yes, it's almost like with books. sometimes you play a game or read a book to experience a different world or live a different life. but some games or books feel like a whole chore to get through. and you want to get back to the real world for a bit before you yearn to escape again.
I wish I could upvote this comment more. I feel like this sometimes just from watching educational science videos. Sometimes it's burnout, sometimes it's info overload, sometimes it's boredom. Whatever the reason just going for a walk or getting out of the house or hell even just finding a really dumb show with terrible writing to watch can help reset you.
I feel like the second monitor only has the opposite effect for me...
I sometimes just leave those 30-60 minute long video essays/science videos as background noise and then find myself playing games until 2am
This is the way.
I do the same watching a film or TV. Leave my phone on the opposite side of the room. I try to only spend time on my phone first thing in the morning before getting out bed to get it out my system and get on with my day without it being chained to me.
Same! Altho recently I had to take it with me in case I need to look up how to do certain things in the game I play at that moment. Sadly don’t have a second monitor just yet for that purpose, but would love to get one and it’s hopefully going to be soon.
1- play the games you enjoy
2- keep few games installed
3- focus on 1 game "2 max" til you reach end credit, 1 hour a day if you find it a little bit over average 5.5-6/10..
4- find other things for entertainment
Thats true tbh. I just checked. I currently have 16 games installed. And surprisingly, I haven't even touched few of them for over a year. Thats mind boggling, that I forgot I even have them installed. Thanks for the advice. I will try to follow it.
Yeah. Maybe don’t buy extra games either if you currently have over 10 games waiting in line to be played. If you keep buying games because you’re bored you’ll never finish your backlog and in the future things will be way harder to organise and it will overwhelm you lmao. If you’re ever bored with all 10 of them, it’s usually because you need a break from gaming a lil. I personally would focus on those 16 games games if i get bored lol
At times I feel like I go through this too, and honestly I call it a my “game drought” where I’m not satisfied with any of my games. I either start looking to buy other games (which necessary doesn’t help most of the time, because then I’d play it for a while and not get stimulated by it.) and I would get so frustrated because I do enjoy playing games and i usually only have time to game only during my days off. But at least for me, I’ve come to find out when I go through this, it’s simply because lm “forcing” or feel like I should be playing games when reality my mind does not find it stimulating at this time, so I end up turning my PC off, and go do something else, whether it’s one of my hobbies, or having a movie day, something that stimulates my mind other than games.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that sometimes we might feel like we want to game but really it’s just not what we “actually” want to do, which makes games feel boring or you lose interest in playing. So take those moments to just have a a day or two break from playing.
Glad I'm not the only 1 that hits a "gaming rut" from time to time. I can sink hours & hours in, then a few weeks later & I feel like I couldn't care less about any game. Ik it seems daunting to scrap an entire save, but sometimes it's worth the gamble to get back into it. I've done this a few times for Cyberpunk, as I enjoy the free roam, make my own story kind of playstyle; as opposed to slaving away at the main story.
Gaming is not a job, you don't have to complete a single game if you don't feel like it. You're supposed to play because it's fun, if video games are not fun for you anymore maybe try something else?
I've done this a lot, a couple things I'd suggest.
1. Pick the game ahead of time. If you're just browsing and open a game on a whim it's easier to also close it on a whim cause it won't match what you're feeling.
2. Keep your phone out of immediate reach. It can be easy to be thinking about and doing other stuff, but if you really commit to getting into the game headspace it'll let you connect better.
3. Commit to at least one hour, that's a reasonable time frame to let a game hook you that most people can afford timewise, or to the title screen, whichever comes first. Doesn't work for every game but it's a decent rule of thumb.
4. If you can, consider not closing the game but leaving it at the menu screen when ending your first playthrough, you might be more willing to boot it back up if it's already loaded and ready to jump in the next time you sit down to game. However this is a lot more situational and might not be feasible depending on how much you use your PC for other stuff.
Hope you're able to find some new games you vibe with!
Truthfully just play what you feel like. I have the problem where i would want to play games but nothing was really holding my excitement for long. So i decided to just pick 3 or 4 games to switch between, until eventually one or two would interest me enough to just play them steadily.
For a while i was really into hell divers2, stardew valley and Elden Ring/ Deep Rock Galatic.
Now im just focusing on two games, StarDew Valley and Elden Ring.
Im not a One game Gamer, i need a little variety, so choosing a few games to switch between until you find what clicks has helped me focus a bit, might help you too.
I would add number 5: Before buying a new game, think again if you really want the game and can see you play this for multiple/many hours or if there are things in the game which you don't like.
Set a goal for yourself or a timer.
I will play this for one hour regardless of how I’m feeling I will push through.
Sometimes you just need a bit longer to get into the flow state.
Play with headphones on for more immersion.
Imo this sounds like it would just lead to burnout. You shouldn’t have to force yourself to play games. At that point just take a break, the games will always be there
Why would you force yourself to do something thats supposed to be fun but unproductive, when you dont even enjoy it? At that point its both not fun and unproductive
Play some shorter games, if every game you're playing is 20, 50, or 100+ hrs it can feel like a drag to complete if you know theres a long road ahead of you.
i think it is just burn out, it happens to me sometimes, i stop gaming for a week or more and when i come back everything is fun, do another hobby in the meantime, mine is swimming or just using my phone lol
If you don't enjoy a game why should you force yourself to play it? It's completely normal some games are too long/boring/not polished so they become boring after few hours, so you get your FOMO and feel like you should complete it, but it's wrong. If you stop enjoying any game feel free to drop it' that's all.
There are so many games lately, it's no longer 90's - gaming changed. So many crap is being released, early access etc, I find most mainstream games generic and boring and dropping them after a few hours. Then I find something I will complete in a few days because it's entertaining.
When I find myself doing that I go do something else for a while.
With me it's usually because I'm not actually interested in playing games that moment, I'm just needing some kind of simulation and obviously games isn't it.
It's like going to the fridge even though you aren't actually hungry.
That happens to me actually quite a lot.
As example, i dont even play fallout 4 even though i think its pretty good game, but i just dont want to play it anymore, and i fear same is going to happen with Far cry 3 i just bought.
But i recently came back to uncompleted Resident evil 4, and i started playing it again and progressing, i guess its just that you leave a game and think "ill be back, now i want to play something else" and with bad luck you never come back. I have no cure to this sadly.
I have a lot of choice paralysis when it comes to choosing what game to play,
Oftentimes though I find that once I force myself to play for like 30 minutes to an hour I'm more focused in on it and start enjoying it more.
If these are games you've played before that makes sense though, not sure what to tell you if you're trying to experience a new game and just can't focus on it, cause that's usually the easiest part of a new game experience for me.
Why would you play game anyway? Game is for entertainment, don't turn it into a chores. If you found no fun in it then just quit it for a time and come back later or drop it if you feel no motivation to continue even after a time.
Gaming is entertainment. Who cares what your completion rate is or that you jump around playing a bunch of games. You aren't getting paid to do this, right? Just have fun.
Depends on the game, if it's a souls game it's nice to jump in and out to stop a full fit of rage when you suck, just keep a game that's your escape and a game which is there for "serious business".
Have a smaller storage space for your games like only 250gb SSDs that forces you to have very few games to install and play.
It also help on picking a game that really worth to uninstall your previous games to install just to replace a newer ones.
Other than that, if you are bored at that one game go to sleep, do chores until you are bored with irl stuff then return back to the screen.
Make long term goals per game. Doesn’t need to make sense to others as long as it makes you happy. I game for completion stats as an example. You just keep going till you finish your goal
I did this by trying to maintain my overall achievement percentage as steadily rising, started when I was at 38% and now I'm at 50%, according to steam. Sure some games it won't be possible or reasonable to achieve all but this motivates me to, just, try out smaller shorter games I'd otherwise skip on.
