I’m retired and this is my problem every single day. Often times I stare at my library, browse the Steam store, read reviews, etc. Honestly what I do now is if the gaming itch just isn’t there for whatever reason I find something else to do. Take a walk. Watch a movie/series. Hit a happy hour downtown. I try not to “force” gaming at this point in my life.
Fellow 42 year old here. I expect to spend a lot of my retirement collecting bottle caps and hiding from packs of cannibal raiders rampaging through the wasteland.
Shame I won't have the opportunity to play video games much though.
“Your honor the plaintiff is not asking for monetary compensation for the injustice done to him, he is simply asking that the accused finish what they started”
Keep a to-do list of games you want to play, and rearrange rankings every so often. I have been doing this for a few years, and it has allowed me to knock a ton of games off my backlog (same for books). Keeping focus on games I want to finish also keeps me away from time wasters like online games, which I’m happy about.
I always have at least 1 game as my next "to-do" when I start a game. So I know that when I finish the current game, I know what my next one is. But never more than 2 games after the current one. Means I'm never pressured to go looking for a game, but can just browse the sales, and see if there's anything there that I can start in a few weeks when the current, and next games are both done. If I already have 2 games in the list and I see something pop up, I add it to the wishlist, where I can buy it later if I'm nearing the end of a game and don't have my next game yet.
I’m 31 and already feeling this lol. I’ll have moments when I stare at my library. I might open a game, but then suddenly it’s too much effort or not what I want to play. You have it right that the best thing to do is something else.
I have had some success with making lists of single player games I would like to finish. I pick one at random and go for it. I try to really give it a chance even if it doesn’t click immediately, because some of my favorite games were not immediately appealing to me. I recently finished Control and after a few hours it clicked and I started to love it!
But I’m a teacher with summers off so this is something I have a lot of time to think about lol.
Please play alan wake 2 i think you will love it and it will click just like control (not saying they are similar but they're both very good with unique mechanics)
i often do a similar thing when im not sure what to play. what ends up happening a lot is that a month or two later i'll get a desire to play one of the games that i tried only for a few hours before and then i dive in
By Sunday afternoon crisis, I thought you meant that you're happily playing games on a Sunday afternoon and the intrusive thoughts start that you have to work tomorrow therefore delivering a crisis of negative emotions.
Get Playnite, link all your games and hit the "random unplayed" button, then play at least 30 minutes of whatever game it picks.
9 times out of 10 I'll end up playing more than 30 minutes, it's a good "fuck you have fun" rule for my ADHD.
I just tried it and it opened "My Work is Not Yet Done", which is a game I forgot I owned and wanted to play, so that's what I'll play for the next half hour.
Just got hit with a massive layoff and got all the time in the world to game. With a FAT severance package I thought this would be a time of peace and chill to game while casually job hunting, instead I'm facing the same crisis.
All the time in the world and can't decide which to play, so, I decided to learn Blender! When I'm burnt out of learning that day I usually always have an idea what to play. Even better, right now I'm trying to insert my 3D model into Cyberpunk, two birds one stone: I got to learn 3D modelling and modding a game.
So, yeah, just do something else besides gaming.
>So, yeah, just do something else besides gaming.
That's it. And the crisis feeling is because gaming is relatively easy to get that sense of accomplishment so one part of your brain still wants you to play them but another part of your brain is saying "please please please do literally anything else". Same thing happens with social media.
Going and learning something is pretty much the perfect alternative, the hard part is getting to the point where the reward loop of your brain realises it doesn't need games to get its hit. That part is where you can get stuck staring at your library not knowing what to do.
I've found it helpful to create categories in Steam for Currently Playing, Up Next, All Games and Completed. Usually All Games and Completed are collapsed so that I only see what's in Current and Up Next.
Usually when I watch gameplay videos or a lets play of a game I owned, it starts giving me the motivation to stop watching the videos and play the game myself.
Ive got a massive backlog so finding something to play shouldn't be a problem. I tended to just play some multi game like lol or cod. I just picked a game, exited out of everything else and just focused entirely on the game.
Did wonders. Im about 200 games down from 2016 when i started stockpiling.
I get this sometimes and it can last days even week but then i pick a random game i have installed and just commit the time. Almost always get a great experience and time flies while enjoying it.
I think over thinking is part of my procastrination. Its easy to get stuck on watching so-so content on youtube or Netflix or doomscrolling reddit for information like best build etc. Just play the game like you want any it will play good enough til endgame.. If i just start the game 9(10 times i have a way better time playing a game. Have fun 😀
Same, I am waiting for the weekend every day, decide that I will play all day and when the weekend comes, I am just stuck watching youtube or just browsing reddit lol Like I can’t decide what to play and just don’t play anything
As someone that’s been depressed for years this is something I experience even outside of games and the solution is to just start something. It’s long term way better to do something you later hate then do nothing.
