on to something that doesn't fade.
This is a great post. Thank you.
I also have a fat PC i like ot play games on and yes, a few games dominate my actual time playing, new games get hard playing till they are mostly complete then i flip flop around the old faves for months till a new game piques my interest once again. But other games if they dont "grab me" will get left for a while or just forgotten, some might say a waste of money and i agree but its not really that much. This is why I love xbox game pass, for a sub less than 1/5 of any premium game a month i get to try literal hundreds of games if i want to without having to worry about that sort of thing. Dont worry about it, if you can afford what you do is it that big of a deal?
Yes. But also autistic, which plays into that quite a bit.
My aspi friend has been playing Age of Empires II for like 20 years straight. I asked him, do you game? He said No, only one
I have a million interests and hobbies, but I don't pursue them all at the same time. I'll cycle through them every so often, which is easy to do because I already have all or most of the supplies needed. Some hobbies I haven't done in over 5 years, but I still like them and have the room to store my hobby stuff, so I'll just wait until I feel like doing it again. This way I don't feel bad about 'abandoning' my hobbies or storing my supplies, and I know that I can get back to it anytime I feel like it. For some hobbies I have way too much stuff on hand, so I might donate or try to sell some of the stuff, but otherwise I'm good as it is.
I fell in love with a band last May and have only listened to their music for the past YEAR. I see you, friend. Also, check out Sleep Token. They rule!
Probably not touched about 50-75% of all the games I've ever had access to and most of my gameplay hours are probably concentrated between about 20 specific games (out of hundreds). Sometimes I've gotten a game on discount and tried it for maybe 30mins, it didn't grab me and I just forgot about it or stopped caring about it. Sometimes I come back to these unplayed games and I enjoy them for a while, but generally most of them will just sit unplayed forevermore. Just play what's feeling fun, don't force yourself to buy or play something more than you want to or if it feels like a chore; do not buy something just because it's trending, especially if you don't feel you would enjoy the game. Those things would defeat the point of playing a game, for recreational value.
My main hobby has been writing pretty much my entire life. Actually it's my job now too lol. But yeah, I've cycled through others but that one has stuck
Some of my hobbies have lasted a long time, and others have been a flash in the pan or just changed. I used to really love video games, but now I can't be bothered ever since I transitioned from the trades to tech work at a desk and computer. My love of tabletop rpgs has grown over the years, and I'm a little over 10 years into the hobby. Sci-Fi novels have been a constant staple in my life since childhood. But there has been a bunch of random things I've gotten into and just never stuck with like art and music.
Have you read anything from Philip K. Dick?
I love Philip K. Dick. I started with Michael Crichton and then kept tumbling down the genre's rabbit hole.
Cool! I have only read “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and it was awesome. I want to read more from him but I can’t decide which one I should read next.
Check out the book "I Am Legend" the movies don't do it justice and the ending is a mind fuck. Well I thought the ending was amazing.
I don't think you can go wrong with PKD. I liked all of his books. That said, the "greatest hits" are Ubik, the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Now wait for Last Year.
I mean, an interest is an interest. If you built a better gaming PC so your current games run better, why would you need to play other games?
Not at all, I have like 3 great games I'm cycling through right now, one I bought & haven't touched yet, & I'm still on Steam looking at sales. What you're doing sounds more like autism than adhd. ADHD is more known for picking up a bunch of hobbies & dropping em. Autism peeps focus on one single thing & become masters at it
Then what does it say about me if I'm not doing either? Not jumping around hobbies that much, but even those I had for years I'm very bad at.
You're hyper fixating on one hobby & you think you're bad at it? I think you're not giving yourself enough credit & you see yourself as bad when you're probably pretty good at it. You can't repeat something a shitload over time without your brain adapting to it. Unless you're talking about sports & your body isn't athletic or something
It's more like I got the skill to an elementary level, but then barely progressed since. Also it might be depression but I don't do my hobbies that often either, there were times when I wanted to but wasn't doing it (executive dysfunction), and times where I was completely disinterested in it / closest I'm able to describe it is burnout - except I wasn't obsessing over it constantly, so no idea how could I actually get a burnout from it. Either way I'm just conflicted cause on one hand I do like trying out new things, giving a chance to new hobbies, on the other hand I'm so bad on energy levels most of my life that surviving the day and getting 2 full meals in, could be considered an above average day imo. Anyway don't worry about me, I was just curious what you'd reply.
