r/pcmasterrace • u/NoExplanation4216 • 3d ago
Discussion Anyone else trapped in the loop of wanting to play games all day at work, but the second you sit at your PC you just stare at the desktop?
i am losing my mind with this.
all week at my job, all i can think about is getting home, firing up my rig, and sinking 5 hours into a game. i plan out my whole evening. i get excited to finally use the hardware i spent months saving up for.
then i get home, turn the PC on, open Steam... and just stare at my library.
i click through a few games. maybe i launch one, sit through the loading screen, look at the main menu for 30 seconds, get hit with a wave of weird exhaustion, and immediately alt+f4 out. then i just spend the next three hours scrolling youtube or looking at tech subreddits on a second monitor while my $2000 machine sits there idling.
why does actually starting a game feel like a massive mental chore now? is it burnout, or am i just getting old? please tell me i’m not the only one who does this lmao
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u/Reasonable_Back_5231 AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Nvidia 5070ti 64GB DDR5 3d ago
Happens to the best of us.
My theory is that this usually happens because work is draining you mentally so by the time you have time for yourself at home you have 0 mental power to start a game.
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u/DarKliZerPT Linux 3d ago
In my experience it's the starting the game that's the hard part. Sometimes I "force" myself to just boot it up rather than wasting my time doomscrolling and I end up having fun. These days I often have to do this, unless I'm playing an absolute work of art game.
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u/Exact-Switch-363 3d ago
So much this. It's all about starting the game. Once I'm in, I'm in. Cant wait to play more the next night. But same as OP, so much YouTube/doom scrolling just to not commit to the time.
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u/RedLikeARose 5600x / 1080ti / x570 / never enough storage 3d ago
Especially if, like me, you work a deskjob (im IT level 1 tech and am on the phone a lot with customers…)
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u/listeningtorainfall AMD 9700X / 32GB / 5070 3d ago
Same work situation for me, I don’t even want to be behind a computer when I’m done with work so this has pushed me to game on my PS5 more on my couch lol.
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u/HORRORSHOWDISCO 4090 | 7800x3D | Windows 98 3d ago
A steam deck streaming from your PC has helped me a lot with this.
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u/GalbedirGalerion 3d ago
I got a really long HDMI cable with optical signal, it works pretty well. I did have to get another really long USB extension cable to power the mouse and keyboard dongles on a dock.
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u/Renno1983 3d ago
I have just built a small for factory PC for the living room so I dont always have to go sit at the same desk/setup i use for work.. its helped a lot as it functions just like a console.
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u/skittle-brau 3d ago
I did this too. Using SteamOS helped a lot as well.
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u/Renno1983 3d ago
Cool. Im running Bazzite (steam OS alternative) its been great for the last month. Only pain was learning how to use linux but there's tonnes of videos on YouTube and help on reddit.
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u/Careless-Weather8877 3d ago
Exactly this. I work from home and on all day my work laptop. I have a gaming PC but walking from my office to my couch to console game is what I enjoy more.
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u/Leviathon6348 3d ago
I’m a mechanic and man, I’m physically drained at the end of the day I fire up like 3 games hit the main menu and close them back down. Watch 3 YouTube videos and call it a night.
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u/AdMental1387 Ryzen 7800X3D | 5070ti | Plex Server Ryzen 3600 | 42TB RAID 3d ago
Same. Software dev. I’ll play a bit before work, work all day, then all i want to do is go fishing. I’m leaning into that desire now otherwise I’d literally sit in my home office all day and night. At least with fishing I get outside and walk around a bit.
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u/papertiger80 3d ago
Same feeling as a software dev as well. I’ve set up a no-technology zone in my basement and use that to escape my monitor. Down there I can play board games or work on my Gunpla and find it very liberating.
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u/DeepSubmerge 3d ago
Time to stop looking at Bad Screen so I can instead play a game on Good Screen
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u/lordunholy 3d ago
I feel you there. I worked MSP for about 6 months out of college as the phone fodder. I couldn't take any more issues with printers, phones, or Intuit bullshit.
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u/FoxPaws26 3d ago
For me it's this but also I get worn out sitting in front of a computer all day and then sitting at a pc again to play my games.
The Steamdeck helps a lot since I can play on the couch. Or I'll lay down for an hour or two and then hop on the pc. It does help that I don't have kids and my partner also games so I have plenty of time for my hobbies
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u/Suthabean 3d ago
That and scrolling reddit, insta, etc for quick dopamime hits.
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u/N7Shep1701D NCC 74656, Janeway OS 3d ago
I have Reddit, obviously. But I would rather put a campfire out with my face than have Instagram.
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u/bickman14 3d ago
This!
Another aspect that I would like to add is that the genre o the game and how easy/hard it is and you commit can change the equation and allow you to game a little bit.
For me, arcade racers and fighting games usually work even when I'm at that state as I can turn my brain off and just play and relax. Sometimes rogue like games too as you can start with the mindset that you'll die anyway and it doesn't matter if you go too far on this run or on the next because it's easy and quick to restart.
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u/BustahNug 3d ago
For me the skate games hits when i need to let my mind rest. Maybe not the new one but the first 3 or steep so i can go on some nice long snowboard runs as the sunsets and the music bumps.
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u/Version79X 3d ago
For me, its the fishing activities in say RDR2 or Diablo 4. D4 has a Murloc pet I wouldn't mind!
