Anyone experience gaming burnout?

tonydude · 04-05-2019 7:39pm #1

Been a gamer for the majority of my life, Commodore & Atari were my entry consoles and I feel my gaming life is coming to an end not because of family or work commitments but due to tiredness/burnout of the types of games that are available. It's not the first time it's happened and the game that pulled me back in was Demon Souls and the souls series.

I've tried the big titles like RDR and Spiderman but it's a task to play them , the only one to give some thrill was God of War. I recently got the Sekiro guide book with the intention of getting the game also but why waste more money on something I won't play. At this point I'd rather turn on Netflix instead of looking through a catelog of games that once excited me at the prospect of playing them but instead they are collecting digital dust.

Anyway that's my current state of mind when it comes to gaming.

madcabbage · 04-05-2019 8:05pm

Think everybody goes through it in some shape or form, I nearly binned off my consoles a few years back I got so bored with all of it. Instead I switched to PC gaming, best decision I ever made. It's like anything really, take a step back from it for a short period and find something to do in the mean time, you'll come around again to it.

IvoryTower · 04-05-2019 8:10pm

People do grow out of it as well. I used to love many different types of games, 1000s of hours on strategy games, always had indie games on the go, these days if a game isn't competitive fps I get bored instantly. If I get bored of this I'll likely just play games with my son

IvoryTower · 04-05-2019 8:12pm

A good example would be we have a gaming thread on viber between all our friends, year by year they're dropping off

pixelburp · 04-05-2019 8:37pm

I still game, but I honestly don't recognise the mainstream - the so-called AAA - industry anymore. The microtransactions, endless yearly iterations etc., not to mention the sh*tty work or business practises and rabid fans, just feels very alien and cynical to me and find it hard to feel an enthusiasm or support for it.

Times another, more tangible, part of it; it's not my only distraction or hobby now so a weekend spent on Civilisation or Skyrim ain't an option anymore.

RobbingBandit · 04-05-2019 8:44pm

I've had a few bouts of frustration related burnout, two games Final Fantasy VII (Alexander Materia) and Ocarina of Time Water Temple drove me crazy.

killanena · 04-05-2019 8:44pm

I go through periods where I don't play games at all, the longest being 2 years about 5 years ago. When a game starts agitating me I know its time to move on. If all games are I know it's time for a break

EoinHef · 04-05-2019 9:08pm

Burnout usually manifests itself with me in the sense i cant find games i like when im burnt out. Just cant get into games.

I find if i really pair back my playing hours for a month or two and put more time into other hobbies i can come back to games more refreshed and enthusiastic.

As an aside i thought RDR 2 wasnt great either and sigleplayer games like spiderman dont usually appeal to me. A gaming being super popular doesnt mean its gonna be for everyone.

killanena · 04-05-2019 9:28pm

EoinHef wrote:

As an aside i thought RDR 2 wasnt great either and sigleplayer games like spiderman dont usually appeal to me. A gaming being super popular doesnt mean its gonna be for everyone.

Very true,I haven't played either myself and couldn't care less about them tbh.

Retr0gamer · 04-05-2019 10:05pm

I get this every so often. There's a quick fix. Stop playing games. Catch up on some movies or films. Do a hobby. You'll eventually get an urge to play games again.

When you do go back playing games I'd avoid triple A open world busywork games as they aren't fun at all but give the illusion of fun through skinner nox psychology.

Just don't be in a rush to play games again.

BeerWolf · 04-05-2019 10:55pm

I quickly grow bored of Single Player games, has to be a multiplayer.

That being said, as an MMORPG enthusiast I got burnt out with WoW:Legion... the direction Blizzard were taking then disgusted me and I had zero desire to continue on with BfA.

ERG89 · 04-05-2019 10:59pm

A lot modern games ask for a significant amount of investment of time so it's easy to get burnt out.
I do feel there is a severe lack of good pick up and play games these days.
I used to love replaying single player shooters, sports games (Madden, Tiger Woods, PES), stuff like Burnout or the PS2 era rockstar games. The modern contemporaries just don't seem as fun to play as most target online too much for my tastes.
Something I finished last year was Chrono Trigger and I was surprised it only took me maybe 20 hours. I wondered how many modern JRPG's would be that tightly made but also that enjoyable.
Indie games are nice to pick up and play but other than Stardew Valley I don't think I played that many beyond 20 hours, maybe Trials HD.

