How I Fell Back in Love with Gaming
.. from burnout, to feeling like I'm 10 again playing on my first console.
A few years ago, I was part of a gaming podcast. At first, it was exciting. 4-5 gentlemen who are lifelong passionate gamers like me are chatting. But I quickly realized the conversations focused less on what made games fun and more on industry drama, business moves, and the latest wokeness controversies.
This was during the pandemic, and like many, I had TIME. 2020 was a dream for gamers like me who now had more time on their hands to catch up to the backlog. And by 2022, I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content I was consuming: music, movies, games, shows, etc., not to mention social media. The constant flood of content, along with the accessibility of all the channels, made everything feel like a race to consume more, leaving me numb and burned out. That pushed me to rethink how I engage with my hobbies. I’ve talked about getting into physical media for slowing down and appreciating music, so today I’ll cover gaming.
Nowadays, I game on my terms. Only selected titles, with a balance of co-op games with my wife, competitive ones I can play in person with friends, and ones I play solo. No Twitch chat, no paid reviews, controversies, or Reddit debates.. Bringing back how I played games as a kid before becoming chronically online brought back the fun in gaming! And here’s what I did:
Getting Rid of Online Pressure
I don’t play online anymore. Last thing I can remember playing online was Dying Light and Rocket League with my friends. While online gaming had its moments, my favourite gaming memories come from me exploring worlds on N64 or PS2 on my own without anyone talking to my ear or having to cater my playstyle to a stranger.
This has nothing to do with some of the competitive gaming toxicity. I’m just tired of other people making my hobby feel like networking. I don’t want to join a clan, sync up calendars, or run the same raid for loot I don’t care about. I’m not scheduling my already-limited adult game time around when others are online. I want to game on my terms, not squeeze in two hours on a Tuesday night because that’s when the squad’s available. I want to be absorbed in a world, forget my irl worries, and be attached to the characters and lore of the game. Hence why my all-time favourite game is Witcher 3.
One of the best parts of solo gaming (aside from the obvious reasons people play solo) for me is when I get to curate my soundtrack. Once I’ve heard the same orchestral loop or battle theme fifty times, I throw on a custom playlist of music I found that pairs well with the game and keep grinding. This is best when I’m playing Rogue-Likes or action games. This is how I keep discovering new music that I otherwise would not have listened to with my normal lifestyle, and it’s also extremely satisfying! Whether I’m replaying Yakuza or unlocking new things on Binding of Isaac, I’ve found peace in playing alone and as a soundtrack curator. Just me, the game, and whatever weird playlist I cooked up that day.
Opinions Are Loud, So I Hit Mute
Every new game these days feels like it launches with a press tour, a political debate, and a minor scandal. Is it woke? Not woke enough? Did someone on the dev team tweet something spicy in 2012? Oh, and don’t forget the $30 battle pass, $20 skins, and early access if you pay double. It’s less about games now and more about navigating a minefield of opinions, agendas, and storefronts disguised as gameplay.
I used to get caught up in it, watching reviews before I decided to play a game, scrolling Reddit, trying to figure out what was “worth playing” based on some stranger’s breakdown. And that honestly prevented me from playing some of the games I would eventually play later on, and finding them amazing despite reviews!
So nowadays, being oblivious and dumb helps. I don’t read patch notes like scripture. I don’t need the internet to approve of my taste. I mute the noise and play what looks fun, what feels fun. That’s it. Let the rest of the world fight about whether the new update ruined the meta, or how the sequel is not as good as the original. I’m out here killing zombies in Dead Island 2 that critics found “repetitive” and having a blast!
Accepting You No Longer Have All the Time
Look, I am a busy mid-thirties dude. I don’t have the time or patience I did when I was grinding to platinum a game, running on Mountain Dew, pizza pockets, and teenage adrenaline. These days, realistically, if I can get 3-4 hours of uninterrupted gaming, I’m living the dream!