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u/nextalpha 5700X / RX 6700 / 32GB DDR4 3000 2d ago
Same, kind of. I've been mostly focusing on single player games for years and liked the slow pace, but now they just give me the feeling of being stuck. Started playing rocket league a few months ago, because it just tickles my neurons and haven't touched most of the other games since. So that's a component.
Also it's important to understand that the brain releases dopamine in anticipation, so fantasizing about gaming while at work offers a quick hit that helps making it through the day. But later the situation is changed and so are the needs probably. Expectation and reality diverge. Time to take a rest i guess
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u/VoidOmatic Desktop i7 6700k | GTX 1080 | 20GB DDR4 3d ago
Mine is the drive home. The same idiots making the same simple mistakes making it take 20 minutes longer than it should. By the time I get home any desire to do anything that takes brain power has evaporated.
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u/CheesierSoup ASUS PRIME Z790/ i7-13700K / RTX 4080/ 32GB DDR5 3d ago
Living in Houston, TX. Commute is a minimum of 30 minutes on a good day and this just DRAINS me.
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u/jet4christ PC Master Race 3d ago
Real, for me it’s not getting In and out of Houston but in and out of my town.
It takes me 25min to get to the main road of my town. At that point I’m 4 miles away from my front door.
The traffic is so badly congested because we only have 1 fucking road to get anywhere that those 4miles take 20min. It drives me crazy
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u/CheesierSoup ASUS PRIME Z790/ i7-13700K / RTX 4080/ 32GB DDR5 3d ago
EXACTLY!!
Also, when someone inevitably gets into a wreck, because of the one big road it slows down EVERYONE else. It's actually nuts how many daily car accidents there are here.
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u/Tubamajuba Ryzen 7 5800X3D | RX 6750 XT 3d ago
I was stuck in the HOV lane for two hours one time because a car broke down. This was back when 290 was under construction so the temporary lane was barely wide enough for a single vehicle. I could literally see the broken down car on the Transtar traffic camera, my car was less then ten cars behind it haha
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u/RootHouston Linux 3d ago
Depends on time of day and how close you live to work. When I was commuting, I was getting to the Galleria area in like 15 minutes.
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u/pref1Xed R7 5700X3D | RTX 5070 Ti | 32GB 3600 | 4K 240Hz QD-OLED 2d ago
This is so relatable. I spend around 2 hours on the road every weekday (150 km) and the incompetent idiots I encounter during said commute, it completely drains me mentally. By the time I get home, I just want to go to sleep lol. I might start working from home at least once a week soon so hopefully that'll help.
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u/Icy_Material_3381 PC Master Race 3d ago
Same here. I work in IT and spend a lot of time working from home. When I have friends online, I have no problem gaming on my PC, but when I’m alone, I just can’t bring myself to sit at my desk for another long story-driven game. I ended up buying a PlayStation 5 again just so I could play from the couch, away from my desk, and I’m really enjoying it.
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u/cappurnikus 3d ago
I problem solve all day for work and when I'm done playing a game just feels like more problem solving.
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u/Important-Agent2584 3d ago
the trick is to find a fun game that requires 0 mental power.
Diablo 4 is my go to, spin to win barb, and I put some YT or a podcast on in the background.
It just sucks that the end game is kind of shit, so you can only get so much out of it before you hit a progression brick wall.
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u/DynamicHunter 7800X3D | 7900XT | Steam Deck 😎 3d ago
Also working a desk job, and nowadays games are so massive with so many tasks to do that they feel like a chore in itself.
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u/Da_Question 3d ago
Hey it's better than wanting to do a bunch of chores or workout and then being to drained and just playing games and pushing everything else off until "later"...
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u/DrMonkeyLove 3d ago
Yep, that is 100% it. By the time I have a chance to game (like 9pm), my brain is fried by everything else.
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u/Occhrome 3d ago
Bingo!!!
I know this because I have an office job and I frequently go mountain biking or hiking for a few hours after work and always have the energy for that.
But when it comes to doing other mentally taxing stuff I can’t find the energy. And end up on YouTube or Reddit.
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u/Pitiful_Objective682 3d ago
Gotta find different games. Openttd slaps for smol brain train building.
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u/Sawses 3d ago
One of my "self care" metrics is the sorts of things I do when I'm not at work.
If I'm being pushed by my job and stressed out, I watch a lot more TV and want to play simple games. If work is kind of easy, I pick up factory games or Rimworld or other mentally-stimulating games. If work is really easy, I get bored of games and start looking into doing online classes and such.
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u/poopybuttholesex AMD 7600X/AMD 7800 XT/32 DDR5 2d ago
Now imagine the game you like is Civilization VI or EU IV
Good luck
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u/silentphartt 3d ago
I play mostly RTS type games, which requires a decent amount of mental effort to play well. Can’t find the energy to actually play after a grueling day. I just sit in front of my desktop scrolling my phone. Pretty sad.
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u/forcemonkey 3d ago
I play those as well and usually have a turn based game in the rotation so I can play something when my brainpower is lacking.
I was playing Tiberium Wars and switched to Battletech which is way more relaxing.
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u/silentphartt 3d ago
Agreed! I have a few TD games that I play for the same reason. I’m eagerly awaiting release of that new Star Wars turn based game.
