video games aren't fun anymore.

video games aren't fun anymore.

Sorry this video is a bit more serious, next video is a return to form. I just felt like I needed to talk about this heading into the rest of 2022. Hopefully my story resonates with a few people, and hopefully i’ve convinced you to try out some other genres of games.

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I’ve been playing video games for, as long as I can remember. I can remember the first time I held a controller in my hands vividly. The sheer size of the Duke way too massive for me at the time, but all that was just background noise in my head compared to the fresh sights and sounds of what is now my second favorite entry in my favorite franchise ever. Gaming during this time period was, limitless. I had no concept of developer or hardware restrictions, the limits of pre-generated responses from NPC’s or content in the game to consume. Halo was an infinite universe to create in and experience, Spyro had no end to the amount of dragons I could rescue, hell I can remember using an action replay in Pokemon Platinum, using the walk through walls cheat, and accidentally finding shaymin at the end of this long path of flowers.

Come early 2021 it was time for me to upgrade, and after managing to walk into a best buy and just randomly come across a 3090 that I wasn’t even looking to buy at the time, I knew it was time to go all out. I managed to get a 5950x, the best motherboard I could buy at the time, and some sick RAM, there were NO compromises to this system, besides the fans I was running out of money. I built the computer, ran some benchmarks, and then didn’t play any games. At first I assumed I was just unmotivated, or maybe even burnt out, but over time I came to realize that I just wasn’t enjoying games anymore. I got scared, scared that I spent all of this money on a hobby I wasn’t interested in anymore, scared that the youtube channel I wanted to start was already dead in the water, scared that I’d be giving up a huge part of what formed my online identity.

I calmed myself down, and took a step back. It makes sense that I’d start feeling this way about gaming, doing anything pretty much every day for long enough would ultimately become mundane and boring, what can I do to have fun with playing games again. For awhile I was stumped, but during my time I decided to just take a break and work on my Ultrakill video, and while that was technically still gaming, it was mostly for work and I could take the time to figure out what I wanted to really do about my problem.

What I found though is that as I was taking a break from playing games for the most part, my desire to play them started rising again. But once I actually managed to get into a game and started playing, my desire to continue playing them would immediately fall, and I’d get off of it within 30 minutes.

What I came to realize is that I had no variety in what I was playing. I would get on my computer and boot up the same FPS games, or just open up Minecraft, which I’ve been playing for years as well. I decided to actually take the the time and figure out other genres of games I could play, and I’ve never been happier for it. I realized that what I was experiencing overall wasn’t me not finding games fun anymore, I just wasn’t finding FPS games as interesting.

Throughout 2021 I decided to take the effort to branch out into different video games, and what I learned was that I still enjoyed playing video games, I just needed a breath of fresh air. I played games like Forza Horizon, Monster Hunter, Ghostrunner, Spent some time on Spyro, replayed Sonic Generations, Sonic Unleashed, Cities Skylines, Dark Souls, Demon Souls, all of these games made me appreciate just, playing playing games in general, and reignited my love for the hobby.

This peaked when Halo Infinite was released. For 6 years I waited for a follow up to Halo 5, I watched any lore video I could come across, scoured reddit posts and twitter threads that discussed what would happen in this game and tried keeping up with the game as much as I possibly could. I’ve already talked about Halo a lot on my channel, so keep my bias in mind, but this game gave me hope for new releases. Did I have issues with Halo Infinite’s campaign, of course, but how GOOD the gameplay was kept me from noticing them as much as I could have.

50 Comments

  1. The Mighty Drive on July 1, 2022 at 10:18 pm

    just downloads mods
    makes gaming so much better



  2. beep boop beep boop on July 1, 2022 at 10:19 pm

    everytime i age i get bored at games i even deleted all of them cause of boredom and im here watching youtube for a day. My dad played video games when he was a child but right now he just looks at facebook posts, watch news and hunter x hunter



  3. Aaron Roylance on July 1, 2022 at 10:20 pm

    This happens to me a lot and here are some of the ways to subside this:
    Watch YouTube and find inspiration for something that looks really fun to do with somebody else and go for it.
    Try new games, there so many different types of games and genres out there that you’ll probably enjoy if you give it a try.
    MODS. I can not stress enough how much mods help with this, completely new, different and fun content to mess around with and enjoy.

