Topic: How Do You Get Out of a Gaming Slump?

I'm in a bit of a mental health episode at the moment, and I've just kinda hit a wall with gaming. I don't have much desire to do any of it right now. To anyone else who's been there, how did you get out of it? I just wanna feel normal-ish again.

I just do something else for awhile. Nothing wrong with taking a break from gaming. Hope everything gets better for you.

Sorry to hear that you've been having a rough patch. For me, when I feel kinda out of gaming, I just go back to playing some of my old favorites. Games that I can replay over and over and not really get tired of. It's helped me before to sort of get back on the gaming train and enjoy some new stuff.

Had that a few times actually, I am 31 now, especially mid 20s I kind of abandoned it and went to play real life YuGiOh tournaments instead. Thats my advice to you as well, just find another hobby you find cool. Gaming will always be there waiting for you.

Oh and is that Adam Page in your profile picture? Jim Cornette/CM Punk fan here, so YUCK at you

I've had something similar to this happen to me a while back so I may as well just say what I did during that period.

The best advice I could give for getting out of a gaming slump....is to basically not game at all for a while. For about 1-2 weeks, you just leave all gaming technology out of your life, only going to it if it's absolutely necessary (like an in-game event for instance). By the time you come back, you'll be re-invigorated and ready to get back into the swing of things. I personally spent the time binging Disney movies/TV shows that I had never gotten around to seeing such as Encanto, A Goofy Movie and The Owl House (based on my PFP, you probably know how that last one went) though you're more than welcome to do whatever brings you the most joy outside of gaming.

Hopefully this helps and hope you have a great day!

First of all, I wish you well with whatever you're dealing with. As others have said, taking a break from gaming is one option. It depends on what you like to play, but for me, I prefer to get narrative-driven content from shows and movies. You can watch some things that make you feel good. But if you feel you must game, maybe a shift in type of game is in order. It took me a while to figure out, but I learned that big, sprawling 3D exploration games just didn't feel all that fun. I grew up playing arcade and early console games. Those games are designed to be fun playthings rather than realistic worlds. I have a bunch of favorites that I like to revisit over and over again. I love arcade beat-em-ups a lot and always have a good time. Mario 2 and 3 on the NES are also good ones. These are games that are engaging to me, not especially challenging so that I can enjoy them whether I play well or not, and that I always enjoy, even when I'm not mentally at my best. Perhaps you have games that play a similar role for you. Of course, you may not enjoy the same types of games. I just gave examples of which types speak to me and I can just play again and again. Those are the games that help me most.

Thank you, everyone. Monday was a really hard day for me. My job wears on me, and I'm desparate for some form of escapism every chance I get (On a side note, if anyone knows anyone hiring former teachers, please let me know). I picked up Pac-Man Museum + yesterday, and that's helped as well. I'm hoping smaller, comfort food-y games will help. And nostalgia. Might play some Pokemon soon too.

Sorry to hear you are having a tough time. Here’s my 2 cents:

I often find that I get a bit worn down after playing longer games with involved storylines. It feels like a real effort to choose another to start afterwards. What I’ve found is to swap between bigger games and several smaller games between them. This especially helpful if I go for more ‘arcade’ style game where the emphasis is on short bursts of fun and beating a high score rather than completing a full game. Dr Mario, Columns or Street Fighter 2 are good examples of game where so can just spend a few minutes or hours playing for its own sake.

Alternatively I like revisiting something either very familiar that I can blast through relatively quickly (or don’t have to as I have done so before). Sonic games or classic Doom are good for these.

Another trick for me is to dig out something that I always wanted to play a long time ago but never got around to. 8 bit/16 bit games are great for this as there often isn’t a lot to get through before you make progress, outside of the controls. Recently I had a great time completing Castlevania Bloodlines for the Mega Drive and Super Castlevania IV for the SNES. These helped me to get a bit more enthusiasm after a slump in my own playing.

Finally the other thing is to do something else completely. Films, TV and books are great but even watching some game stuff on YouTube helps (stuff like Game Sack, Heavy Metal Jesus, Scott the Woz or Adam Koralik are all good game related channels which know their stuff about games but don’t take themselves particularly seriously). These might help you reconnect with your gaming or unlock some new ideas for you to try out.

I personally find it hard to find time to play video games anymore. As a result It does put me off and ruin my experience when games purposefully inject filler. Xenoblade, Yakuza and Disco Elysium are great examples, if I had a week to play through each, I'd adore them. As it stands I feel like I'm clock watching, and feeling annoyed that I can play for 3 hours and not get anywhere.

The games I've really enjoyed recently are:-

Ys VIII and Ys IX: They're long JRPGs but I feel their structure suits bitesize play sessions. They also have a great sense of adventure like Grandia and Skies of Arcadia.

Return of the Obra Dinn: Its a bit like a pirate adventure, combined with a sudoku puzzle. I loved gradually piecing together what happened.

Streets of Rage 4: Its just one of those games you can replay a level again and again, and still have fun.