Canis Lupus · 04-05-2019 11:20pm

I get it although I tend to rotate genre rather than a complete burnout. I tend to have regular fall back games so WoW, World of Tanks, Eve, Total War games, Civ, Overwatch.

Been playing lots of Overwatch, getting bored/angry when playing comp lately so I pulled the joystick out of storage (not a euphemism) and am playing Elite Dangerous.

tonydude · 05-05-2019 10:50am

Wow didn't expect such a response, thanks guys. From reading your opinions I think I'll put it to one side for the time being and maybe dip into it now and again so I don't completely abandon it and wait for a title that'll pull me back in.

Zero-Cool · 05-05-2019 1:21pm

In my 31 years of gaming (since the C64), I never once felt burnout from it. I put it down to just not having a lot of time to play in the last few of years. Some days I have zero play time, some have 1 hour, some 2 and if I get lucky, a whole 3 hours. I read about people being able to play all day or all night and I get envious but maybe it's for the best as there is always something I want to play but if I had the luxury of free time, maybe I'd get burnt out too.

So I'd say the length of your sessions would play a part as well

penev10 · 05-05-2019 1:58pm

I've had several bouts of apathy towards games but I always come back. I think when youve played like 9 generations of games it's easy to feel like you've been there bought the tshirt when playing a modern game. I've given up on AAA games for this very reason.

daheadonu · 05-05-2019 2:06pm

Have that with open world's,as much as I liked the witcher 3 but I have this compulsion to do everything I can so I did every question mark on the map and couldn't stomach doing the dlc

Icyseanfitz · 05-05-2019 2:11pm

i find ive too many games to play which leads me to not completing or playing any. What i find really distracting though is jumping between multiplayer games with friends and singleplayer games, always seems like im under pressure to play certain games these days which is just making it into a chore.

TerrorFirmer · 06-05-2019 3:02pm

I get it in waves. There was a period of a year or two where I barely touched a game at all apart from the odd bit of Halo with friends.

At the moment I've lost all interest in single player games, and instead play nothing but competitive shooters. The amount of games I've started and failed to finish is staggering. Most recently Resident Evil 2 and Wolfenstein 2 - both completely short, to the point and decent campaigns, but can't stomach finishing them for some reason.

The last game I finished was Far Cry 5, pretty enjoyable....last SP game I sunk a lot of time into was Fallout 4...which I didn't finish either despite doing about 200 hours.

Riesen_Meal · 06-05-2019 3:10pm

I've held back a lot with games lately, I do get sporadic burnout from gaming and just don't touch games for a while, kind of in that phase at the moment, nowt grabbing my attention except for the odd bit of Mario on Switch of all things...

I think it's a time of year thing also, I can never really game during the summer for some reason!

I'm sure come August/September the consoles and PC will get busted out proper again

Cordell · 06-05-2019 3:14pm

I give a few days after I finish a game to let it sink in and I'm fresh after that:) But I only play SP games that have an ending.

Mr Crispy · 06-05-2019 3:24pm

Fieldog wrote: »

I think it's a time of year thing also, I can never really game during the summer for some reason!

I'm sure come August/September the consoles and OC will get busted out proper again

Generally speaking it's the same here. The long evenings make me feel like I should be out and about instead of in front of the monitor or TV! I'll be putting that to the test this summer though - building my first new PC in ages, so I'm sure I'll find excuses to not go out...

K.O.Kiki · 06-05-2019 4:32pm

I used to be all about fighting games, and now I only play Overwatch & am going through my Steam library.

Fighters require so much dedication & practice that I just can't be bothered anymore. Plus all the losses have kinda taken its toll.

TheValeyard · 06-05-2019 5:53pm

Yeah, definitely OP.

I find changing category of game helps. Then after a period of time, I resume my quests and general debauchery.

johnny_ultimate · 06-05-2019 6:05pm

This won't work for everyone feeling a bit jaded with the state of the medium, but it worked for me: come to terms with the fact that most AAA, blockbuster games aren't really that interesting.