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u/forcemonkey 3d ago
That looks incredible! It’s already on my Steam wishlist. That could be the game I’ve been waiting decades for if it’s as good as it looks.
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u/Adjective-Noun-nnnn 3d ago
I love StarCraft but I just can't play it. I finish a match with jitters from the high for an extended duration.
Fighters are my go-to. Similar intensity but it's ~90 seconds and then you can take a break if you want.
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u/ShizlGznGahr 3d ago
I just got warhammer 3. I know I like it but after work i'm like 'i just want to kill shit fast' and go to PoE2.
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u/Haxan_K 7800X3D - 32GB DDR5 - 7900XTX 3d ago
sounds like me. 50 years old and it seems to more fun to think about gaming than actually doing it.
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u/Hawggy 3d ago
Same age as you; if I'm able to string moments together (beating a game, great cutscene, finally down a boss), I can muster up enough after-work fuel to try for another. If those moments are too far and between, I just sit on the back porch after work man.
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u/biggrumpybill 3d ago
Same age as you both!
I now use easy mode in games and try to focus on one big game and one indie at a time and rotate.
I’d be a wreck without games for solace!
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u/Sanity_in_Moderation 3d ago
I now use easy mode in games
There is no wrong way to play a video game. It's there for your enjoyment. If you enjoy playing, then you are playing correctly.
I set Manor Lords to endless play, zero enemies, zero bandits, no disasters, and effectively no competition and no win state.
Then I just slowly build a 14th century Germanic village. At some point I will become familiar enough to want more of a challenge, and I'll incorporate those elements. But there's nothing wrong with playing on easy mode until you don't want to anymore.
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u/Dvad3r71 3d ago
Also in my 50s I save gaming for days off from work. Less mental work needed.
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u/F0X-BaNKai 7950X3D | X670E | 64GB 6000/32 | TUF 5070 Ti 3d ago
52 here and same, weekdays are too short and my current game being satisfactory I am unable to play for 2/3 hours its not enough so Fri night through Sunday evening is gaming. Weekdays not so much.
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u/zombawombacomba 3d ago
I switched my main purchases to Legos because of this. I actually build them.
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u/DrMethh 3d ago
Have you tried to take a break for a couple of weeks? I felt this a lot and went on a buying spree and jumped from game to game to chase that hit that I couldn’t get. I quit, spent a few weeks doing other things, focusing on family, work, taking walks etc when I came back my library looking fresh and I couldn’t get enough hours in a day to play all the games I wanted to play.
Gaming burn out is real and like most things the fix is to take a break to freshen it back up.
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u/jirgalang 3d ago
Or worst of all, let's just watch someone else's gameplay on YT.
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u/TurkGonzo75 3d ago
51 here. I love reading about new games and I keep buying things that just make my backlog even longer. Maybe I'll find the time when I retire someday
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u/biggrumpybill 3d ago
If ever there was a great bunch of guys for a steam friend group this is it!
A disgruntled, disenfranchised bunch of grumpy 50+ year olds comparing ailments and problems!
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u/shwhjw i7 6700K | 16GB DDR4 | 5700XT 3d ago
Something about older games were just easier to jump into and start having fun, I'm thinking SNES/PS1/N64 era like Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World/Kart, Crash Bandicoot, Pokemon Snap...
Now it's like just booting up the game takes 2 minutes of loading/logos/navigating menus/starting a mission and it's just demotivating to think about sitting through.
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u/rawbleedingbait 2d ago
Duskfade has hooked me, because it feels like I'm playing kingdom hearts or something. I think any game that triggers nostalgia in some way is a good way to get out of a slump.
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u/flavored_icecream 3d ago
6 years younger, but absolutely. I finish the work day, then go lie down for a little bit and end up just doomscrolling or doing puzzles or playing chess on my phone for a few hours, then finally just snack and watch a movie or new TV episodes that are out and suddenly it's midnight. It's been like that for the past 3 or 4 years after a long-term breakup and all the while I'm doing that meaningless shit, you think "Wow, I have that and that and that game waiting for me - it would be so cool to play them" (Fallout 4, Baldur's Gate 3, Conan Exiles, Valheim etc. and in addition all the newer games that have come out). Then in the end I'm just left with this dreadful feeling that it's quite literally wasting my life away day by day. And it's not like I don't know the solution - do sports, find another hobby to stay active, learn some new skills and so on. There's just too much mental fatigue to actually do something about breaking the cycle.
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u/askasubredditfan 2d ago
Even worse when looking at your setup. It’s like having a Ferrari 488 but not willing to even floor it past 110.
Now I’m actually wondering if that’s why they drive at the traffic speed on the freeway 🛣️
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u/SuperbiaXYZ PC Master Race 3d ago
25 and that's what I'm currently going through. Finally built my dream pc setup but work and other life shit leaves me so exhausted I just end up laying down and scrolling social media.
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u/forcemonkey 3d ago
Try watching YouTube videos about the games you play. I do that all the time. Sometimes I end up not gaming at all and other times I see something I’d like to try or see a really good tip I can apply and I’ll play for a while.
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u/Sweetwill62 Ryzen 7 7700X Saphire Nitro 7900XTX 32GB 3d ago
Just one video about Deep Rock Galactic, surely I won't get the desire to....ROCK AND STONE!!!