    Games I would recommend:
    Terraria: Its probably one of the best games of all time in my opinion, it has over 500 hundred different things to fight 1000’s of places to explore, and its SO fun with your friends. Mods add a lot more to this also, ones like the calamity mod that make that enemy count go up to 851, and adds a lot more bosses to, its a 2d sandbox survival game where you can build anything you can imagine, and in style. And to go along with all of this, it has super "feel good" gameplay meaning that you feel really accomplished after getting something. It also has 4 different modes to choose from ranging from god powers, to a living hell-scape. it also has a vast character customization and 2 different evils that you have to fight back against when you enter your world. And to accompany that, it has multiple different biomes and world sizes to double the fun!

    ROBLOX: Now I know hat your thinking… " But ROBLOX is just a game for kids!"
    No, it isn’t ROBLOX is played by people of all ages and is completely free. It has millions upon MILLIONS, of games to choose from and will keep you entertained for hours! You can even make your own unique games and experiences for free! LITERALLY there’s a game for every single topic there ever was!

    Red Dead Redemption: Sure it can have some bad stuff, but this game can be HILARIOUS, you can play multiple different roles From the super cool skilled guy, to the hilariously funny guy who dies all the time. Rob banks, kill innocent children, and have fun! That’s really all you need, trust me.



  4. Sabree edits on July 1, 2022 at 10:20 pm

    Cause they play the same games every day



  5. BlackBeast1490 on July 1, 2022 at 10:22 pm

    Games are fun!People just grew up fuck sake..the kids enjoy it as us back then..nostalgic bitches whining



  6. civo 44 on July 1, 2022 at 10:22 pm

    list of varied games i like for those with this problem:

    hollow knight – really good metroidvania
    factorio – amazing factory building sandbox game, but maybe avoid this one if you want to do anything else for the next 48 hours
    portal 2 – favorite game of all time, amazing puzzles
    metro exodus – if your pc can run it, it’s really good
    pretty much any doom game – not the deepest of experiences, but very fun and difficult
    a hat in time – great mario-64 like with a surprising amount of content
    rimworld – colony building game, enough mods to make a second game
    stardew valley – only farming game I’ve ever enjoyed
    dishonored – great stealth/story fps, cool choices, second one if you like it enough
    prey (2017) – similar to dishonored, by the same people, but more of a spiritual successor to:
    bioshock – 1 and 2, recommend the originals rather than the remasters if you can get them to run on your computer. all time classic
    terraria – pretty well-known 2d sandbox game, lots of bossfights and another game with tons of mods
    enter the gungeon – funny top-down twinstick shooter roguelike. even if you don’t know what some of those words mean, still great game
    outer wilds – not to be confused with the outer worlds. cannot recommend this enough. story driven roguelike. DO NOT SPOIL YOURSELF.
    valheim – terraria but 3d and viking themed. also really good.
    octodad: dadliest catch – hilarious rage-game. there is no reason this has such a low metacritic score, it’s a great game.
    project zomboid – tough-as-nails zombie apocalypses survival game with permadeath.
    vessel – difficult indie 2d puzzle game. very thematic, might require some looking-up.
    control – cool 3rd person shooter with a bizarre story and cool brutalist architecture, if that’s your thing. made by the people who made alan wake.
    dead space – all time classic, really scary if it’s your first time playing. slightly less scary once you get a certain weapon.
    goat simulator – sadly somewhat short on content, but still entertaining to play around with for a while.
    slime rancher – ok maybe i lied about stardew valley. much more chill than some other games on this list.
    stanley parable – funny story-driven game about a guy in an office
    singularity – relatively little-known linear fps that still holds up today. also a little bit scary.
    spelunky – one of the few "rage games" i like. platformer roguelike
    the swapper – difficult 2d puzzle game with a dark story and some pretty cool graphics.
    deus ex: human revolution – good story driven semi-linear rpg fps game. not *too* groundbreaking, but still fun.
    dark souls series – reaaally hard if you don’t know what you’re doing, but you figure things out eventually. interesting story, mechanics, and really good combat.
    titanfall 2 – movement shooter to end all movement shooters. if you’re having server problems, look into the northstar client- community hosted servers
    ultrakill – doom with a retro 3d style. nuff said.

    and that’s it, I’ve gone through almost all the major games in my steam library. hope this helps



  7. chubbsause3092 on July 1, 2022 at 10:23 pm

    video games are only fun when you play with friends



  8. Θανάσης Thanasis on July 1, 2022 at 10:24 pm

    I think you mean you mean you don’t have the same interests as when you were a child