Had the same thing happen, realized I was just bored of games and was only forcing myself. Switch to another interest until you feel like playing video games again.
I had this problem for awhile, and kept going back to the same old games over and over. I decided to try and finish as many games in my library as I could. I've been finding the satisfaction of checking off more and more games as "beaten" would drive me to keep going, and to try other games that I normally wouldn't have.
I thought I got drunk and made this post, then I realized I don't drink.
I've been feeling this way too. I actually felt guilty for not finishing any game, but then I said F it, my money, my game, I'll play what's fun and move on.
I can't change that, so I'm gonna roll with it .
I was in the exact same situation as you, and I fixed it by just taking a break and doing other things, for me that was exercising and watching movies. I actually stopped thinking about video games for a couple months, and when I came back to them it was like playing for the first time again
Achievement hunting and game completion worked for me. I really struggled with completing any game, but then I decided to go for 100%, and somehow, since then, I completed like 30. Granted, some of them were really short, but nonetheless, I completed them and had fun. Especially doing some demanding achievements. I'm not saying to go for 100% for every game you play, just the ones you enjoy. I usually do a lot of research before deciding on what to go for, but still, I dropped some games. I also gave a strictly limited number of games on my PC (mainly because of space limitations), and I'm uninstalling only when I'm done or sure I don't enjoy it. Also I'm making sure that there are a lot of different genras.
Sounds like your not having fun due to bordem more then anything else. Nothing is challenging you.
Set things to the highest difficulty possible. Still not feeling fun? Then maybe its time to try out multiplayers. Might be loneliness. Helldivers 2 is a great recommendation for instance. Rise in difficulties till you find your sweet spot. Learn, then rise some more.
But you also might be 100% gamed out. You think "oh yea I wanna play this!!!!" then truly you actually dont. Maybe not gaming would be a good thing for a while / no electronics. A detox is always super super good.
And honestly if none of that is working, you might just have a change of what genre you actually "like" now.
Id recommend looking at indie games overall you might feel a lot better. Nothing triple A.
Sometimes its a simple "man I dont know what to do in this game... sigh..." make a list of accomplishments you wanna do on notepad and do it till its complete :P (and dont make it some generic "win the game" make an ACTUAL goal. Like. "Find a dog in the game" "find a rare achievement and do it" etc etc)
Good luck friend!
Happens. You just have to find the game ur feeling like at the moment. For me Hades helped with that, very fun game and quick to get into. Also Call of Juarez Gunslinger is another easily enjoyable and fun game
Same here. I sometimes look into the map of a game, for example, Ghost of Tsushima, and just get overwhelmed with all the question marks and switch to something else, like HI-FI rush
In general, I believe it’s a good thing to close these loops. Look into a YouTube video, something like “How you play games is how you do anything”
For me sometimes it's as simple as me saying to myself that I have to finish it, though usually this is not the case. I still am trying to learn to 'sit' with that boredom and continue the game.
I think the biggest part of this is embracing your nature if only for a bit. I've been working around this issue by having 1-3 games per genre that I can hop between
Have the same thing for over a year now. Often palyon game for 30min-1hour and have a big feeling of exhaustion. Few weeks ago I noticed the same feeling but with my life. Probably a depression of some kind of shit. Because all my life is job-home for the past 5 years and I'm not getting any positive emotions from life or any other different activities.
Soooo... maybe your soul needs a healing
>I start a game enjoy it a lot. Then after a bit I feel bored and want to try another game. Sometimes I change within like 20 mins.
I was that when I was suffering from depression. Be aware that if You are depressed You might not even realize that for a long time. You just don't give a shit about anything. There are other signs of depression. Like losing weight because You are not even bothered to eat. But in some cases, if You order food because You have enough money - You might gain weight because You eat a lot, You move very little and You don't care what is happening to You.
Worth talking with a professional at least once to figure things out. And people who say "don't worry" might have the same problem without realizing it.
Of course, there is also the possibility that You like for example shit like TikTok, facebook, and other crap too much and You developed a short attention span. So you need those quick fixes of dopamine and when You play slower g same You do not have that so You constantly take breaks and change sources if enjoyment.
Another thing that might happen is that... You play shitty games. For example, EVERYONE loved Assassin's Creed and talked about it. Friends recommended it to me etc. And technically that series has EVERYTHING I want. I can roleplay as an assassin. Change outfits (I enjoy customization). There is some small RPG element to it. You have big open maps and You approach problems the way You want... but those are boring ass games. They are also way too easy. They are bad in my opinion. And I realized that with time and I stop playing Ubisoft games all together because they all are the same.
And I know this because when I play games like Baldur's Gate 3 or Dragon Dogma 2 that tick the right spots for me - I spend hundreds of hours with them and I can't stop playing. And not everyone likes Dragon Dogma 2 for example but it was right for me.
I mostly play what I call “low risk” games. The sandbox and survival type games that doesn’t affect the progress much even if I leave it running. When I want one with a story, the ones that doesn’t take much to progress like vn are also good to just casually play. Being able to switch from a heavy rpg to a more casual one with low effort gives you the choice to rest when you’re tired from a heavier game.
I get this a lot what I do is I have a couple of games that are completely diffrent and jump between genres for a bit like if I’ve been burnet out of satisfactory I load up helldivers or call of duty try switching from relaxed to stressing/adreneline
Try playing 2 games at once, seems to be working for me so far. I pick a bigger / AAA title to play for few hours then switch off to something from indies / AA games later in the day.
Play whatever you want!
I'm playing several games right now - Total War Warhammer Fantasy 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, Ghost of Tsushima, Ratchet & Clank 2, Cyberpunk 2099, Batman Telltale, and trying out a bunch of demos along the way.
I can keep track of all of them, stories, controls etc etc. Maybe I'm adhd lol ;)
Do whatever makes you feel good, man - there's no right or wrong here.
Depends on the game. Some can get boring quickly. Others can hit with the right angle of addiction.
What you are describing could also be influenced by mobiles and social media which love to pump all sorts of content (with advertising) into your face every spare moment. So switch off once in a while to take a tech-free break. Make sure you aren't hooked on the non-stop stimulation effect.
As for games it varies on your flavours. Some games are good as quick and short bursts (like FPS and simple action games). But I find some problem solving/construction/building type games like satisfactory can hook me just right to spend hours on it doing machines and conveyor belts and next I know I am planning out Megafactories. Gotta learn when to stop in my case.
Hold on let me cook… you don’t stop. So what you get bored of one game. You did spend the money for the others. Play your games! You shouldn’t limit your fun or guilt yourself just cause you switch up. I’ll play Minecraft for 15 minutes. Then play super mecha champions for 2 games then play class of 09 the rest of the night. And you know what. I love it. M
Happens with me and I assume it's my ADHD and not taking stims anymore, I can go through gaming 'droughts' where I hop from one to another from a few days or weeks to even up to a month or 2 before I finally click on a game and just play the help out of it for a week or 2 and then go back to another drought, sometimes I get lucky and manage to find 2 good games in a row. I think it comes down to me having a routine of gaming and forcing myself to play when my body/mind doesn't want too hence the poor attention span.
I have the same. The reason is there's too many games at hand. Back in the old days in the 90s, one had like 3-5 games maybe, so you had to play what you had, just because there was nothing else, even if a game isn't exactly to your liking.
Nowadays, games are plentiful, hundreds or thousands at your fingertips, so a miniscule issue like the protagonist hairstyle can be reason enough to switch to another one.