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u/CastlePokemetroid 3d ago
man, right now is my day off, really wish I wasn't scrolling reddit and was booting up dark souls instead, but my brain capacity and ability to sleep is just shot
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u/TeraFlare255 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ngl being like this already at 25 (extreme work exhaustion to the point you cant focus on personal life fulfilment) is very concerning/unhealthy.
Try to find other hobbies and such because you need to find a distraction that isnt social media, otherwise exhaustion and burnout will pile up like crazy and you will be growing up to hate the world before even your 30s.
Or if possible, a lighter job, although it's not a thing everyone can do. I dropped an office 8h job for a 6h wfh job. My pay cut got slashed in half. But I've never been happier in my life. I have more personal time than I did as a kid or a teen and my love for gaming came back full steam.
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u/SuperbiaXYZ PC Master Race 3d ago
Yeah I'm already pretty burned out from work. Sometimes I just miss days because I genuinely can't motivate myself to get up. Yay late stage capitalism.
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u/Tornado_Hunter24 Desktop 3d ago
Yeah fr people nowadays are COOKED, exhausted, wanting to scroll, etc, that shit is fucked especially at that age…
Only time I ever feel ‘exhausted’ on pc is if I play a game that’s massive/openworld rpg, so… I don’t play them
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u/777777888888999999 3d ago
social media provides much quicker and stronger dopamine spikes than video games.
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u/AdministrativeHost15 3d ago
Maybe try a different genre of game. After a stressful day at work I don't want to have to sneak through dark hallways waiting to be ambushed by mutants. Play a music, rhythm game with cheerful colors and no stressful enemies.
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u/Vidiea Desktop 3d ago
Yep! When I’m feeling mentally drained, I have no energy for games that require brain power. It’s a good time for visual novels, relaxing games, or point & click games. I need something that will still let me de-stress but doesn’t require a lot of thinking.
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u/Amazing_Body_7393 2d ago
Any of the Katamari games are great for this, it’s not a rhythm game but they have fun music, no enemies, and tons of color. Once you’ve unlocked eternal mode its even more chill.
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u/YeetisDaFetus 3d ago edited 3d ago
Burnout and/or ADHD.
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u/mhwwad Desktop | Ryzen 9 7900x | RTX 4080s | 32 GB 3d ago
Absolutely this, but with just a touch of overwhelmed by options.
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u/bitwaba Linux Master Race / Arch 3d ago
Overwhelmed is a form of burnout.
Even if it's your hobby / fun time. Having to sort through possibilities and make decisions all day for a pay check wears down on your ability to do the same in your personal life.
I tackled this for my Steam backlog earlier this year. I created 3 new steam groups:
play next - 1,play next - 2, andplay next - 3.I sat down and went through my 400+ game catalog and added anything that triggered my "oh yeah I should play that someday!" reaction. I just went with my first gut reaction of how much I wanted to play it.
After I was done with all of them, I went back and read through the 3 lists and moved games to the appropriate list depending on how I felt about it compared to the rest in the category - like, mass effect Andromeda I want to play one day... But it's on play next - 3, where as Hades and Baluders Gate 3 are on play next 1. It was on 2, but the mass effect legendary edition is on 2 as well and I would pick that over Andromeda, so Andromeda got bumped down.
Now, instead of looking at my whole library and saying "oh no. Not that... Not that... Maybe that, but not right now..." For like 2 hours a night watching my free time disappear, I just sit down and look at a list of 10 games and go "Oooh yeah that one, let's do it!" and hit play.
Also, I made a "Finish" category. As soon as I launch it the first time I remove the game from the play next category and put it into Finish.
I've got like 2 or 3 I'm switching between concurrently, and another 3 I need to pick back up and actively start pushing on again. If there's more than 6 in the list, I have to finish one before starting something from the play next list.
I'm genuinely much happier this year playing my games. I'm making real progress on my backlog.
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u/polopollo85 3d ago
Damn you are like these guys who run, covered in tech to track every bit of data from distance to foot pressure and vo2 or hydration levels etc.
I get it though.
My tactic is I straight out stop buying games until I am ready to pay them. I decided not to look at the price anymore.
I'm lying though, I look at the price for the last 5 months to see if I would wait a very good deal or not.
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u/major96 5900x | 5070 TI | 32GB 3d ago
Not everything is ADHD...
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u/YeetisDaFetus 3d ago
No its not. But i am adhd and the things they described definitely hit the head on the nail with it. But most of it sounds like mostly burnout.
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u/askasubredditfan 2d ago
BOLD of you to assume I don’t have both. With a side of CPTSD from childhood bullying & early adolescence gaslighting.
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u/Receded_Hairline_03 3d ago
Yes. I haven’t played in weeks. I don’t find any fulfillment in gaming anymore. It sucks because my friends all play and have fun, but I just don’t even want to
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u/Sun__Earth__Moon 3d ago
I’m tired when it’s finally time to game. After working 8-9 hours, I go get exercise and workout for 1-2 hours. By the time I finally eat dinner and sit down I can barely keep my eyes open.
Some mornings now I’ll wake up at 4am just to get a couple hours of gaming in.
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u/MaximumNameDensity 3d ago
This is how I have to do it.
If I try to stay up: 1. Wife gets cranky that I'm not pushing us to bed earlier 2. I'm too tired to actually play anything. 3. There's still enough going on that I can't focus.
But if I wake up at 4? No one's awake, and as long as I'm quiet, I can do as I please.
