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Losing Interest in Video Games: How to Enjoy Video Games Again

6 January, 2022

You sit down for a nice gaming session. You open the game, but after about 15 minutes, you find your mind beginning to wander and five minutes later you turn the game off, frustrated and bored.

What’s going on? Why can’t you enjoy video games anymore?

There can be a lot of reasons why you’re losing interest in video games and we’ll go through the most common of them along with a few tips on how to potentially rediscover how to enjoy gaming again.

Why am I losing interest in video games?

Everyone has a different story or reason why they’re losing interest in video games. To some, it’s a natural progression in life, to others it feels odd and they want that old love for video games back.

One way or another, know this: it is completely okay if you once loved video games and don’t anymore. 

Here are a few of the most common reasons people lose interest in video games:

1. Games/Tech are expensive

Your financial situation changes throughout life and so do prices. And let’s face it, gaming isn’t cheap. You might find that games or hardware just take too big of a chunk out of your budget and you decide to put them on the back burner. Maybe you lost your job, have a lot of bills to pay or a loan to pay off, have a child on the way or a loved one to care for. If you have a limited budget (like most of us do) then don’t be surprised when real life expenses like food, gas, rent, and health care trump the cost of a new game. With no new games to play, you might find yourself quickly losing interest in video games altogether.

2. You’ve gotten older

Lots of people remember having tons of fun in gaming as children and then see that passion fade over time. But why do video games get boring as you get older? Throughout life your interests and passions change as well as your perspective on life and responsibilities. The things that excited you as a kid usually aren’t still exciting when you become an adult. It’s a natural process. Think of cartoons you watched or toys you played with as a kid. Do you still do those things? The same can happen with video games.

3. You need to improve your health

Just hear us out on this one. Yes, video games can help people get through different health struggles. That said, they can also sometimes create them. Sitting for long periods in front of your screen doesn’t do wonders for your posture, eyesight, cardiovascular system, or progressing through life. You might find your health and overall fitness getting worse or that you’re trying to escape things you need to deal with in life. Perhaps your doctor or therapist might suggest that gaming is a cause of some of your health issues and that you need to cut back or leave it entirely. In these cases, instead of simply losing interest in video games, you’re making decisions that have a very real impact on your life.

4. You prefer real life interactions

Multiplayer options might let you interact with people via a game, but it’ll never be the same as actually spending time with real people right in front of you. You might find yourself at a point where virtual relationships just don’t cut it and you’d rather go out with friends or invite friends over for a movie or drinks. If so, don’t feel bad, that’s completely normal. Go out, hang out with people face-to-face because one thing is for certain—video games will always be there, but people not necessarily.

5. Games don’t appeal to you anymore or are no longer a challenge

Tastes change as you get older and experience more of life. It hardly comes as a surprise that if you’ve played several fantasy games, then each one after that will be a little less exciting. Most games share a lot of the same mechanics and rarely do you find a game that is completely revolutionary in gameplay or storyline. Soon you find gaming is becoming repetitive and has “lost its magic”.

As you grow older, you also begin to realize that life is much more beautiful, scary, and complex than when you were a child. You might then expect more from games than cheesy one-liners and unrealistic stories or character progression. As you change, so does your perspective.

This is especially true when you go back to games you used to love and find that they don’t seem to be as fun anymore. Things are always much more exciting when they are new so returning to old games will probably never bring on the same emotions as they did the first time.

6. You simply don’t have time

Playing games takes up quite a lot of time and that time could also be spent doing other things. You might rather want to spend that time with friends or loved ones, running your business, working on a new project, or learning a new lobby or skill. After all, there’s only such much time in a day!

How to enjoy video games again

If you want to learn how to enjoy video games again, that’s fine and dandy. Just don’t feel like you have to. There’s nothing wrong with you if you simply find you don’t want to play video games anymore. 

Some gamers become terrified with the notion of quitting gaming because they think that gaming is the only thing they’re good at. Wrong. That’s simply not humanly possible. You just might not know what else you’re good at right now, but with more time on your hands now, it would be a great moment to discover that!

For those of you who want to give gaming one more chance, here are some ideas on how to enjoy video games again.

1. Gaming doesn’t have to empty your wallet

Remember that you don’t have to buy games at full price. PC and console platforms hold sales all the time so you can wishlist games you’d like and get notified when they’re on sale. You can also get used games online for a fraction of the price if older/used games don’t bother you. It’s a little trickier with hardware, but there are game cloud streaming options becoming available that will let you play games for free or for an affordable fee without having to upgrade your equipment. Also, don’t be afraid to browse through free-to-play games on consoles, PC, and mobile. You might find some enjoyable games to play without having to spend a penny.

Another increasingly popular way of getting to experience games is by watching streams or gameplay videos on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. Although it’s not the same as playing the game yourself, it could at least give insight into the game and help you decide whether you want to spend any money on it at all. 

2. Try something new in gaming

Just like an open window in a stuffy room, a bit of fresh air can breathe new life into your gaming experience. Try a game in a different genre than you’re used to or connected to some real life hobby or interest you have (e.g. virtual escape rooms or interactive novels). It’ll open you up to new mechanics, tactics, characters, and stories that might reignite your interest in video games.

You can also take a game you know or have wanted to play and play it on hard mode. This makes the game more challenging and can also make winning the game more enjoyable since you had to work for it more.

3. Take a break

If you’ve seen at least one romantic comedy in your life, you know that nothing works towards bringing two people together like separation. Take some time off of gaming. Try out new hobbies, travel, meet new people, do whatever tickles your fancy. You might find that after a while you feel like picking up gaming again. If gaming oversaturation resulted in you losing interest in gaming, you might find a vacation from gaming will be just the ticket to have you enjoy video games again.  

4. Enjoy the feels

Instead of looking for an exciting rush of emotions when picking up an old game, just let yourself enjoy the trip down memory lane. It’s more about enjoying the memories than the gameplay itself. Remember that sometimes the reason we liked video games wasn’t always because of the game itself, but the people we played with, the soundtrack we listened to, the beautiful environments we discovered or the stories we immersed ourselves in. It’s kind of like rewatching the same movie, you know the story and how it will end, but you enjoy it anyway.

Whether you discover how to enjoy games again or simply decide that that chapter has closed in your life, remember that neither option makes you any better or worse of a person. It doesn’t make you any less of a gamer if you put your gaming interests on hold even for a longer period of time. Real life is different for everyone and should always be the most important.

If you have any tips on how to enjoy video games again, feel free to share them on our Discord!

Disclaimer: the content given here is general information and isn’t meant as professional advice for serious gaming issues. If you feel that you or a loved one may suffer from a gaming addiction, please seek professional help.

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