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Greetings,

So I recently published my list of games completed this year. It's a doozy. https://www.gog.com/forum/general/games_finished_in_2017/post889 shows 22 games completed, assuming I remembered them all.

"Yay!" you say. "That's awesome!" I hear from the back row. Hold on, there's a danger to pushing so hard, even with smaller games, such as many of the ones on my list.

I am a social gamer. I played mmos extensively since 2004 for that singular purpose - to get a social fix. From 2002-2004 I played Diablo 2 online for the same purpose. This year I changed that purpose, and utilized my friends list on Galaxy and *coughs* that other service, to stop playing mmos and instead, talk to my actual friends more.

The result is what you see in the above linked post - a TON of games completed this year. The problem I'm facing now, is that I'm suffering gamer burnout. When I actually looked at all the games I've finished this year, I was excited at first, tempted to reinstall Dungeons & Dragons Online or Lotro, and then I realized that I basically played through a lot of these games for the sole purpose of putting another notch in my belt - I did not actually play some of these games to enjoy them.

So here I am now, about halfway through September, having completed 22 games this year, by far the most games I've ever actually finished in a single year, and I don't honestly want to game right now. If you know me, you know I ALWAYS want to game.

Long story short, for me at least, pushing through my backlog this season has really left me not wanting to play much of anything, in fact it has me questioning the validity of being a core gamer (My term for people who game as their primary pastime) as I approach the big 4-0, and wondering what else I could accomplish in life. I'm also thinking about all the money I've spent over the years, how many games I have left to "complete" if I choose to do that, and I'm left scratching my head at it all.

I'm starting my New Year's Resolution 3 1/2 months early, and I'm going to try to only buy one game a month, regardless of how much it costs or what platform I buy it for. So yes, I'm going to hold myself to the one game rule if I buy a $3.00 game on the google store.

This seems kind of meandering, and I'm not sure it's going to help anyone. My ultimate goal is to remind you that games are for fun, and when you expect yourself to complete X games in a certain timeframe, or you make yourself feel guilty because maybe you should have spent that $30 on something other than a new game on gog, try to be kind to yourself. We're all learning as we go, and games are meant to be fun.

If you read this whole thing, kudos to you. Thanks for letting me vent.
If you force youself to play on a schedule, you're probably confusing an hobby with (unpaid) work :P

But I get your point..
Post edited September 14, 2017 by phaolo
I regularly find myself starting out a game to have fun but end up becoming competitive. I mean i collected almost every single blue thing in saints row 4. I guess as long as your enjoying a game, keep playing otherwise dont. I have hundreds of games i need to play on my gog backlog, sometimes i rush, someimes i pace. Sometimes i need to just get out and come back later :)
I went from finishing two games in three years to four in the past two weeks.

This streak is bound to come to a screeching halt soon enough but we'll see.

Of course, playing really short games (GUN, Rogue Trooper) helps. :D
Post edited September 14, 2017 by tinyE
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Being a "core gamer" is pretty sad anyway tbh. Some gaming is fine, but it should be done in moderation.
There are other ways to spend your free time.
Read books. Learn a new language. Volunteer.
Or go on Tinder and have sexual intercourse with dozens of beautiful women.
Spending all your time on gaming is something you're probably going to regret on your death bed.
If you force yourself to play something you're bound to not enjoy it, even more than if you just quit as soon as you weren't feeling it.

I've finished 32 games this year. The first year where I bothered to count. And I'm still doing fine, but I also quit some games I just didn't like very much.
I've decided a while ago to buy no more games untill I'm done with my backlog, and I'm doing pretty well. Actually now that I look at it I'm almost done. Most of what I've got left there are vaious games I got as freebies from GOG at one point or another, and that means they may not be my cup of tea at all and I'll drop them fast. And I don't feel any sort of burn out, quite the contrary I'm looking forward to finally feeling "justified" buying stuff in the next big sale, rather than feeling like I'm wasting money to hoard games.