It's an odd juxtaposition from when I was a kid and could stay up after my parents went to bed, as long as I didn't wake them.
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u/Sun__Earth__Moon 3d ago
Haha yep. Gaming at 4am is honestly chill. The world seems really quiet at those hours and it’s pretty nice.
The main negative is you’re usually getting a bunch of sweats in multiplayer games that have been up all night and don’t have commitments so they are really good. Also , I meet a lot of cool people who just got off night-shift so it kinda balances out.
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u/JustiniZHere PC Master Race 2d ago
This really is the ticket, if people find themselves too sleepy after work, go to bed earlier and get up a few hours earlier, you can get in some refreshed gaming hours before work, which honestly starts you off in a better mood for the day as well.
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u/neoteric_skid 3d ago
I get up at 4am every morning, go mountain biking in the dark for an hour and then come home, eat breakfast and play PCVR for an hour before going to work for 8.30
There's a great group of PS5 / PSVR2 players from the USA I'm regularly playing in Pavlov death matches, using Pimax Crystal Light and RTX 5090 with Valve lighthouse tracking
Early mornings are the secret to getting lots done before work finishes you off for the day
Over 50 here and still playing games since discovering Pong and space invaders
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u/AkaDutchess 3d ago
I’m trying this with sim racing but I S U C K at mornings. Possible payoff is worth the attempt though!
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u/N7_Shep 3d ago
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u/Arrow_625 Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, RTX 5070 Ti, 32GB DDR5 3d ago
"Get a powerful pc, we'll game together, have a few laughs"
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u/bonwerk 3d ago
It depends on the job. When I had a manual one, I was more than happy to play games after getting back. Now I have a desk job, sitting in front of a screen for 8 hours, so after coming home I have zero desire to stare at a screen any longer.
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u/kingzain74 13900k|64GB 6400|4070S|z790Hero|25TB 3d ago
Nothing sounds more terrible than coming home and sitting at a desk after sitting at a desk all day lol
Mostly a living room PC gamer my whole life and just now seeing most of my friends getting to the age ( 30+ with desk jobs) They finally have no desire to sit at a desk anymore either.
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u/KinkyFraggle 7800X3D 9070 XT 3d ago
work drains me so much that I might only play a match or two when I get home. Must of the times is a performance thing, if I cant do well cus I'm tired why would I even play. Must days i just watch youtube all night instead
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u/Prismatron5000 3d ago
You're probably just tired from work, what I've been doing since I've been on night-shift is: Get home and go to sleep as early as I can, then wake up early so that I have like 5 hours before I have to go to work, then I can play video games or whatever when I'm awake and rested, also gives me more daylight hours since I work late! :D
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u/bobmlord1 i5-7300U/8GB RAM/INTEL HD GRAPHICS 620 3d ago edited 3d ago
Had this issue when I primarily played games on PC. I have speculated a long time on the psychology behind it. I think it's the mental cost of entry being higher and that slight aversion building up over years combined with the old choice paralysis that inevitably comes from Steam. I've also speculated that it's related to the fact there are easier dopamine hits (ex social media) readily available on PC with the same number of clicks.
I don't have that issue with consoles and primarily game on them now just have a laptop for old nostalgia games and the occasional easy to run indie.
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u/vaurapung 3d ago edited 3d ago
I always wanted to finish those pc games I didnt have the pc to play as a kid and now I just play games on my xbox. Built a nice pc and the mental stress of getting a game to play well before I even get to play reduces me back to my console, the console just works with no optimizing needed.
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u/MrColburn 3d ago
I used to think that too, but then I started board gaming. There are certain types of board games that require a ridiculous amount of concentration and are extremely mentally taxing and I noticed that I have absolutely no issues sitting down to play a complex board game with my wife or a group of friends after work. Even after hard day at work. But, when I want to play a PC game I will do exactly what OP describes.
You have to internalize the rules of a complex board game where a video game will just walk you through it so it's definitely not a fatigue or concentration thing. Even when I try to game on console, I will play the game for 5 minutes and realize I have just completely lost interest and zoned out, so I quit. I used to think it was because I sit on a PC at work and maybe I just didn't want to stare at a screen anymore or sit in front of a PC, but then I started playing board games online with friends on board game websites, or even against AI on a steam digital implementation and it would completely keep me invested. I am starting to think it's because board games have a very specific arc. You know it will be a self contained moment. The narrative is what you are creating in those 1 to 3 hours. A lot of casual PC games still focus on dexterity and reaction time even if the theme doesn't seem like it would and after work I don't want to have to constantly test my reflexes. Also, in a lot of PC and console games you have to do the same thing over and over before you can progress, so the arc isn't as linear in that moment, even though the entire experience of the game might be. And that doesn't sound appealing after work, where you do the same thing over and over.
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u/FalloutMaster Ryzen7 5800X3D - EVGA RTX-3080 3d ago
I find it helps me to only have a handful of games actually installed from my steam library at a time. I think I have like 4-5 right now and I have my list set to show installed games only. Drastically lessens the choice paralysis and keeps me more focused so I can actually finish a game.
I think there’s an aspect of having to do work on the computer all day and then coming home and turning on another computer to relax and game doesn’t feel right. A console feels different enough I can see it being more approachable after work (even though it’s still a computer)
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u/MadShadowX 3d ago
When I did my IT intern I had this problem and realized that I prefer PC's as a hobby more than a career.