Short games is key. I get into slumps as well. Short adventure games with great stories and minimal input do wonders. The Dark Pictures Anthology is great for this. 4-5 hour games with decent horror stories. Short indie games as well. Maybe try some more relaxing games like Animal Crossing or life simulations that don't require timing or intense reactions. I usually do this to build myself back up and then jump into an RPG or a much longer game and finish it. Also, don't commit to too many games at once. If it's a long game just with that one game. I beat my first Persona game (Persona 5) about 6 weeks ago by playing that non-stop for two weeks. It was the only game I played. I put 80 hours into it. Mind you, I haven't put that much time into a game for years.

I always spend days not knowing what game I should play next before eventually settling on Super Mario Maker 2 or Spelunky 2 every time. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to admit to myself that those are the only two games I really like.

@ElRoberico Don't. Do other things. Travel, take up a new hobby, sport, interest. Watch documentaries, a good tv series. Meet up with friends. Follow what captures your interest and engages you. Life's rich, full of wondrous things to discover, don't just limit yourself to just one thing. Variety is the spice of life and learning and discovering new things can be a fun and rewarding experience. Litterally new worlds can open to you and allow you to meet new people.

I find in life there are periods, episodes, when you we're engaged with certain things and then it passes and you move on. Gaming is still an interest of mine, but I find I did most of it in my teens and early twenties. Had good times but I'm also happy I moved on and expanded.

Wishing you the best going forward. Mental health and well being are very important. Take action to support and nurture them, so you can live a happy life. It is something we construct/work on every day. I myself found a lot of healing with a medicine man from South American who practices traditional healing practices, passed on through generations. Hope you find ways that can help you effectively, you don't have to take it on all on your own. Best

Edit: The first steps of moving out of your know patterns/mode of life are the hardest. Don't give up too soon. With some perseverance you'll start bearing the fruits of your efforts and eventually will find your life (and self) transformed.

You take a break, sounds basic I know but it works, it helps, and it’s probably why your in the slump in the first place, you burned yourself out, but it’s ok, you will come back to it with a freaky mind.

Just wait till that interest strikes you, usually watching movies gets me is specific gaming moods, if I watch Star Wars, I might want to play shooters, if I watch a super hero movie, maybe a beat ‘em up, an anime a fighting game, and etc.

This has happened to me over the past couple of years. I'm trying to have games that I jump into for a quick session - Mario Kart 8 has been great for this. I've also been replaying Breath of the Wild on a very casual playthrough.

I don't know, it's a weird time. Everything is very stressful and uncertain (and expensive!). Plus the fact that we were dealing with a pandemic only a few years ago, I remember not being bothered by it but I'm sure it has had an impact.

Anyway! I'd try something you can jump in/out of with no consequence (Mario Kart, Pokémon is a good option too). Otherwise, maybe ask your gamer friends if you have any. Maybe you could do something together

Try a completely different genre you've never been into. Might help. I've done that before and it's worked.

@EaglyPurahfan I agree with what @NintendoByNature said. Go from one genre to something completely different. My TOTK rebound game has been Sly Cooper, and it's been really refreshing. And the PS3 versions hold up really well.

@EaglyPurahfan You're welcome! I hope it helps, and that you feel better about gaming as a hobby soon!

@ElRoberico
Sorry I was late to the thread, but I feel you and I hope you feel better soon.
Not gaming isn't really an option for me when I'm in a similar state, in fact I don't feel 'normal' unless I'm playing something so my advice based on that would be to play the games that made you feel safe and happy in your childhood, but if you are able to have a break like others have said obviously do that.

Not as bad as you but I was in a rut recently becase nearly every Switch game I've played lately I've uninstalled because I couldn't get into it, I wondered if there was something wrong with me, but I recently discovered Pokemon rom hacks and it's given me a new lease on life because it's a wonderful mixture of nostalgia and new.

Oh sometimes I draw when I'm down too, I'm not good at it but it's a fun distraction, you could try and draw your favourite things, maybe even a thought journal alongside the drawings to help you process your emotions and get them out on paper, or if you are creative in other ways that will work too. x

@Nintendencies I do very much appreciate your comment. I'm in a much, much, MUCH better place. Mentally and in terms of gaming. I'm on a bit of a Switch sabbatical at the moment, but nothing's reached out as "Hey! Play me!" in a bit, even among the stuff I do own. Off to PlayStation it is. (I'm the worst at this. I get in console ruts big time.)

@EaglyPurahfan every little bit helps, man. I hope you're on the path to getting better.

@ElRoberico it happens. I listen to a lot of music. Start watching movies or TV shows, even double down on reading instead.

Honestly, I'm starting to worry about the state of traditional gaming these days. Aside from some Nintendo titles, there aren't very many massive third party titles I'm excited about anymore. Same with some indie games. Gaming seems to be stuck in this rinse/wash/repeat cycle for me, so I've been looking for new things to do to replace it.