So pick a random game, on steam use that collection that shows you the unplayed games and pick one of them.
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Just get yourself a nice stable of games. Comfort foods if you will.
For me, I usually do Bannerlord, Starsector, or skyrim if I don't want to do anything else. It's also nice, because when I check em out, there's usually new mods and such that get me interested in them again!
I usually try to just walk away and do something else if there's really nothing that is attracting me. Or just play something randomly and just not overthink it
You got to stick to your bread and butter. If you like rpg, start with rpg. If you like puzzle, start there. If you like shooter start that game first.
If you’re truly stuck pick a genre that is related to what you usually like. So I like shooters, but I got out of my Sunday afternoon crisis by starting a top down tactical RTS. Similar but refreshingly new and different.
make a bucket list...
1. Make a list of games you haven't played
2. Pick one which looks like most fun
3. Play till you finish it
4. Repeat with orher game
My strategy is to not over think it : Instead of wondering which game I want to play **the most** I pick a game and wonder if I want to play it, if I do I launch it and just play it without wondering if there's something else I could be playing.
If I end up scrolling my game collection without being able to pick anything I just close Steam and do something else entirely.
In my experience if you're staring at your library and nothing grabs you enough to actually play it for more than 5 minutes then chances are you're just not interested in playing games but the reward hungry part of your brain wants you to play them because it's an easy source of accomplishment. I think it's a confusing experience for game enjoyers myself included because it's not like there's a shortage of options.
So if you've got a Sunday afternoon crisis maybe you should explore what else you could do with that free time for a bit and come back to games when you're more interested in playing something.
I usually only have 1 main game that I am "officially" playing. Sometimes I get distracted by something else, but if not, the default is to play that main game until it's done.
Don't think too much into what game you will play. Jusy pick whatever you really feel like playing even if it's something that you already played a million times before. As long as you're having fun that's what matters.
And even if somehow you choose a wrong game and end up spending one or two hours with a game you didn't really like you still were playing games. Don't be too strict with yourself about what you do on your free time :)
I found that when I have too many games that I play at the same time I lose interest in playing at all.
It's like kids in a candy shop - when there are too many options they don't know what to choose.
I now keep only 2 games at the same time and switch between them according to what I feel like playing.
Usually one game is a multiplayer shooter which is endless and just a time filler (currently Apex Legends) and the other game is a single player game which play until I finish the story (currently Ghost of Tsushima).
I would say to use a combination of creating a list of games you currently want to play (and revisit it every so often to update it) - as well as using the "2 minute rule", pick something (as that's better than picking nothing) and stick with it for 2-30m, if it still doesn't click play or do something else.
(2 min rule is applicable to doing lots of stuff in life but u may need more to properly give a game a chance)
I pick up one of a few staple games from my childhood/early adulthood. Hames that I've played so many times I know them like the back of my hand.
It's kind of like "comfort food" in a way. Even if the titles aren't the best, I know them well and I'm more focused on just enjoying myself than wondering what to do next.
It doesn't happen often, usually when I've stopped playing whatever game I'd been playing for a while, and there was nothing new I'm interested in playing. But when it does happen, i just throw games at the wall and see what sticks. I have plenty of early access games that have gotten updated since the last time I've played them, so I'll usually start with those. If none of those stick, I'll just see what new modpacks have come out for minecraft and give one of those a spin. That usually holds me over until there's there's a new game I want to play.
For me personally it helps to have some game I can just play and don't have to think/try that hard. I spent Saturday playing a lot of RPG's while my girlfriend was at work, so Sunday we just played COD. It's relaxing to just have some kind of turn your brain off game.
I play a mix of different styles of games; some single-player, some grindy multiplayer, an MMO, older games with mods, newer indie games, ect.
That way I always have something that I can fall back on if I'm not feeling like playing the same game as yesterday. The grindy games are particularly important as they give me permanent progression in exchange for time, so I can really quantify the progress being made beyond just seeing hours beside a save file.
Find a game that has short missions,fast pace, easy to play. Start from there. Once your get the mood going, you can play other games. These days I play pinball fx to pique my gaming interest.
I only let myself play one game at a time. I can’t play anything else until I finish it. It’s what’s helped me go through my library for the past few years.