Most big name games these days want your time. It doesn't matter how they get it: they just want your time. You see this most obviously in 'games as service' titles, that want to keep you hooked for as long as possible (preferably until the sequel shows up). But even many major single-player titles are time-consuming behemoths - open-worlds that offer up shiny trinkets to keep you 'occupied' for dozens of hours. Content is king. I mean, I think I'd enjoy having a wander around Assassin's Creeds' ancient Greece, but equally sure I'll be drowning in ****ty systems and busywork within an hour of booting the thing up.

True, the occasional great game earns such commitment - for me, that's something like BotW, or a Fromsoft game. But really a lot of them are a bit **** - I mean, I trudged through RDR2 and felt a whole lot of that was just a turgid waste of time. Again, this'll differ from player - but the games do want a lot of your time, and personally I couldn't be bothered giving it to them.

For me, keeping things varied is the most important thing. That's why I fall back to indie or smaller games when feeling slightly jaded. I'm playing Heaven's Vault at the moment, and that offers the proper thrill of experiencing something new and interesting. My time spent playing Obra Dinn last year was immense. Those sort of experiences are what make me excited about gaming - a medium that's still evolving in strange and fascinating directions.

That's just my approach these days: avoid most of the mammoth AAA timesinks, and focus instead on shorter, more unusual experiences

Robert ninja · 06-05-2019 6:10pm

Definitely feeling burnout in general for a long time but the main symptom isn't just not playing anything... it's not sticking with anything. I rarely complete games anymore or if I do it's over a very long time like literally years sometimes. I hop to different games sort of like what Murray said. Changing it up a bit can help.

Skerries · 07-05-2019 1:58pm

I have been sticking to only gaming on a Friday night and holidays
I usually start at about 8 and finish up about 3 or 4 in the morning, so a 7 or 8 hour gaming session a week
I also try to vary my games, so after playing an FPS I will try and play an RPG, action or RTS instead

pixelburp · 07-05-2019 2:06pm

Speaking of RTS games, it's not so much burnout as it is the genre I played most fadó fadó doesn't really exist anymore either

Dcully · 07-05-2019 6:05pm

I very easily get burned out with mainstream games, its the main reason a PC is my weapon of choice.
So much choice and diversity, loads of indie stuff aswell as early access and beta builds.
Currently im playing Risk of rain 2 where every time you play its a totally different experience and Grim Dawn with its countless build possibilities where every build makes the game feel and play differently both non mainstream but with oceans of depth and gameplay.
Im also playing two early access titles, Pagan online and Last Epoch.

ancapailldorcha · 07-05-2019 8:16pm

Interesting comment from johnny_ultimate above.

For the past few years, I've rarely strayed from my chosen path of playing various strategy games, namely Total War and the rebooted XCOM series.

There seems to have been something missing from AAA games and it's only this year that I found myself really able to articulate it. It took 2 games for me to do this, the Resident Evil 2 remake and Devil May Cry 5, both from Capcom. The last non-strategy game I played was Far Cry 4. I've yet to clear the main quest. The game has a huge map but it feels so empty and barren. Many of the sidequests feel like chores to say nothing of the pointless collectables. Last game I saw this bad was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Playing Resident Evil 2 felt fresh and new. The game felt original and claustrophobic and packed to the brim with detail instead of the usual dreary, soulless and empty open world that never responds to anything the player does. We got tight action and great atmosphere instead. I did three run throughs of that game. Need to get back for a fourth.

Devil May Cry 5 on the other hand, while being a great game comes with microtransactions. The player doesn't need to actually spend any real world cash due to a wide availability of revival items in the game. I don't know if Capcom were trying to offset outrage at the microtransactions. There was a challenging boss fight towards the end of the game. I didn't realise it as I was playing but I got through by reviving a few times mid fight. This killed any incentive I would have otherwise have had to learn the enemy's moves, attacks and vulnerabilities and improve at the game. Afterwards, it just felt a bit hollow.

