I'm personally going through a very wierd stage in my life right now. Massive changes are happening, some good and some bad. Some changes I've brought about myself and others are way beyond my control giving me no choice but to deal with them, but regardless, everything that i once knew as being my life is being turned on its head. As my life changes and I'm forced to mature and grow into something more than I already am i order to survive, I actually worry if the things i loved so much this time last year might be slowly loosing their appeal to me as a result.
Basically, i feel that gaming might be starting to bore me....
and that fucking sucks.
Its such a wierd thing for me to say considering that i still get excited about new releases, i still browse gaming blogs every day looking for new information and I still go out and buy new games when i can afford them, but my the problem is the stack of games sitting next to my tv which I've barely even touched. Far Cry 2, GTA IV, Dead Space, Battlefield Bad Company, Burnout Paradise, Crackdown, Fallout 3. These are all games that i've played maybe 20mins of, and just haven't had the patience to go back to since. Fuck, I even force myself to sit down and try playing more Fallout 3 whenever i read about how awesome it is, but I get bored before the menu's even finished loading!
I've thought about it and there could be a reason why this is happening.
Time. As everything in my life changes, I just seem to be getting more and more busy. Its a good thing because i'm doing more of the things that I love and i feel like I'm getting more out of everyday than i ever have before.... but now when i sit down to collect some agility orbs in Crackdown, that little voice in the back of my head keeps quietly reminding me of all the other things that i could possibly be doing with this time, stopping me from relaxing and just enjoying the game. This means that when i rate everything that i could do with my day in order of priority, gaming seems to be slipping lower and lower down the list.
I don't know, maybe its time, or maybe its just a guilt thats been programmed into me since school. All those hours playing games with the niggling guilt reminding me of the assignments that i should be getting done right now instead of playing, but back then i was care-free enough to choose fun over being productive.
Despite what i've just been talking about, I haven't stopped gaming completely. There are still a few titles that will probably hold my attention indefinitely. Rock Band still rules my world whenever i've got my drink on, i'll always make time for Street Fighter IV (or any fighting game for that matter), and Left 4 Dead is holding my attention pretty well to. One thing in common with these titles though, is that i only really enjoy them when I'm playing them with other people. Its like my perspective on gaming changes when there are other people in the room, as all of a sudden it becomes a social event rather than just playing a game.... maybe I enjoy it more because it doesn't feel like a "waste of time" anymore once I'm sharing the experience.... then again, I never did feel as guilty doing something wrong if other people were there doing it with me.
And thats where I'm at right now. A social gamer who still loves everything about gaming yet doesn't know what to do with the practically new of Far Cry 2 sitting next to his 360 :/
NOTE: Not to negate my whole point, but there is still one game I can gladly play on my own for hours time and time again, Ninja Gaiden 2, but thats probably just because I'm a fucked up sadistic prick who love the power trip that game gives me every time
By the way, i'm still new here, so if you give a shit about what i write at all let me know. thanks! 
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I used to thought I was growing tired of gaming. Turns out that I was just playing really shitty games. But hey, at least you're still gaming despite being busy and all that jazz.
Hell, I remember all the marathon sessions I had back in the day. Just because I don't play that many games anymore, or don't dedicate that much time playing games doesn't mean I'm (or you for that matter) are growing tired of gaming.
Awwwwwwwww, you're going through puberty. :)
bonarz
puberty? doesn that mean i can start shaving my balls now?
WE GIVE A SHIT! Don't think otherwise, as long as you aren't a troll, stick around :)
WE GIVE A SHIT! Don't think otherwise, as long as you aren't a troll, stick around :)
Usually when I start getting bored of video games is when I'm playing too much. Going for runs and long bike rides helps cure this because it helps clear your mind, gets your blood flowing and makes you feel good. Plus, there's not much else you can do when you're sore all over :D
And regardless of what the mass media likes to think sometimes, we gamers are social people and can't be playing single player games all the time. I mean, the main reason why I don't play with my Wii often is because I feel so lonely without my Friends List!! It is definitely more fun playing games with others, especially when they're in the same room. I know I'll go through periods were I just can't mentally get into a single-player game because I rather be at least gaming with other people.
Anyways, just relax and take a break if you need to. Your games will be there when you're ready.
All the games that you mentioned that are sitting by your TV, I reccomend just forgetting them for a while, and going and getting a couple simple games like rhythm games, or LocoRoco. And don't try to play 6 different open ended games at once, stick with one, and put the rest on your shelf until your done. That's my strategy.
We all go through this period where we don't really care for a lot of games. Give it time, it'll pass.