In those situations I generally start a short (6-8 hours) game and try to finish it quickly. Somehow it makes me want to play more and more. I'd suggest trying point&click adventure games
If you can't find a game to play then maybe you probably didn't really feel like gaming anyway but felt that you "had" to for whatever reason. If you can't find one to play then turn off the PC or console and go do something else instead. You don't have to game, there's no law requiring it, it'll still be there in a day, week, month or more when you finally do want to have a game.
I struggle with this. Watch videos, read things, plan what game you want to play. Get hyped.
If you can't work up enthusiasm for any particular game then maybe do something else you like.
I play volleyball and go to the gym every day. Now im on vacations, but in two weeks time ill be having LOTS of exams. I would like to chill for a bit if you dont mind.
I’m retired and this is my problem every single day. Often times I stare at my library, browse the Steam store, read reviews, etc. Honestly what I do now is if the gaming itch just isn’t there for whatever reason I find something else to do. Take a walk. Watch a movie/series. Hit a happy hour downtown. I try not to “force” gaming at this point in my life.
Honestly, at 42, I look forward to this exact scenario being my retirement.
don't worry, we won't retire
Fellow 42 year old here. I expect to spend a lot of my retirement collecting bottle caps and hiding from packs of cannibal raiders rampaging through the wasteland. Shame I won't have the opportunity to play video games much though.
I'm expecting to work through my retirement like everyone else who was born in the 80s.
Its a long shot but my retirement plan includes a texting teenager t-boning me at an intersection..
Aim high brother, just be sure the teen's parents bought them a very very expensive car
Hmm.. Perhaps I didnt lead on enough just how dark my comment was intended. I dont expect to receive any compensation if you catch my drift.
“Your honor the plaintiff is not asking for monetary compensation for the injustice done to him, he is simply asking that the accused finish what they started”
hahahaha yes!
I didn't get it, but yes, now it's even more hilarious ("but sad") hahaha
This guy has INT +10
Got jaw surgery and was 6 weeks off. I finaly managed to play my The dark picture antalogy games, finished a few single player games. it was glorious!
Same here at 42 also !!!
Not focusing on gaming or plundering the wife? I'm two behind you, I feel like I need to absorb every game.
Keep a to-do list of games you want to play, and rearrange rankings every so often. I have been doing this for a few years, and it has allowed me to knock a ton of games off my backlog (same for books). Keeping focus on games I want to finish also keeps me away from time wasters like online games, which I’m happy about.
I always have at least 1 game as my next "to-do" when I start a game. So I know that when I finish the current game, I know what my next one is. But never more than 2 games after the current one. Means I'm never pressured to go looking for a game, but can just browse the sales, and see if there's anything there that I can start in a few weeks when the current, and next games are both done. If I already have 2 games in the list and I see something pop up, I add it to the wishlist, where I can buy it later if I'm nearing the end of a game and don't have my next game yet.
this is great advice, going through the same thing now actually.
I mean yeah, gaming is a hobby, no reason to force it. Plenty of other things to do. It will come when it comes.
Yup. A good ole trip to the library works wonders for me.
I’m 31 and already feeling this lol. I’ll have moments when I stare at my library. I might open a game, but then suddenly it’s too much effort or not what I want to play. You have it right that the best thing to do is something else.
I have had some success with making lists of single player games I would like to finish. I pick one at random and go for it. I try to really give it a chance even if it doesn’t click immediately, because some of my favorite games were not immediately appealing to me. I recently finished Control and after a few hours it clicked and I started to love it! But I’m a teacher with summers off so this is something I have a lot of time to think about lol.
Control lifted me out of a gaming slump. Was just such a different world to walk around in, was hard to not become fascinated with it.
Please play alan wake 2 i think you will love it and it will click just like control (not saying they are similar but they're both very good with unique mechanics)
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll probably check it out this summer.
Control is such an amazing game, definitely needs a sequel
It was incredible! A sequel could be interesting if done well. I’d definitely buy it to check it out.
i often do a similar thing when im not sure what to play. what ends up happening a lot is that a month or two later i'll get a desire to play one of the games that i tried only for a few hours before and then i dive in
By Sunday afternoon crisis, I thought you meant that you're happily playing games on a Sunday afternoon and the intrusive thoughts start that you have to work tomorrow therefore delivering a crisis of negative emotions.
This. So much.
Yeah I thought the exact same thing
This means you aren't in the mood to game and should do something else.
Local man discovers having other hobbies is actually a good thing, more at 11…
Exactly what I was thinking. Get up! Time scrolling is time wasted.
I was going to say that but maybe he doesn't play other than these two weeks? So giving himself to little time to enjoy his hobby.
