How do/did you get over gaming burnout?

[BinBinricecake]

As the title suggests, how? 

 

For me, things felt gloomy and I just began to play less. Sometimes I'd force myself to play to take my mind off things then 10-15 minutes later either switch the game a couple more times or turn off the system all together. I'd find myself watching more videos or idling away on phone games way longer then I'd like to admit.Sometimes I'd sit inside a shop and watch cars go by for an hour or two then go home. But one day, I guess something struck a chord inside of me and I went hard that week getting back in reliving the sleepless nights of playing a game I got super invested in. Ramped up in trying to get better at fighting games again. I forgot what gave me the motivation to do that one day but I felt....back. Maybe I needed a break but I know that my love for the medium will never die out.

 

Did you too need a break and a change of scenery for a while too? How long did it take you to get over it? It is burnout or just a matter of taking a break ever once in a while?

[FawltyPowers]

Do you work or study? I'm not sure why if you're not playing games you're sitting in shops for hours watching cars.

 

For me, I don't get burned out, I don't get enough time for that to happen, sometimes I have a later night than normal and I get annoyed at myself because it can impact on my work.

Edited November 27, 2019 by FawltyPowers

[Copanele]

Copy/paste from what @FawltyPowers said. Barely have time to get burned out from videogames, sometimes I too spend extra time at night for "one more level " then try my best to understand what the heck the boss wants from me the next time due to being tired.

ANYWAY! Here's why I never have to deal with burnouts:

 

- a school -> university -> JOB (nasty place but it pays well)

- gym until I can't feel my body

- spending time with girlfriend/bfriends/acquintances/my family/myself(no funny thoughts please)

- reading

- dreaming of getting a pet one day even though my house is a mess and I can't even take care of a sewer rat properly without itself exploding.

- rearranging my stuff endlessly

- collecting various things of interest(I am stuck at completing my Level gaming magazines)

- going for a run (enters under the gym topic)

- going for long walks in the park and admire the nature without the technology buzzing around me

- learning new stuff to cook because you can't leave with french fries all your life 

- searching for vacations to go in the nearest future (Greece in February so far)

 

No honestly, there's so much stuff to do, maybe I do get gaming burnout but I am too busy usually to notice  But in general, if you have enough stuff to do, you don't even have time to think about gaming burnout in the first place 

 

[Folkenio]

Both @FawltyPowers and @Copanele make good points. Give some evaluation to those first.

 

Personally speaking, I think it depends on what stage of your life you are. Gaming should be a hobby and not a chore. If you find yourself pushing to play, even when you don't feel like it, it seems there's a bigger issue you may not be considering (at least that's what I interpret). There's a lot of stuff to do beyond gaming (it may sound ridiculous, this being a site dedicated to GAMING), so try to find something that resonates with you. As an example, I started collecting ad playing videogame related board games. I currently have the Uncharted and Fallout ones, and, although I haven't played them a lot, the few sessions with my group of friends have been a blast.

 

Point is, don't pressure yourself to enjoy something. Fun times are a choice, not a 9-to-5 24/7 job. If you're not interested in playing, go do something else. Spice it up a little, give it some time and space. Then go back to play something WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT.

[Guest]

I don't get over gaming burnout when I have it. I give into it. Gaming isn't a life essential. 

[Mikku_teh_Perfid]

Well, when i felt the burnout, I just gave up gaming for some time. Found another hobby, reading comic books. That took about six months, and my love for gaming came back, and i still love my comics

[mecharobot]

Just keep realistic about it. If you don't want to play something, then there's no need to play it, no harm done. Avoid splurging out of desperation, since sales are by design a psychological trap especially in the holiday season. I might get some clues when I take a few steps back and make an honest evaluation about what I actually wanted to play or what I really liked the most playing in the past, but there's no guaranteed method. Also one option that not many trophy hunters do, is play a game you already beat. That's low accessibility and low stress.

 

End of the year tends to cause burnouts, even for something like gaming, which can take a lot of focus even if it is just entertainment. There's the holiday stress, loss of daylight and feeling like I already played so many games for one year already. For some it's the peak season for gaming, but for me I mostly "game surf" and haven't had a "holiday game" since childhood. And that's fine, I'll play when and if I feel like it. For this one thing, you can make and break the rules if needed.

[VigilantCrow]

3 hours ago, BinBinricecake said:

As the title suggests, how? 

 

For me, things felt gloomy and I just began to play less. Sometimes I'd force myself to play to take my mind off things then 10-15 minutes later either switch the game a couple more times or turn off the system all together. I'd find myself watching more videos or idling away on phone games way longer then I'd like to admit.Sometimes I'd sit inside a shop and watch cars go by for an hour or two then go home. But one day, I guess something struck a chord inside of me and I went hard that week getting back in reliving the sleepless nights of playing a game I got super invested in. Ramped up in trying to get better at fighting games again. I forgot what gave me the motivation to do that one day but I felt....back. Maybe I needed a break but I know that my love for the medium will never die out.

 

Did you too need a break and a change of scenery for a while too? How long did it take you to get over it? It is burnout or just a matter of taking a break ever once in a while?

When I was young, I used to be obsessive with games and would burn out.

 

Nowadays I try to juggle different hobbies. If I get tired of gaming, I'll be able to switch to something fresh for a few days/weeks (in my case, baking, fishing, hiking and coding).

As for the sleepless nights, try swimming or another form of body workout. You'll feel a lot better after a couple of weeks.

 

 

[BinBinricecake]

22 hours ago, FawltyPowers said:

Do you work or study? I'm not sure why if you're not playing games you're sitting in shops for hours watching cars.

 

For me, I don't get burned out, I don't get enough time for that to happen, sometimes I have a later night than normal and I get annoyed at myself because it can impact on my work.

I worked and attended school. Just on days off, I didn't have much on my mind once all work was said and done until the next week.

Oh and I already got over it long ago. This was just in the past. But from what people posted, seemed like the general consensus was to do different things. Which I guess is the answer to any burnout really.

Edited November 28, 2019 by BinBinricecake

[exsentry]

22 hours ago, BinBinricecake said:

Sometimes I'd force myself to play to take my mind off things then 10-15 minutes later either switch the game a couple more times or turn off the system all together. I'd find myself watching more videos or idling away on phone games way longer then I'd like to admit.

 

I don't think there's a true remedy for burnout, as everyone probably gets some form of burnout. However, I do think that you shouldn't fight it. In other words, don't play something if you're not in the mood for that type of game or game in general.

 

When I get burnt out, I just try to take advantage of it and watch movies, documentaries and read books.

[Lava_Yuki]

I don't play enough to get burned out, as due to work and other commitments I only play an hour a day and some days I don't get a chance to play at all compared to when I was in uni and played every day. 

 

Is it perhaps the type of game you are playing? I find always playing the usual long RPGs I play all the time to be tiring so I take breaks with easier games in between, mostly otome games as to not get bored. 

[BinBinricecake]

13 hours ago, Lava_Yuki said:

I don't play enough to get burned out, as due to work and other commitments I only play an hour a day and some days I don't get a chance to play at all compared to when I was in uni and played every day. 

 

Is it perhaps the type of game you are playing? I find always playing the usual long RPGs I play all the time to be tiring so I take breaks with easier games in between, mostly otome games as to not get bored. 

That probably could be it. At the time, I just finished persona 5.

[Hoshi]

I get burned out only when I play too much of a single game or genre. Don't force yourself to do something you aren't up to doing or you'll just make yourself more sick of it. When I feel it coming on, I turn to another game that's different. Or I do something else. Variety is good.