Sick & tired of video gaming, is that normal?

[gameboy1977]

I still play video game since I was about 8 years old. it is fun to play game. :) Sometimes I take a break time from playing game then go outside often (depend on weather)

[Dot Matrix]

I love to game, but I haven't in months. I've been too busy with school, home renovations, and work. It isn't just you.

[FiB3R]

It's just a phase you are going through. Don't worry, you'll be fine. (Y)

[RDJ]

Hi OP

I am 31 yrs old with a 2 yr old princess/monster.

I have been "gaming" on and off since about 2004 when I used to play LOTS of UT2004 and SC4 and not much else. Those were the only two game because I could not afford a more expensive rig. I always kept a subscription to MaximumPC and CPU (back when it was awesome , PcModder days).

I never got into Steam or PC gaming other than those mentioned. I opened a up a PC Gamer mag at a store a few years ago and saw the advertisement for Borderlands...I had to get it. I got on my PC and Googled it...that led me to Steam, and its been downhill from there...sort of. It turnes out that it was an Rockstar/2K/EA week...

Once my daughter was born, PC gaming helped to keep me awake while I stayed in the room with her while she slept. Lots of Borderands, CIV5, GTA...

I play about 20-25 hrs a week. My gaming time is mostly on Sat, Sun, Mon nights (I'm on a 4x10 schedule with Sun, Mon, Tues off) I work a full time job, take care of my daughter on my days off, cook, clean, do laundry, dishes, man of the house stuff...while my wife works and takes medical classes...and still have time to watch movies and do family guy stuff.

I do get bored of PC gaming, but its more of a go so many games no time to play situation. I mainly play single player. The only multiplayer games that I play are TF2/Tribes Ascend/RO2. I dont have any of the "new" games, and I'm not worried about it since I just started playing the original Far Cry, FEAR, and Valve library. I never spend more than $15 on game, and if i do, its because the game is part of a bundle...

Im also finding Adventure gaming to be so much fun...

Anyways, sorry if I got off topic.

Good luck in whatever decision you make in regards to your gaming needs. I dont think its about growing up, just a change of pace and lifestyle. I don't see myself getting away from PC gaming for a while...its not my fault that Amazon and Steam have these delicious sales!

[chconline Veteran]

I used to play games like Counter Strike: Source for 4-5 hours a day. One day I just stopped and I haven't gamed in a constant basis ever since. It's normal.

[Osiris]

My questions are these:

1) Is this normal? More specifically, losing your interest entirely to a point you don't want to spend another minute to that.

2) Has anything similar happened to you?

Yep very normal, just like people change, so to do their interests, Its all swings and round abouts though, youll probably get back into it down the track again, chances are not to the extent that you were once though.

[redfish]

My questions are these:

1) Is this normal? More specifically, losing your interest entirely to a point you don't want to spend another minute to that.

2) Has anything similar happened to you?

Getting bored of interests is perfectly normal, that's part of life.

Be aware if you go to a psychologist, they'll tell you that getting bored of interests is a sign of depression, as if depression isn't also perfectly normal and part of life. People wanting to medicalize everything. People as they get older look to broaden themselves, find more in life, etc, and the things they found exciting and interesting before seem overrated. Usually, they are overrated.

[inactive]

i would not worry about it too much as i am 33 years old and i can tell my interest in video games has taken a hit vs what it used to be and i pretty much grew up in the earlier days of video games all the way to the modern stuff as i was born in 1979 and i was playing video games since i can remember which is probably the late 1980's to date as the first system i remember using was a 'Atari 2600 Jr' (which i believe was released in 1985 according to Wikipedia) and then went on to use quite a few other systems over the years.

