@thedj93: I find its good have a big break form gaming for like 3 - 4 days every now and again and when you come back to it exciting again.

@benspyda: no doubt.

on topic, i am in no way immune to the so-called gamer brain you speak of as I own plenty of games that i have no intention of completing; the sole difference being that I dont have the budget to frivolously buy every game that catches my eye. one thing i do to refocus my brain is to not play the object of my attention for a little while, play something mindless like forza or geometry wars for a while, and then when i get back to the original game i only play that one until im done with it.

it's a little weird and potentially wearisome but its a good way to get through games if you want to test your determination

@thedj93: Thanks for giving it a read.

sounds like a noble and worthy goal man. i could always stand to appreciate life and its spoils a little more

Let's face it, we all have things we dislike about ourselves, be it mind or body. I've recently decided to get into shape and eat better, no problem I can do that. But their is this other beast that I need to conquer, and this one doesn't make it easy at times. This little blog series is about conquering the gamer brain so that I and those who have similar.... issues, can enjoy gaming and life more!

Zeitgeist

Why do I come to this site? To find out about the latest games and laugh at Vinny's playful, sometimes racist, sense of humor. It's a lot of fun getting a new game day of release and discussing how great or shit it is with fellow duders on the forums here at Giant Bomb and finding out the teams personal views on the game I'm playing. But I feel like I am beginning to live and consume media like the Giant Bomb team, buying way more games than I have time to play.

There is a point in everyone's life where we start earning an income of our own and have free reign to purchase what we want. For me I just began to buy every game I had any interest in day one. Unfortunately this has led to a steam account full of 100s of unplayed games and a bunch of half played console games I need to get back to but can't because a new release is just around the corner. Perhaps this isn't a problem for everyone as they may have a more specific interest in certain games and are ready to play every new release they have interest in, but my love for games is so broad that mainly only sports games get a miss.

So what I am going to do is stop buying games until I've played everything single one in my steam and console collection No that's definitely not the solution, like I mentioned, it is a lot of fun being part of the Zeitgeist. The real solution is I'm just going to stop impulse purchases and only buy games I am really excited for. This way I can go back to games I missed and buy them at discount price later and still enjoy them. If a game is good, it doesn't matter when you play it, it will be good.

Frustration and Suffering

You're racing the AI across a long and winding road, avoiding countless challenges and obstacles along the way. You approach the finish line, your heart beats like a madman and you know you've got this 20min long sequence in the bag. BOOM!! you stub your toe, fall over and your competitor, Mr "stupid" AI whizzes past you and takes the victory and you have to start the whole goddamn mission again. How does that make you feel? It makes me want to rip out my own hair and shove it down the game designers throat (Well not really, I am not an aggressive personality type but I thought that may have more impact than an image of me weeping on the floor). Why? I hate repeating long sequences again in games and it is the main reason I don't play most games on hard. I prefer just to get through a game with a few challenges but ones I can manage without too much repetition of failed checkpoints. But this is a personal weakness of mine that I want to overcome because experiences like beating Dark Souls can be a nightmare at times, but can also be the most exhilarating experiences.

I fear failure, I know it. I have trouble trying things that I may fail at. But I want to shape a new mindset for myself. A line between living too safely and self defeating masochism. I need to be able to try something, fail at it and try again while maintaining a completely positive attitude. If I continue to fail I need to stop, because if its just not fun or working out then I shouldn't be doing it. Experiencing new things while trying to avoid pain and suffering is life, time to deal with it the right way.

Life tip

"Don't let artificial highs (Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Video Games) be your only way of maintaining happiness, as they will ultimately run you into the ground." - benspyda, you may have heard of him.

Anyway that's it from me and my insanity. The key to solving all lifes problems is by asking yourself why that problem exists in the first place (no matter how painful that answer may be). Live long and prosper \V/

PS

I have been a long time flash game developer (even professionally for the education department for 3 years) and have began making my first mobile game for IOS and Android, my new site is http://www.eyespyda.com/ if you'd like to check out my work. I have also been thinking of making a Giant Bomb flash game starring the giantbomb crew and would love any ideas.