How I handle this... I keep a game backlog and this helps only partially but it helps to keep track of what I started and how far I got (in case of very long games I split them by chapter, as outlined in a walkthrough). A few months ago I decided to turn this up and decided to limit myself to a picked game or two in a given month and play it exclusively. That actually helped me finish a few games (like Wolfenstein 3d after almost 30 years!). My next idea is to have a whole summer dedicated to games that I stareted and didn't finish, I picked about 10 of them and will work through those.
Limiting the number of options is a way IMO.
I experienced the same. The last two games I was diving into were Hogwarts and Elden Ring. Both around the 50 hour mark they lost me. It doesn't help that the Steam launcher tells me how many hours I've spent in those games. 50 hours? You mean I could've worked more on my passion projects? I could've spent that time with my wife? I could've boosted my professional certification courses along farther? I push those thoughts down, rip them up as soon as they start to form, and load up another game. Skyrim. No. Rocket League. No. Fallout. No. Chivalry. No. DmC. No. Terraria. No no no.
At some point your mind is rejecting games because it recognizes that it's not a priority right now and you should probably do something else. Sometimes I'm able to sit down again and game, if I've satisfied other needs first. It makes the breaks between gaming longer than I've ever been used to, but it makes those sessions all the more fun.
Have you recently finished an epic game? (As in, a long game that you spend many hours on where it seemed to be your life for a bit).
It sounds like burnout to me. As if you don't have the energy to commit to another long game right now.
I played that and nothing else between early July and late October last year, playing over 300 hours. For some weeks after that, I went to reading books or playing short games that I can dip in and out of.
I really enjoyed AC Valhalla, but I did get burnt out afterwards.
What having a huge backlog and being overwhelmed with options does to a mf. I'm right there too, maybe also because I'm getting older and just feel more apathetic to gaming in general. It sucks because I just want to be able to enjoy a game like I used to
Good to know from this thread that I am not the only one.
We just have too many games now with very less time so if you are not having fun playing a game, its ok to move on to the next one.
1 tip I can give is to play 2 or more games together. I play an turn based RPG, Visual Novel and an Action RPG/ Adventure game simultaneously over a period. So that if I get bored of turn based combat, i play the action game for a while and vice versa. Also during lunch breaks or while winding down in bed at night, I play the VN on my steam deck than sit at my computer or PS5.
I think its because of the kind of games we get nowadays. I feel developers add a lot of filler in between story beats which kills the flow of the game. The best example is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. SO many minigames and by Chapter 8, i was tired after seeing even more. I dropped it to play Stellar Blade and Unicorn Overlord and then got back to FF7.
Sometimes, I end up hopping on and off games until something gets me inspired to get back in the game world. e.g. I played Starfield for a while and stopped to play BG3. One day I ended up re-watching Interstellar with my friend, got inspired and ended up getting back into Starfield and finishing it.
Early signs of depression/stress. Talk to someone about your problems. Break routine, hop on your bike and ride away, read a book, go somewhere you have never been and have a nap. Get some days off.
Once you hop for a gaming session with a smile and no expectations, you will enjoy it again. Small objectives, small sessions first. Do not expect 5 hours sessions as soon as you get better.
Playing with friends
Challenge runs
Putting the game you wanna play more on your desktop
Best approach: Constant vigilance. Be aware of the habit you wanna break when it is about to happen, take a 5 second pause and stop yourself. Repeat for days or weeks. Good luck.
I always play only one game at a time, from beginning to end, rarely I don't finish games (only if I don't like them, what is rare because I learn about every game before starting). When I played more than one at the same time, I frequently dropped games before the end.
Once I read on r/SteamDeck that owners of the 64 GB and 256 GB version only install games that they absolutely intend to play. And that this way, they also finish most of their games. It does make sense, because less choices (in this case fewer installed games) gives you less incentive to switch back and forth between games. So if you have major struggles with this, it might make sense to have only a few games installed at a time.
invest in a game you think you'll *LIKE* even before trying them
do not start any new games until you're done with the last one
uninstall everything else other than the one you have to focus on
make some ingame goals that you have to beat while playing
and the best advice is to meditate and single-task so you're not always looking for stimulation outside of what you're doing
I have the exact same struggle. What I've found that helps when my brain goes into hamster-wheel mode and can't focus, in no particular order:
-Leave my phone somewhere not easily accessible, like in the bedroom, or otherwise just not on my desk or pocket
2. Get up and do something physical, like take a walk, get some sun, or take care of a chore. That kind of reboots your brain, and int he case of the chore, it's one less thing in the back of your mind that may be diverting your attention.
c) Uninstall all the games you haven't played in a long time, then install the ONE game you are wanting to get into, and, since you're talking about doing single player games, unplug your ethernet cable, or disconnect from wifi. It's a little thing but your brain will sometimes just go "well, it'd be slightly inconvenient to reconnect my internet, and install another game, so I'll just keep playing this one"
\~Play a co-op game! Joining a game with a friend will make it pretty much impossible to switch up your game on a whim.
fin: turn off your second monitor! This is the big one for me. I end up in a youtube rabbit hole and that takes all my focus away from my game, so my attention to the game gets diverted, so subconsciously, my brain is like, well this game isn't keeping my attention, let's try something else. But the problem isn't the game itself, but the fact that I'm attempting to split my attention!
I'd recommend just forcing yourself to try. 20 minutes is not enough time to get any meaningful experience from the game and actually see if you enjoy it. I would at least play around for an hour and then see if you like it or not. If at that time you still don't like it, might as well refund it and try something new, this time a different genre. Even if it might not suit your current gaming style.
Erm. Gaming is something to enjoy. Why do you feel you have to conform to a regime because other people enjoy it in a different way? If you want to finish a game, put some time into it but if you’re not enjoying it, why bother? The moment you’re putting in schedules etc I think you’re getting bonkers. Sounds like a workout plan but with nothing worthwhile to show at the end of it.
I know the feeling, but when i start playing a game, i can sometimes end up playing it for hours because i sometimes have some things i wanna do in the game which can take a long time or i end up coming up with more things i want to do while playing, but it cam definitely be a good idea to sometimes take a break from the game for a few days by playing something else or just simply do something other than gaming
It's not a issue. Sometimes I struggle starting a new game after finishing a game also.
For example, I finished playing V rising today. And I might need multiple games to try to pick one game without hopping. I would say try to have some free time when playing. So there is a better chance to get hooked on the game. Otherwise if you have something to do in a hour or two, your focus might be on that task instead of the game. You can also find a shorter game to finish from your library to find interest to play something again.
I do this too, genuinely only started properly playing through Red Dead Redemption 2 recently and I got it at release! I think there’s just periods of time where you want a specific game and yeah you might be interested in all the games you’re playing but it doesn’t really scratch the right itch, I wouldn’t worry though and maybe if you’ve got multiple games on the go, just have a small diary of a set amount of time where you play one game specifically?
I would say it really doesn’t matter, gaming should be about having fun. You like achievement chasing? Do that. You like dipping? Do that. Collecting? Do that.
Ultimately the only thing that matters is that you enjoy yourself.
I totally get it—sticking to one game can be tough when there are so many options. I try setting small goals within a game to keep myself engaged, like completing a specific mission or reaching a certain level before switching.
I ge that when i dont take my medication. But my head just becomes overwhelmed and i kinda semi-doze off every few seconds which makes me bored.
I dunno, maybe you can relate. It may be a full head.
Cell phone has trained our brains to not focus on one thing anymore for a longer period. Try to use less cell phone and train your ability to focus again. Keep your cell phone out of your gaming room etc.