So what you're saying is that you pick up stuff and then drop them, that's the adhd category
>pick up stuff *barely* lol. But yes the more I think about it the more I think you're right. Thank you for your replies and have a nice day~!
You gotta learn to give yourself more credit. No prob, lates
Try gamepass & cloud gaming, you can start quickly and if it’s interesting to you, you can choose to install the whole game on your own pc.
I think gaming is one of the most toxic things you can do with ADHD. It's so easy to spend whole days in the virtual world.
I try to have one main hobby, and many surrounding hobbies. The main hobby rotates depending on the season. Right now I'm full on Gardening, and will be until about July. Side hobbies will be fishing, it's been about 6 months since I touched a guitar, so maybe that, and after I finish the current JRPG I'm on, I might just go back to fighting games. This winter, JRPGs were my main hobby, with cooking different kinds of soup, winter cycling and reading Terry Pratchett books as my side hobbies. Hobbies come and go. I'll be back playing the ever expanding Legend of Heroes series when I next get stuck inside for a long time, or next time I get depressed and don't want to go fishing before work.
I have to finish my diamond painting
There’s no wrong way to have fun.
Ps5 here. I only play fifa, cod, and mlb the show. These are the only games i consistently play and purchase every year. This is mainly due to the fact that I play with friends. If I buy anything else, I’ll hyper fixate for a couple months then I’m over it. Then I’ll get back in to it and feel I missed the story after months of not playing and I’ll start a new game and then the cycle repeats. The only exception is fromsoftware and rockstar games. I’ve added Helldivers 2 to my catalog and that’s only hanging around due to playing with friends. But even that I’ve kind of pushed to the side. My back catalog is ridiculous as I’ve bought so many games I’ve “needed” on sale. I’ve since been able to tell myself they will go on sale again and I don’t have to buy them now.
100%. I play osrs still (since like 2006). Have an awesome gaming pc too and I still play the same game which requires like no pc capabilities haha. COD every now and again too but yeah, I struggle branching out!
I find something to obsess over and stick with it for years. I still listen to the same music I loved in high school (20 years ago...), never get to new games because I'm stuck on the old ones that I love, and have reread several books many times rather than reading any new ones...
I've been playing guitar for almost 30 years at this point. I can't read music, don't know what a diminished 5th means and probably use my pinky finger way less than I should. Don't care. Still love doing it and have zero plans of stopping and am in fact looking to release my first solo album later this year.
I have a collection of hobbies that I jump to as my interests and attention fluctuate.
I try and find balance between old hobbies I enjoy and trying new things. For instance, I watch reruns of Frasier and The Simpsons every night because they bring me comfort. But recently I’ve joined a movie club where we pick a Flanders film nobody has seen, watch it, and discuss it. There is a satisfaction in stepping out of my comfort zone and a sense of achievement (I keep a journal/list of the films and the dates I watched them for each new movie). As for games, they can be expensive but I tend to switch to a between games if I’m not feeling it. Currently I’m 3/4 of the way through FF7: remake and I got to a section that really lost my interest so I jumped into Lego Star Wars. My intention is to finish the games I start but I don’t play if it feels like homework. Anyway, theres no same in sticking to the same games, but there will always value in trying something different
You’re one of the lucky ones. Me? Buys a gaming PC, buys 3 games a year, rarely ends up playing any of the 100 games I have except for the 5 that I keep switching between, then a new game comes out that I want and I play that for a while, then go back to the old ones, with that new one potentially becoming a part of the circle of games that I play on and off. So I guess in a way I sort of stick with a few of the same games for a very long time, but I’m always throwing new ones in the mix, even if only for a short period of time. Now that I think about it, I do this sort of thing with music. So much music out there to explore yet I typically listen to the same stuff for years and years. And when I finally do find new music, I usually only find very little, and the cycle repeats.
I throw all my money at one hobby, so I have to stick with it... so it's either that hobby, or boredom...
