Video Game Fatigue

I'm sure we've all felt overwhelmed or exhausted at the end of a bad or hectic day, desperately wanting to relax and unwind. You turn on your game system, and browse your physical or digital library, but nothing catches your eye. You let out a deep sigh, and resort to watching something on TV/YouTube or the dreaded TikTok doom scroll.

This is what's known as video game fatigue, sometimes called burnout or vice-versa and I'm sure it's something even the most hardcore of gamers have had to deal with at some point. To sum it up, it's when you're too tired, unmotivated, or just can't be arsed to play something or can only play a game for a few minutes before switching off.

It happens to the best of us, and sometimes even the brand new, shiny, AAA game sitting in your game library cannot bring us out of this depressive state. Games are supposed to fun and a method of escape from the harsh realities of life and our personal problems, but video game fatigue can make them feel like a chore.

All these games can make it quite tricky to decide what to play

So what can we do to fix it? Below are some useful tips and advice to get you back in the game, and enjoy that ever-so-precious downtime, whatever the console!

1. Get some friends together!

Gaming by yourself can be fun, either enthralled in a story-driven single player adventure or jumping online for a few multiplayer matches. However sometimes gaming alone, especially if it's a multiplayer game, can feel a bit tiresome.

Adding a friend or two to the mix can really change up the game, giving you someone to chat with whilst also bringing some friendly competition to your late-night game sessions.

Some of my fondest memories come from playing custom games on Halo 3 and Halo Reach, as well as planning and executing the heists in GTA V Online, making gaming with some friends a great way to put the spark back into your playtime.

Always fun to get a few wins with friends!

2. Make it YOUR time

As I said before, the time you get to unwind with games is precious, so a great way to overcome gaming fatigue is to truly make the time yours.

There's a lot of variation to this but a good example would be muting your phone, grabbing a drink and maybe some snacks, putting a pair of headphones on, and pushing whatever happened during the day to the back of your mind.

Not only will this put you into a relaxed state of mind, but it'll also make the whole experience feel more special like a reward for a hard day's work that you've earned, rather than simply going through the motions or killing time.

3. Set a goal or a challenge

Sometimes all we really need is a bit of extra motivation to get something done. Luckily, there's a variety of goals and challenges that can spice up pretty much every game imaginable, whether it be one you've never played before or one you know all too well...

You could try speedrunning a game you know inside and out, trying to beat your own fastest time or somebody else's. Maybe you fancy yourself as a bit of a completionist and want to see and collect everything a game has to offer like catchin-them-all on Pokemon. Or maybe you'd like to attempt a no-death or damage run on a particularly brutal game like Elden Ring.

If all of that sounds a bit too extreme, maybe start small and play a game you enjoy on a slightly higher difficulty, as sometimes that extra bit of challenge can really change your perception of a game.

I recently tackled Resident Evil 4 (2023) on Professional difficulty

You could make up your own rules or follow someone else's, for example, Super Mario 64 is a popular speedrunning game and the Pokemon Nuzlocke challenge can drastically alter the way you'd typically play them. The possibilities are truly endless and it'll keep your games from becoming stale.

4. Get a new game

This should really be your final option if the previous three ideas didn't work. Sometimes we just don't fancy playing the games we already have, maybe because we've beaten them, don't find them as fun, or just don't see much point in loading them up. It doesn't mean that they're useless, as there's always the possibility that you'll want to play them again someday, but sometimes newer can be better.

Maybe it's an exciting new release you've had your eye on like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, or one you've had on your wish list for a while and having got yet, but if you think it'll hold your attention and keep you playing, go for it.

I thought I'd branch out to an entirely new console to keep the hobby fresh!

So that's about it, there are plenty of options to keep your gaming sessions fresh and interesting. If you're going to take anything away from this post, it should be this... games are supposed to be fun, so make them fun! Do whatever you feel is right to make those precious hours feel worth it, and don't fall into the mind-numbing black hole of video game fatigue again!