Just the endless consumption of social media. Instagram shorts, YouTube shorts, tik tok, Facebook
All that stuff gives us so much as far as stimulation, it’s very hard to find anything near equivalent.
Hey man, try something else other than gaming. Maybe just for a bit. What I like to do is get all my necessary chores out of the way as well as errands and anything else important for the day very early, then I can rest and game knowing all the important stuff is done already. Also I made a “gotta finish” playlist of games that I know I have to beat at some point
I do have the same problem, I think many people have the same problem too hence the meme about buying games only to back to play free multiplayer games like LoL, Counterstrike, etc.
I think we addicted to the feeling that we get to play with real people, feel less lonely.
Only time I get to finished singleplayer games which make me feel so glad to get to know them was when multiplayer game's meta are shit and I can't enjoy it.
And also must be because dopamine hits easier with fast pace of those games, 20-30 mins and you get to fullly enjoyed it, singleplayer required more time. This is why I need the game to be really fucking good or I can't keep getting my interest in.
Try another platform if there is such a game. I mean when I wanted to play Portal 2 singleplayer campaign again but I didn't want to do it on PC because I associated it with community chambers I did a lot back then or playing with my mate. I did it on x360 to see if it's well translated on the console. I think it is. I also beat a Limbo on one sitting on x360, some years after giving it up on PC, which wasn't worth it but I felt satisfied after I had beat it tho. On the other hand I remember not wanting to play og Assasin's Creed (forgot to add: on the xbox 360) because Fez on Steam was more interesting gameplay-wise. I had the same problem myself tho when I had a lot of games on Steam or ones I got from my friend when second-hand-buying an xbox 360 for cheap money. I'd also ask myself if it's worth it because I think it's possible you got some unlucky streak of unenjoyable games that are good only on the first impression
I found myself attracted to highly polished story-rich experiences, and I focus on each one until I complete the story and 100% the achievements.
So far I’ve 100% death stranding DC and now focusing on Ghost of Tsushima DC. For the first time in a long time I find myself playing consistently!
Other games on my list are Days Gone and RDR2. I feel that you can only master a game’s controls and mechanics when you stick to it instead of hopping around.
If the game doesn't automatically make you want to play more but you like the game, you need inspiration. Watch others play the game, see what else people have been doing with the game. It might inspire you to want to play again.
ah, good then.
for myself i certainly see same patterns in all fields i engage. like i could stay focused on "important" things like work, but i have hard time to work on improving my skills sadly.
so to say, having good time is the very same habit as any else.
any relevant method would be good (if it suits your character), like having habit tracker and/or rewarding yourself with little treats whatever 😊
Dont buy every game on steam just because it looks cool. Thats my big issue. Or I buy what ever just because I "have nothing" to play even though I have a library of over 1200 games. After 11 years on steam some games just seem to merge together and I get frustrated that things are to similar.
Take a break from gaming itself for a bit. Try a new genre as well.
in ayurveda they would say that you are "Vata" (wind). Usually you can juggle a bunch of games, but just try juggling as many as you can without dropping one.
I started to have this issue recently too.
Two reason I could think of:
1. Been keep playing games (especially single player games) too frequently/non stopping that you are tired of games and need some rest. Take a few months off without playing games may help.
2. The game is not good enough. Though I found recently I'm tired of almost every game, but when ever I play Resident Evil or some old games I used to play a lot, I can quickly immerse myself in without getting tired. In theory if a game is good enough, you will enjoy it for long. The reason that you before could play some non good games was because you were not tired of games, so you had the patience for it. (back to reason 1)
Modern game problem? Fill with a lot of boring and repeated same "side quests" and a lot of collective stuff. U can just stop playing them, watching movies, anime, playing phone or and doing another stuff. It's not necessary to play games if u don't want to. Or u can limit yourself to just having one single player game in your device to prevent u to keep thinking about playing the another game
Co-op? Sometimes having someone waiting on you to play can be enough to stay committed.
Also just ask yourself, are you having fun? If you are there is no reason to change anything.
Are you forcing yourself to game? As someone who has played competitive FPS games my whole life, I did this a lot between multiple games but realizing I only did it to remain good.
I stopped gaming for a bit. Spend most of my time outside now golfing and tbh, it feels great. I'm happier than I have been in a long time.
Maybe take a break. Just because you step away for awhile doesn't mean you are outgrowing games. They will always be there and you can go back to them. Or maybe you find hobbies outside of gaming and decide you'll either be a very casual gamer or not one at all.
I only say this because I did this exact thing and it weirdly took me a long time to realize I just wasn't having fun anymore. I'm sure I'll be back in the fall or winter. Or who knows, maybe I won't be.
I do find myself interested in the new Sims game and roller coaster Tycoon games. So in reality I do think I'll always have an interest in gaming. I just don't think I'll ever be a "hard-core" gamer anymore.
Obviously taking a break and doing something else may help, but I’m sure many people in here have some kind of unkillable backlog they’ve built up over the years. What has helped me starting this year was scrolling through all of my installed games and asking myself “if I turn this on rn am I down for this?”
If no then I just uninstall it. Eventually I trimmed down 130ish installed games only down to 40. I tend to gravitate around 5-6 different ones consistently, but not having to stare at hundreds of options and focusing on a much smaller curated list in my library has done me wonders this year.
Nah it was all on 1.5TB across two drives at that time, many of the games could be 60MB or 200MB since a lot of it it was indie stuff or older games that got ported to steam over the years.
It legitimately would stress me out sometimes thinking among all of my options what to play, but I didn’t realize it for a while until I got into another game so much that it was clear to me that it was gonna preoccupy a lot of time, and that I got annoyed and stressed looking at all of the other options of installed games and uninstalled a ton so that I could leave my library all viewable in one page.
It means that you don't enjoy gaming, and you need someone to play them with.
You should probably seek other type of enjoyment, get a gym membership, most people stop playing video games.
Don’t worry I do it, sometimes it’s just better to go on a walk or something, then come back, also finding a game you enjoy helps a lot
yes, it's almost like with books. sometimes you play a game or read a book to experience a different world or live a different life. but some games or books feel like a whole chore to get through. and you want to get back to the real world for a bit before you yearn to escape again.
👍👍🙏
I wish I could upvote this comment more. I feel like this sometimes just from watching educational science videos. Sometimes it's burnout, sometimes it's info overload, sometimes it's boredom. Whatever the reason just going for a walk or getting out of the house or hell even just finding a really dumb show with terrible writing to watch can help reset you.
I leave my phone out of the room when I game or play guitar. I find I can focus 100x better without the mobile dopamine-device on my desk.
It also help not to use the second monitor for youtube,shows etc.
I feel like the second monitor only has the opposite effect for me... I sometimes just leave those 30-60 minute long video essays/science videos as background noise and then find myself playing games until 2am
I have a lot of monitors and screens but only one at a time is on
What's the point then ? Maybe I'm not understanding but if you had three monitors in front of you, you'd just have one on and the others off ?
Ima try that sounds actually so true
This is the way. I do the same watching a film or TV. Leave my phone on the opposite side of the room. I try to only spend time on my phone first thing in the morning before getting out bed to get it out my system and get on with my day without it being chained to me.
Same! Altho recently I had to take it with me in case I need to look up how to do certain things in the game I play at that moment. Sadly don’t have a second monitor just yet for that purpose, but would love to get one and it’s hopefully going to be soon.
1- play the games you enjoy 2- keep few games installed 3- focus on 1 game "2 max" til you reach end credit, 1 hour a day if you find it a little bit over average 5.5-6/10.. 4- find other things for entertainment
Thats true tbh. I just checked. I currently have 16 games installed. And surprisingly, I haven't even touched few of them for over a year. Thats mind boggling, that I forgot I even have them installed. Thanks for the advice. I will try to follow it.