I had to stop being a completionist. I don’t care about unlocking every trophy, checking every box, or trying to complete a game in its hardest difficulty. While I do love my hard games (Souls-like enjoyer here), if I have a game more for the fun and story rather than the challenge, then it’s going on normal (sometimes easy). I don’t care if I’m told I need to “git-gud”.
If a game stops being fun, I move on. For this reason, I only play games that have an ending. Ones that respect my time, challenge me just enough to keep me engaged, but not so much that it starts feeling like a second job. I’m no longer here for daily quests and chore lists. If I want to simulate a goat on a Friday night doing tricks on a skateboard and harassing pedestrians, I’m gonna do it!
Speaking of wacky games, check out my other blog on I Miss When Video Games Were Simply.. Video Games.
Limiting My Choices
I used to have a friend who made fun of me for being solely on consoles. Told me that I was limiting myself and not playing the best games this way, yet I don’t know if he’s ever talked about a game he completed or even one he loved.
This is why I started limiting my choices on purpose. I don’t subscribe to every service, I don’t own every console, and I don’t even play PC, not because I’m anti-tech or trying to be a minimalist, but because I know myself—I’ll fall down the rabbit hole of endless options and mods and end up playing nothing.
The more resources you have, the harder it is to choose and gravitate towards one thing, and honestly, I think that’s why I observed some people with massive libraries are also the ones who get bored the fastest. A Gamestop employee once acted like I was insane that I’ve yet to expand my PS5 storage, but I like having limited space as I have to decide what I want to download and play at once. I’d rather have a 2-4 game I can choose from at one time rather than 500 that I’ll play for 15 minutes and never think about again.
This is the video I stumbled across that made me want to write about this!
Keeping it a “Hobby”
Just like Nobleplay’s video above, I’ve stopped calling myself a “gamer.” It used to feel like a personality trait—something that made me interesting, or made me quirky in conversations. Nowadays, I just state it’s a hobby I really enjoy. It’s just like cooking a new recipe, hitting the gym, or writing blogs no one asked for. It doesn’t define me anymore, which has honestly been freeing.
It feels good to play games I like for enjoyment instead of the flex. And weirdly enough, I found that fun when I walked away from the pressure to always be playing everything.
I no longer game because I have to, or because I’m chasing a leaderboard, or because my friends will think I’m lame if I haven’t played whatever hot new title or retro classic. I game because it expands my creativity, it’s therapeutic, and it’s FUN. The whole point that we often forget about.
… and if this means I’m a ‘casual gamer’ now, then I guess I am!
A bit late to the party but I love how perfectly captures a common struggle of feeling overwhelmed instead of entertained. It shows how gaming can go from fun to a chore.
What really stands out is the idea of a mindful approach(two guesses why…haha!) to gaming. It's not about playing every new game or getting all the achievements. Instead, it's about being fully present and enjoying the moment.
It is about the fun 🙂
Gaming should be a source of joy and relaxation. It encourages us to ignore outside pressures, like hype or the need to "optimize" every session. By doing this, we can truly connect and make them a genuinely enriching hobby again.
I love a lot of what was said here!!
It's definitely not something that happens with gaming, but just so many things in life. We're exposed to so many things, always chasing the next thing and that's where burnout happens.
Not my main reason of not playing PC games anymore, but def one of the reasons. My Steam library is ludicrous. I picked up every sale. It came to a point whre I just didn't even touch most of the games I bought. I was tired.
Now? I'm good with my Ps5 and Switch. I play what. Iwant and no need on getting it upon release. My backlog of games I DO wanna play, I'll take my time with until that "new" game goes on sale.
ANd I too have to not be a completionist anymore. Sure I'll finish the 50 side quests but no need to find all 1000 koroks type deal.
No need for team games, I just wanna play at my OWN pace. One of the reasons I stopped playing League of Legends too (on top of the toxicity). And I don't even miss any of that.
Man I could go on and on hahaha