How to deal with Video Game Overload

[Dikkun]

Hmmm, not so much gaming related but work is wearing me down quite a lot these past few years so I've had no energy to play games or do anything at all lol

 

[hazys]

Sometimes I think I feel this way, but if I just "force" myself to play a game I usually end up enjoying it. Getting started seems to be the hardest part.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi Dr.Kisaragi]

I have this feeling four years ago where I don't play video games for a year then a sudden of come back and hungry for more sometimes there time it feels you can't don't worry it will come back.

 

[DAME NINGEN]

Just don't do [INSERT A THING] if you don't feel like doing [INSERT A THING], that's all there is to it. It's not work where you have to clock in for long, long hours every day and consistently produce results no matter how much you don't feel like performing or really doing anything at all.

Hmmm, not so much gaming related but work is wearing me down quite a lot these past few years so I've had no energy to play games or do anything at all lol

Now this is what I'm talking about. Nothing quite like getting back home just to crash into the bed, just to wake up to another day of work, repeat ad nauseam. Stay strong, I guess. I don't have any feel good words to comfort you with but know that I empathize with your plight.

 

[Ratata07]

yep, it's happen to me aswell. but the only way to get rid of that sensation is doing another thing and not trying to force myself to play.
like, you should complement this hobby with much more like reading or going for a walk to keep your mind kinda fresh to keep playing what you love or are interested.
(excuse my terrible english)

 

[Mal]

oh yeah, you would be surprised how common it is.
sadily if you are hopibg for a solution, then it just has to be time and figureing yourself out, its all where your headspace is at that tends to be the problem.

i had a time where i was in this complicated loop:
1. i had a bunch of problems always stressing me that i didnt have the courage to solve.

2. i wanted games to distract myself and de-estress.

3. i couldnt distract myself cause i cant stop thinking about the problems.

and the answer was just getting my shit together and solving my stuff first and then jump into games as a reward.

other times i couldnt just solve a "problem" because it was a constant thing to deal with and it was more work in my part to learn to distance myself when i had my free time.

some other times you just need time for other things in life cause you are just burntout, learning other hobbies can do wonders.

and the last i could think so was just learning how to approach a game, like engaging them with the rule of "i only wanna engage with them in ways that sound fun to me", or even the opposite pushing pass some hurdels and have an honest try to learn what they had created, its very personal and on the moment which could be the answer.

regardless hope you guys the best, it is deadfull to feel like that.

 

[ProjectAG]

I also had the same situation (sorry for my bad english), like now every single videogame overwhelm´s me, even the ones that i like, the ones that i want to give it a chance, the ones that i never played but nowdays at my 40´s it became more like a struggle to still enjoy videogames in a healthy way or start playing less and resting my mind more trhough Jesus (I am Christian), the second one actually helped me a lot, i still play videogames but if i cannot play more than 1 hour or less i don´t blame me and i found myself keep remembering the fact that videogames are that, videogames, sometimes you can, sometimes you cannot, videogames never was Work Two and cannot be forced.

 

[SoThankful SoThankful]

I'd like to get through this so I can experience new stuff again...

I honestly think it’s better to accept that phase instead of trying to force yourself out of it. Sometimes nothing is wrong, your relationship with gaming is just changing. A different perspective can help you enjoy it again instead of feeling like you need to fix something.


I’m going through something similar. I’ve been playing new single player games, but after an hour or so I feel like stopping and doing something else. Instead of fighting it, I just pause and come back later or the next day. I still enjoyed it and there’s no rule that says you have to play for hours straight.


For me, part of it comes from being used to those addictive, quick-match online games where it’s always “just one more game" and suddenly you’ve played ten more and lost hours without noticing. The other part is just changing interests. Gaming can still be part of you, just not in the same way it used to be. The games you grew up with or spent years on will always have a special place in your heart. But expecting every new game to recreate that exact feeling can set you up for disappointment.

 

[Skellerick]

Yes, when it happens I tend to take a break and focus on other hobbies or doing nothing to clear my mind to come back other time (days/weeks)

 

[Pantsuhelm]

I actually did for a while, but I decided to just hunker down during Covid lockdown and start games that I felt were to daunting for me, like starting the Trails in the Sky series, and that kinda reopened my eyes to games again. Outside of older/indie games, games simply play it too safe and really fail to add anything new that'd hold my attention.

