Tired Gamers! Here’s How To Make Gaming Enjoyable Again

There have been many gaming subcultures that have popped up through celebrating a worldwide love of video games. Some might exclusively enjoy card games, some JRPG’s, some a particular gaming platform, while some might follow the rise and fall of esports champions religiously. You have those who adopt the PC RGB life, while others love anything Nintendo puts out. You have patient gamers who are happy to wait years before checking out the titles of today, or gamers who enjoy longform reading experiences such as those offered by visual novels. Of course, for the most part, people have one or more of these tastes, as it’s not always so clearly categorized.

However, one subculture remains difficult to put a finger on. We would call these ‘tired gamers.’ These are gamers who have somewhat fallen out of love when concerning their gaming hobby, for a plethora of reasons. We recommend trying gaming energy drinks as a good place to start to get your focus back! They may have gotten too addicted to achievement hunting and now feel burned out, or they may simply be tired of developers who seem to prioritize monetization methods above all.

However, with the following advice, you can restore your love of gaming again:

Take A Break!

It can seem blasphemous for many to take a break from gaming. You may have found many of your good friends through gaming, enjoy writing about games, or have a vested interest in developing your own. And yet, burnout can happen to anyone in any hobby or passion. Sometimes, taking a week or two break away from those titles can help you focus on your life, and come back to gaming with a refreshed mindset and attitude. 

Don’t worry, there’s no need to artificially cut yourself off from gaming or anything like that, of course. There’s no need to take extreme measures such as selling a console or PC, but if you feel that can give you some necessary breathing room, it’s important to consider that.  This might sound like strange advice for a passionate gaming blog to give you – but remember, gaming is only enjoyable when it helps your life, and doesn’t feel like a compulsion with its hold over you. Taking a break, even a little one, can be a great idea, and restore your energy for many more weeks. Remember, your health comes first. Now, onto the fun advice:

Set Up A Project With Friends

Gaming is very enjoyable with friends, and can make even mediocre games feel absolutely rewarding. After all, with people you like, anything can improve, even long hours driving on the highway. However, when it comes to gaming, not everyone has the same schedule nor the same inclination to play something together. In other words, it can be hard to rally the troops. While you might love playing Rainbow Six: Siege, others in your party might find it a touch overwhelming, or may even feel a little less inclined to learn all of the maps and tactics you may wish to call out.

However, some games can be suitable for everyone, do not require a particular community, and can bring people together. For example, using the best seeds for Minecraft and hosting them on a server can help all of your friends drop in and drop out when they might like to, build a community and village together, impress one another with creations and perhaps even stream the whole affair. When you set out on a project like this, more of your friends are likely to keep this up and continue their best efforts planning and managing this space. You would be astonished just how effective this can be.

Create Content!

Another point of contention for the tired gamer is thinking that they have no one to share their opinions with. It can be the easiest thing in the world to get into an argument on Reddit or another gaming forum, but at the same time, you may wish to express yourself. Luckily, creating content has never been easier. Sometimes, the key for being tired is not to further delve into lethargy, but to take decisive action towards a positive goal. Creating content can help you not only flex your creative muscle, but help you connect with others that think like you.

Here’s how you might do it. Using techniques such as Nvidia Shadowplay, you may set up a macro on your keyboard to save the last minute of footage played when something interesting happens, or to catch general game footage. Creating content then means downloading a recommended software package to help edit some footage together, purchasing a microphone to discuss your thoughts and read your pre-written script, learn a few trickeries of editing (although nothing too fancy), and hey presto, you have a video review. Here’s a great video by Mandalore Gaming discussing how he creates his game reviews.

Additionally, you may wish to start streaming. Through simple game capture using a program such as Streamlabs OBS, or SLOBS for short, you can hook up your audio and visual feed and stream directly to your logged-in Twitch channel. We would recommend disabling the viewer count to begin and simply playing the game you love and enjoy, only interacting with good people who might come into your chat. Before you know it, you may build a small community faster than you think.

Try New Genres Of Games

One of the largest predictors of ‘tired gamer syndrome’ is thinking of what genres you usually stay in, and how that might affect you. If you spend every waking hour investing your time into MOBAs, while they are textured and complex, it’s no surprise you are tired. If you are continually worrying about your Counter Strike rank, or have played nothing but The Sims in three years, it might be time to look for something new. There’s no reason to completely suspend the things you enjoy for good, of course, nor is there any reason to force yourself into something you don’t like. Remember, gaming should be fun!

However, why not try something that challenges you a little, or takes you out of your comfort zone? For example, if you usually love fast twitch-shooters, why not try a stealth game? Why not try a racing game such as Forza Horizon 4? Why not experience a longform campaign such as those in celebrated titles like God of War or Red Dead Redemption 2?

Gaming Isn’t Solely Sitting In Front Of A Screen

Gaming can often seem like an isolationist hobby, even if playing online with friends. Unless enjoying a LAN party or playing split screen (unfortunately more of a rare occurrence lately), there’s a sense of aloneness about it. This is why it can help coax those with social anxieties out of their shell a little bit.

However, it’s also important to note that you needn’t have a console or a PC to enjoy gaming. Why not sign up for a beginner D&D campaign at your local game store, or perhaps finally accept that pending invite your friend has sent you to join a game? Why not head to a board game event and play some of the latest and most wacky titles out there?

Sometimes returning to a more analog form of gaming can help refresh your mindset, and be a little more social with your game time. There’s no reason to skimp out on the nerdiness here. In fact, finding more people who think like you through activities such as this can help you have a really great time.

Listen To Podcasts & Read Commentary

By absorbing sites like ours, listening to gaming podcasts, reading reviews and interviews, and generally soaking in the gaming landscape, you will find yourself becoming more informed and personable than ever. This can sound like something of an easy solution, and that’s because it is. There’s no better way to bust out of gaming lethargy than to hear those whose opinion you trust get excited about the latest title.

Additionally, this could also bring you further context into your gaming hobbies. You would be surprised just how informed and excited you can feel about video games to this end. For example, Danny O Dwyer’s fantastic NoClip series is known for its careful journalistic integrity, the the ability to produce excellent documentaries that help highlight a developer’s goals and experience while designing the titles you love. Seeing the people behind the scenes and listening to some of the problems or triumphs they encountered can really help inform your excitement when it comes to playing titles that matter to you.

Start A Community!

With Discord server creation being free of charge, the ability to bring people together and having them discuss topics that you might love can not only help you connect more carefully with the social side of gaming, but can help you feel more attached to your friends. This can be a truly worthwhile process to enjoy, so do not be afraid to take that step out and see what you can build.

With this advice, you are certain to alleviate your tired gamer syndrome and instead focus on the hobby you love with the enthusiasm you used to have.

 

 

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