I seem to have a hard case of gaming fatigue.The last game I played all the way through is Max Payne 3. Every time a new game comes out I seem to get to the halfway point save then never play it again,not to mention the backlog of games I have on steam,origin and Gog.Last time it took a game like RDR to get me out of it. So has that ever happened to any of you guys?Also how did you get out of it?
Games to get out of a gaming rut.
- Thread starter Donzacuceron
- Start date
I've been lucky to not get in a rut yet, but it also helps that during College the amount of Gaming I did was minimal. There is a few games I go to which reminds me of how much I can love games, and they are also just games I love playing every once in a while. When I just want to relax and not have to concentrate on a new story or what to do next, I play Super Metroid, Paper Mario, both the first and Thousand Year Door, Persona 4, God Hand, and any of the 3D Zelda Games. I will get in the mood where I don't want to play games for a little bit, I just read, watch youtube videos, anime, anything to just take some time off of playing.
I seem to have been stuck in quite a rut for the last few years, unable to get out of it. I have an enormous backlog on steam, with games that I really want to play, and a whole lot of games that I have started, but don't feel like playing. I've been able to finish some games, thanks to holidays and such (one of the last games I finished was The Longest Journey, which I powered through last easter), but aside from that, my games are simply just there. In addition I have 3 Tales-games I want to play through, but I'm so bad and impatient with the one I'm currently playing that I have to set the difficulty to Easy to beat bosses. It's aggravating for me to be stuck on a boss, and I lose patience already after first death (that is, I get fucking mad and wonder why this game is impossible to play), and reduce difficulty to easy instead, just to get past. I've done it with so many bosses and am so far along in the game that I can't get myself to just stay on normal difficulty.
I seem to be stuck in a kind of loop, ignoring the games I have, and wanting new games instead.
I seem to be stuck in a kind of loop, ignoring the games I have, and wanting new games instead.
Gaming ruts seem to happen to many people who play a lot of video games, or hell. Even people who just watch/play a lot of something. We just seem to get bored. I'm in one right now as well. The only game that can seem to hold my attention is The Sims 3, which is about the most unstable game in existence. I get excited to play it, make my sim, make his house, play for about five minutes, then a crash. I lose all my progress and I just scream done and then watch inside gaming for about three hours.
The only suggestion I have is, take a break. Read, watch tv or a movie, spend your free time doing something that isn't playing video games. After a month or so, play some games for a few hours a week and see if your interest has returned.
The only suggestion I have is, take a break. Read, watch tv or a movie, spend your free time doing something that isn't playing video games. After a month or so, play some games for a few hours a week and see if your interest has returned.
Yeah been in a rut a few times the first time was around the C64 era but then later I got a SNES and that got me out next was playstation era and FFVII opened my eyes to games in a way no game since super mario bros had. PS2 era Prince of Persia and the sands of time got me out of one and now im stuck in one again just finished Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition and it was fun but hasnt really got me out of the rut I finished it more out of a feeling of oblegation I suppose. Apart from Persona 4 Ultimax which I am really hyped for there arent any other games coming out that elicit more than an yeah that could be fun reaction from me, ok bayonetta 2 and xenoblade Chronicles 2 I am also excited for actually. E3 literally had nothing new to get me excited this year but I expect something will come along.
Incidentally I was burnt out on Fighters for about 10 years but the break did me good same has happened with FPS around about Halo 2 came out but I am still fatigued on them atm so im gonna take another few years off from that genre.
Incidentally I was burnt out on Fighters for about 10 years but the break did me good same has happened with FPS around about Halo 2 came out but I am still fatigued on them atm so im gonna take another few years off from that genre.
I just went through a gaming rut just this last spring. The game that got me out of it was Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (which I heartily recommend). My suggestion is to go back through lists of some games over the last few years and playing something that you may have missed. Don't get a strictly new game, as you lose more money in case the game doesn't snap you out of your funk. Just push the boundaries on what you normally like and see if it sticks.
Yeah that happens, do the same hobby for too long and it will just get dull, humans sadly get far more excitement out of variety then quality so it's vital to mix things up... go do something else for a while, the more different from gaming the better.
Does it necessarily need to be long-form, for lack of a better term AAA games?
Any particular genre you've never touched?
Any particular genre you've never touched?
