How to deal with Video Game Overload

[ScriptorFaust]

Hey everyone, just wanted to know how you are dealing with something I'd call Video Game Overload. It's been years since I felt like I can't decide on which game to play but ever since I finished Expedition 33, I somewhat fell into a hole. Two days ago I finished Black on PS2 and while it was a pleasant diversion, it didn't quite hit the spot I was hoping for. I actually prepared my ROMs to dive deeper into the Y2K PS2 fps era but it already lost me after playing some Killzone. On the side, I'm also playing the very first Far Cry, because back then I did not have a PC and I always wanted to know if the series was actually good at one point. I really like it but it's not something I'd pick up again if, let's say, I'm gone for a 2 weeks vacation and coming back home. And the list goes on: After CO:E33 I also started with Legend of Heroes, thought about trying Death Stranding.. you get the idea.

I know that in big part this is related to just how amazed I was -- and still am -- by Expedition 33. For a very long time, finishing this felt a bit like finishing a big jrpg like ff6 or Suikoden II 25 years go. Maybe I'm chasing that dopamine high and nothing comes close right now? I remember, as a kid, when I finished for example Front Mission 3, I just played through it again, until at some point I felt satisfied enough. Now, with less spare time and a truckload of games in the backlog, this doesn't work either.

In any case, is this feeling of "nothing hits the spot" something you already experienced yourself? Sorry for the somewhat rambling post. Just ignore it if you find it silly :D

 

[gwardojones]

All the time, especially with JRPGs. It's hard not to get invested in a good JRPG after spending all that time with it. Sometimes moving to a game that reminds me of that great game is a balm. Other times staying as far away from anything that reminds me of it is what's necessary. Either way, it'll pass. Give yourself some time to say goodbye to those characters and that world and you'll be ready for your next great adventure before you know it.

 

[Segadude113]

demos. try before you buy.

 

[Vexicrypt]

Yeah it happens, but I just remind myself that not every game was made for me and its okay for most of them to not hit the spot. I have other things to stress about, so if the game doesn't do it for me I just stop and move on. I tend to pick games depending on vibe I have at the time, trying them for an evening, then in the morning I think "do I come back to it or I'm not feeling it today?" and go from there. If I catch the same vibe and return to the game - cool, if not - whatever. Sometimes, however, games that I deside to give just a short look end up being exactly what I needed at the moment so I finish them and have a good time doing it. Its just random, it comes and goes I guess.

 

[ScriptorFaust]

Yeah, that seems about right. Going with the vibe does it quite often for me but hasn't worked out quite well lately. I do have to admit that I've been quite lucky the last year with the games I played and stuck with. I finished Persona 4, Persona 5, Metaphor Re:Fantazio and Clair Obscure, back to Back. Sure, I sprinkled in some shorter games here and there, like playing and finishing The Excavation of Hobs Barrow on my Steam Deck, but other than that, I rarely ever thought about what to play next. As you said, life is stressful enough to really think about what to play. I took on a new job this year and for that, I needed to invest 3 months of time to get a new certificate and such. It was quite nice to now think about which games to pick alongside. Now that I'm comfortable with my new role and having finished such a great game, I might just to re-learn going with the flow :D
In any case, good points.

 

[ThunderBoy]

demos. try before you buy.
View attachment 111313

I had very good time with Amid Evil.
I recommend it.

 

[Segadude113]

I had very good time with Amid Evil.
I recommend it.

indeed. excellent fps!

 

[Matricks]

I just get back to "modern" gfx games: Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Wukong, Resident Evil 4 remake etc. to watch beauriful gfx is a good change to me.

If you can play ps3 Killzone 3 (in 3D), Uncharted 3 (in 3D) is Amazing refreshing exp.

The last time jrpg I was Cryingout was finishing after 100+ hrs on real PSX with new FFVII back 100yrs ago.
Never have same exp. with any rpg again

 

[Izzy]

Hey everyone, just wanted to know how you are dealing with something I'd call Video Game Overload. It's been years since I felt like I can't decide on which game to play but ever since I finished Expedition 33, I somewhat fell into a hole. Two days ago I finished Black on PS2 and while it was a pleasant diversion, it didn't quite hit the spot I was hoping for. I actually prepared my ROMs to dive deeper into the Y2K PS2 fps era but it already lost me after playing some Killzone. On the side, I'm also playing the very first Far Cry, because back then I did not have a PC and I always wanted to know if the series was actually good at one point. I really like it but it's not something I'd pick up again if, let's say, I'm gone for a 2 weeks vacation and coming back home. And the list goes on: After CO:E33 I also started with Legend of Heroes, thought about trying Death Stranding.. you get the idea.