 

[saturnsh2x2]

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with picking up a game to play for just an hour or two at a time. That is how I've interacted with 90% of the games I've played, and the whole binge-watching or streamer mindset of needing to stick to something for 6 hours straight or play through an entire series back-to-back is inevitably going to lead to burnout for some, or even sour their opinion on a series.

For example, I've been going through Slave Zero X lately, and usually only it on in one-hour chunks, taking on one zone at a time. Still been really enjoying my time with it, though.

Play stuff at your own pace. There's nothing wrong with taking a break, especially if you feel you need it.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

Have you ever been in a phase where you can't play anything for more than an hour, even games you're interested in? Or you start a game, remember many others you're interested in, and can't enjoy your current experience anymore?

Lol. I've been doing this for like 45 years...

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

I’ve definitely been through that kind of burnout before. It’s frustrating when even games you want to play don’t hold your attention.

 

[Spyrone]

Heh, that's pretty much how I always play games. I've rarely been able to marathon play most of them, and while sometimes they hold my attention for hours I can rarely play them for much longer than an hour. It's part of the reason I prefer games that have savestates and such so I can just pick them up and start playing them where I left off later on.

 

[Jeff]

I get that situation too. I would play games from the morning to night, but now, with things changing in my life, I need to take breaks and do other things such as watching anime, doing chores, having lunch or dinner, meditate, and get a good night sleep so I can have a healthy body. Also, it's best to not play for far too long or else the console can overheat and can sometimes cause some issues.

 

[DinoRexMax DinoRexMax]

Decision paralysis is a bitch, and I often find myself unable to play a game out of a fear of starting something so long it'd eat my life up. Like, the PS1 and PS2 libraries are chocked to brim with massive multi disc RPGs, and I'm just not in the mood to dive into one and dedicate a week of my life to beating it. Plus, there's also the uncomfortableness of trying something new, so I tend to stick to proven/familiar territory even though I now have access to every fucking game ever made in the world through this site and others. I even got a back log of games just from this Christmas (gift card shenanigans, I got Saints Row 3/4, Double Dragon Gaiden, SMT5:V, DMC3:SE, and the MMZ collection) and the only 2 of those I played so far was Double Dragon Gaiden to unlock all the characters, and DMC3:SE to play FreeStyle mode. I should also add that DCM3 is a game I already own on multiple consoles, and I've beaten it on the PS2, PC (not Steam), PS3 (friend's house), and now on Switch. RE4 is a game with a similar honour, which I guess makes me a huge mark for Capcom.

Don't even fucking @ me about Steam, for fuck's sake.

 

[Dikkun]

Sometimes I think I feel this way, but if I just "force" myself to play a game I usually end up enjoying it. Getting started seems to be the hardest part.

Absolutely relatable, I had this issue when trying to play Wild Arms 3, but after pushing through for the first 2 hours I'm really digging it

 

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

I was for a while. My partners got me an R36S for christmas, and the simplicity of GBA/GBC era games has kind of pulled me out of it.

 

[Fietto!]

I stopped playing for half a year in order to reignite the drive again.

 

[TruthandConsequence]

Sometimes too much of anything can be bad. I think you probably just gotta take a break for a while and reset yourself. Can't force yourself to do the same thing everyday you know? I'm feeling big burnout today, haven't made that much progress in any of the games I'm hopping between today, so I'm just chillin.

 

[Guinea]

Kinda. But it's more about sudden life changes, not burnout per se. Like, I do want to play games more often, but I just got a new job and I'm living in a new place and my mind is all jejjejdhchsbsjifjrheb right now.

 

[Pokenami's icon Pokenami Pokenami]

It happened to me last year with the second half of 2025 (Around May) being a complete burnout not only in gaming but art as well. It was mainly due to real world problems alongside financial problems that I was caught up in up until last November.

 

[Xdqwerty Xdqwerty]

I guess

 

[Bacon Eater64x]

Yes because i have been Playing Burnout 3 Takedown for the last 10 months.

Oh. You mean THAT other Burnout? No.

 

[Anoobis]

Yes, turned out I just had to go back and play some older games. I'm most of the way through my first playthrough of Psychonauts, and I'm feeling much better.