I feel like games in general are getting kind of sad for me

[u/personmansir69]

i feel like theres nothing to play for me. I have a rather humble steam library of around 60 games and i recently i had an argument with one of my only friends who play with me. My other friend actually has a life and rarely hops on and he barely shares any games with me. I used to love playing roblox (im a kid, duh) but ever since the billions of controversies i not only feel guilty about playing it, but theres nothing fun. I feel like i dont have the "i cant wait to come home and play" mindset anymore since recently, i play games that i like however i feel like my fun is very short lived, i hop on a game, maybe get like 3 minutes of dopamine and then it feels pointless and i leave. I still spend hours on the computer but after ending the session i just feel empty, i feel like i just wasted my time instead of having fun and i dont feel any fulfiment from it, i sometimes just willingly get up from my computer and just listen to something in headphones and do some mischelaneous task because i feel more productive and interested in that atm. (please do not be mean or say that i just have the wrong mindset, this is just a question i wanted to ask so please dont get offended)

[u/Kasta4]

Might be time to try a different hobby for a bit.

[u/ineededanaltforporn → u/Kasta4]

Funny how gaming starts feeling like a chore sometimes

[u/SpringSalt9288]

Growing up is like this, disconnecting with people happens, as does lower interests in your hobbies. I suggest getting into a serious one player game and also finding other hobbies outside of gaming that you can do for yourself.

Just remember man, life is full of hills and valleys, good times and bad. Try to not let either time get to you too much.

[u/FellcallerOmega]

You may have grown apart from video games. Ultimately games are for fun, if you don't have fun with them but have fun for other things do that instead. You don't owe "games" anything. I usually have phases where I play a lot but then get more enjoyment out of reading, or watching TV so my gaming, reading, and tv watching time ebbs and flows depending on what I'm enjoying.

It's ok, you can let things go and then if the you start getting an itch again try it but you don't owe any recreational activity the time of day just because you used to.

[u/CucumberSandwic]

Try different hobby or try different games.
You sound like a kid.
Go try a sport, try learning a different language, try learning how to bake, heck do anything else.

[u/MagicCancel]

So, in the spirit of being kind, lemme ask you:

What was it about Roblox that you found so fun? I have never touched roblox, I have the vaguest idea of what goes on there, so just level with me. What made you happy about it?

What games are you trying to play now that are failing to hold your attention?

Do you have an idea of what you want from a game? You say you're a kid (questioning if you're old enough to be on reddit, but I'll ignore that for now). It makes me wonder just how many games you have played. As I understand it, kids these days generally gravitate to just a few 'mega games' that also tend to offer social interaction of some kind. Back in my day, we had libraries of different kinds of games with lots of variety. But I don't know you at the end of the day.

[u/personmansir69 → u/MagicCancel]

"questioning if you're old enough to be on reddit, but I'll ignore that for now" First of all, i am, but fair enough i shouldnt have used the word kid. but the reason i liked roblox was partially the social interaction aspect(?) i used to play and talk to random people but now i mainly play with people who i know irl or atleast well so that i can communicate off platform and have some fun that way, i also like terraria for example, used to play it to hell and eventually decided to move on to mods. I loved playing calamity (which is like the best thing available in terms of terraria modding) but it had a lot of controversy and it wont be getting updates, content and most people along with me abandoned it. I also enjoy somewhat hardcore looter shooters like the stalker series, my older brother was also a big fan and i really enjoyed the franchise. I now did a bit of thinking and realized its probably because i havent been getting anything new. Like, i haven't gotten the promised pc upgrade from half a year ago (which i dont mind really but it would still be neat) and i havent gotten any new games in a looong while. I now think its not some sad matter of me getting older and getting tired of gaming but rather just boredom because ive played thru basically everything in my library. (excuse my bad grammar, i dont put much effort into it unless its something formal lol)

[u/National-Garbage505 → u/personmansir69]

Yeah maybe just check what's on sale in a different genre than you are used to and give it a go! Or try a different hobby. But there are plenty of great cheap games on steam that don't have high system requirements that you could try out. Maybe try something with more of a story, it sounds like you have mostly played more sandbox-y type games.

[u/Old-Chemical1062]

Golden era comes and goes. I remember back when my group would hop on overwatch and GTA online almost everyday and I would savor it. Life comes in and it’s fine to let it go sometime then at some point you’ll find the balance. Never pain yourself with something you no longer enjoy, maybe hop off Reddit and see what your friends are doing.

[u/Malaclypse050]

They stopped making video games that I enjoy long ago. I have a couple hands full of games that I still enjoy playing, but they were all released 20 to 35 years ago. From what I keep hearing, they have evolved to creating them with features that are unnecessary and/or detract from my enjoyment and drive up the cost of a given video game. The trend looks as though it threatens the sustainability of the industry and it may crumble.

[u/Rasann]

If you want to stay playing video games, then there are many options to delve into.

You can go retro and emulation, check out the fast growing indie scene, get away from Roblox and other popular crap. That alone would bring so many games you never knew existed.

But if you’re feeling done with them for now, then you can do reading, writing, drawing, painting, woodworking (you can do whittling with I think any knife). My wife just got back into painting and learning to do other methods of painting and her results are amazing

If you have access to some amount of money, 3D printing (Resin, FDM, UV, etc) CNC, Laser Engraving, and other cool and advanced methods of making things - like cricut and their catalog of machines, including sublimation.

Also, don’t forget about cool things like electroplating and thermo/vacuum forming.

If you wanna go ancient, you can look into blacksmithing, or the more antiquated ways of making things.