Saints Row 4 and South Park got me through a rut earlier this year. Now I'm back in one because of a stressful gaming tournament earlier this month. Nothing has worked to end this one, not even a several-day trip halfway across the country. 
That tournament burned me out something fierce.
That tournament burned me out something fierce.
I'm in this rut for a few months now. I have a lot of games lying around I would want to play in theory, newish titles and classics, but just can't get motivated to play these. If I try to play one it gets boring after a few minutes.
In times like these I want to start playing WoW again. It's just perfect for ruts. The game tells you what to do - kill these, fetch this, go in this dungeon - and you have no problems following these tasks despite of being weary. But it won't help you getting out of this rut, you'll just fall into it deeper.
In times like these I want to start playing WoW again. It's just perfect for ruts. The game tells you what to do - kill these, fetch this, go in this dungeon - and you have no problems following these tasks despite of being weary. But it won't help you getting out of this rut, you'll just fall into it deeper.
Hehe my solution wasn't playing games...
I got burnt out from all the gray/brown AAA chest high walls modern warfare bro-fests. Not much variety. Last full AAA game I played extensively was either Skyrim when it came out or Portal 2, can't remember. Haven't cared much for anything AAA since then. So I started trying indie games. For a while, they helped massively, games like Atom Zombie Smasher, Braid, etc. Too hard to find those worthwhile gems nowadays though. Then I started going back to n64 games again and playing through games like DK64, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, etc.
But you know what actually helped the most? I started making my own game! Why get bummed out the industry isn't making the kinds of games I want when I can make what I want myself?? So I've been working on it for two years now. I haven't gotten in much gaming time lately since then...buuuut that's not a bad thing because there hasn't been much that has caught my attention anyway and I'm having too much fun making my game.
So maybe try your hand at making a game?
I got burnt out from all the gray/brown AAA chest high walls modern warfare bro-fests. Not much variety. Last full AAA game I played extensively was either Skyrim when it came out or Portal 2, can't remember. Haven't cared much for anything AAA since then. So I started trying indie games. For a while, they helped massively, games like Atom Zombie Smasher, Braid, etc. Too hard to find those worthwhile gems nowadays though. Then I started going back to n64 games again and playing through games like DK64, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, Diddy Kong Racing, etc.
But you know what actually helped the most? I started making my own game! Why get bummed out the industry isn't making the kinds of games I want when I can make what I want myself?? So I've been working on it for two years now. I haven't gotten in much gaming time lately since then...buuuut that's not a bad thing because there hasn't been much that has caught my attention anyway and I'm having too much fun making my game.
So maybe try your hand at making a game?
No matter how bored or irritated I get with games in general, I always still find Telltale's latest offering entertaining and engaging.
Couldn't really recommend those to just anyone though. A lot of folks aren't really into the whole story-driven QTE-fest thing.
Couldn't really recommend those to just anyone though. A lot of folks aren't really into the whole story-driven QTE-fest thing.
It's funny, because I got up this morning with the thought of finishing all the games I've neglected.
I've been in a rut for a couple of years and I only definitely got out of it in spring of this year. In the past, Assassin's Creed games regularly got me out of it. This year it was Super Metroid. Well, I played it intensively for about two weeks, then stopped, because I got stuck. I eventually got back to it and finished it in a week.
Since then I've finished quite a couple more games, including Super Mario Bros., the first two Metal Gear Solid games, and Shovel Knight. Also, I came back to Walking Dead Season 2 just yesterday and finished Episode 2 in one sitting. So yeah.
I've been in a rut for a couple of years and I only definitely got out of it in spring of this year. In the past, Assassin's Creed games regularly got me out of it. This year it was Super Metroid. Well, I played it intensively for about two weeks, then stopped, because I got stuck. I eventually got back to it and finished it in a week.
Since then I've finished quite a couple more games, including Super Mario Bros., the first two Metal Gear Solid games, and Shovel Knight. Also, I came back to Walking Dead Season 2 just yesterday and finished Episode 2 in one sitting. So yeah.
I feel ya, been there a few times myself. Over the years I've found a few things that seems to work for me at least.
Games in the same genere tend to use the same systems and same setup, which leads to the feeling that once you've played one, you've played them all.
Take Final Fantasy, or any square game for that matter, or even things like pokemon, play enough of them and you just know there will be a potion in the first room.