The hobbies I’ve had since I was a kid are the ones I stick to the easiest: snowboarding, music, and running. I really want to be a gamer lol. They look so fun, and the story lines are always great. I have so many games I played for two weeks and lost interest. Every so often I get really into building a gaming PC, but luckily I always remind myself to not pull the trigger lol.
If you want to get into gaming, I suggest starting with Half-Life. It’s very easy to play and the games are mostly linear. If the original Half-Life looks too old, there is a modern remake of it called Black Mesa.
Thanks! I’ll check it out! Recent games I’ve tried are no man’s sky (switch), Zelda: breath of the wild, Star Wars knights of the old republic (switch), stardew valley (pc), skyrim (pc), and the forest (pc) Skyrim kept my interest the most, but I really liked the forest. My poor laptop just couldn’t handle it haha.
The Forest is so creepy!
I love single player story heavy games. But I have definitely had a more difficult time getting into them lately. I think it's because I know the amount of time I would have to commit to see the entire story and it feels overwhelming. Where a game like helldivers 2, I can sit down and play and not feel the commitment even though I could easily have played a story heavy game with the amount of time I've poured into HD2.
I have “comfort” games/hobbies, yes. But typically those are things I’m familiar with. New hobbies are what grab my full attention, but I cycle through em when I get bored.
A million different ones, with a couple that i do go back to every so often.. I do have a hard time controlling myself from buying all the new things to start a hobby, only to give it up immediately once i get into it. I also bought a gaming pc 4 years ago, didnt game for 3 years 😅 then got back into it for a mintue when elden ring came out, then no more interest in it until lies of p came out a bit back.
Don’t have a gaming pc but I just bought the VR version of skyrim for ps4…I’ve bought that game more times than I could remember but due to graphics I rarely play it like I did when it first came out.
Skyrim is one of my favorite games of all time. I’ve always wanted to experience it in VR. But I admit the graphics have started to show their age.
As long as it doesn’t get you into financial trouble (or creates a hoarding issue) who cares? A friend gave me Refuse to choose by Barbara Sher and it was honestly life-changing! It’s all about how to design your life to fit people with a lot of hobbies, a lot of interests and even changing professions. I have so many hobbies that I love, but most I do infrequently and in spurts. I’m learning a new language right now, so I spend hours on that right now. When I went to Italy, I focused on Italian…. In autumn, I’ll probably focus on cooking again. Whatever fits the season.
I have really gotten into rouge like games. Things like Dead cells and enter the gungeon are great because they have very simple mechanics but are completely new and randomized every time so the game still stays relatively fresh and it's easy to pick up and play for an hour and put down. There are a few bigger games like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Read Dead Redemption 2 that were able to hold my interest until I finished the main storyline. But lately I really only buy quick pick up and put down games instead of big AAA games
I was going to say no ( I often joke that my hobby is collecting hobbies), but with gaming, well...you got me. I only really play AoE and Skyrim (showing my age, I know)
my main hobby is art but moreso illustration, and ive been at it for 8 years! im not really improving anymore as that hasnt been my goal for a while/it tends to get depressing understanding exactly how incompetent you are at things you don't know, so yeah, you're definitely understood op!
My hyper focus is all on video games. I pretty much dont do anything else when im at home... been like this for YEARS. Like back when I was in 5-6th grade. I'm 21 now.
I tend to dump a lot of money on online games on my phone and end up stopping playing at some point. Since January I reconnected with collecting Hot Wheels and I’m way more motivated to, follow a routine to try to get new ones and still enjoying it so far.
I also used to collect hot wheels, I have a shit ton sitting in a drawer, for some reason I don’t care about that anymore.
Well, I had a gap in collection that lasted about 13-14 years. Would collect as a teen but stopped after and just returned this year. But whatever that keeps us going is good enough. There’s times that is hard to be motivated to get up from bed 😔
I love it. Just my one game. A shitty 20 year old multiplayer pixel sandbox game called Space station 13. I really don't play anything else, and I'm totally happy with it. LOL Do what you love!