You can delve into music, I had fell into a rabbit hole regarding vessel flutes and the sheer variety of those alone.

Also, if you have some money, you could do photography and get outside and take some absolutely gorgeous photos the world and anything and everything within it. Astrophotography is another thing that can be done.

In this day and age, you can find anything and learn how to do it.

Sometimes we need to expand in our knowledge and skills in other areas, and you might reclaim some of the joy you had before.

For myself, I haven’t stopped gaining, but I also do 3D printing and learning how to sand, prime and prep prints to paint, and eventually electroplating them.

Also thinking of looking into using Resin/UV resin to make them smooth. I was last night learning how to make them look smooth/shiny/mirror finish, and what to use to make them look metallic/chrome.

If you’re willing to learn, fail, and learn from failure, the world is literally your oyster.

[u/Regular_Use1868]

Time to learn a hard lesson. Keep in mind this was done to you, you didn't pick it.

Your attention span is probably crippling you. You shouldn't need dopamine handed to you. You're supposed to earn it.  You know when someone says they have pride in a job well done? That applies to everything.

So would you say your time in Roblox was engaging or was it distracting? Did you have to make yourself learn to try to accomplish anything or was showing up enough? 

From your description it seems like you might need to learn to appreciate more difficult entertainment. This could be sad movies, complex books or just video games that you don't find instantly distracting. Like maybe you gotta learn a new genre or bang your head against one you currently think you don't like.

Nobody knew they were gonna like sushi until they tried it.

[u/personmansir69 → u/Regular_Use1868]

i didnt play the type of stuff youd see on roblox, not "+9999 keyboard escape" or whatever, i usually played somewhat slower games, sure still not something super methodical like dark souls but i dont think i was overstimulating myself either, but yeah you are probably correct aswell.

[u/Regular_Use1868 → u/personmansir69]

That's the thing my friend. Roblox doesn't need you to be engaged it just needs you to come back. Giving you enough of what you like is all it will ever do.

Actual published video games that require you to purchase them need you to be impressed and they need you to remember their product so that you buy their next game.

Roblox literally wants you to not remember what you did so they can make you do it again. They're completely opposite economic incentives.

Good  luck man. If you haven't played many classic games I hear that there are methods of attaining these with little to no money of your own.

I highly recommend the first English fire emblem game and Golden Sun. They'll both get you reading and thinking about them outside of actually playing them, both are older RPGs so they don't need fast gameplay and I think they're both quite charming graphically for being so dated as well.

[u/World-Three]

One of the biggest takeaways from a hobby is people to enjoy it with. When you see sports you often don't see one guy doing it alone, and when you do, if two sports heads meet each other they both light up.

A lot of things are like that, yes you can definitely enjoy the hobby enough to do it alone, but I think that's why politics has gotten so popular among the masses too, everyone might not be all the way into it, but they're somewhat familiar with it to the point discourse can be had.

For me, how it is enjoyed is also key. I have a desktop I haven't used in quite a bit because I don't think I have too many games I feel the need to use that to enjoy. I can get on a PC handheld, use a standalone VR headset for lighter titles or VR conversions, and I can take it off, turn it off and turn it on or put it on in seconds. I can enjoy the game without being taken away from where I need or want to be.

If I still had the old school crew where we spend all day playing games or our work day talking trash in discord while we lift and turn, the desktop would be getting tons of use. I'm not against it, it's just not what my life is right now. 

[u/Avatar_sokka]

Have you tried switching up genres?

[u/fatefullyMine]

Maybe try story focused games. Experiencing a story and getting to know the characters would make it less pointless for you.

There's the AAA movie-like games like The Last of Us and God of War. My preferred genre is JRPGs. Persona 5 and Expedition 33 are great. For RPGs, Baldur's Gate 3 and Witcher 3. For interactive novels, I recommend Life is Strange and Dispatch.

[u/ItzMeHaris]

You’re a kid. You’re burnt out.

Don’t play video games for a month or two, replace it with a different hobby. You’ll thank me.

[u/National-Garbage505]

Don't force it! They aren't productive anyway they are just for fun, so if you aren't having fun do something else! Find another hobby, learn a skill or something. Its not the end of the world if you don't play games for a bit. I stopped playing for a long time when I got burned out and then eventually got back into it and that's fine!

[u/squilliedeewilliams]

get a month of Xbox Gamepass, there are hundreds of games from AAA to indie. you are bound to find something in there that you like.

[u/ChipPractical4005]

I stopped playing 2 months ago. Every game felt the same. Until they start putting some soul into games again I won't be touching another one.

[u/Fooby56]

Lifelong gamer here. Sometimes you just burn yourself out. That's why it's always a good idea to have multiple hobbies you're into. Lean into another one for a bit. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You'll come back with a renewed joy for gaming. Maybe another "nerdy" hobby? D and D, board games, card games, model building, etc.

[u/WofferFang]

I had this sort of phase. Turns out you just gotta play what you actually like and stop chasing "the next big thing" according to numbers and such. Just find out what you like and do that. You don't even have to play with others, just play a solo game. Or learn a fighting game. Whatever you like. Tastes change over time, simple as that. And well, maybe try going ouside for walks, draw a picture, write a story, exercise a bit, diversify your life style. Who knows, but it's probably temporary just like it was with me.

[u/personmansir69 → u/WofferFang]

I do have hobbies outside of gaming but it is the most convinient thing available, i draw and i do other stuff and i am quite good at cooking, just that gaming is easiest to do

[u/WofferFang → u/personmansir69]

Well, then try other types of games. Plenty of demos out there for you to try.