Is it possible to feel asleep from too many games?
This last month has been super packed gaming wise. I bought Super Street Fighter IV, FIFA World Cup 2010, and downloaded Steam for Mac. To top that all off, I finally got into the Starcraft 2 beta and the Halo: Reach beta came out too. So why have I been playing LESS games lately?
My first thought is that I’m experiencing gaming overload. I mean, if you look at the list, there are like way too many games for me to choose from. When I fire up SSFIV, someone asks if I want to play Starcaft. When a bunch of people were playing the Reach beta I got caught up playing FIFA World Cup 2010. And then the Lost finale needed to be watched. And then 24. Etc. etc. So I’ve definitely been overloaded with visual stimuli that doesn’t only include games.
While I think that’s part of it, I think part of it is that I’m experiencing a bit of gaming fatigue in general. I love playing games, but when real life gets busy, sometimes I’m just too tired at the end of the day. A perfect example was last Wednesday night when I planned a huge “night without” since Mrs. cmfl3x was busy. What ended up happening was I played like an hour of Starcraft and then just vegged on the couch watching TV for the rest of the night. It’s like my brain was too tired to engage in video games.
Since that night, I haven’t been playing too much. I’ve been out a lot and staying late for work functions, so I’ve just felt fatigued in general. Without a gripping single player game to engage me right now, I haven’t had much to sustain game playing by myself. That leaves me with multiplayer games, but as I’m sure all of you know, sometimes setting up a time to play with people can be incredibly tiring as well.
Anyway, I don’t want playing video games to feel like work, so I think I’m gonna take it easy for a few days. I did play a bit of Tales of Monkey Island last night since I still haven’t finished, and that game is perfect light-hearted fun. But this week is a good time for me to take a break, so I think I’ll do so. What about you all? Ever felt gaming fatigue? Got ideas for how to recharge your batteries?
you know, i think i also feel a bit of gaming fatigue. then again, i feel differently about a lot of things (including going to work) now that i’ve come back from my 2 week vacation in japan. i do find it slightly interesting that both of us are starting to feel like wanting to play games less due to the sheer number of games out now. could it be that we’re getting older and games like ssf4 and sc2 are just too much for us to handle such that they’re more stressful than fun?
i’m going to think about this some more and maybe write something up myself after doing some introspection. hopefully it’s more of a temporary thing rather than me suddenly not caring about games anymore…!
Well, you did just buy all those MGS shirts, so that’s a sign of gaming life! But yea, I think part of it is I’m afraid to go all the way down the rabbit hole with SSFIV or SC2 because I worry I’ll never get out of it…too hardcore maybe?”
Have you guys leveled down to 0?
haha not yet :p
Maybe the games are just not fun for you. Try picking up a more boring hobby like bird-watching. Then you’ll get that gaming itch again.
don’t worry, it happens to every guy. honestly.
Hmm, had to reply to this post because it sounds very familiar.
I’ve had that same experience. It comes and goes and I think it has more to do with the realisation that if your gaming isn’t all positive you’re constantly implicitly reminded of all the other useful things you should be doing, because of the busy life you lead.
The real kick stems from a tight schedule, if anything irrelevant disrupts that schedule, you’ll experience, not so much gaming fatigue but more the need to do something else that’s more rewarding. Gaming is less rewarding than most people think, at least I think so. It’s fun, definately, but as you grow older, It’s less and less likely that fun is enough to be called rewarding…
As for how to solve it, getting the batteries charged again… ít helps me to just do something else whenever I notice a decline in the fun I’m experiencing.
Dunno, what kind of blog this is but I thought I’d share my thoughts
:D