but basically i still enjoy video games but it's getting harder and harder to find quality games that are even worth your time to play (i 'might' be able to find a couple games a year worth my time to play AND FINISH nowadays, sometimes even less.). but when it comes to movies... those are holding pretty strong for me as i tend to watch a lot of movies (and even re-watch movies i have seen before) as just to see how many movies i averaged watching in a year etc i started keeping track of how many films i have seen throughout 2012 (and on what dates etc) and it came out to averaging 4.57 films per week throughout 2012. which was basically 239 films watched in 366 days (2012 was a leap year so it was 366 days instead of the usual 365) and 119 of those 239 films where 'first viewings' (i.e. films i have seen for the first time) and 120 of those 239 films where 're-watches' (i.e. films i have seen before and then re-watched).

but basically... i am pretty sure my overall interest in watching movies will most likely hold pretty steady over the years as the general volume of films i watched in a typical year started to increase quite a bit around the year 2003 to date as currently i have seen over 1550+ total films and that number will continue to climb as the years pass and many of those films i re-watch as time passes to. i would say at least 100-200 have solid re-watch factor and re-watch factor is what ultimately makes or breaks a film in the long term. also, i think movies offer more bang for the buck in terms of time spent to enjoyment levels than video games do for me nowadays as a quality film will spend 2 hours of your time pretty well where as a video game will be harder to maintain that same level of enjoyment unless it's a pretty great game which are fewer and further between.

even i don't think it's worth dumping a ton into a monster gaming PC much anymore (it's probably a age thing as when i see these 20-ish year olds dumping a ton of $$$ into a fancy gaming PC all i see is a waste of $$$ simply because they can get something 'good enough' for MUCH less $$$ at the moment) but then again nowadays you don't really need a monster gaming PC to have enjoyable frame rates and decent graphics (at least not until the next gen consoles arrive and then begins the process all over basically of there being more of a need for a higher end gaming PC).

[spaceelf]

I'm just bored of Pete and RePete, so to speak. I almost feel like I've been playing the same games for ten years now, with some exceptions.

Be aware if you go to a psychologist, they'll tell you that getting bored of interests is a sign of depression, as if depression isn't also perfectly normal and part of life. People wanting to medicalize everything.

A good psych will help you get through whatevers going on in your life. A bad one will prescribe meds without ever even actually talking to you.

If I could actually afford one right now I'd still be seeing one.

[Mando]

Hello.

I would like somebody's opinion on this matter.

I've been playing video games since I was 6 years old, now I'm 24. I stopped playing exactly two years ago because I was at college and I had to work as well. I was waking up every day at 7:30 a.m. and had to be at college right away. College lessons were ending at 12:30 pm and at 1:00 pm I had to be at work for an 8 hour shift.

Because I hadn't enough time I gave priority to other things.

Please note, that until I entered college I was playing like a maniac, I had spent 2000$ just to get a gaming pc with high specs

(Intel Core i7 920, 3x2GB RAM, Sapphire HD4870 1GB, 1xSSD Intel M25 80GB, 2x1TB WDD Caviar Black, Z-5500 Speakers, G110 Keyboard, G500 Gaming Mouse etc.)

and also had all consoles, (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) just to not miss any great game.

I was avoiding human contact, rarely involved into sports and sometimes I was pretending to be sick just to have more time to spent on video-gaming, you could call me an addict.

College and work made want to be involved in human relationships, to have friends but they also made me tired, decrease my self-esteem and lose my interest in video-gaming

Today, I don't have a job neither I'm into college which means I have enough free time to do anything.

I also tried playing a few video games like Skyrim, Dishonored, Diablo 3, Syndicate and some more which I cannot remember at the momment.

My interest lasts until I clear a level (for example: Dishonored) or gain a level. After that I say "IT'S GREAT!'' and right after ALT+F4 and never, ever touch it again.

I do not why it happens, maybe I have lost all my interest & excitement in video gaming or because I was playing them maniacally since I was child.

However, If I had these games when I was interested I would certainly would never ever step outside of my room for any reason.

