View Full Version : ever have gaming slumps?
I havent been able to pick up a game for more then ten minutes for the past 3 weeks...
when I get home from work I usually plop myself down in my game chair and play my games for 3-4 hours then sleep and repeat....
however I cant get into any games as of late...
I tried ghostbusters, mercenaries 2, forza 2... nothing... I know that star craft 2 is going to fix this, but what am i suppost to do untill then? I havent had a slump like this in a ... i cant remember...
I get home, no interest at all, i end up watching movies instead... this is horrible
are any of you like this at all?
Sonicwolf
08-02-2009, 10:36 PM
I have been in a slump for about 3 months now. Not having a job and sitting around for a long, long time really makes you miserable and bored.
Malon_Forever
08-02-2009, 10:50 PM
You'll get out of it, but you got to find a game that grabs your attention. Sometimes when I play a game based on other peoples opinions, or reviews, I really have a hard time enjoying it (if it was hyped to death).
retrocollectorguy
08-02-2009, 10:58 PM
Ive been in a slump for a good 6 months to a year now. Ive even considered selling out my collection. Really would like to get out of this phase and honestly feel my games are the cause of me being miserable somewhat. I felt like if I sold them then this burden would overcome me.
kupomogli
08-02-2009, 11:15 PM
I've sortof been in one for a few years now. Whenever I play games nowdays it's only maybe an hour or two a day at most. There are times that I play more, like when I've been playing Street Fighter 4 attempting ito get the hard trials completed, or the first day I bought Mirror's Edge I played that all day long.
Overall, there's minimal time I put into games and I was honestly thinking today how much money I would make if I sold my games on Ebay keeping only my absolute favorites. Then I go and look at my collection and almost all the games I have are ones I really like(350+ for various systems.) Most I don't enjoy I've already ended up selling.
Ive been in a slump for a good 6 months to a year now. Ive even considered selling out my collection. Really would like to get out of this phase and honestly feel my games are the cause of me being miserable somewhat. I felt like if I sold them then this burden would overcome me.
wow this is actually what i was considering too...
its funny, I spent sooo long getting all of my systems... and lately ive been thinking about selling all of them...
its like I thought i filled the hole in my heart that i thought video games occupied by reclaiming all of the systems of my youth, and yet, now with my mountain of systems they no longer bring me joy...
I feel like conan after hes become king
hellfire
08-02-2009, 11:19 PM
Im in a slump of playing runescape all day, I really need to get into some games!
Sonicwolf
08-02-2009, 11:25 PM
its like I thought i filled the hole in my heart that i thought video games occupied by reclaiming all of the systems of my youth, and yet, now with my mountain of systems they no longer bring me joy...
I feel like conan after hes become king
Exactly how I feel now. I collect yet feel empty with the rewards.
Malon_Forever
08-02-2009, 11:33 PM
^Maybe you should take a vacation from games, and not have video games be the vocal point. Then if you feel like there is no more need for video games, sell them. That's just my 2 cents.
phreakindee
08-02-2009, 11:37 PM
In the same boat exactly, oddly. Random 10 minutes with things... So I have been playing some Atari games, casual games and older DOS games. Or sometimes nothing at all suits me just fine, which is strange considering my routine was similar to yours. Weird but whatever
Berserker
08-03-2009, 12:07 AM
I get home, no interest at all, i end up watching movies instead... this is horrible
What's horrible - that you're doing what you want, instead of forcing yourself to do something that you don't really feel like doing?
Interest in something like video games is cyclical. Sometimes it's "there", sometimes it's not. The ratios are different for everyone. What I can tell you is that if you try to force yourself into doing it, you're just going to burn out even harder.
What you eventually realize (or at least I did) when you've been into this stuff long enough is that the real reason you buy all these games and systems is so that when the interest is "there", you'll have it. If you go and sell off all your games just because you happen to be in an off-period and mistake it for some kind of eternal disinterest (as many do), then a few months later when that interest is suddenly "there" again, you won't have anything for it, so you'll then have to face the arduous task of re-accumulating everything (as many do).
It's fine to trim the fat off your collection, but I would highly highly suggest giving it at least a few months before you go off selling everything. It's an impulse move, and you'll regret it.
SegaAges
08-03-2009, 12:22 AM
There are collectors that stop for awhile. I stopped for about 1 or 2 years straight. I was not on dp. I was not buying or anything.
Just roll with it. You will either sell all your stuff and be satisfied, or you will get back into it. When I got back into it, since I had not been doing it for so long, it felt new. It felt like I was just starting over, but I had a small head start. I started back up and completed 2 fullsets I was working on (Virtual Boy, N-Gage).
Same will happen to you. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. You will either find that you truly do not want to do it anymore or you will start up again and it will feel fresh again.