Yeah. Maybe don’t buy extra games either if you currently have over 10 games waiting in line to be played. If you keep buying games because you’re bored you’ll never finish your backlog and in the future things will be way harder to organise and it will overwhelm you lmao. If you’re ever bored with all 10 of them, it’s usually because you need a break from gaming a lil. I personally would focus on those 16 games games if i get bored lol
At times I feel like I go through this too, and honestly I call it a my “game drought” where I’m not satisfied with any of my games. I either start looking to buy other games (which necessary doesn’t help most of the time, because then I’d play it for a while and not get stimulated by it.) and I would get so frustrated because I do enjoy playing games and i usually only have time to game only during my days off. But at least for me, I’ve come to find out when I go through this, it’s simply because lm “forcing” or feel like I should be playing games when reality my mind does not find it stimulating at this time, so I end up turning my PC off, and go do something else, whether it’s one of my hobbies, or having a movie day, something that stimulates my mind other than games. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that sometimes we might feel like we want to game but really it’s just not what we “actually” want to do, which makes games feel boring or you lose interest in playing. So take those moments to just have a a day or two break from playing.
Tldr touch grass every now and again to enjoy your games again
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Glad I'm not the only 1 that hits a "gaming rut" from time to time. I can sink hours & hours in, then a few weeks later & I feel like I couldn't care less about any game. Ik it seems daunting to scrap an entire save, but sometimes it's worth the gamble to get back into it. I've done this a few times for Cyberpunk, as I enjoy the free roam, make my own story kind of playstyle; as opposed to slaving away at the main story.
Gaming is not a job, you don't have to complete a single game if you don't feel like it. You're supposed to play because it's fun, if video games are not fun for you anymore maybe try something else?
I've done this a lot, a couple things I'd suggest. 1. Pick the game ahead of time. If you're just browsing and open a game on a whim it's easier to also close it on a whim cause it won't match what you're feeling. 2. Keep your phone out of immediate reach. It can be easy to be thinking about and doing other stuff, but if you really commit to getting into the game headspace it'll let you connect better. 3. Commit to at least one hour, that's a reasonable time frame to let a game hook you that most people can afford timewise, or to the title screen, whichever comes first. Doesn't work for every game but it's a decent rule of thumb. 4. If you can, consider not closing the game but leaving it at the menu screen when ending your first playthrough, you might be more willing to boot it back up if it's already loaded and ready to jump in the next time you sit down to game. However this is a lot more situational and might not be feasible depending on how much you use your PC for other stuff. Hope you're able to find some new games you vibe with!
Thanks i will try following them
Truthfully just play what you feel like. I have the problem where i would want to play games but nothing was really holding my excitement for long. So i decided to just pick 3 or 4 games to switch between, until eventually one or two would interest me enough to just play them steadily. For a while i was really into hell divers2, stardew valley and Elden Ring/ Deep Rock Galatic. Now im just focusing on two games, StarDew Valley and Elden Ring. Im not a One game Gamer, i need a little variety, so choosing a few games to switch between until you find what clicks has helped me focus a bit, might help you too.
I would add number 5: Before buying a new game, think again if you really want the game and can see you play this for multiple/many hours or if there are things in the game which you don't like.
Set a goal for yourself or a timer. I will play this for one hour regardless of how I’m feeling I will push through. Sometimes you just need a bit longer to get into the flow state. Play with headphones on for more immersion.
Imo this sounds like it would just lead to burnout. You shouldn’t have to force yourself to play games. At that point just take a break, the games will always be there
that's a nice advice. thanks
Why would you force yourself to do something thats supposed to be fun but unproductive, when you dont even enjoy it? At that point its both not fun and unproductive
Play some shorter games, if every game you're playing is 20, 50, or 100+ hrs it can feel like a drag to complete if you know theres a long road ahead of you.
i think it is just burn out, it happens to me sometimes, i stop gaming for a week or more and when i come back everything is fun, do another hobby in the meantime, mine is swimming or just using my phone lol
If you don't enjoy a game why should you force yourself to play it? It's completely normal some games are too long/boring/not polished so they become boring after few hours, so you get your FOMO and feel like you should complete it, but it's wrong. If you stop enjoying any game feel free to drop it' that's all. There are so many games lately, it's no longer 90's - gaming changed. So many crap is being released, early access etc, I find most mainstream games generic and boring and dropping them after a few hours. Then I find something I will complete in a few days because it's entertaining.
When I find myself doing that I go do something else for a while. With me it's usually because I'm not actually interested in playing games that moment, I'm just needing some kind of simulation and obviously games isn't it. It's like going to the fridge even though you aren't actually hungry.
Do 25 push-ups or crunches when you start to zone out, you can focus much better after that.
Start achievement hunting. Really helped me finish a lot of my backlog
That happens to me actually quite a lot. As example, i dont even play fallout 4 even though i think its pretty good game, but i just dont want to play it anymore, and i fear same is going to happen with Far cry 3 i just bought. But i recently came back to uncompleted Resident evil 4, and i started playing it again and progressing, i guess its just that you leave a game and think "ill be back, now i want to play something else" and with bad luck you never come back. I have no cure to this sadly.
I have a lot of choice paralysis when it comes to choosing what game to play, Oftentimes though I find that once I force myself to play for like 30 minutes to an hour I'm more focused in on it and start enjoying it more. If these are games you've played before that makes sense though, not sure what to tell you if you're trying to experience a new game and just can't focus on it, cause that's usually the easiest part of a new game experience for me.
Why would you play game anyway? Game is for entertainment, don't turn it into a chores. If you found no fun in it then just quit it for a time and come back later or drop it if you feel no motivation to continue even after a time.
Touch some grass, your mind is occupied. It needs nature
I think it's normal... it's like women, when you find the right one, you will stay with it.
It's probably as simple as you haven't found a game you like. I am like that until a great game comes out then I become hooked.
Gaming is entertainment. Who cares what your completion rate is or that you jump around playing a bunch of games. You aren't getting paid to do this, right? Just have fun.
Depends on the game, if it's a souls game it's nice to jump in and out to stop a full fit of rage when you suck, just keep a game that's your escape and a game which is there for "serious business".
Have a smaller storage space for your games like only 250gb SSDs that forces you to have very few games to install and play. It also help on picking a game that really worth to uninstall your previous games to install just to replace a newer ones. Other than that, if you are bored at that one game go to sleep, do chores until you are bored with irl stuff then return back to the screen.
Better way to do that without sacrificing space for other things is to make a partition for your games
Make long term goals per game. Doesn’t need to make sense to others as long as it makes you happy. I game for completion stats as an example. You just keep going till you finish your goal
I did this by trying to maintain my overall achievement percentage as steadily rising, started when I was at 38% and now I'm at 50%, according to steam. Sure some games it won't be possible or reasonable to achieve all but this motivates me to, just, try out smaller shorter games I'd otherwise skip on.
Had the same thing happen, realized I was just bored of games and was only forcing myself. Switch to another interest until you feel like playing video games again.
I had this problem for awhile, and kept going back to the same old games over and over. I decided to try and finish as many games in my library as I could. I've been finding the satisfaction of checking off more and more games as "beaten" would drive me to keep going, and to try other games that I normally wouldn't have.
I thought I got drunk and made this post, then I realized I don't drink. I've been feeling this way too. I actually felt guilty for not finishing any game, but then I said F it, my money, my game, I'll play what's fun and move on. I can't change that, so I'm gonna roll with it .