Even Total War feels quite hollowed out compared to the earlier titles in the series. Streamlining results in a less deep game which risks becoming boring. Total War: Rome II is a shuffling corpse compared to the classic Rome. I'm finding that more and more new games are resorting to tired old tropes like walking sections and QTE's. It feels... tiring. I'm sure there are plenty of Indie titles and such things but it's quite depressing to see so many iterations of franchises I used to love become little more than bland husks of their former selves.

Potential-Monke · 07-05-2019 8:59pm

I find myself getting burned out a lot more lately, but I'm pretty sure that's down to life in general, and nothing to do with games. When I feel burned out, I have a look at my life and see what's getting me down, and that's usually what prevents me from enjoying a game. Once I have that resolved, or at least pushed well back down into the dark recesses of my mind, I can get back to gaming.

But, like a above, games that confuse time with fun will wear you out quicker. I couldn't get into a lot of AAA games this year, because they were just a slog. To repeat my never ending slating of Dark Souls, I don't find it fun so it's not for me. But tight, SP experiences like God of War, Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Witcher 3, they're all pretty big, with TW3 being the biggest, but I rarely if ever felt bored, because they were fun, some of them new and interesting (TW3, H:ZD), with GoW improving on a series I already loved. But they were enjoyable from start to finish. I can't recall many, if any, times in those games where I was bored. These days, I rate games on how much of the bad parts I can remember after finishing it, and those 3 don't have any of them.

I actually was feeling a bit worn out recently, tried to play through Shenmue, finish Yakuza 0, Far Cry 5, Conan: Exiles, Road Redemption, and about 10 other full games installed. Couldn't get into them. Splashed on Dead Rising 4 Franks Big Package, as I thought I remembered playing it and not being too happy with is, but updates surely fixed it. Turns out I was thinking of Dead Rising 3, and I am hooked into 4 now, as it's just crazy fun, and no timers! I think your gaming mood is more directly related to your actual mood, so if you're in foul form, or not in great form, gaming may just be another thing you can't do right now. Seems to be the way for me really.

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 10:23am

Ironically, Days Gone is probably the first game in a long while where I've wanted to play it every night, even if it's just for an hour. It surely has a lot of issues in terms of minor technical bugs and plot/pacing but I've enjoyed rolling around the world on the bike and I think I only used fast travel once just to see what it would have any effect on my fuel (it does). It has all the things that turn people off in terms of potential busywork but you never know when you might stumble across a bunch of marauders or drive straight into a horde.

I've stopped playing in the past for a couple of weeks at a time if I'm not feeling the love. Time is a precious enough commodity when you're working full-time and you've got kids so if playing games ain't doing it for me at any point, I turn them off and watch something on the telly or read a book. I've also stopped buying games just for the sake of buying them to try and stop the backlog getting worse and worse. I have a huge backlog from constantly buying games in sales that if I'm honest I probably knew I was never going to play when I bought them but the bargain hunter in me couldn't resist. It has lead to me being somewhat spoiled for choice when it comes to starting a new game and trying to decide what to play. That feeling can last a couple of hours into a game as well where I'm thinking 'Hmm, maybe I should have started game A or game B instead...' which definitely impinges on my enjoyment of a game and any ability to immerse myself in the gameplay. I've now set myself a pretty strict list of potential future purchases and I'm not deviating from it no matter how many other bargains I see along the way.

I don't mind playing AAA games and I don't mind the odd bits of busywork if I'm enjoying a game and its mechanics but then I'm not a trophy hunter or someone looking to platinum every game and I couldn't think of anything that would turn me off playing than obsessively ticking everything off a list. Once I see the credits at the end of a game's story, that's me done. Something like Arkham Knight where you had to collect 500 Riddler trophies to get the 'true' ending can fook right off.

Also, for every AAA game I play, there's always going to be Indies or more offbeat game in there to mix it up a bit. Playing 20 hours of a AAA game and going straight into another twenty hours of AAA play would kill my enthusiasm off very quickly. But if I'm not interested in playing anything after I finish Days Gone, I won't be too bothered. There's plenty of other things to occupy me until I feel like playing another game. If I was constantly trying to make myself play games and have fun with them, I couldn't think of anything that would make me enjoy them less.

ancapailldorcha · 08-05-2019 11:20am

kunst nugget wrote: »

I don't mind playing AAA games and I don't mind the odd bits of busywork if I'm enjoying a game and its mechanics but then I'm not a trophy hunter or someone looking to platinum every game and I couldn't think of anything that would turn me off playing than obsessively ticking everything off a list. Once I see the credits at the end of a game's story, that's me done. Something like Arkham Knight where you had to collect 500 Riddler trophies to get the 'true' ending can fook right off.