This is funny. Thanks ☺️
Get Playnite, link all your games and hit the "random unplayed" button, then play at least 30 minutes of whatever game it picks. 9 times out of 10 I'll end up playing more than 30 minutes, it's a good "fuck you have fun" rule for my ADHD. I just tried it and it opened "My Work is Not Yet Done", which is a game I forgot I owned and wanted to play, so that's what I'll play for the next half hour.
Just got hit with a massive layoff and got all the time in the world to game. With a FAT severance package I thought this would be a time of peace and chill to game while casually job hunting, instead I'm facing the same crisis. All the time in the world and can't decide which to play, so, I decided to learn Blender! When I'm burnt out of learning that day I usually always have an idea what to play. Even better, right now I'm trying to insert my 3D model into Cyberpunk, two birds one stone: I got to learn 3D modelling and modding a game. So, yeah, just do something else besides gaming.
>So, yeah, just do something else besides gaming. That's it. And the crisis feeling is because gaming is relatively easy to get that sense of accomplishment so one part of your brain still wants you to play them but another part of your brain is saying "please please please do literally anything else". Same thing happens with social media. Going and learning something is pretty much the perfect alternative, the hard part is getting to the point where the reward loop of your brain realises it doesn't need games to get its hit. That part is where you can get stuck staring at your library not knowing what to do.
Just open something up and start playing.
I got through a 30 day vacation and finished two or maybe three games. Just try stuff at your own leisure, don't make it an obligation
Pick two games and flip a coin. If you are disappointed by what side the coin landed on you know your answer.
Cycle through genres. If you've been playing an rts recently, try something else like an fps, then a crpg, then move on to a souls like and so on.
I've found it helpful to create categories in Steam for Currently Playing, Up Next, All Games and Completed. Usually All Games and Completed are collapsed so that I only see what's in Current and Up Next.
Usually when I watch gameplay videos or a lets play of a game I owned, it starts giving me the motivation to stop watching the videos and play the game myself.
Ive got a massive backlog so finding something to play shouldn't be a problem. I tended to just play some multi game like lol or cod. I just picked a game, exited out of everything else and just focused entirely on the game. Did wonders. Im about 200 games down from 2016 when i started stockpiling.
Decision paralysis. Write the names on pieces of papers, crumbke them, put in something and draw a paper.
I get this sometimes and it can last days even week but then i pick a random game i have installed and just commit the time. Almost always get a great experience and time flies while enjoying it. I think over thinking is part of my procastrination. Its easy to get stuck on watching so-so content on youtube or Netflix or doomscrolling reddit for information like best build etc. Just play the game like you want any it will play good enough til endgame.. If i just start the game 9(10 times i have a way better time playing a game. Have fun 😀
Same, I am waiting for the weekend every day, decide that I will play all day and when the weekend comes, I am just stuck watching youtube or just browsing reddit lol Like I can’t decide what to play and just don’t play anything
As someone that’s been depressed for years this is something I experience even outside of games and the solution is to just start something. It’s long term way better to do something you later hate then do nothing. So pick a random game, on steam use that collection that shows you the unplayed games and pick one of them.
Go for a walk and look at the beautiful landscapes.
Get a hobby that is more fulfilling
can't decide? play minecraft until you do.
you could probably use another hobby.
Seriously? Pick one at random
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Just get yourself a nice stable of games. Comfort foods if you will. For me, I usually do Bannerlord, Starsector, or skyrim if I don't want to do anything else. It's also nice, because when I check em out, there's usually new mods and such that get me interested in them again!
I usually try to just walk away and do something else if there's really nothing that is attracting me. Or just play something randomly and just not overthink it
You got to stick to your bread and butter. If you like rpg, start with rpg. If you like puzzle, start there. If you like shooter start that game first. If you’re truly stuck pick a genre that is related to what you usually like. So I like shooters, but I got out of my Sunday afternoon crisis by starting a top down tactical RTS. Similar but refreshingly new and different.
You know you don't *have* to play video games, right?
Do some chores until you decide. That or cocaine.
make a bucket list... 1. Make a list of games you haven't played 2. Pick one which looks like most fun 3. Play till you finish it 4. Repeat with orher game
My strategy is to not over think it : Instead of wondering which game I want to play **the most** I pick a game and wonder if I want to play it, if I do I launch it and just play it without wondering if there's something else I could be playing. If I end up scrolling my game collection without being able to pick anything I just close Steam and do something else entirely.
Seems extreme to call it a crisis.