If you decide to sell your "mountain of games", just remember my name and give me a hookup on some prices, hehehe
placebo
08-03-2009, 12:34 AM
So glad to see this post. I'm in the 10-minute boat, too. I just look over all my game titles and don't want to play any of them. This comes and goes of course, but these past two weeks have been ebbing.
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 12:39 AM
wow this is actually what i was considering too...
its funny, I spent sooo long getting all of my systems... and lately ive been thinking about selling all of them...
its like I thought i filled the hole in my heart that i thought video games occupied by reclaiming all of the systems of my youth, and yet, now with my mountain of systems they no longer bring me joy...
I feel like conan after hes become king
Ive overcome the nostalgia that video games brought me at first when I started collecting them. When I got into collecting some years ago, I wanted my favorite games but then it escalated into me buying all sorts of games and i feel liked ive been sucked into this hobby where I no longer feel comfortable. Each item ive sold from my collection so far has loosened a small amount of stress inside of me. I really feel that having games around, ebay and forums are a lingering negative vibe around me recently..
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 12:43 AM
Exactly how I feel now. I collect yet feel empty with the rewards.
That sums it up as well. A few years ago I was hyped with joy when receiving a game ive really wanted. It filled a hole in me. Now ive lost that feeling and every game I receive feels to me like "i finally got this, now it can go on my shelf and collect dust. What should I waste my money on next?".
Sonicwolf
08-03-2009, 12:50 AM
"i finally got this, now it can go on my shelf and collect dust. What should I waste my money on next?".
That is me every time I go out and look for games at markets and thrift stores.
That sums it up as well. A few years ago I was hyped with joy when receiving a game ive really wanted. It filled a hole in me. Now ive lost that feeling and every game I receive feels to me like "i finally got this, now it can go on my shelf and collect dust. What should I waste my money on next?".
man you said it...
heres the thing though...
I like to think im a minimalist... I dont like owning things because, like tyler durden in fight club says... "the things you own, end up owning you"
video games got me locked up though, I cant sell them, but I want to, and I dont want to...
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 12:57 AM
That is me every time I go out and look for games at markets and thrift stores.
I went out to a Play & Trade a few weeks ago and saw a Bonk's Adventure for NES sitting there for $20. Instead of being a once happy collector and adding it to my collection at a bargain price, I now overlook it as a game but rather a potential $50 dollar bill on ebay..
I just think to myself: If I keep it, it will go on myself as just another game in my collection that I have absolutly no feelings for anymore.
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 12:59 AM
man you said it...
heres the thing though...
I like to think im a minimalist... I dont like owning things because, like tyler durden in fight club says... "the things you own, end up owning you"
video games got me locked up though, I cant sell them, but I want to, and I dont want to...
Im a minimalist too. I dont like clutter in my home. I constantly feel like getting out of this hobby but a mysterious force keeps pulling me back..
Sonicwolf
08-03-2009, 01:13 AM
Problem is, without video game collecting, I have nothing left to do in my spare time...
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 01:24 AM
Problem is, without video game collecting, I have nothing left to do in my spare time...
Same here. That is why I feel video games have consumed such a large part of my life. Because all I do in my spare time has to do with video games or lurking around in forums or ebay. Its become a sickness and I feel the only cure is to get out of it.
retrocollectorguy
08-03-2009, 01:28 AM
I've sortof been in one for a few years now.
Im quite interested, what's kept you going and motivated all this time?
c0ldb33r
08-03-2009, 01:46 AM
Just roll with it. You will either sell all your stuff and be satisfied, or you will get back into it.
Quoted for truth.
You're not into gaming? Don't worry about it. Do something else. You wanna watch movies? Watch movies. You wanna read a book? Read a book. You want to do absolutely nothing and just chill on the couch? do that!
I get into videogame slumps all the time. I don't even try to fight it because (1) I don't do something that I don't want to do, and (2) if you do try to fight it, you'll just end up resenting the whole thing. It sounds like that's where you are.
If you want to sell off parts of your collection, do it if that'll make you feel better. HOWEVER, don't sell off your rare or otherwise loved stuff, you'll be pissed off later. (we've all been there!)
ScourDX
08-03-2009, 02:15 AM
It takes the right mood to get into the game. Right now the only game I am into is Freecell. Everyone gets into slump from time to time, but trying to find something to do to keep you occupied.
Sonicwolf
08-03-2009, 02:19 AM
To me it seems that by the time I pick a game or two and a console to hook up, by the time I have the console hooked up I am not wanting to bother playing it anymore and I just pack it up.