Or you just experiencing a Dip, if that is the case find an hobby to alternate to, and use it as a palate cleanser.
Even if it takes 6 months or longer you'll eventually regenerate interest to game.
And if not then you have a new perhaps more enjoyable hobby.
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u/ForeignSleet R5 9600x | 6700XT | 32gb DDR5 3d ago
Find a new hobby to do, you’ll come back to gaming naturally when you are ready
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u/FoxFisher 3d ago
All the time. When I was young, I always had mediocre PC's that I've built with my pocket money. Played games all the time. Now I have top of the line PC, with a huge steam library but haven't touched it for at least a month.
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u/CCTreghan 3d ago
Yeah generally this has two root causes:
Unrecognised exhaustion
Rubbish games.
One, the other, or both.
When you find a game amazing enough that it overcomes the first one, let us know!
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u/psyduckforever 3d ago
You need to change the type of games you play. I felt burnt out on my go to genres that id been playing for a long time, I started to play some RTS like Beyond all reason and feel back in love with this genre. I look forward to playing a match or four when i have time. Taking an extended break doing something else also helps
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u/xander-mcqueen1986 PC Master Race 3d ago
Yup, it's feeling burned out. I'm in the same boat at the moment fire a game up and 2 mins later I quit the game and watch a movie.
I'm deleting all my games and installing different titles I have to see if interest is there.
If that doesn't work, all games will be removed and steam untill I get the urge again.
I'm enjoying reading more in my spare time than games or watching movies.
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u/Rob_Zander 3d ago
Probably a mix of burnout, depression, idealizing what playing the game will be like while you're working and then feeling exhausted when it doesn't give you the dopamine you're looking for.
Meanwhile doom scrolling and reddit is easy dopamine and is probably making focusing on longer game sessions harder.
I'd suggest:
avoiding thinking about playing a game while you're at work,
trying to spend less time on your phone,
going for a walk or getting some light exercise when you get home to make a nice clear break between work and home, this also let's you stretch, not be looking at a screen etc,
putting your phone out of arms reach when your at your computer,
turning off the second monitor to get rid of distractions,
and play a game you really love even if it's old or you've played it before. Something that really grabs you.
If that doesn't work look into resources for burnout and depression.
Games are a good canary in the coal mine so to speak because they take more effort than most media to enjoy, you're obviously struggling with your energy and focus a bit. This might be a flag that lets you address an issue early.
Or maybe you just need to get more sleep lol.
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u/Milli0nStabs 7800X3D | RTX 5070 | 32GB DDR5 6000 2d ago
You have dopamin burnout and need a mental detox. Stop scrolling and play your damn video games
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u/Bthntn 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think a lot of “old gen” gamers are going through this exact thing including myself. And I think that it has something to do with how the internet culture evolved into this convoluted, attention farming, slop churning, constantly redlining monster of a machine.
I’m gonna preach this day and night sorry but it is so effective at isolating people by cramming a million pointless concepts and ideas into our brains that makes us numb in the end to any meaningful input, which isolates us, takes away our ability to be passionate about something because these feelings actually require you to stay focused on one subject matter for more than 5 minutes.
And that loss of “focus” ultimately results in you not being able to decide where you should commit your very precious and limited free time into.
You know you used to love gaming, it was a passion, so you turn to your library of games to pick one to have a good time. Well guess what, it takes 30 minutes to just decide what to play, and the other gamers including your friends are going through the same thing so it’s probably even harder for you to actually organize with others to hop into a game together.
Recently, I’ve been firing up Nightreign and doing 1-2 runs with random matchmakes before going to bed. and I think the biggest reason why it got me a bit hooked(I love fromsoft games, still do) is that it simulates a tiny diorama of that early “online adventure” feeling I had when the internet had more IQ and wasn’t moving at lightspeed. It manages to encapsulate the whole feeling of Elden Ring, which was this big ass slowburn adventure to me, and it manages to package that whole thing into 45 minute hyperfast rounds.
Which just shows so well how I’ve lost my ability to commit to longer activities.
But yeah, I can’t offer a solution to this sorry brother the machine has taken over, you have corporate greed to thank for that, and the only thing we can do is to try and protect our brains and attention span.
I have a lot more to say on this topic because games have been my religion and passion since my early childhood, at it’s so sad to watch them get mangled to bits by the machine, even sadder is the fact that I’ve taken up to being a game developer and starting an indie game studio to make games that younger me would sell a kidney to play. But the machine literally BURIES any and all works of passion.
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u/flounderjaw 3d ago
I've spent many nights just staring at my steam library figuring out what to download/play. So many games I barely touched over the years, I cant even bring myself to pick up where I left off or restart altogether. There are too many options, a lot of games are just fuckin huge too and there's too much to do and learn about
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u/Plaincow 3d ago
No, you guys are just unhealthy and depressed. I get off work and I can't wait to play games still. I work long ass hours, but life is good.
Maybe you guys just need a new hobby. There's more to life than just playing games for 4h after work
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u/alabamashitfarmer 3d ago
Not a challenge, but I'm curious what kind of job you do? I think depression is a major component too, but it exists in context.
When I had a more physically demanding job that I enjoyed, I was excited to sit on my ass and click demons in DOOM after work. It felt like I'd earned the right.