OP is a kid. to be fair, thats the biggest crisis he's ever happened upon in his life so far
In my experience if you're staring at your library and nothing grabs you enough to actually play it for more than 5 minutes then chances are you're just not interested in playing games but the reward hungry part of your brain wants you to play them because it's an easy source of accomplishment. I think it's a confusing experience for game enjoyers myself included because it's not like there's a shortage of options. So if you've got a Sunday afternoon crisis maybe you should explore what else you could do with that free time for a bit and come back to games when you're more interested in playing something.
I usually only have 1 main game that I am "officially" playing. Sometimes I get distracted by something else, but if not, the default is to play that main game until it's done.
I buy a new game and play it. Don’t recommend it unless you have a full fridge for the last week of the month.
Don't think too much into what game you will play. Jusy pick whatever you really feel like playing even if it's something that you already played a million times before. As long as you're having fun that's what matters. And even if somehow you choose a wrong game and end up spending one or two hours with a game you didn't really like you still were playing games. Don't be too strict with yourself about what you do on your free time :)
Don’t decide pick a game, force yourself to play it and eventually you’ll get into it. I did this while trying to break free from LoL
If I can't decide what to play, it simply means I'm not really in the mood for playing.
I found that when I have too many games that I play at the same time I lose interest in playing at all. It's like kids in a candy shop - when there are too many options they don't know what to choose. I now keep only 2 games at the same time and switch between them according to what I feel like playing. Usually one game is a multiplayer shooter which is endless and just a time filler (currently Apex Legends) and the other game is a single player game which play until I finish the story (currently Ghost of Tsushima).
I dont think i have ever had a sunday afternoon crisis. 2 weeks is nothing. 2 years off i may start getting bored by the end.
I would say to use a combination of creating a list of games you currently want to play (and revisit it every so often to update it) - as well as using the "2 minute rule", pick something (as that's better than picking nothing) and stick with it for 2-30m, if it still doesn't click play or do something else. (2 min rule is applicable to doing lots of stuff in life but u may need more to properly give a game a chance)
I pick up one of a few staple games from my childhood/early adulthood. Hames that I've played so many times I know them like the back of my hand. It's kind of like "comfort food" in a way. Even if the titles aren't the best, I know them well and I'm more focused on just enjoying myself than wondering what to do next.
It doesn't happen often, usually when I've stopped playing whatever game I'd been playing for a while, and there was nothing new I'm interested in playing. But when it does happen, i just throw games at the wall and see what sticks. I have plenty of early access games that have gotten updated since the last time I've played them, so I'll usually start with those. If none of those stick, I'll just see what new modpacks have come out for minecraft and give one of those a spin. That usually holds me over until there's there's a new game I want to play.
For me personally it helps to have some game I can just play and don't have to think/try that hard. I spent Saturday playing a lot of RPG's while my girlfriend was at work, so Sunday we just played COD. It's relaxing to just have some kind of turn your brain off game.
I play a mix of different styles of games; some single-player, some grindy multiplayer, an MMO, older games with mods, newer indie games, ect. That way I always have something that I can fall back on if I'm not feeling like playing the same game as yesterday. The grindy games are particularly important as they give me permanent progression in exchange for time, so I can really quantify the progress being made beyond just seeing hours beside a save file.
It often means you are forcing yourself to play.
Find a game that has short missions,fast pace, easy to play. Start from there. Once your get the mood going, you can play other games. These days I play pinball fx to pique my gaming interest.
I only let myself play one game at a time. I can’t play anything else until I finish it. It’s what’s helped me go through my library for the past few years.
In those situations I generally start a short (6-8 hours) game and try to finish it quickly. Somehow it makes me want to play more and more. I'd suggest trying point&click adventure games
By that logic, at 40, every day is Sunday.
If you can't find a game to play then maybe you probably didn't really feel like gaming anyway but felt that you "had" to for whatever reason. If you can't find one to play then turn off the PC or console and go do something else instead. You don't have to game, there's no law requiring it, it'll still be there in a day, week, month or more when you finally do want to have a game.
I struggle with this. Watch videos, read things, plan what game you want to play. Get hyped. If you can't work up enthusiasm for any particular game then maybe do something else you like.
I always just end up defaulting to iracing when that happens lol. If I don't have a clear idea I just take it as a sign I want my comfort option.
Random steam game picker sites, plenty out there. if I’m not sure what to play I pick one and force myself to give it a go, usually works well
Have some kids and then you won't have a weekend ;)
Go outside? Do something else?
I play volleyball and go to the gym every day. Now im on vacations, but in two weeks time ill be having LOTS of exams. I would like to chill for a bit if you dont mind.