I know that in big part this is related to just how amazed I was -- and still am -- by Expedition 33. For a very long time, finishing this felt a bit like finishing a big jrpg like ff6 or Suikoden II 25 years go. Maybe I'm chasing that dopamine high and nothing comes close right now? I remember, as a kid, when I finished for example Front Mission 3, I just played through it again, until at some point I felt satisfied enough. Now, with less spare time and a truckload of games in the backlog, this doesn't work either.

In any case, is this feeling of "nothing hits the spot" something you already experienced yourself? Sorry for the somewhat rambling post. Just ignore it if you find it silly :D

AAA titles aren't all that. Might be the Let's Player side of me speaking but I want to have a reasonable session to where I'm making progress even if it's through power-leveling. I prefer satisfaction than just a rush. I play longer games, sure but I prefer something that makes a session worthwhile in progression than just for some high.

 

[bjork]

Finishing The Witness left me hunting for the next one of those, and nothing has quite scratched the itch. Sometimes I just fire up something completely different as a palate cleanser, like Mary Kate and Ashley Sweet 16 Licensed to Drive on Gamecube

 

[Snorlaxbelly]

I just play whatever I feel like playing, sometimes it's a JRPG, sometimes a horror game, sometimes a puzzle game like Puyo Puyo, I don't focus on finishing games too much unless I'm really enjoying myself. I just try and have fun and soak in the atmo, music, and great game design.

It also helps to take a break from games sometimes too, it's nice to have multiple hobbies, and interests, keeps things fresh.
I love gaming, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing too, getting burned out is pretty common for any hobby.

 

[NotReallyHere]

Echoing the above poster, having multiple hobbies is a must!

But that doesn't mean they can't also be gaming-related. Do you like to draw? If characters aren't your thing, think about maybe drawing environments, or backgrounds, or monsters - anything that interests you, that might also be part of a game world. Maybe it's a game you already played, or maybe it's a game you'd like to see at some point. Or maybe it's even a game you'd like to design, for yourself! But I find it quite therapeutic to just grab a pen, open the sketchbook, and just let my mind wander.

Just a suggestion, of course ^_^

I'm glad you also mentioned re-playing games. This is pretty much the only way I play, nowadays. I'm getting old, and have long passed the point where new games no longer "hit the spot." But replaying an old game can be like visiting an old friend. It doesn't have to be anything epic or time-consuming. Blast some demons in Doom. Win a few races in Ridge Racer. Clash some steel in SoulCalibur. Etc, etc. I find I look forward to the familiar experiences more than trying to find the next "dopamine high," as you said.

Relating to you, I felt a similar way once I finished Metroid Dread. I'm a huge fan of the classic series, and thought for sure we'd never get a new, console-based, side-scrolling Metroid. Everyone just seemed to want more Prime - which, as a series, really didn't do it for me. But then came Dread. Bought it the day it came out, finished it a few days later. And it was good. Really good. Literally a game that I never thought would actually get made, or that I'd ever actually get to play.

When that happened, I pretty much decided right then and there that I was done keeping up with gaming. I literally got exactly what I wanted. I was done. Drop me off right here

Maybe E33 is that experience for you. We all have that movie that no other movie will ever top, that album that no other music compares to, etc. To me, it was quite satisfying to recognize that, after Dread, I no longer felt like I had to keep up with any new releases. When you've finally gotten everything you've ever wanted, it's quite all right to look around, take a deep breath, and realize you may have, indeed, reached the end of your journey.

To me, that realization has made all the difference. I hope you can reach a similar point some day, yourself

 

[qw90700]

I see, it's not "overload" but you are just addicted to this particular game that you naturally want to play something like this. For some people when you played a good game it will be hard to enjoy playing not so good inferior games. For example after playing Witcher 3 lots of new RPGs may seem so inferior. After playing Metal Gear Rising you may even stop having any enjoyment from same genre games among your favorites like Devil May Cry. When it's like this what to do is trying to appreciate games in their own context and instead of comparing games to "best games" compare them to Crazybus (a homebrew "tech demo" game) lol.

What you actually want seem to be enjoying a deep RPG but you try to complete your bucket list of playing non-RPG games. It's like you wanna eat pizza but you try to force yourself to eat pasta, salad and whatnot. It's not that you dislike "pasta, salad and whatnot" now, it's just what you currently want is something else. Then you may have to get rid of this feeling by playing some deep RPGs until you are done with this desire.

For example sometimes I have moods to play certain type of games. Sometimes I wanna play racing games so other games are not satisfactory enough for me, then I get in the mood for simulation games, then fighting games and so on. You just gotta go with the flow of your mood, not logical "should statements" because we are humans, not some robot!!