  9. Faris Jakup on July 1, 2022 at 10:24 pm

    bro i came here to face the reality and say to myself its done with it but you just… ruined it



  10. Slim Shady on July 1, 2022 at 10:26 pm

    No, now I make games myself XD



  11. Dioo on July 1, 2022 at 10:26 pm

    Thank you . . . Truly . . . Truly Thank you. I’ve found what i’ve been missing



  12. Roy Alvarez on July 1, 2022 at 10:27 pm

    For me esports and twitch are the biggest reasons why gaming isn’t really that fun anymore. Pretty much the whole industry is now trying to focus on games that will succeed as an esport or on twitch. You can’t enjoy multiplayer nowadays because everybody is sweating their balls off trying to make millions sitting in a chair playing videogames. Yes sweats existed in gaming for a long time but compare the sheer amount of them now to the number back then. I remember MW/MW2, WAW/BOBO2 and they were all fun because not every single game was a sweatfest. Before it was about being the best among your group of friends and now its just turned into proving to the whole internet how good of a player you are by putting TTV in your IGN.



  13. A M on July 1, 2022 at 10:29 pm

    Thanks Bro, I appreciate this video and it helped me 🙂



  14. imtrexy on July 1, 2022 at 10:35 pm

    I feel the same way bro. I’ve wanted to make a career out of video games for as long as I can remember, but for the last year or so, my motivation to put in the time to delve into different games to stream/make content has slowly dwindled. It’s left me feeling lost and depressed as I wait for the thrill and motivation to return, but so far it never fully has…



  15. FlowingLincoln on July 1, 2022 at 10:35 pm

    I think playing with friends (especially with voice chat or meeting up in real life) makes games 500 times more fun.



  16. outlet on July 1, 2022 at 10:36 pm

    I feel like games with friends boost how much fun you can



  17. Auden on July 1, 2022 at 10:36 pm

    If games aren’t fun to you anymore, then you just need to take a break, even if its a very long one.



  18. Pchelek on July 1, 2022 at 10:36 pm

    The biggest problem is when a big corporation buys a game studio and do not try enough to release new content or not try to release new games at all and just kills out the IP by adding microtransactions and P2W mechanics.



  19. Nicholas Erwin on July 1, 2022 at 10:37 pm

    That’s honestly the key…is playing a variety of games….anytime I hear people say they’re not fun anymore I check and either one of two things….either they’re just the type of person who gets bored easily and never sinks their teeth into something or they play the same basic stuff over and over. I’ve been gaming for 30 years and still clock in 2000+ hours a year….there is always something to do and I’m always trying to maximize time I can invest in it



  20. ShadowOfNoc on July 1, 2022 at 10:37 pm

    Sounds like just you bro. Maybe seek therapy? Video games are a blast!



  21. Jay on July 1, 2022 at 10:38 pm

    Here’s a few hidden (and not so hidden) gems from me:

    Underhero – One of my all time favorite games, an indie real-time rpg where you play as a monster, it has good humor, amazing music, and an intriguing story

    Void Bastards – A very fun, and very replayable, first person FTL-like game where you drift from one derelict ship to another in order to find the parts needed to fix up your ship and build better equipment

    West of Loathing – An extremely ridiculous and hilarious rpg about fighting demonic cows in the ol’ west

    SteamWorld Dig 1&2 – Very fun mining games with interesting mechanics and storytelling

    Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion – A fun and silly game that actually has quite a dark backstory to it if you’re paying attention

    The Talos Principle – A very deep and philosophical puzzle solving game with multiple endings depending on your choices



  22. Eric Jacobus on July 1, 2022 at 10:38 pm

    Me in 2000: spent hours getting stupid capsule toys in Shenmue, even getting all 5 different end positions ranks in the forklift race just to have the 5 different toys.
    Now: can’t sit through opening cut scene



  23. Mummy Napkin on July 1, 2022 at 10:38 pm

    So TLDR just get gamepass? lol that’s pretty much the perfect answer for trying new games out



  24. SCT. Seymar on July 1, 2022 at 10:39 pm

    i cant play games anymore. last time i turned on a console was over a year ago. maybe mildy interested when gta6 comes but ill prob just suffice with watching youtubers play cos i cba truly



  25. Trumpet on July 1, 2022 at 10:41 pm

    Lol



  26. Arthur Morgan on July 1, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    i enjoy some games like minecraft , red dead redemption 1 and 2 and many others ive grew up with but with all these new games i cant actually enjoy them after a month or so



  27. Desiignerr on July 1, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    I FOUND A SOLUTION,
    i got gta san Andreas online and went for some rp servers, trust me its addicting



  28. The Expired Marshmallow on July 1, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    Thats just you stryxo. I’m having the time of my life



  29. resul play ツ on July 1, 2022 at 10:42 pm

    Alright maybe he will dont see this comment but if you saw it, then I’m glad that I was found among the many comments.