I understand where you're coming from, I was getting a tad bored of my games until I threw myself completely into SFIV. Games like that are great because a new and interesting opponent is always around the corner to test you, and you never stop learning with those games.
If you're worried about 'wasting time' on a game think about this; how much time do you think non gaming people waste watching TV? About the same as games I'd say, in some cases more, and at least we're interacting with our pastime.
If it helps you relax and unwind for a while then your time is defnitely not wasted.
Well, thats my opinion anyways :P
I found I didn't play much of anything before Killzone 2 came out.
Mostly because I never played on Monday through Thursday. FNF Man. Changes People.
This is exactly what I said in my intro post some months back.
Woah, that's so weird! I just finished a Cblog about feeling too old for Killzone 2.
It's like we're twins!
I used to be in a really bad slump after my World of Warcraft addiction. To the point where, like you, I would toss in a game, play for 20 minutes and then quit and do nothing for the rest of the day. What I did to get out of it was I happened to be in EB Games and I spotted a Sly Cooper game on for cheap so I bought it and got really into it. Playing something really basic helped to spring board me back into other titles, but I have to say that you should stick to one title at a time. Sit down with one game and completely ignore the others until you're done with that to the others. Even if you're only playing a hour or less each day you might find yourself getting back into it.
I wouldn't worry too much, but I understand where you're coming from.
I've gone through phases over the years of feeling like my games were a waste of time, or for some other reason I just wouldn't turn on my console of choice for a month or so.
I've read plenty of things that say stress or depression can make you not find joy in things you normally like. It's normal, and it should pass.
Celicacrazed is right. I sometimes get this feeling when I'm playing too much, or I feel like I read too much about games. There's nothing wrong with taking a break.
As my mother says, everything in moderation.
@ Garison:
Yeah good point, maybe i just need a different kind of game for a change. but OMFG I LOVE LOCO ROCO!!!
@ Puppy Fart:
Yeah agreed on SFIV, that's my medicine right now... speaking of medicing, King of Fighters and Blaze Blue due in June!!!!!
@ Jonathan: Yes it's true, I admit it. I'm your long lost, younger, better looking twin......
I get this way alllll the time. Its usually because I've been playing too much.
It seems as though I have surges of weeks to months where I'll play absolutely nothing (usually summer), but during I'll get the itch eventually. Its normal dude, no worries.
I lost a great deal of interest but I played some older games and reconnected again with my love for gaming, that and I'm just not liking most of the modern stuff, I purchased Star Ocean The Last Hope and its fucking awful, especially when I'm playing so much better RPG's along with it.
Yeah, dude. I used to have the exact same problem. I don't think it's you getting bored of video games, or growing out of it, but more of you just trying to enjoy too many games at once, and ending up not being able to play any of them. Either that, or you're just getting bored of those specific games.
I, myself, haven't been able to sit down and play an RPG in a while, even though I used to obsess over them when I was younger. I've learned to accept that, and have moved on to other things (Like online gaming, which I've been having fun with).
Since you didn't post an age, I'm assuming you fall into one of the following buckets:
- Just graduating college
- Bought a house
- Got a crap job with crap hours
- Got a girl knocked up and she just had your baby
Any person "with responsibilities" will tell you that you have to want to make time for your hobby, whatever it may be. Move your schedule around. Train yourself to require less sleep. Bring a DS/PSP to work to get a quick fix.
Just remember dude, life gets in the way of everything. You have to make the conscious decision to *want* to game.
Fuck yeah, Ninja Gaiden 2! Just for that last note I think you'll be straight.
This has happened to me before. It lasted for years at one time -- I just couldn't get into any game I played. I honestly was scared because I thought I was losing my love for games and they had been such a big deal to me that I kind of associated them as a part of my identity. However, it eventually passed -- but it took a long time.
Maybe you are taking on too many game at a time, as some other commenters suggested. When I felt the same way about games, I just kind of stepped away from them for a while instead something came out that I was got so excited for I couldn't ignore it. Don't be so hard on yourself -- sounds like a phase to me!
I've gone through phases like that as well, where I just can't get excited about any game or play anything for a significant amount of time. I find that taking a break, maybe working on some project, can help, as you won't be oversaturating your life with games.
After a while, that sense of excitement and fascination will probably return, as gaming-related things will seem new and fresh after being away. It may take as long as a year like Colette says, or you may regain interest in a few days. Worst case senario: you forget about games and get on with your life.
you'll grow out of growing out of gaming. don't worry. we all come crawling back at some point.