In this context you won't like a game when you are not in the mood for it, especially when you force yourself to play it. That's why I may play a game I normally wouldn't and I can enjoy playing it just because I was in the mood. Otherwise a game cannot bypass your mood and subjectivity and hit "sweet spot of your objectivity" like you are a robot. That's why when people force themselves to play a game they are not in the mood for they write nonsense negative reviews on Steam. And sometimes you can read "I didn't like this game when it was released but IDK I liked it now". No wonder lol.

 

[stormesp]

This is not a job, you are not forced to be constantly playing new games and completing them in order to get a rush of dopamine. If you had a very plentiful experience with Expedition 33 maybe its time to let games rest for a few weeks while you read a book or binge some tv shows, or even just spend some time on more arcade games until you pick up real interest for a new game to play, unlike some people try to make everyone think, games are not about fulfilling a list of games you think, or people made you think you need to play, if you are not feeling other games in the same way as the one you just finished just take it slow.

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Yeah I don't know what this video game overload is. Just take a break if its needed

 

[Yousef]

Yeah I don't know what this video game overload is. Just take a break if its needed

Same. I feel I don’t game enough despite clocking in on at least three to five hours per day lol.

 

[Cardboardtubeknight Cardboardtubeknight]

Same. I feel I don’t game enough despite clocking in on at least three to five hours per day lol.

Clocking in?

 

[PSVitaForever]

I also feel the same sometimes, you want to play something (because of nostalgia and you never got the chance to play it before, because it reminds you of another game you liked a lot), but then you either let the days go on without starting it or when you start it you realize it's not that special... I agree with everything people have already written in previous replies and I'll keep those good advice for me too, when I feel that way!

 

[nobitakun]

Hey everyone, just wanted to know how you are dealing with something I'd call Video Game Overload. It's been years since I felt like I can't decide on which game to play but ever since I finished Expedition 33, I somewhat fell into a hole. Two days ago I finished Black on PS2 and while it was a pleasant diversion, it didn't quite hit the spot I was hoping for. I actually prepared my ROMs to dive deeper into the Y2K PS2 fps era but it already lost me after playing some Killzone. On the side, I'm also playing the very first Far Cry, because back then I did not have a PC and I always wanted to know if the series was actually good at one point. I really like it but it's not something I'd pick up again if, let's say, I'm gone for a 2 weeks vacation and coming back home. And the list goes on: After CO:E33 I also started with Legend of Heroes, thought about trying Death Stranding.. you get the idea.

I know that in big part this is related to just how amazed I was -- and still am -- by Expedition 33. For a very long time, finishing this felt a bit like finishing a big jrpg like ff6 or Suikoden II 25 years go. Maybe I'm chasing that dopamine high and nothing comes close right now? I remember, as a kid, when I finished for example Front Mission 3, I just played through it again, until at some point I felt satisfied enough. Now, with less spare time and a truckload of games in the backlog, this doesn't work either.

In any case, is this feeling of "nothing hits the spot" something you already experienced yourself? Sorry for the somewhat rambling post. Just ignore it if you find it silly :D

For me it happened exactly the opposite. I saw Clair Obscur and was not attracted to its ugly looking graphics, but I wanted to give it a try anyways. 2 months ago I saw a friend playing it for a couple of hours because I was curious and he explained me the mechanics of the game. I ended disliking the game so hard I started to think FFXVI was worth the time. And I consider this specific FF one of the worst main FF in the entire saga. At least we finished it already past week and I literally think it's been finished for good.

Game overload is a serious problem when can't be controlled. I think my problem is worse than yours because I can't simply decide what to play. I do everything randomly or my friends choose for me. I am a very irresolute person, but the worst part is that due to brain ghosts I have called OCD's I can't start a game and not finish it, that's simply an impossible scenario for me. So, it's like a russian roulette every time I start a game, but at least I don't think about "what to play", because that was causing me headaches lol.

 

[Yousef]

Clocking in?

Poor phrasing lol
But yeah if I get to 8-10 per day I’d be weirdly proud of it lol

 

[ScriptorFaust]

Echoing the above poster, having multiple hobbies is a must!

But that doesn't mean they can't also be gaming-related. Do you like to draw? If characters aren't your thing, think about maybe drawing environments, or backgrounds, or monsters - anything that interests you, that might also be part of a game world. Maybe it's a game you already played, or maybe it's a game you'd like to see at some point. Or maybe it's even a game you'd like to design, for yourself! But I find it quite therapeutic to just grab a pen, open the sketchbook, and just let my mind wander.

Just a suggestion, of course ^_^

I'm glad you also mentioned re-playing games. This is pretty much the only way I play, nowadays. I'm getting old, and have long passed the point where new games no longer "hit the spot." But replaying an old game can be like visiting an old friend. It doesn't have to be anything epic or time-consuming. Blast some demons in Doom. Win a few races in Ridge Racer. Clash some steel in SoulCalibur. Etc, etc. I find I look forward to the familiar experiences more than trying to find the next "dopamine high," as you said.

