I don't like video games.

This is something I've struggled for years on. The reality is that I used to love video games but grew out of them some time in my early 20s. What I really love is solving problems, something I have a hard time channelizing outside of my job. I will never be good at video games because I cannot truly embrace them.

My work is much the same way. I do not love computer science. I do however love software develiopment. I am however, not the type of person that will go out of my way to learn new things unless it's to solve a problem.

Honestly, the idea that I do not go out of my way to do things, sums myself up really well. I'm not drawn to anything in particular. My hobbies are more or less my hobbies because they are convenient. I play video games when I do just to pass the time. I can become attached to them but I can never really admit to enjoying them. I'm still trying to discover if I love work, or if I'm just doing it because I have to. The reality is it could be a bit of both.

I love passively consuming media as it doesn't take a lot of effort to zone out and become engrossed in a show, stream or discussion.

I don't know, I just felt like sharing.

We know.

Judgmenl posted...

What I really love is solving problems, something I have a hard time channelizing outside of my job.

You should really play Factorio.

I get that. I have a hard time enjoying new games. Deep down I think I just like the familiarity and safety that comes with games I've played before. The new Zelda games have been a rare exception but I think I'm so rooted to the Zelda franchise that even new games generally feel familiar.

I lost interest in video games over time, too. At times, there will be a game or series I would be obsessed with, but not video games in general. I was never good at video games either. For hobbies and interests, I tend to go through phases.

I still like em

adjl posted...

You should really play Factorio.

He won't. He just wants to complain.

Blue_Thunder posted...

He won't. He just wants to complain.

I know, but it really is a perfect fit for his interests and I think he would genuinely enjoy it.

I still like video games but I have moments where I wonder what's the point to playing some of them. I've come to the conclusion that I do a lot of it for FOMO reasons. People are probably going to laugh at me saying this, but I've latched onto the "gamer" identity because it's one of few aspects of myself where I've felt like I can actually find people to relate with. But I have some kind of imposter syndrome about it where if I'm not staying in the know enough that I'll lose this identity, and haven't figured out how to cope with that yet.

I could probably just live off of known favorites at this point if I were more comfortable with myself and just saw gaming strictly as a fun way to pass the time. I wouldn't want to totally give up playing new things because nothing in gaming beats the thrill of touching a great game for the first time, but I definitely could stand to play less stuff that I know isn't going to be a new favorite.

BoomerKuwanger posted...

I've come to the conclusion that I do a lot of it for FOMO reasons.

I think I remember you mentioning having a backlog recently, which also contributes. At least speaking from my experience, buying something then not playing it creates some feelings of guilt and results in playing those games more out of a sense of obligation than a real desire to do so. Playing something without finishing it does the same, unless I can actually say "this is a bad game and I don't want to finish it." Bonus points where pretty much everything I've bought (that wasn't part of a bundle) is something that I do want to play to some extent or another, just not necessarily as much as other options in making day-to-day choices about what to play.

BoomerKuwanger posted...

I definitely could stand to play less stuff that I know isn't going to be a new favorite.

I've kind of done this, after several years of grabbing pretty much anything that looked interesting and was on sale and my Steam backlog ballooning accordingly. It's kept my backlog from growing quite so much, though between bundles, free games, and stuff I do definitely want to buy it's still growing faster than I can readily keep up with.

I also sort of enjoy "problem solving" hobbies, but find myself in a constant push-pull of whether I actually like it, or if it's the pressure of capitalistic society to always be productive and have some kind of purpose. Once I get going on a personal project I usually find some fun in it, but then when I am away from it for a while, the thought of getting started on something again usually just sounds like doing work, and I already hate work enough even when I'm getting paid for it.

adjl posted...

I've kind of done this, after several years of grabbing pretty much anything that looked interesting and was on sale and my Steam backlog ballooning accordingly. It's kept my backlog from growing quite so much, though between bundles, free games, and stuff I do definitely want to buy it's still growing faster than I can readily keep up with.

I buy a lot less stuff, or at least I tell myself I'm making an effort to buy less, but then there's always that game on sale I'll see and go "okay but for this one I gotta make an exception"... only it's not an exception if you do it repeatedly.

I also have this weird contradiction where I'll see people online talk about gaming and it's clear that they play like 100 hours a week, and I'll think to myself "man I wish I had 100 hours to spare on gaming", but then I'll also think good god, playing games for 100 hours in a week sounds awful

BoomerKuwanger posted...

But I have some kind of imposter syndrome about it where if I'm not staying in the know enough that I'll lose this identity, and haven't figured out how to cope with that yet.

Probably just talking to people Tbh, while lots of us are gamers at work, not all of us know about all (or even most) games Even some popular ones We just talk about the games we like And if people make fun of you or try to gatekeep the hobby, its possible they might not be worth it

Alas.

sorry for being judgmenl about it

LinkPizza posted...

I still like em

Same.

Technically most games are problem solving in various ways. But you could pick just about anything and they have their own problem solving to keep them interesting.

-Woodworking you need to plan out how to build something.
-Gardening you need to learn how to protect them from pests and how to maintain them.
-Painting you need to figure out how to create an illusion of depth.
etc...

It's not unusual for people to grow bored of something over time though. But considering you are unsure if you really like anything, including at least one thing you did before (gaming of course), there's always the possibility of Anhedonia: https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/anhedonia
I'm not a doctor so I'm not diagnosing or anything. It's just something I heard of before.

Life is a video game, and we already know your opinion on that lol

adjl posted...

You should really play Factorio.