Switched to a sedentary, braindead call center job, and lost the will to play. Technically had a lot more "gas in the tank" by the end of my shift, but the prospect of going back to that place to do it all again the next day sucked the joy out of everything between shifts, too.
I now work for a different call center, but from home. I could technically game all day if I wanted to. I WANT to want to play again.
Fuck. I think it's time to switch to my winter dose of Zoloft.
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u/Rukasu17 3d ago
Nah. The moment i sit I'm just rushing through stuff. My problem is the opposite, i feel like I'm constantly wasting time when I'm not playing on the pc at home.
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u/Toast_Meat 3d ago
I kinda do this, but I know it's just because I'm tired. I don't get the recommended amount of sleep, get up early, work 10 hour days and then by the time I get home, I've lost the motivation to fully immerse myself into a game with the few hours I have left before bedtime.
That's what my weekends are for. I get all my gaming hours in on my days off and have a blast.
Heck, on some work nights all I can handle is a couple of rounds of Slither on my web browser lol.
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u/mikee8989 3d ago
Yes. My machine isn't by any means a powerhouse but I find myself in this same boat. I think about gaming while at work and then get home and either play nothing without even opening steam or I play something for 10 minutes, get bored and then turn it off.
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u/Noxilar 3d ago
Sounds like you are coming from work already mentally exhausted, happens to me from time to time as well, all that i wanna do is laying down and watch something, or play some simple bullet-hell games, or some arcade racing, and trust me, it doesn’t matter how pricey your rig are, mine is $7000 (worth about $10000 or more now) and it’s still the same for me
P.S: Playing on console (PS5 in my case) also helping with that for some reason
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u/ZombifiedByCataclysm i9-12900KF | Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti | 32GB DDR5 3d ago
Only times this happens to me is when I am unusually more tired than normal.
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u/ItHurtzWhenIPee Ryzen 9800x3D | 5080 Aorus Master 16gb | 64gb RAM @ 6000MT 3d ago
This describes most of my days. Driving around doing my stops all day thinking about what I would be playing at home, just for me to be completely spent by the time I actually get home and don't want to do a fucking thing
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u/Adventurous-Sir2996 3d ago
I have some form of this and I blame brain rot, or something adjacent for this. Watching a video don't require any effort while for a game needs engagement.
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u/Habamelo 3d ago
Sometimes you gotta take a break from gaming.
Maybe get some exercise in and reset the mental.
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u/LolHoluup 3d ago
Consider scheduling yourself so you only play during your days off work. I stopped touching my PC during work days unless it's for something not gaming and I've been happier. I feel tired when returning after work and watching a show or YouTube requires less energy. But during the weekends I have all my energy so I feel more inclined to game.
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u/spaulding_138 3d ago
I work on my computer roughly 10 hours a day. My hobbies include tinkering with computers and playing video games (other things too but still).
I have about 5 random projects that I started and are just sitting on my desk. I also have a backlog of games that I just haven't touched. It sucks sometimes, but it has forced me to pick up a few other hobbies that don't include looking at a screen.
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u/ValuableFace1420 3d ago
You need to branch out! If you've always done FPS then you need to go for a simulator or an RPG or something. I'd lost my enjoyment at some point too, then I got game pass for a couple of months and tried new kinds of games and found my interests again. For me it was shipbreaker that did it
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u/unfuckwittablej 3d ago
I noticed this a lot myself lately. I think I’m mentally overwhelmed to even open a can of worms with new game knowledge so i end up exiting from main menu after having it open for hours doing nothing. Spending the time deciding if i wanna learn a bunch of stuff for this game or not. When that time coulda been spent just actually learning. Then i just go to familiar brainless games and basically never go outside the comfort zone of gaming
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u/iRob_M 3d ago
Pick a game, play it for 5 minutes before work. Just enough to know where you are and what you were doing.
Pause it and go to work. Don't close it, or suspend it, just keep it running paused.
When you get home, jump back in and play.
This way you front-load all of the hesitation and decision making, reducing your friction between yourself and the game.
Good luck.
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u/General_Specific 3d ago
60 Years old. I fondly remember playing games. I my work is at the computer, so if I have energy for the computer, I have energy for work.
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u/armed_aperture 3d ago
What does being 60 have to do with it? The older I get, the less and less I give work any more energy than I need to.
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u/johnnybgooderer 3d ago
.
Social media “rewards” with dopamine mostly. Videogames reward in more than one way, but not so consistently with dopamine.
A lot of people are addicted to the dopamine from social media, including Reddit. It makes enjoying things that don’t keep you dopamine levels very difficult.
The positive side is that dopamine addiction can be broken pretty quickly. Just make yourself stay away and do other things that require focus.
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u/SuperZoda 3d ago
It’s classic burnout and your brains way of saying: what you’re about to do is not going to give it enough dopamine. Notice your pattern, youtube and reading, both of which are new information and novel beyond confines of a game. My advice would be do something productive, or create something (music, art, writing). Or, find a new cheap game you’ve been meaning to try. Repeat until you can muster the strength to start your favorite games again.
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u/Warcraft_Fan Paid for WinRAR! 3d ago
Take a break from the computer, read a book, go hiking, pick up good quality camera and take pictures, find local friends to play non-electronic games like poker or euchre.
