Am I bored with Video games?

Hello bombers,

This is something that has been on my mind for quite some time, I figured I'd see what others think and maybe if my problem is more common than I believe.

A little background on myself I suppose, I'm a young lad of the age of 20. I work 52 hours a week, and am in a serious relationship. I have been a true gamer for most of my life, own (almost) all consoles. A fan of the new and old, popular to obscure. Fan of long, sleepless, nerve racking gaming sessions to the short but sweet.

Which leads me to my "problem?" , lately I feel I haven't got any enjoyment out of actually playing games..the past 6 months it's almost like gaming has been more of a chore for me and it's almost like I buy games now just to buy them. My time dwindles, but even when I do find the time for some good gaming sessions I find myself at a loss. To be honest it really makes me sad I feel like I'm losing touch with what gaming really use to be for me. I hope I'm not the only one who has experienced this.

Am I bored of video games? Or is there just nothing that's really getting my flame going right now?

Party's over. Turn in your hardcore gamer's badge. Just kidding. People change as do hobbies. Just go with what you like.

Give it time. Give yourself time, and try other things that interest you. Eventually, if you really continue to like gaming, you'll come back to it.

I've been bored of video games several times and it just happens. This year especially has been slow with releases and if there was a time to be bored with video games it's now.

Also it's a hobby. You don't have to keep up with the times to enjoy video games and you can always come back.

You're life has changed. I went through the same. I often go months at a time without playing (though still buying) games. But every blue moon I get that itch and games are there for me.

I feel like this from time to time. I won't feel engaged with any games I play and get bored real easy, and get frustrated that nothing is holding my interest. Maybe you feel like you're spread a little too thin between the hours you work and and making time for your relationship. Both of which, are understandably very important so it makes sense that games would be the first thing that "suffers".

Keep your head up duder, this kind of stuff can happen and you're still real young. I've got 10 years on you and I'm yet to strike a balance with everything. Take time and enjoy the summer, video games will always be there when you want to give them a go.

It sucks, really does. I miss the days when a game would just reel me in so good that time just flies by, one of those games where you're thinking about it when you goto bed and all day at work waiting to come home and play some more.

Maybe i'm trying to hard to find this, yet I have this weird craving for it and I don't want to stop looking for something to satisfy that.

I found the source of your problem. Seriously though, the older you get the less time you have and frankly the less energy you have for gaming.

Big monster games just are hard to keep up with when you have all that goin on. Especially if you've got things till in the back of your mind when you get home from work. I'd say don't force and play or don't play if you feel like it.

I've taken several breaks from gaming, only to come back when I feel the mojo.

You should however stop buying games though if you aren't playing them. Those games will still be available when/if you are ready to game again and they will be cheaper in the future.

You're becoming an adult. Now that you have more responsibilities (job, health, significant other, etc) you have less time for the video games. I guess my only advice would be to not fear this change, but try and find games that don't require a ton of time commitment, or find ways to work them into your social meetups.

All hobbies are cyclical. Anything that doesn't demand your time can be set aside. In the MMO world we always say "RL first", it's only a game and in a good community you are not punished for taking a break from your guild/group. You can treat games in general the same way. Try board games for a while. See if your partner likes card RPG games. Try learning cribbage. "Yo man, you play crib?" Divest your interest and your appetite will evolve and cycle back.

For myself, I still have a shitload of PS3/360/Wii games I want to complete and revisit. It's a goddamn tragedy that I can't finish GFWL achievements on Dark Void and Dark Souls. :) I really don't intend to move forward quickly into the new gen, because who knows how long my past consoles will last for all the hours I have yet to sink into them. I actually might buy spares when they are cheap enough, but eventually I'll be hosed for patches or DLC availability. I'm mid-thirties BTW, more money than time, etc.

Yo, but have you played Over the Reich yet?

I took an almost two year hiatus from most video games and got really into tabletop gaming. Came back really enjoying a wider variety of gaming than I ever had before. It happens, and it's probably good to switch things up. Consider it an opportunity to explore new things :-)

It comes up from time to time. I won't seriously play any games for a month, then beat Bloodborne in a week. I haven't played anything in over a week, but did the first half of Symphony of the Night in one sitting tonight. I don't really force myself to play, but when I gravitate back to it I have a good time.

I figured in college, I was ready to move on due to lack of time. But I found time, and looking back to all the amazing stuff I've played since 2004, I doubt I'll ever completely stop. I would've skipped Mass Effect, the new Tomb Raider, Bioshock: Infinite, basically the whole indie revolution... just absolutely incredible stuff.

Same thing with guitar, I don't have the pull (or time) to play 2 or 3 hours a day anymore. But when I come back to it, it's because I'm feeling it. Makes my hobbies more enjoyable when I naturally come back to them.

Have you tried wrestling?

@claude: Whoa man. It's been a while since I've seen you here.

to the OP's point: I get bored with gaming all the time. You'll get bored with anything if you do it too much. Get out, do other things and if gaming still interests you at the end then come back.

Everyone does this eventually. And it sounds like you have a super busy life so it is totally understandable. And the nice thing is, video games will always be there. Except PT

Good for you. Take a break and come back later and go, wow I love games.