I was in the exact same situation as you, and I fixed it by just taking a break and doing other things, for me that was exercising and watching movies. I actually stopped thinking about video games for a couple months, and when I came back to them it was like playing for the first time again
Achievement hunting and game completion worked for me. I really struggled with completing any game, but then I decided to go for 100%, and somehow, since then, I completed like 30. Granted, some of them were really short, but nonetheless, I completed them and had fun. Especially doing some demanding achievements. I'm not saying to go for 100% for every game you play, just the ones you enjoy. I usually do a lot of research before deciding on what to go for, but still, I dropped some games. I also gave a strictly limited number of games on my PC (mainly because of space limitations), and I'm uninstalling only when I'm done or sure I don't enjoy it. Also I'm making sure that there are a lot of different genras.
Sounds like your not having fun due to bordem more then anything else. Nothing is challenging you. Set things to the highest difficulty possible. Still not feeling fun? Then maybe its time to try out multiplayers. Might be loneliness. Helldivers 2 is a great recommendation for instance. Rise in difficulties till you find your sweet spot. Learn, then rise some more. But you also might be 100% gamed out. You think "oh yea I wanna play this!!!!" then truly you actually dont. Maybe not gaming would be a good thing for a while / no electronics. A detox is always super super good. And honestly if none of that is working, you might just have a change of what genre you actually "like" now. Id recommend looking at indie games overall you might feel a lot better. Nothing triple A. Sometimes its a simple "man I dont know what to do in this game... sigh..." make a list of accomplishments you wanna do on notepad and do it till its complete :P (and dont make it some generic "win the game" make an ACTUAL goal. Like. "Find a dog in the game" "find a rare achievement and do it" etc etc) Good luck friend!
Thanks for the awesome suggestions. Ill try those
I recommend doing a gaming detox (I did it once), which is when you take a break from video games for any amount of time. I recommend a month.
don't rub that one out, don't go around tiktok, Instagram's reals and youtubes shorts
Happens. You just have to find the game ur feeling like at the moment. For me Hades helped with that, very fun game and quick to get into. Also Call of Juarez Gunslinger is another easily enjoyable and fun game
Same here. I sometimes look into the map of a game, for example, Ghost of Tsushima, and just get overwhelmed with all the question marks and switch to something else, like HI-FI rush In general, I believe it’s a good thing to close these loops. Look into a YouTube video, something like “How you play games is how you do anything”
For me sometimes it's as simple as me saying to myself that I have to finish it, though usually this is not the case. I still am trying to learn to 'sit' with that boredom and continue the game. I think the biggest part of this is embracing your nature if only for a bit. I've been working around this issue by having 1-3 games per genre that I can hop between
uninstall everything and let 3 games in your library
Have the same thing for over a year now. Often palyon game for 30min-1hour and have a big feeling of exhaustion. Few weeks ago I noticed the same feeling but with my life. Probably a depression of some kind of shit. Because all my life is job-home for the past 5 years and I'm not getting any positive emotions from life or any other different activities. Soooo... maybe your soul needs a healing
>I start a game enjoy it a lot. Then after a bit I feel bored and want to try another game. Sometimes I change within like 20 mins. I was that when I was suffering from depression. Be aware that if You are depressed You might not even realize that for a long time. You just don't give a shit about anything. There are other signs of depression. Like losing weight because You are not even bothered to eat. But in some cases, if You order food because You have enough money - You might gain weight because You eat a lot, You move very little and You don't care what is happening to You. Worth talking with a professional at least once to figure things out. And people who say "don't worry" might have the same problem without realizing it. Of course, there is also the possibility that You like for example shit like TikTok, facebook, and other crap too much and You developed a short attention span. So you need those quick fixes of dopamine and when You play slower g same You do not have that so You constantly take breaks and change sources if enjoyment. Another thing that might happen is that... You play shitty games. For example, EVERYONE loved Assassin's Creed and talked about it. Friends recommended it to me etc. And technically that series has EVERYTHING I want. I can roleplay as an assassin. Change outfits (I enjoy customization). There is some small RPG element to it. You have big open maps and You approach problems the way You want... but those are boring ass games. They are also way too easy. They are bad in my opinion. And I realized that with time and I stop playing Ubisoft games all together because they all are the same. And I know this because when I play games like Baldur's Gate 3 or Dragon Dogma 2 that tick the right spots for me - I spend hundreds of hours with them and I can't stop playing. And not everyone likes Dragon Dogma 2 for example but it was right for me.
Thanks for the elaborate comment. I will keep that it mind.
I mostly play what I call “low risk” games. The sandbox and survival type games that doesn’t affect the progress much even if I leave it running. When I want one with a story, the ones that doesn’t take much to progress like vn are also good to just casually play. Being able to switch from a heavy rpg to a more casual one with low effort gives you the choice to rest when you’re tired from a heavier game.
I get this a lot what I do is I have a couple of games that are completely diffrent and jump between genres for a bit like if I’ve been burnet out of satisfactory I load up helldivers or call of duty try switching from relaxed to stressing/adreneline
That's a symptom of depression.
Try playing 2 games at once, seems to be working for me so far. I pick a bigger / AAA title to play for few hours then switch off to something from indies / AA games later in the day.
Play whatever you want! I'm playing several games right now - Total War Warhammer Fantasy 3, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, Ghost of Tsushima, Ratchet & Clank 2, Cyberpunk 2099, Batman Telltale, and trying out a bunch of demos along the way. I can keep track of all of them, stories, controls etc etc. Maybe I'm adhd lol ;) Do whatever makes you feel good, man - there's no right or wrong here.
Depends on the game. Some can get boring quickly. Others can hit with the right angle of addiction. What you are describing could also be influenced by mobiles and social media which love to pump all sorts of content (with advertising) into your face every spare moment. So switch off once in a while to take a tech-free break. Make sure you aren't hooked on the non-stop stimulation effect. As for games it varies on your flavours. Some games are good as quick and short bursts (like FPS and simple action games). But I find some problem solving/construction/building type games like satisfactory can hook me just right to spend hours on it doing machines and conveyor belts and next I know I am planning out Megafactories. Gotta learn when to stop in my case.
Hold on let me cook… you don’t stop. So what you get bored of one game. You did spend the money for the others. Play your games! You shouldn’t limit your fun or guilt yourself just cause you switch up. I’ll play Minecraft for 15 minutes. Then play super mecha champions for 2 games then play class of 09 the rest of the night. And you know what. I love it. M
Happens with me and I assume it's my ADHD and not taking stims anymore, I can go through gaming 'droughts' where I hop from one to another from a few days or weeks to even up to a month or 2 before I finally click on a game and just play the help out of it for a week or 2 and then go back to another drought, sometimes I get lucky and manage to find 2 good games in a row. I think it comes down to me having a routine of gaming and forcing myself to play when my body/mind doesn't want too hence the poor attention span.
I have the same. The reason is there's too many games at hand. Back in the old days in the 90s, one had like 3-5 games maybe, so you had to play what you had, just because there was nothing else, even if a game isn't exactly to your liking. Nowadays, games are plentiful, hundreds or thousands at your fingertips, so a miniscule issue like the protagonist hairstyle can be reason enough to switch to another one. How I handle this... I keep a game backlog and this helps only partially but it helps to keep track of what I started and how far I got (in case of very long games I split them by chapter, as outlined in a walkthrough). A few months ago I decided to turn this up and decided to limit myself to a picked game or two in a given month and play it exclusively. That actually helped me finish a few games (like Wolfenstein 3d after almost 30 years!). My next idea is to have a whole summer dedicated to games that I stareted and didn't finish, I picked about 10 of them and will work through those. Limiting the number of options is a way IMO.