Relating to you, I felt a similar way once I finished Metroid Dread. I'm a huge fan of the classic series, and thought for sure we'd never get a new, console-based, side-scrolling Metroid. Everyone just seemed to want more Prime - which, as a series, really didn't do it for me. But then came Dread. Bought it the day it came out, finished it a few days later. And it was good. Really good. Literally a game that I never thought would actually get made, or that I'd ever actually get to play.

When that happened, I pretty much decided right then and there that I was done keeping up with gaming. I literally got exactly what I wanted. I was done. Drop me off right here

Maybe E33 is that experience for you. We all have that movie that no other movie will ever top, that album that no other music compares to, etc. To me, it was quite satisfying to recognize that, after Dread, I no longer felt like I had to keep up with any new releases. When you've finally gotten everything you've ever wanted, it's quite all right to look around, take a deep breath, and realize you may have, indeed, reached the end of your journey.

To me, that realization has made all the difference. I hope you can reach a similar point some day, yourself

Yeah, that might be it. I'm actually reading a series of books right now, called "He who fights with monsters", which is very much gaming related. Or was, at least for the first couple of books, before it's slowly shifting into a more generic fantasy setting with some rpg-stuff on top. I also love going to the gym but have been down with a flue for a couple of days now. This might also be related to this blerp of post to initiate the topic in the first place :D Funnily enough, I actually finished Doom 2016 after CO, also played Doom 64, and had a great time doing that.

Regarding to many of the other answers: yeah, I'm not actually treating games as a job. I'm quite happy to collect many, many games and every now and then I might feel the burden of actually playing some of them, which, at times like these, makes for a counter productive mixture of emotions.

Post automatically merged: Today at 11:13 AM

For me it happened exactly the opposite. I saw Clair Obscur and was not attracted to its ugly looking graphics, but I wanted to give it a try anyways. 2 months ago I saw a friend playing it for a couple of hours because I was curious and he explained me the mechanics of the game. I ended disliking the game so hard I started to think FFXVI was worth the time. And I consider this specific FF one of the worst main FF in the entire saga. At least we finished it already past week and I literally think it's been finished for good.

Game overload is a serious problem when can't be controlled. I think my problem is worse than yours because I can't simply decide what to play. I do everything randomly or my friends choose for me. I am a very irresolute person, but the worst part is that due to brain ghosts I have called OCD's I can't start a game and not finish it, that's simply an impossible scenario for me. So, it's like a russian roulette every time I start a game, but at least I don't think about "what to play", because that was causing me headaches lol.

The "choose at random" is a great idea, actually. Maybe I should let my wife or son pick a letter and then I'll let an online RNG run through the list to see what comes up next.

 

[Mirai1412]

I bless and curse with free roms avaibility so decided plan what games i play a week ahead like this

Though in my case this is because probably i have such big drive for curiosity and i don't have much change to get into gaming at my childhood

... anyway, on may to download NDS game, AGAIN

 

[CaptainToad]

I've been going through a similar issue of choice paralysis, overwhelming, etc. So I've been going through all my games and ROMs and making a list of the games that jump out to me as something I'd want to play or try out. Looking up screenshots/videos on ROM titles I don't remember. It's definitely getting me inspired to play games again.

Gunna' try to stick to one game at a time and doing something else like music, movies, etc. if I get the need to play a different game. If I play more than one game I always end up dropping/not finishing one of the games.

This is only 1/2 of version 1. Gunna' do a second pass I think though, since I'm constantly thinking of new games to add (forgot about PS2 stuff like Okage Shadow King, Chulip, etc.).

 

[DanCalibur]

I lost all my backlog of games some time ago due to a hard drive failure and I realized less options of what to play helps a lot. It's like the Netflix effect where you waste more time scrolling than actually watching, and deep down you know that most of it is probably crap anyway.

 

[Klonesixfour]

Yeah, I get this every year too. At some point games just stop being fun and start feeling like a chore. Usually what helps me is just taking a break and doing other stuff (I’m big into photography). When I come back, gaming feels special again. I always end up getting back into it around the holidays too—probably because I’ve got a lot of good memories playing around that time. Plus October is perfect for horror games.

Something that’s really helped me lately is using HowLongToBeat. I keep track of what I’ve finished and what’s in the backlog, then when I pick something new I look up how long it takes to beat. Sometimes I want a huge 100-hour game, but a lot of the time I just need a short win. I actually played through BLACK a couple months ago because I saw it was short and it ended up being a fun time.

And honestly, I’m not afraid to retire games anymore. If something isn’t clicking, I just move it to the “retired” pile instead of letting it hang over me. With a big backlog, that mindset makes a huge difference—you don’t feel like you’re failing, you’re just choosing to spend time on the games that do hit the spot.