Oddly enough, I didn't resent this at all. I actually wanted to grab all of those Riddler trophies. No idea why. If I ever go back to Far Cry 4 it'll be to finish the main story and that's it. The loot and collectables in that game are the very definition of pointless.

_Brian · 08-05-2019 11:22am

tonydude wrote: »

Been a gamer for the majority of my life, Commodore & Atari were my entry consoles and I feel my gaming life is coming to an end not because of family or work commitments but due to tiredness/burnout of the types of games that are available. It's not the first time it's happened and the game that pulled me back in was Demon Souls and the souls series.

I've tried the big titles like RDR and Spiderman but it's a task to play them , the only one to give some thrill was God of War. I recently got the Sekiro guide book with the intention of getting the game also but why waste more money on something I won't play. At this point I'd rather turn on Netflix instead of looking through a catelog of games that once excited me at the prospect of playing them but instead they are collecting digital dust.

Anyway that's my current state of mind when it comes to gaming.

Have you not just grown up ?

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 11:27am

_Brian wrote: »

Have you not just grown up ?

You can play video games and adult at the same time. They're not mutually exclusive.

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 11:30am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Oddly enough, I didn't resent this at all. I actually wanted to grab all of those Riddler trophies. No idea why. If I ever go back to Far Cry 4 it'll be to finish the main story and that's it. The loot and collectables in that game are the very definition of pointless.

I suppose it goes to prove that one man's meat is another man's poison. Some busywork in one game can click with you in a way that it wouldn't in another game or for other people.

o1s1n · 08-05-2019 11:30am

_Brian wrote: »

Have you not just grown up ?

Indeed.

OP, at this stage in your life, you should be smoking cigars, drinking whiskey and occasionally beating your wife as a means of entertainment.

Wholesome fun is apparently for children only.

johnny_ultimate · 08-05-2019 11:37am

I don’t know, think there’s a valid observation about growing up - and not in the sense of ‘grow up and drop the childish video games’. The reality is we do grow up, and face increasing demands on our time. Whereas I might have welcomed an epic, time-consuming game when I was a teenager, that’s a very different proposition now.

And yeah, our tastes do evolve as well. This stood out to me when I was playing Persona 5. The previous game is one of my favourites, but found myself far less tolerant of the anime bull****, repetitious gameplay and adolescent tone in the fifth. That’s partly because it’s IMO a somewhat weaker game than its predecessor, but equally because my own interests have spiralled off in different directions. Individuals’ tastes and preferences shift all the time, and video games definitely aren’t immune to that.

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 11:52am

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I don’t know, think there’s a valid observation about growing up - and not in the sense of ‘grow up and drop the childish video games’. The reality is we do grow up, and face increasing demands on our time. Whereas I might have welcomed an epic, time-consuming game when I was a teenager, that’s a very different proposition now.

And yeah, our tastes do evolve as well. This stood out to me when I was playing Persona 5. The previous game is one of my favourites, but found myself far less tolerant of the anime bull****, repetitious gameplay and adolescent tone in the fifth. That’s partly because it’s IMO a somewhat weaker game than its predecessor, but equally because my own interests have spiralled off in different directions. Individuals’ tastes and preferences shift all the time, and video games definitely aren’t immune to that.

My taste in movies has changed from when I was a child or a teenager... doesn't mean I'm going to abandon the medium as an adult on the basis that I'm a grown up now. That would be absurd... but it's what is suggested a lot in relation to videogames.

o1s1n · 08-05-2019 11:56am

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I don’t know, think there’s a valid observation about growing up - and not in the sense of ‘grow up and drop the childish video games’. The reality is we do grow up, and face increasing demands on our time. Whereas I might have welcomed an epic, time-consuming game when I was a teenager, that’s a very different proposition now.