Now my interests are other things, like reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, going outside and have fun and I'm still trying to find new ones

My questions are these:

1) Is this normal? More specifically, losing your interest entirely to a point you don't want to spend another minute to that.

2) Has anything similar happened to you?

I think that's quite normal, my interest level in gaming goes up and down (has done since i started gaming at the tender age of 6, 36 years ago!), however my other interests are always there and I spend the same amount of time doing those other things, more-so now I work in the technology industry

It goes up if I buy new hardware etc then starts to diminish over the following months. I put it down to working with computers all day.

I have always put it down to justifying spending what I do on new toys! Wanting "my moneys worth"

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I think it's normal. It's something you experience and grow out of. I've had short periods where I wouldn't play anything. Usually though, I stick to one or two games that I really enjoy playing. For example, right now all I play is Dota 2 and Dawn of War 2. I used to play Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, StarCraft 2, and Diablo 3.

I don't think it means you're not interested in gaming anymore. Rather, you're not interested in any current games. You just have to find something a game that interests you.

[paganinio]

I love gaming but don't actually play much. Maybe 5 hours a week. Because I only have so much time I'm very selective with games that I buy. I only invest money and time on titles that I consider absolutely essential, such as Castlevania, Twilight Princess and Portal 2.

I believe that if you spend as little time as I do in gaming and stick with the games that you love, you should never get sick and tired of it. And it should be a very healthy and nice hobby. Going from being an intense gamer to just not playing at all, doesn't sound good to me -- actually it's a sign of depression, to not be able to feel joy in things you used to love.

[TravisSpomer]

It's normal to change some of your interests over time. Maybe it's that. But just like other people have said, losing interest in things that used to bring you happiness is a warning sign of depression. If you're finding other things that are making you happy then I'm sure there's nothing to worry about.

I've always loved games?video games, card games, tabletop games. There has not been a day in my life that I didn't want to play games. I can't imagine day that would be any different. So to me your story sounds insanely bizarre. But not everyone is the same.

[carson2255]

As an avid gamer myself, No this is not normal. If you need to get back into games, you need to find the right game, whether you are looking for a good story, a unique experience, or a co op experience. Keep trying new games, it takes commitment for you to start a game and spend a good amount of time on it to decide whether it is a good game or not. Games take time and and attention, if you put the time in and dont like the game, then try a new one. Games are supposed to be fun, try out games with friends (Orcs must die 2). Dragon age origins is a great series to get into, it combines great story into a compelling strategy based RPG game play. Mass effect is also another great adventure, it starts off slow and takes you into a grand adventure. There is so many games out there, sometimes you just need to sit yourself down and play them through. Gaming is a art, a hobby, a platform to do what you want, a way to work out the mind, relieve stress, go on a adventure, so dont give it up... sometimes its all about finding the right game, everyone has one. Sometimes you need to slow down and put the time into finding yours.

[MtnDewCodeRedFreak]

I just play the Wii and Wii U games - computer gaming, rarely.

[Growled Member]

I use to game a lot but now I am more of a casual gamer. Real life has a way of helping you prioritize things sometimes. I really just don't the time to game after working 10 hours a day and taking care of my home life. So don't worry about it. Things are always changing.

[Skin]

Wait, did someone finally realize they have grown up?

Happens to everyone at a point in their lives.... welcome to yours.

[Arceles]

Gaming is not what it used to be. Times are changing... we are changing. I have to look for good games nowadays... it was not the case in the ps2 and before era.

[Albert]

i started off on 8 bit classics. i was one of the first few to own a 3dfx daughter board (remember those?) when nobody i know even heard of it. now i am just plain sick and tired of 3d fps. which is 99.99% of games released these days. they sure don't make games like they used to.

[AngelGraves13]

There's less games than there used to be, but there's also more quality games than there used to be. Less rubbish!

There's only like 2 or 3 games that I play a year anyway, so it works out well for me. I've bought lots of games at sale prices on Steam, but I've probably only played about 10% of them.