But we are obviously polar opposites as gamers. I barely ever touch multiplayer games, I think MMOs are a pointless waste of time, and while I love games and have been a gamer for over two decades now games are not my primary, or even secondary passtime, and I have in no way pushed myself or changed my gaming habits to go through that backlog. I just stopped buying stuff and kept playing what I already have at very leisurely pace.
Post edited September 14, 2017 by Breja
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tinyE: Of course, playing really short games (GUN, Rogue Trooper) helps. :D
I hear you can finish Elder Scrolls: Morrowind in about 30 minutes if you want to knock another one off.
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tinyE: Of course, playing really short games (GUN, Rogue Trooper) helps. :D
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drmike: I hear you can finish Elder Scrolls: Morrowind in about 30 minutes if you want to knock another one off.
everyone is a comedian. :P
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drmike: I hear you can finish Elder Scrolls: Morrowind in about 30 minutes if you want to knock another one off.
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tinyE: everyone is a comedian. :P
Being serious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gON5k2kw3as

If I was being funny, I would have suggested something like Dragon Age.

edit: Hmm, appears there is a 30 minute speedrun on Dragon Age.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74kXQLIu-CI
Post edited September 14, 2017 by drmike
Thanks for the feedback on the thread, all. I do have other hobbies, other things to keep me busy, so it's not like I only game. It's just that gaming is my primary hobby, and I went from playing mmos at a leisurely pace for many many years, to playing single player games exclusively. I think I might actually have rushed the transition a bit too fast, which is why now I kind of have a case of the blahs.

I'm kind of tempted to go back to Dungeons & Dragons Online, but as has been pointed out in this thread, mmos are in essence, a waste of time.

I guess I just shouldn't overthink things and should just enjoy life for what it is. Nobody gets out alive, anyway. And regarding the Tindr comment, I don't believe in casual sex. It does nothing for me. The point behind the comment is a good one though - go out, have fun, live life :)

EDIT: And for those unfamiliar with the psychology behind mmos, they're designed to be addictive, so you spend more money and time playing them. It's almost like giving up cigarettes, when you give them up, you have some days where all you want to do is group up and do dungeons, and some days where you just want to sleep. I've always been an over analyzer though.
Post edited September 14, 2017 by Leucius
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Leucius: I'm kind of tempted to go back to Dungeons & Dragons Online, but as has been pointed out in this thread, mmos are in essence, a waste of time.
I went back after a few years of not playing it and I couldn't understand it once I got to the feats. First time I popped open that panel, it just filled the screen.

edit: I'm also real big on security, reported an issue with their website's ssl cert and (after a quick check) it still looks like they haven't fixed it:

https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=www.ddo.com
Post edited September 14, 2017 by drmike
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drmike: Snip
Yeah it's changed a lot over the years :)
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Leucius: I'm kind of tempted to go back to Dungeons & Dragons Online, but as has been pointed out in this thread, mmos are in essence, a waste of time.
Well, they are for me, but as you yourself said games are supposed to be fun. So you should play whatever is fun for you, as long as you don't overdo it. I always try to keep mixing genres, never playing games of the same, or even similar, genre one after the other. But you've taken a long brake from MMOs so no reason you can't indulge yourself with some D&D Online. Just take a brake again after a week or so, play something very different and single-player, and you'll easily avoid burnout.

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Leucius: I don't believe in casual sex.
Neither do I. I've seen no convincing proof of it's existence.
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Leucius: I'm kind of tempted to go back to Dungeons & Dragons Online, but as has been pointed out in this thread, mmos are in essence, a waste of time.
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Breja: Well, they are for me, but as you yourself said games are supposed to be fun. So you should play whatever is fun for you, as long as you don't overdo it. I always try to keep mixing genres, never playing games of the same, or even similar, genre one after the other. But you've taken a long brake from MMOs so no reason you can't indulge yourself with some D&D Online. Just take a brake again after a week or so, play something very different and single-player, and you'll easily avoid burnout.

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Leucius: I don't believe in casual sex.
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Breja: Neither do I. I've seen no convincing proof of it's existence.
Thanks, Breja. Maybe I will give it a try again. After all, it does serve a purpose for me.