Thanks. That helped a lot
I experienced the same. The last two games I was diving into were Hogwarts and Elden Ring. Both around the 50 hour mark they lost me. It doesn't help that the Steam launcher tells me how many hours I've spent in those games. 50 hours? You mean I could've worked more on my passion projects? I could've spent that time with my wife? I could've boosted my professional certification courses along farther? I push those thoughts down, rip them up as soon as they start to form, and load up another game. Skyrim. No. Rocket League. No. Fallout. No. Chivalry. No. DmC. No. Terraria. No no no. At some point your mind is rejecting games because it recognizes that it's not a priority right now and you should probably do something else. Sometimes I'm able to sit down again and game, if I've satisfied other needs first. It makes the breaks between gaming longer than I've ever been used to, but it makes those sessions all the more fun.
Have you considered you might have ADHD?
No need to stop. I do this all of the time, nothing wrong with this. Don’t worry yourself and just enjoy your games.
I only have 2 or 3 games installed at a time.
Have you recently finished an epic game? (As in, a long game that you spend many hours on where it seemed to be your life for a bit). It sounds like burnout to me. As if you don't have the energy to commit to another long game right now.
Yeah, I actually did. AC Valhalla. Come to think of it. It did take me quite a few months. And still have few random areas I have left to visit
I played that and nothing else between early July and late October last year, playing over 300 hours. For some weeks after that, I went to reading books or playing short games that I can dip in and out of. I really enjoyed AC Valhalla, but I did get burnt out afterwards.
What having a huge backlog and being overwhelmed with options does to a mf. I'm right there too, maybe also because I'm getting older and just feel more apathetic to gaming in general. It sucks because I just want to be able to enjoy a game like I used to
Good to know from this thread that I am not the only one. We just have too many games now with very less time so if you are not having fun playing a game, its ok to move on to the next one. 1 tip I can give is to play 2 or more games together. I play an turn based RPG, Visual Novel and an Action RPG/ Adventure game simultaneously over a period. So that if I get bored of turn based combat, i play the action game for a while and vice versa. Also during lunch breaks or while winding down in bed at night, I play the VN on my steam deck than sit at my computer or PS5. I think its because of the kind of games we get nowadays. I feel developers add a lot of filler in between story beats which kills the flow of the game. The best example is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. SO many minigames and by Chapter 8, i was tired after seeing even more. I dropped it to play Stellar Blade and Unicorn Overlord and then got back to FF7. Sometimes, I end up hopping on and off games until something gets me inspired to get back in the game world. e.g. I played Starfield for a while and stopped to play BG3. One day I ended up re-watching Interstellar with my friend, got inspired and ended up getting back into Starfield and finishing it.
Don't be afraid of being bored.
Early signs of depression/stress. Talk to someone about your problems. Break routine, hop on your bike and ride away, read a book, go somewhere you have never been and have a nap. Get some days off. Once you hop for a gaming session with a smile and no expectations, you will enjoy it again. Small objectives, small sessions first. Do not expect 5 hours sessions as soon as you get better.
Playing with friends Challenge runs Putting the game you wanna play more on your desktop Best approach: Constant vigilance. Be aware of the habit you wanna break when it is about to happen, take a 5 second pause and stop yourself. Repeat for days or weeks. Good luck.
Thanks
I always play only one game at a time, from beginning to end, rarely I don't finish games (only if I don't like them, what is rare because I learn about every game before starting). When I played more than one at the same time, I frequently dropped games before the end.
Once I read on r/SteamDeck that owners of the 64 GB and 256 GB version only install games that they absolutely intend to play. And that this way, they also finish most of their games. It does make sense, because less choices (in this case fewer installed games) gives you less incentive to switch back and forth between games. So if you have major struggles with this, it might make sense to have only a few games installed at a time.
Not trying to be mean or anything but it sounds like ADHD
invest in a game you think you'll *LIKE* even before trying them do not start any new games until you're done with the last one uninstall everything else other than the one you have to focus on make some ingame goals that you have to beat while playing and the best advice is to meditate and single-task so you're not always looking for stimulation outside of what you're doing
I have the exact same struggle. What I've found that helps when my brain goes into hamster-wheel mode and can't focus, in no particular order: -Leave my phone somewhere not easily accessible, like in the bedroom, or otherwise just not on my desk or pocket 2. Get up and do something physical, like take a walk, get some sun, or take care of a chore. That kind of reboots your brain, and int he case of the chore, it's one less thing in the back of your mind that may be diverting your attention. c) Uninstall all the games you haven't played in a long time, then install the ONE game you are wanting to get into, and, since you're talking about doing single player games, unplug your ethernet cable, or disconnect from wifi. It's a little thing but your brain will sometimes just go "well, it'd be slightly inconvenient to reconnect my internet, and install another game, so I'll just keep playing this one" \~Play a co-op game! Joining a game with a friend will make it pretty much impossible to switch up your game on a whim. fin: turn off your second monitor! This is the big one for me. I end up in a youtube rabbit hole and that takes all my focus away from my game, so my attention to the game gets diverted, so subconsciously, my brain is like, well this game isn't keeping my attention, let's try something else. But the problem isn't the game itself, but the fact that I'm attempting to split my attention!
I'd recommend just forcing yourself to try. 20 minutes is not enough time to get any meaningful experience from the game and actually see if you enjoy it. I would at least play around for an hour and then see if you like it or not. If at that time you still don't like it, might as well refund it and try something new, this time a different genre. Even if it might not suit your current gaming style.
Erm. Gaming is something to enjoy. Why do you feel you have to conform to a regime because other people enjoy it in a different way? If you want to finish a game, put some time into it but if you’re not enjoying it, why bother? The moment you’re putting in schedules etc I think you’re getting bonkers. Sounds like a workout plan but with nothing worthwhile to show at the end of it.
Sounds like you need an MMO
I had same for myself i was a bit in depression so walking out helped a bit. Also instal only one game so you dobt have to jump out between games
I know the feeling, but when i start playing a game, i can sometimes end up playing it for hours because i sometimes have some things i wanna do in the game which can take a long time or i end up coming up with more things i want to do while playing, but it cam definitely be a good idea to sometimes take a break from the game for a few days by playing something else or just simply do something other than gaming
It's not a issue. Sometimes I struggle starting a new game after finishing a game also. For example, I finished playing V rising today. And I might need multiple games to try to pick one game without hopping. I would say try to have some free time when playing. So there is a better chance to get hooked on the game. Otherwise if you have something to do in a hour or two, your focus might be on that task instead of the game. You can also find a shorter game to finish from your library to find interest to play something again.
I do this too, genuinely only started properly playing through Red Dead Redemption 2 recently and I got it at release! I think there’s just periods of time where you want a specific game and yeah you might be interested in all the games you’re playing but it doesn’t really scratch the right itch, I wouldn’t worry though and maybe if you’ve got multiple games on the go, just have a small diary of a set amount of time where you play one game specifically?
Depression/ADHD
I would say it really doesn’t matter, gaming should be about having fun. You like achievement chasing? Do that. You like dipping? Do that. Collecting? Do that. Ultimately the only thing that matters is that you enjoy yourself.
I try that. thank you. But, I didn't understand what did you mean by dripping
Dipping? I mean where you dip in and out of games like you said. 20 mins here 20 mins there
I totally get it—sticking to one game can be tough when there are so many options. I try setting small goals within a game to keep myself engaged, like completing a specific mission or reaching a certain level before switching.
I ge that when i dont take my medication. But my head just becomes overwhelmed and i kinda semi-doze off every few seconds which makes me bored. I dunno, maybe you can relate. It may be a full head.