Try to switch it up, play some FPS for a while or some RTS, or just a bunch of random puzzle indie games or something.
Last time I just dug up a bunch of old games I knew was good that I've never gotten around to play, like Fallout 1 and 2, which renewed my fondness for games where you shape the story with the choices you make.
Don't try to think about what games you might enjoy. Instead just pick something up you know nothing about and have at it with no expectations at all. I recently did that with Divinity: Original sin and it blew my mind how much I enjoyed discovering things on my own again.
If all else fails, just do something else for a while. Just stay away from games until you start to really miss it then start up again. Do what you can to resist playing anything, or prevent yourself from playing anything somehow for a while. It's funny how we don't appreciate things until we don't have them.
As to what to do if not playing games I can't really say, as I have no idea what kind of person you are.
Games in the same genere tend to use the same systems and same setup, which leads to the feeling that once you've played one, you've played them all.
Take Final Fantasy, or any square game for that matter, or even things like pokemon, play enough of them and you just know there will be a potion in the first room.
Try to switch it up, play some FPS for a while or some RTS, or just a bunch of random puzzle indie games or something.
Last time I just dug up a bunch of old games I knew was good that I've never gotten around to play, like Fallout 1 and 2, which renewed my fondness for games where you shape the story with the choices you make.
Don't try to think about what games you might enjoy. Instead just pick something up you know nothing about and have at it with no expectations at all. I recently did that with Divinity: Original sin and it blew my mind how much I enjoyed discovering things on my own again.
If all else fails, just do something else for a while. Just stay away from games until you start to really miss it then start up again. Do what you can to resist playing anything, or prevent yourself from playing anything somehow for a while. It's funny how we don't appreciate things until we don't have them.
As to what to do if not playing games I can't really say, as I have no idea what kind of person you are.
I can understand that. I game cyclically. Generally, spend a while gaming, do to much, get un-jazzed cause there isnt anything fun, then stop.
I've just ended a recent pause. Got back in thanks to "divinity: original sin". In the end, I dont think there is any simple way to end a rut, just try to use your time productively in the meantime.
I've just ended a recent pause. Got back in thanks to "divinity: original sin". In the end, I dont think there is any simple way to end a rut, just try to use your time productively in the meantime.
I suggest two ways you can go from here:
1. Take a break from games for a while and take on another hobby. If you're going through the motions and not enjoying games, then the purpose is defeated. I went for about a month and a half without touching a video game. Today I played Far Cry 3 a bit before work and it was great fun. Before then my relaxation time has been TV and comics. Some productive projects in free time are also worthwhile.
2. Rather than playing single player campaigns, maybe play something with no pressure for progression occasionally, perhaps an online game. Sometimes I can't be bothered with a good story so I'll play a bit of Counter Strike or Titanfall.
1. Take a break from games for a while and take on another hobby. If you're going through the motions and not enjoying games, then the purpose is defeated. I went for about a month and a half without touching a video game. Today I played Far Cry 3 a bit before work and it was great fun. Before then my relaxation time has been TV and comics. Some productive projects in free time are also worthwhile.
2. Rather than playing single player campaigns, maybe play something with no pressure for progression occasionally, perhaps an online game. Sometimes I can't be bothered with a good story so I'll play a bit of Counter Strike or Titanfall.
I've had that problem just a few days ago actually. Been playing through the games I bought on steam sale, and was now like "Ok...now what am I going to play? Should I replay them? Pick a different playstyle? Meh..."
So I installed Planetside 2 and have been having a blast basically playing Tribes 2 on a persistent game world. xD
The constant battle chaos and advancement stuff is very fun, and a nice break to my MMORPG and stealth game kick I've been on lately.
I suggest finding a game nothing like any of the other games you've been playing, and enjoy it for a bit for something new.
So I installed Planetside 2 and have been having a blast basically playing Tribes 2 on a persistent game world. xD
The constant battle chaos and advancement stuff is very fun, and a nice break to my MMORPG and stealth game kick I've been on lately.
I suggest finding a game nothing like any of the other games you've been playing, and enjoy it for a bit for something new.
My best rut solution is to do something that eventually makes you look forward to gaming. Work and social events do that for me. Games are a lot more satisfying when they're your escape from something else.