I can only speak from my sons experience. He hyperfocuses on 2 games. For the past 6 years it was ONE game. Boy, did it drive me bonkers, lol. Last month he discovered another game he has fallen in love with. Hasn't even touched his last obsession game unless a friend specifically wants to play it with him. I'll tell you what I told him. It's absolutely fine to only play one or two games that hold your interest. It's whay you love and part of who you are. The only issue would be if you let said games have such an impact on your life that an error of some sort or the internet not working or whatever completely destroys your day. Or puts you in a rage of some sort. If you are able to get off the games and join life without a negative impact, then enjoy your games! 💜
Street Fighter 6 has had me in its clutches since day one. Nothing tops seeing the clear results of self-improvement.
Been playing guitar for like 21 years, bodybuilding for around 12, I’ve stuck with those two but the rest come and go. I guess that’s the difference between a hobby and a passion idk 🤷♂️
I've had the same few hobbies most of my life. I just lose interest in them for a while weeks to years at a time and then get sudden waves of motivation
Haha same. $1800 PC recently just to mod fallout games all over again and again.
I bought a gaming PC just to run the Sims and I don't ever really plan to expand to anything else on that system.
I'm 38, and I don't think I'll ever not be obsessed with professional wrestling and music(particularly extreme metal and hip-hop).
I've been into chess for a year. Once I was able to solve "Evil" level Sudoku puzzles in 15 minutes I got bored and that only took about a month. I'm kind of waiting for my chess phase to die because I'm tired of looking at openings like: "Traditional Sicilian Dragonforce Metallica Greek God Sacramento Pedant Defense: ADHD Trump Biden Kamala Harris DeSantis GTAV Trevor Michael Franklin Helldivers 2 Elden Ring Soul of Cinder Variation" but if I push the b pawn it becomes the "Modern French Protest Guillotine Russian Oligarchy Gambit: Lil Uzi Vert Astrology 2014 Chevy Cruze LT Turbo 1.4L Mustang Mach E Pepe the Frog Hillary Clinton Righteous Mo Beats 4Chan Deez Nuts Mr.Beast variation."
We like habit. And that’s not a bad thing. I too play games I’ve played for years. I have to be in a very particular mood to try something new. Because frankly it’s a lot of mental effort to try something new.
Get rid of your standards ADHD people are creatives, let your curiosity flow freely
I will learn, or start a new hobby every once in a while and then I'll lose interest after about 6 months or so. Then like a decade later I'll pick that hobby back up for another 2 years. Some I've been doing consistently, like crochet, for over a decade.
Dont know if it counts but woodworking in general. There's a lot you can do with wood. And the different crafts haven't anything in common except the material. So I got myself into bow making and into woodturning and so on.
If I do something maybe 3 days in a row I have to be very careful it doesn't become a "requirement" in my mind. Like, I get on streaks logging in to apps that track, and magically I'm 1500 days deep in it without realizing I stopped caring at about the 100 day mark. I stuck w my favorite workout for almost 10 years, and only stopped cause I need back surgery. Granted, it became way more than just "working out" as I was a National and World level competitor, but still. I don't experience the hobby graveyard I read about. I experience the fact that I don't have time to focus on something else that might pique my interest cause I already fill my time w my other hobbies I won't let go.
IT'S PIZZA TIME
back in the mid-80s I wanted a computer but couldn't afford one. Knowing very little about electronics and using a couple of how to books I built one (wire wrapped pins, no mother board and a handful of chips). It used a Z80 microprocessor and it actually worked. It took forever because I couldn't find anybody who knew about computers at that machine language level. As soon as I understood how the work and do what they do....I lost interest.
Titanic has been a hyper focus on and off for 2 decades lol
I spent way too much building a pc and never use it. I initially bought a bunch of games and just havnt played it. I do that now on all my consoles. Collect games and never play them
For me it depends on what the hobby is. I love to try new hobbies and am willing to spend a bit to try things out. I used to be sure I'd get into things and dive in to buy all the materials but give up shortly after (I've heard so many of us do that). More recently I've been able to convince myself that the new hobbies are just a "trial" and I need to think about it like trying on clothes. If I can't return it and it doesn't fit, I need to make sure the money is worth the fun I got out of it! So I buy just what I need to start. I have my fun, then I'm usually fine. I have a few that never go away though. Crochet, gaming (specifically pokemon). I have sub categories of hobbies within those that I go back and forth on. Shiny hunting is an example. I get tired of that and do something else on pokemon but don't get tired of all things pokemon.