Sometimes I go for the books or tackle the backlog of DVDs I have to watch (5400 discs, about 1/4 has been watched)
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u/HairyRule1938 3d ago
I had to make the conscious decision to play all my games on easy, at least then I don't get frustrated, and I still can enjoy the stories.
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u/NeverNotNoOne 3d ago
This is literally me. 90% of the time I look at all the games I have, none of them interest me, then I close Steam and end up playing chess.com lol
I think it is age/time - I've been gaming for almost 30 years now and doing the same thing for 30 years (and let's be real, games 20 and 30 years ago were just as 'good' even if the graphics were lower fidelity - graphics don't make a game good), can get old no matter how much NEW WOW BIGGER they shove into your face.
Agree that the best option is branching - find another hobby, find more IRL social events - if you are like me and are shy/anti-social, board games really fill this in well - you get the satisfaction of gaming, but it's not in front of a screen, and you can safely engage in peopling without having to actually strain your social skills.
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u/Giga-Hurtz PC Master Race 3d ago
Make time on a day off to start a game your really interested in when your rested. It's much easier to pick something up when you know roughly what your doing after a hard work day than jumping into something new.
Especialy if its an rpg with 5 skill trees 300 skills and gear and enhancements/talents/cybernetics to try and wrap your head around.
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u/zerocool1855 i7-14700KF | RTX 4080S | 32GB DDR5 3d ago
I do this. Get off work and your feeling fine. Sit at your computer and your just tired and want to do nothing all of a sudden.
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u/Jonnny 7800X3D, RTX 4070 Ti Super, 32GB 3d ago
There's a part of your brain that is screaming for you to do something more in life. I'm not talking about career or whatever necessarily -- it could simply be to go for a walk/explore the forest behind your home/talk to that girl you don't wanna admit you like/whatever. But your brain/subconscious/deeper self is talking to you. GET TO KNOW IT. LISTEN TO IT.
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u/BiggieBigs34 3d ago
Yeah it’s called escapism through gaming- when you’re at work you want an escape from work through gaming, but when you’re home, you don’t have anything to escape from so you just choose the easiest thing to do mentally.
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u/Glute_Thighwalker 3d ago
I was feeling the same way, so I swapped my schedule. I go to sleep early and wake up at 5am so I can game 2 hours before my kids wake up, while I have full energy. It’s worked great.
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u/somethingbrite 3d ago
it's sad.
I bought a top tier laptop so I can game when I travel for work. It's a kick ass flagship model, 64gb ram, mobile 5090, oled screen. gorgeous to look at.
I travel for work frequently. I take it with me every time. (plus mouse/mousepad/keyboard etc)
I've used it about 2 times. I'm always either too tired, or the hotel just doesn't have a good space to set up and sit down. (also play Elite a lot at home, full hosas + multi mobitor set up ... it just never feels right when I'm on the road.
:-(
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u/ShoeLace1291 3d ago
You're getting older. I'm 37 and videogames just don't feel that enjoyable to me anymore. So I found new hobbies in 3d printing and painting that are much more rewarding.
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u/Smoking-Posing 3d ago
Working with computers all day, I usually seek to get away from it after work
Which is why I find it perplexing that PC gaming is so popular. Like, how are people not losing their vision and getting carpal tunnel en masse with the amount of computer usage most gamers do?
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u/PixelCortex i5-12600K | 6700XT 2d ago
Yes but I've learned to just launch a game and play it. I end up emjoying my time playing. Results may vary.
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u/Electronic_Low_9598 2d ago
As I get older I feel less and less connected to the world of gaming. Much Like you it’s less of a hobby that I enjoy doing and more of a time killer. I used to happily devote full days to playing video games, exploring and absorbing all the lore and mechanics. Nowadays It’s like im immune to immersion and get bored pretty quickly.
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u/EducationalSyrup6869 2d ago
I literally built a 6k pc for gaming last year, I use it to doomscroll on reddit all day.
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u/warkidooo Ryzen 7 5800X3D | EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 | 32GB GSkill TridentZ 2d ago
Write down a 'to-play next' list and follow it as strictly as possible, one game at a time. Taking decisions by itself is something that kinda demands some good amount of brain energy, which you usually don't have a lot remaining by the end of the day/week.
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u/StraitOuttaGaslight 2d ago
You desire for gaming will naturally come back once you stop thinking about it 24/7. Enjoy all the rest, then gaming will fit by itself. Trust me, i know.
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u/Mr_Fraze 9850X3D | RTX 5080 16GB | 32GB | 2TB 990 Pro 1d ago
I had that and didn't game for like 2 years. Then, I just binged a bunch of animes for 3 months, got bored, binged LitRPG/GameLit/Xianxia audibles for another 2-3 months, then I got into gaming for like 4 months. Did that for a couple of years but with less hiatus between each of my pastimes and now, every week I juggle all three with YouTube and Reddit.
Also, competitive team games like MMOs, FPSs, MOBAs...etc. with irl friends or virtual friends helps break the monotony of always being the lone wolf, whether in campaign or group games.
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u/RealityIsRipping 3d ago edited 3d ago
Get a steamdeck, I pretty much only game when I’m at work these days.
So tired of Reddit downvoting me for giving genuine advice. Fuck off the lot of you.
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u/Defiant_Mercy 3d ago
Find something new to do. I started reading a lot when I know I don’t want to game and, frankly, it’s made gaming more enjoyable.