And yeah, our tastes do evolve as well. This stood out to me when I was playing Persona 5. The previous game is one of my favourites, but found myself far less tolerant of the anime bull****, repetitious gameplay and adolescent tone in the fifth. That’s partly because it’s IMO a somewhat weaker game than its predecessor, but equally because my own interests have spiralled off in different directions. Individuals’ tastes and preferences shift all the time, and video games definitely aren’t immune to that.

So basically you 'grew up' and got notions? :pac:

johnny_ultimate · 08-05-2019 12:12pm

kunst nugget wrote: »

My taste in movies has changed from when I was a child or a teenager... doesn't mean I'm going to abandon the medium as an adult on the basis that I'm a grown up now. That would be absurd... but it's what is suggested a lot in relation to videogames.

Absolutely, and I think such a dismissive stance is completely absurd.

At the same time I can easily see a link between ‘growing up’ and feeling a sense of burnout with games: whether that’s for content reasons, or simply not being able to keep up with the time demanded to work through many games. Big difference between that and waving off games in their entirety as a childish triviality unworthy of one’s ‘grown up’ attention

Corvo · 08-05-2019 12:28pm

I don't know if its burnout with games in general as I still pick up and play, but I have definitely grown tired of open world AAA titles. For instance I loved RDR2 for its story (which is something I look for a lot) but the gameplay itself was nothing unique and by the end I was very very bored and that's a feeling I get a bit now with all these sort of titles.

08-05-2019 2:33pm

Live service games by design are the worst culprits for gaming burnout

EoinHef · 08-05-2019 4:20pm

Fred The Red wrote: »

Live service games by design are the worst culprits for gaming burnout

I dont agree.

08-05-2019 4:21pm

EoinHef wrote: »

I dont agree.

Fair enough.

Fiftyfilthy · 08-05-2019 4:25pm

Fred The Red wrote: »

Live service games by design are the worst culprits for gaming burnout

I find open world and any game that involves grinding

When I feel burn out I play fifa or just do something else completely

I do believe in the ‘grown up’ aspect too. Some games require too much time and impossible with adult responsibilities. Even saving a game now isn’t as easy so can’t just play a bit and save and finish

And need more original games out there too, pc has superior advantage with so many short indie games

partyguinness · 08-05-2019 4:29pm

I think that is nature telling you to grow up.

ancapailldorcha · 08-05-2019 4:35pm

Fred The Red wrote: »

Live service games by design are the worst culprits for gaming burnout

Live service?

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 4:53pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Live service?

Warframe, The Division, Fortnite... games of that ilk.

kunst nugget · 08-05-2019 4:55pm

partyguinness wrote: »

I think that is nature telling you to grow up.

Anytime I sit down to play a game the wind-rustled trees outside my window seem to whisper this melancholic refrain, 'Stop playing that game, loser. You're too old!'

Potential-Monke · 08-05-2019 5:07pm

I decided in my mid-20s that adult life is not really for me. I still adult, I have a full time job, pay taxes, loans, bills, and all the other expenses with being an adult. But I knew kids were not for me. And due to many reasons, I have taken myself off the 'market' (partially due to past experience of failing, constantly, mainly due to couldn't be bothered!). Financial choices (ie: mortgage) have left me in negative equity, and I'm back living at home with my parents for now. I'm 36. I spend most of my free time gaming. I help the parents when needed, cook, clean, drive them places, but any other time, I'm usually playing games.

People give out to me over it, saying I've turned anti-social. No, people have turned me anti-social. I have a close group of friends who I call to at least once a week to catch up on that weeks anime, discuss games, play board games. They're all younger than 25. People my own age, where I currently live, are all married, kids, settled, into sports, think gaming is for children. So I don't hang out with them as I've nothing in common with them. I don't socialise because socialising is all about talking about other people as far as I can tell, and I've no interest in that.

So while I have loads of time for gaming, I still get burned out every now and then, as explained in my last post. So while I understand a lot of ye saying that play time is a factor, I can guarantee you that if you had all the time in the world to play games, you would still get burned out.

Anyone experience gaming burnout?

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