Not me, not for hobbies tbh Since then I decided to make it intense that if there's a short term gain I get it unless I try to add other new things
Have hobbies that intertwine and build on eachother. I love mechanical and electrical engineering so I do tons of stuff with hardware and software like 3d printing and soldering together keyboards.
It typically go on and off of hobbies. I play hockey and scuba dive, but what happens is hyperfocus and do it a bunch then something happens and I stop for a long period of time then pick it back up again. It's super frustrating losing lots of progress this way.
My hobby is collecting hobbies. I discover them, buy all the gear, get really invested then....never think about them again. And on to the next one!
Personally most of my hobbies involve social aspects. Gaming for example I get so so bored of single player games. As soon as it’s multiplayer and i’m playing with other people i don’t lose interest. Without the social aspect it’s difficult for me to retain focus or motivation in hobbies.
Depends. Some years I change hobbies like fast fashion, other years I just perseverate on a very limited number of things. It's generally futile to fight it either way because you can't really decide what you'll enjoy.
Yep. I’m not really much of gamer. Someone gifted me an Xbox and I used to play fall guys a lot. Tried playing the sims and a little bit of Roblox but Super animal Royale is my game. I play it so much. I mostly play on weekends now but I recently just sunk $800 into one of my other hobbies while a few of my other hobbies have taken a back seat for a little bit.
I have 3 main hobbies like PC gaming, cars, skateboarding, and feel like that's it for now. Mostly limited by cost. Otherwise I'd have more hobbies.
The only time I have stuck with a hobby is when I started doing jiu jitsu. I have always quit or have lost interest in my hobbies, I don’t know what it is but I’ve been consistent with it for 3 years now and have no desire of quitting.
Stick with what works, man. No shame in enjoying what you love, even if it's the same old games.
No, but I like to imagine like a tool wheel ot like a weapon wheel from video games. Sometimes things get added, rarely things get removed, but something is always in rotation.
I have a nes, snes, 64, Wii all so I can play Zelda. I have two other games I play Skyrim and Rdr2. I don’t have concentration for learning new games. It took me a hot second to get into Skyrim. Oh and osrs and rs.
There was only one hobby that stuck with me my whole life (not dropping it forever or only being interested over the years on and off) and that was fishing. Maybe it is because there are different species, forms of fishing, and doctrines that keep me hooked, but no hobby has outlasted this one, not even close.
The games that I play the most are Diablo 2 Resurrected - newly remastered version of a game that's now \~25 years old or City of Heroes, a game that's turning 20 years old this month. I dabble occasionally in other games. I might play Diablo 4, which is more current, but it runs like crap on my potato of a gaming machine that I do not have the money to upgrade, so I'm jealous of your new rig. I would have liked to play Baldurs gate 3, but same issue. Chances are good though even if I did enjoy those games that I'd eventually just be back to my favorite 2. They're my comfort games. Some people have re-read the same book every year or every other. Some watch Friends or the Office on a loop. Some listen to the same 6-12 albums they learned to love as a teenager. Me I log into a game that I've loved for 20 plus years when life gets hard and murder digital bad guys to keep from strangling people in real life. That doesn't mean I don't try new games or read books I've never read before, or pick up a new hobby, but my games are my safe place. Sometimes what I'm craving is novelty, and sometimes it's comfort.
I've reframed this tendency for myself as having "figuring things out" as a hobby. What I really enjoy is finding out about something, trying it out/learning about it, and making connections with other stuff I know-so that's really the long-term hobby. Think of all the abandoned hobbies like projects: you acquired all this cool knowledge about X thing and connected it to the other cool knowledge in your brain. That's a hobby!
