Probably, all gamers have had a moment in their lives when games no longer brought them as much pleasure as they used to, or not at all. When you buy games, but you don’t really want to run them, and they just sit on the shelves or in your steam library. Or when launching some online game has become a habit, and you launch the game over and over again every time, every night, without getting any pleasure from it, or even worse, getting a lot of negative emotions from it.
It turns out that this is a fairly common problem. There is even a term for it – video game impotence. To see for yourself, just search for a video on YouTube on this topic in English, for example. Needless to say, even I have experienced this in my life.
If you are experiencing this condition now, then this article is for you. In it, I have collected some tips that will help you understand this problem. The tips are based on my own experience and the experience of other people.
Try something new
Let’s start with the most commonplace, but also the most effective tip: try something new.
If you’ve been playing multiplayer online shooters or MOBA games all your life, try playing story-driven, single-player projects.
If you’ve always played a certain genre, like mostly template games from Sony (no offense to Sony fans) in an open world with bush climbing, try a new genre, no matter what it is, even if it’s a bus driver simulator or some kind of urban planning management simulator. You’ll be surprised how games you would never have even started before can be fun.
It often seems that the games that are coming out now are not as good as the ones you used to play. Then what’s the problem? Ask yourself the question: “What is stopping me from going and playing the games of my childhood right now?”. Most of the time, there will be no answer, so feel free to organize a retro gaming marathon for yourself, and it doesn’t matter how many new products you miss, because the main thing in games is to have fun.
If your finances allow you, try to change the way you play games. For example, if you’ve been playing on a PC all your life, then get yourself a console, even a last-gen console. Who knows, maybe the ability to sit back on the couch in front of the TV and fully immerse yourself in the game is exactly what you need. In my experience, it’s getting harder and harder for me to play on a PC because I have work, some projects, messengers, and many other distractions, but gaming on a console is a completely different matter.
Try indies
Our next point is partially derived from the first one. I’ve met people in my life who have been playing AAA games all their lives. You can understand them, because they play what they talk about and what they advertise. However, such people don’t even realize that there is a whole world of indie games next to them, which, by the way, has many more bold ideas and unique projects. Don’t get me wrong, there are many decent AAA games, but this has been a business for a long time, and in any business, profits are the first priority, so there is less and less room for creativity. Large companies have entire departments of analysts who filter ideas to appeal to as many players as possible, a kind of “average gamer,” so they make “average” games. Take a look at the major releases of recent years. Almost all of them have the same formula: an open world, a loot system, colored equipment and weapons, chests and outposts scattered around the map, and oh, and towers, how could I forget. Somewhere in the background, there is a story, and the entire map is littered with question marks where tons of mediocre, grindy quests await you. Because the bosses somewhere far away in the studios decided that this is a working formula, and the risks are minimal. And such games can be good, they often have cool graphics and a really amazing scale, but sooner or later you will get tired of them.
Create a challenge for yourself
For many players, it is the challenge that motivates them to complete games. If you have never tried a soul-like game, you should try at least one. It might be exactly what you are looking for. If you are already a longtime soul games lover, create a challenge for yourself. Try, for example, to complete the game in some unusual way, or install modifications to your favorite game.
Organize your gaming space
As I said earlier, concentration is very important when gaming. Nothing ruins the fun of the game like notifications that come in the messenger or phone calls. This is especially true for people who work from home. To prevent this, try to separate your work and play spaces. It is unlikely that you will be able to completely relax if you have just closed all your work programs and immediately start a game without getting up from your desk. In this case, a console can help, as we discussed earlier. If this is not possible, try playing on a gamepad.