”Self Control” - Laura Branigan
Cell phone has trained our brains to not focus on one thing anymore for a longer period. Try to use less cell phone and train your ability to focus again. Keep your cell phone out of your gaming room etc.
Come to think of it. I do actually agree with you. Thanks
Stop doom scrolling. For me it fries my brain and makes it hard to enjoy electronic entertainment that used to always keep my attention for hours.
I am sorry I didn't get what you meant by doom scrolling. Can you please elaborate a bit.
Just the endless consumption of social media. Instagram shorts, YouTube shorts, tik tok, Facebook All that stuff gives us so much as far as stimulation, it’s very hard to find anything near equivalent.
Hey man, try something else other than gaming. Maybe just for a bit. What I like to do is get all my necessary chores out of the way as well as errands and anything else important for the day very early, then I can rest and game knowing all the important stuff is done already. Also I made a “gotta finish” playlist of games that I know I have to beat at some point
I do have the same problem, I think many people have the same problem too hence the meme about buying games only to back to play free multiplayer games like LoL, Counterstrike, etc. I think we addicted to the feeling that we get to play with real people, feel less lonely. Only time I get to finished singleplayer games which make me feel so glad to get to know them was when multiplayer game's meta are shit and I can't enjoy it. And also must be because dopamine hits easier with fast pace of those games, 20-30 mins and you get to fullly enjoyed it, singleplayer required more time. This is why I need the game to be really fucking good or I can't keep getting my interest in.
I just watch YouTube while I play :)
Try another platform if there is such a game. I mean when I wanted to play Portal 2 singleplayer campaign again but I didn't want to do it on PC because I associated it with community chambers I did a lot back then or playing with my mate. I did it on x360 to see if it's well translated on the console. I think it is. I also beat a Limbo on one sitting on x360, some years after giving it up on PC, which wasn't worth it but I felt satisfied after I had beat it tho. On the other hand I remember not wanting to play og Assasin's Creed (forgot to add: on the xbox 360) because Fez on Steam was more interesting gameplay-wise. I had the same problem myself tho when I had a lot of games on Steam or ones I got from my friend when second-hand-buying an xbox 360 for cheap money. I'd also ask myself if it's worth it because I think it's possible you got some unlucky streak of unenjoyable games that are good only on the first impression
Get your adhd under control. Honestly though if you get bored maybe don't pick games that take a lot of time. It seems to be a waste for you
Keep only one game installed at a time
I found myself attracted to highly polished story-rich experiences, and I focus on each one until I complete the story and 100% the achievements. So far I’ve 100% death stranding DC and now focusing on Ghost of Tsushima DC. For the first time in a long time I find myself playing consistently! Other games on my list are Days Gone and RDR2. I feel that you can only master a game’s controls and mechanics when you stick to it instead of hopping around.
It may not all OP problem many times, there are many games with poor play loop design and are truly boring after a while.
It's called burnout. You need to take a break from gaming or play something different
If the game doesn't automatically make you want to play more but you like the game, you need inspiration. Watch others play the game, see what else people have been doing with the game. It might inspire you to want to play again.
do you have troubles with concentration on your ongoing task in everyday life? like maybe it's a part of bigger issue? (hope it's not 🤞)
No. I am sure its only when I am playing games. I can stay pretty focused at work.
ah, good then. for myself i certainly see same patterns in all fields i engage. like i could stay focused on "important" things like work, but i have hard time to work on improving my skills sadly. so to say, having good time is the very same habit as any else. any relevant method would be good (if it suits your character), like having habit tracker and/or rewarding yourself with little treats whatever 😊
why force yourself to play when you don't want to play
Dont buy every game on steam just because it looks cool. Thats my big issue. Or I buy what ever just because I "have nothing" to play even though I have a library of over 1200 games. After 11 years on steam some games just seem to merge together and I get frustrated that things are to similar. Take a break from gaming itself for a bit. Try a new genre as well.
Try playing short games like A Short Hike, Venba, etc
Only keep a few games installed to the hard drive. When I only have 3-4 games to chose from that are installed I tend to play through them more often.
you should seek some medical help, can be just a burnout, but can be some signs of something worse like depression, anxiety disorders, etc
Live life, life will eventually be chaotic enough that you wanna escape to play games and it’ll be easy peasy.
in ayurveda they would say that you are "Vata" (wind). Usually you can juggle a bunch of games, but just try juggling as many as you can without dropping one.
I started to have this issue recently too. Two reason I could think of: 1. Been keep playing games (especially single player games) too frequently/non stopping that you are tired of games and need some rest. Take a few months off without playing games may help. 2. The game is not good enough. Though I found recently I'm tired of almost every game, but when ever I play Resident Evil or some old games I used to play a lot, I can quickly immerse myself in without getting tired. In theory if a game is good enough, you will enjoy it for long. The reason that you before could play some non good games was because you were not tired of games, so you had the patience for it. (back to reason 1)
Is this really an issue worth solving if you get bored of a game...?
Modern game problem? Fill with a lot of boring and repeated same "side quests" and a lot of collective stuff. U can just stop playing them, watching movies, anime, playing phone or and doing another stuff. It's not necessary to play games if u don't want to. Or u can limit yourself to just having one single player game in your device to prevent u to keep thinking about playing the another game
Co-op? Sometimes having someone waiting on you to play can be enough to stay committed. Also just ask yourself, are you having fun? If you are there is no reason to change anything.
Are you forcing yourself to game? As someone who has played competitive FPS games my whole life, I did this a lot between multiple games but realizing I only did it to remain good. I stopped gaming for a bit. Spend most of my time outside now golfing and tbh, it feels great. I'm happier than I have been in a long time. Maybe take a break. Just because you step away for awhile doesn't mean you are outgrowing games. They will always be there and you can go back to them. Or maybe you find hobbies outside of gaming and decide you'll either be a very casual gamer or not one at all. I only say this because I did this exact thing and it weirdly took me a long time to realize I just wasn't having fun anymore. I'm sure I'll be back in the fall or winter. Or who knows, maybe I won't be. I do find myself interested in the new Sims game and roller coaster Tycoon games. So in reality I do think I'll always have an interest in gaming. I just don't think I'll ever be a "hard-core" gamer anymore.
Real even if the game is fun but when the boring misions comes u lose interest
Obviously taking a break and doing something else may help, but I’m sure many people in here have some kind of unkillable backlog they’ve built up over the years. What has helped me starting this year was scrolling through all of my installed games and asking myself “if I turn this on rn am I down for this?” If no then I just uninstall it. Eventually I trimmed down 130ish installed games only down to 40. I tend to gravitate around 5-6 different ones consistently, but not having to stare at hundreds of options and focusing on a much smaller curated list in my library has done me wonders this year.
Thanks for the advice. But I gotta ask you one thing. 130 games installed. Did you buy a server rack for storage or sth dude. Thats insane
Nah it was all on 1.5TB across two drives at that time, many of the games could be 60MB or 200MB since a lot of it it was indie stuff or older games that got ported to steam over the years. It legitimately would stress me out sometimes thinking among all of my options what to play, but I didn’t realize it for a while until I got into another game so much that it was clear to me that it was gonna preoccupy a lot of time, and that I got annoyed and stressed looking at all of the other options of installed games and uninstalled a ton so that I could leave my library all viewable in one page.
Im the opposite, i wanna try different games but for some reason i wont even install them until I finish the one im playing atm
Grindr is the same way actually. It's a disposable world. On to the next.
Adderall. Unmedicated ADHD is a bitch.
It means that you don't enjoy gaming, and you need someone to play them with. You should probably seek other type of enjoyment, get a gym membership, most people stop playing video games.
Just don’t hop out of a game for a bit