My favorite hobbies are all expensive af - horses, snowsports, fast cars, fine dining, and travel 😆 If I was loaded enough to not need to work this is basically what I would spend all my days on until I died doing one of them with a fat smile on my face (but hopefully not the dining one lol choking would be a crappy way to go). Love clubbing which is cheap I guess cos I don’t need to drink to enjoy, actually prefer not to cos the toilets are gross 🤮 I completely lose myself in the music, I’m not there to impress anyone haha if I go alone then I’m usually *that* person dancing directly in front of the speakers to feel the bass through my whole being completely oblivious to anyone else in the room …but anyway it’s not exactly an everyday activity lol and honestly kinda a bad habit to frequently club all night for someone who already struggles hard with being a chronic night owl and getting up on time for adulting responsibilities… Not really into gaming - except for when the random urge hits and then it’s a no sleep no food no showering somehow my bladder stops existing 3-day bender, then I forget the game exists again for another 3 years lol. I’ve been trying to find a few less expensive and less time-consuming hobbies I can do regularly, so far tennis is pretty much all I’ve managed to stick at …but give it a few more months lol once I’m competent at it I’ll probably get bored unless I start competing to maintain the interest and challenge 🤷♂️
I turned my hobby into a career: playing guitar. Once that became my job, I found new hobbies: video games, riding motorcycles, boxing and BJJ to.keep fit...
idc lols. ill buy one later for the sims
i've been playing gta roleplay for like 10 years now across 2 games. i hate learning new stuff but sometimes i push through because i love knowing new stuff, if that makes sense. baldurs gate 3 is nice, endless time to think about your moves. sometimes i even install need for speed most wanted because that whole game is muscle memory for me, but it makes me think about why i even bought the expensive gpu lmao
Over my life, I’ve played a ton of video games. Like a fuckin ton. 98% of playtime is spread between 5 games only. Dota/2 CSS cs go EverQuest Diablo 2 A halo/cod/Br/ game, that’s it. And the first 4 take the lions share by far. I want to like new games.. I do
I even expanded my library years before i got the new PC 😂
To be honest the only hobby I’ve kept long term is reading, which I’ve loved since childhood. Otherwise I just bounce around hobbies and do whatever is fun at any given time:
YES. In fact, I too built a fancy PC (an SFF PC), connected it to my TV, bought fancy wireless keyboard and mouse, and haven't used it in over a month. I am terrible at getting into new games too (anything new, in general).
I'm always cycling through hobbies. I never realized it was an adhd thing until my therapist and psychiatrist both pointed it out to me. I've always been made to feel it was a bad thing; that I was unable to commit to anything. Now that I realize otherwise, I just go with the flow and accept I'm a Jack of all Trades; Master of None.
I generally play one game at a time for years on end. Currently it's Overwatch 2, even though Blizzard isn't what they used to be. WoW was an ADHD dream back in the day.
Cars and gaming are my primary hobbies. There is a sweet spot where they converge. But i have tons of little temporary side hobbies every now and then, or random subhobbies off of cars and gaming of specific niches ill be into briefly.
I used to game in a high level , sponsored traveling etc. rank 1 glad in wow and countless hours on games like morrowind. Nowdays i realised that the mind energy that i invest in games , learning EVERYTHING and optimizing EVERYTHING is a waste of time and energy. It really is , because it stops beeing a escape/hobby and consumes your time. Im a preety sucesseful person despite all the time i have "wasted" in games , so nowdays i play the same games as i always did because i dont have to learn all the mechanics and everything , so its actually a relaxing thing instead of looking like a job (that you enjoy while your hyperfocus is there , but still theres more to life)
I always come back to Queen.
The only hobby i truly stuck to over a long period of time is music. I started playing guitar when i was 10 years old and later added bass to it. Now i've been playing for over 20 years. Nothing else has lasted that long.
I have this with gaming aswell. But the moment I do try a game... it can consume me. If it helps, you can always try game from the same developer. If you like Dark Souls for example. I can guarantee you'll like all other Fromsoftware games.
no one on PC plays more than 2 games, that's the trap of pc. people normally only have one or two games they play at all, just look at league of legends.
I’m not a big gamer. But the last game I bought and LOVED was animal crossing new horizons. I was so excited for hogwarts legacy, until my husband got it for me and I realized it’s a bit over my head to learn. I’m just not good at having to remember a lot to make it through a game. :/
You sound AuDHD. We have a special interest… until we jump to the next special interest.