Video games aren't as good now. You are the same.

You shouldn't force yourself to stop playing video games. In the same way, you shouldn't force yourself to start them when you don't want to either. If it's feeling like a chore, put it down for a week and do something else.

So weeks I play a couple of hours here and there others I invest more than I should. It comes and it goes like any hobby or interest case point last night I watched the second Matrix film rather than play a game because that's what I felt like doing.

Wow, you must really hate videogames if you'd rather watch the second Matrix film! ;P

It's happened to me from time to time. I'll go through months (sometimes closer to a year or longer) where I'm just tired of games...or any of my hobbies really. I try not to focus on it to much and allow myself to just live my life. Eventually I'll hear about a game that looks right up my alley and I'll end up getting it and bam right back into games again. So I wouldn't stress on it to much. I will say however do NOT go about selling your stuff even if you decide your done just for that reason alone. As some games go up in value later on, and you might just one day have the urge to play them again...its a bad idea. When I was in my early 20's I did that mess from time to time...and years later now I regret it. Re buying old consoles and games is a PAIN.

When video games are boring, as with all things in life, you will become bored. There are plenty of factors that may or may not determine your level of boredom with video games. If you've been a passionate fan of video games for awhile, right now is a really boring time for big AAA games. As a certified doctor in this field, my recommendation is to start checking out really weird games, or games in genres you are unfamiliar with.

I think the issue, for a lot of people, is that they stick to certain genres of games for so long that it becomes boring. Open up your horizons and play things you might otherwise not have in the past. And know that you are not beholden to video games. Do what feels right for you

@meatball: That made me laugh.

It was on TV and I remember not hating it but then again I was probably about 10 years old and attempted to watch it at my very religious grandmothers house on evening I was sleeping over and fast forwarded through the sex scene when she went out of the room to make a cup of tea.

I also played way too much of The Matrix: Path of Neo after school at her house on the OG Xbox.

Its all good though as I've decided to embark on a gaming afternoon today. Diet Pepsi and all!

It's hard to play games when you don't have the time and more important things to do in life. Add to that the fact the games have been.... not so hot the last 2 years or so...... Yeah, I get it. Take some time off, wait until something comes along that really gets you excited and into games again and go from there. The games will always be there, duder!

Go outside.

@hypnotoadbrwowrowrow: Ah yes outside, i've been there once or twice. Is that where the lizards live?

@flux: I have similar obligations and can tell you that it's pretty normal to feel the way you're feeling. It's certainly not a situation conducive to being able to play games. I have a ton of other hobbies, though, and what I've learned is that everything comes in waves. I'll go months without picking up my guitar outside of teaching lessons, but spend every moment I can in a game, and other times it'll be the exact opposite. Then sometimes I won't want to be inside the house at all and will constantly be out with my significant other. It's best to take it in stride and accept it!

Right now your stuck in what I call a gaming rut. Do what the rest of us do when that happens. Take a break. Go focus your hobby time on something else. After a while you'll be able to come back with a fresh mind.

@flux: try the Souls series and focus on old games (or indies with the same gameplay feel) since the majority of AAA releases nowadays has some annoying iterative design which does not require you to do much, and by that point you are better off watching tv or a movie

Same bro, when I graduated college and got a real job, my time is too consumed with real life to be concerned with playing a lot of games. No big deal.

Yeah you're just growing up. You work a lot of hours (52 hours is nuts, what do you do?) and you have other commitments with your partner.

When you're not doing either of those things, you're probably tired out. Games can seem like a daunting task. You get home from an 8 hour shift, you spend two hours with your partner and now there's only 3 hours until you have to go to bed before you do it again and oh god do I really even have time for this game?

You'll learn to adjust. You just have to find the games that work for you now or if a game requires long play times (open world ones) you'll get used to playing them over longer time frames. So instead of binging Skyrim for 10 hours on a Saturday, maybe you play it two hours a night ever other night.

You're not loosing your lust for games though, you're just busy as shit. Every so often though you will get one of those games that still just sucks you in and suddenly it's 4am.

Seriously though, 52 hours?

I have been going through a very similar thing for a while now. I haven't had the time nor the unyielding desire to play video games like I used to. I remember these incredibly long sessions, either alone or with friends. But now, it's like I just don't find myself using my free time the same way. I also don't have as much free time with my full-time job and juggling other life responsibilities. That being said, this weekend I have Friday and Saturday off, so I'm going to use that time to play some games and relax. Finally. Should be fun.

However, I'm sure it's just a phase we all find ourselves in from time to time. Sooner or later, there will be some more stability in my life and I think that's when I'll be able to finally come back and attack my enormous backlog. For now, casual sessions are fine with me.

You're fine, you just have different priorities and video games can be set on the side. I go through a dry spell for a few months every year with video games and not because I get bored, but because I can't find myself patient enough to sit down and enjoy a game because I know I have such little time.

I'm bored of the homogeneity of games. I'm bored of every game having all these RPG elements, menus, cutscenes, separately loaded missions and safe gameplay. I'm bored of games in every genre I care about being designed around the extremely limited layout of a controller. That's not gonna change. I just live with it.