Icarus Moonsight
08-03-2009, 05:03 AM
Sounds to me that some folks self-identity is far too dependent upon being an active gamer. That's sad. The best way to look at it is that you are many things, one of which is 'gamer'. Take a vacation, pursue other interests and you'll come back to playing some games, eventually. Don't worry about how long it will take or other crap like that. Just do other stuff until other stuff includes games again. If it helps to reduce the accumulation a bit, do so, but trust your reservations about letting things go. If there is any doubt, keep it. I try to make my trims about once a year and it has really helped keep me in line with what I really am trying to do.
Swamperon
08-03-2009, 07:11 AM
I rarely play games for longer than an hour these days as when I'm at uni I simply don't have the time as I'm constantly hanging out with my friends. When at home... well, I don't have my own room anymore so that kinda inhibits things, and most of my stuff is packed up. Also, I'm sure I now talk/read about video games more than actually playing them!
smork
08-03-2009, 08:26 AM
I think I'm missing something - what's wrong with not liking one of your hobbies for a while, even years?
I used to be a very active photographer - I traveled to take pictures and spent a whole lot of my free time working on my photography skills. Then I burnt out a bit, picked up different hobbies. Now it's several years later and i am back into photography again. Isn't this how most people are?
Games are no different. If you don't like your games, read a book, go for a walk, watch a movie, have a beer with your friends, go to the beach... There's a lot of different things to do - do one of them, and when you want to play games again, they'll be waiting for you like old friends. There's no time limits on these things.
I'm not gaming very much right now and I'm only looking for certain special things when I go game hunting. It doesn't bother me; I'll be wanting to play games all my free time sometime... later.
jcalder8
08-03-2009, 01:26 PM
I go through hot and cold streaks all the time. I just got off a buying hot streak and I wasn't playing very much but the last week I've been playing an hour or longer each night. Also sometimes I don't buy or play much but I'll chat more so I'll post more on here.
For me it's just about doing what makes me happy at the time. I do sometimes force myself to finish a game that I wouldn't normally but if I feel like playing the same game for 2 weeks I'll just play it because it's a hobby and supposed to make me happy.
If playing isn't making you happy then find something that does. Just because you own video games doesn't mean you can't do anything else.
duffmanth
08-03-2009, 03:33 PM
I think it might have something to do with the time of year. Spring and summer are always shitty for gaming as there are very few good games coming out. My gaming goes in spurts. There will be periods of time, weeks and months on end, where I will be gaming non-stop, and there will be times like the last few months where I can't even sit down and play a game for more than a half hour, once a week.
I bought a brand new copy of the first Jak and Daxter for the PS2 the other day for $10 thinking that might change things, but I've only put about an hour into it over the last week or so. Gaming is like anything else, you need a break from it eventually and go do other things. For me when the fall and winter rolls around, I start to get the urge to start playing more, maybe that might the thing to get your interest back?
Enigmus
08-03-2009, 03:36 PM
Whenever I play games nowdays it's only maybe an hour or two a day at most.
Well, I'm in a boom. Yesterday, my total of Wii gameplay hours was 9:31. Beat that.8-)
j_factor
08-03-2009, 03:56 PM
I get gaming slumps, but they're easily cured. Something that provides immediate gratification and is normally played in very shorts bursts usually does the trick. I'm never too disinterested for one round of Ms. Pac-Man or Crazy Taxi.
Orion Pimpdaddy
08-03-2009, 04:02 PM
I'm in the opposite camp. Overall, my video game playing hours have gone up in the past year or so. I just played through God of War for the first time in my life, and now I am playing through the sequel. I am loving the experience. I'm also spending some time playing Lords of Thunder for the Turbografx CD. I usually play after I am done working in the yard or after doing something around the house. It's my reward.
fergojisan
08-03-2009, 04:39 PM
For about 11 years now. I play for a few hours maybe every 4 months or so (if that). I unloaded a bunch of stuff last year that was collecting the most dust. I get a pang for that stuff every now and again, but those pangs are becoming fewer. I think my wife is right, my Room of Doom has been in disarray for the last 5 years, and she thinks I will get back into gaming if I finally finish it. I hope she's right, as I'm pretty close now.
Sonicwolf
08-03-2009, 06:07 PM
Im thinking of just temporarily calling it quits with video games for the time being.
Malon_Forever
08-03-2009, 10:14 PM
Im thinking of just temporarily calling it quits with video games for the time being.
Do you. You gotta be you're own person, and do what makes you happy.
Edit: You are pretty high up on my quiz though. I wouldn't "call it quits" yet :D .
Sonicwolf
08-03-2009, 10:18 PM
Do you. You gotta be you're own person, and do what makes you happy.
Edit: You are pretty high up on my quiz though. I wouldn't "call it quits" yet :D .
I dont plan on leaving here :P. I may just become more picky as to what I spend my money on. More purchasing on what I really want and less buying because I dont have it.