    Bored of games? Make a one.
    Yes. Make a goddamn game.

    Right now I’m learning to make cinematic music for my dream game. I made many scenarios on my mind and even made stupid comics about it. Also, I’m learning to code in C# and learning to use Unity2D (my dream game is 2D) I should start learning to draw because I need to make a 2D game. Yet it is very painful to code, animate, and shit but after you’ve done making the game you feel proud of what u just have done. Or you might feel cringe at what u just have done.

    Anyways making games is sometimes fun sometimes bad.
    You should try it out.



  30. 1ctf playz on July 1, 2022 at 10:44 pm

    I was scared for s little because I just don’t know what I wanted to play because everything was boring I thought there was something wrong with me but it looks like I’m not the only person



  31. Kilo Drey on July 1, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    We’re just getting older 🤣



  32. Brendan Jones on July 1, 2022 at 10:48 pm

    Maybe you should become adults



  33. itsHollowBoy15 on July 1, 2022 at 10:49 pm

    If you grow out of one or more video games you enjoy playing in your life then just try playing popluar games and any kind of game for a change 🙂



  34. Tigers on top on July 1, 2022 at 10:51 pm

    Elden ring is the only game I have loved in years idk but games don’t feel the same anymore



  35. Avery Haferman on July 1, 2022 at 10:52 pm

    Yes they are lol



  36. ALMY on July 1, 2022 at 10:52 pm

    2018 was the last good year of gaming



  37. itsHollowBoy15 on July 1, 2022 at 10:57 pm

    Let’s Go



  38. Fuago_YT on July 1, 2022 at 10:58 pm

    That’s why there is a vr, there’s going to be a golden age for vr just like more gaming



  39. Punch Bricks Studio on July 1, 2022 at 10:59 pm

    Games aren’t fun anyome because companies are getting very very greedy and their consoles more shittier, back in the PS3 era, when that japonese man was on the command, it was all good, the PS3 is and still is a good console, specially the Super slim, and you can upgrade it simply and with no erros, unlike the PS4, if you try to upgrade you internal storage, it comes with system erros, it just sucks, and all of those pay-to-get subscriptions like free online restriction…it just sucks, thats why i mostly play brawl stars on mobile, it just feels better, because there is simply no inturruptions



  40. Joshua Murphy on July 1, 2022 at 11:03 pm

    Completely agree. They ALL suck. Top down? Gross! Puzzle, platformer or side scroller? Get that ugly Indie garbage away from me! AAA? Lackluster and after you buy it they want more and more money from you. There is nothing that I WANT to play. Before you recommend Elden Ring I don’t get into Dark Souls type games, I want to have fun, not be frustrated and challenged. idk man. So many games that look amazing, but play like 💩. Oh well, guess I’ll try being productive or something.



  41. Bhu Win on July 1, 2022 at 11:04 pm

    The problem is video games made me an indoor person. I cant just quit.



  42. Hesry 2 on July 1, 2022 at 11:07 pm

    I enjoy csgo even though its full of cheaters



  43. orava pelaa on July 1, 2022 at 11:08 pm

    Garrys mod is still fun



  44. Don't watch the video on July 1, 2022 at 11:10 pm

    The next best thing is touch grass



  45. Crimson Crazer on July 1, 2022 at 11:13 pm

    Guts



  46. Ash Haven on July 1, 2022 at 11:13 pm

    You gotta smoke weed to enjoy games as you once did



  47. Konubi on July 1, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    5:45 have u seen JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure?



  48. 1NS1GHT_LI on July 1, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    I can literally play cs:go and tf2 for months without installing another games at all. I love competitive play of cs:go and diversity of tf2. I love theese games



  49. MicheNightTerror CF on July 1, 2022 at 11:17 pm

    A hint to having fun in video games (especially multiplayer) is ignore the complicated parts and just have fun. Instead of trying to be the best or thinking too hard about the game, just focus what’s on the outside and enjoy it. This really helped me, instead of raging after dying in a game like TF2 or COD, I’d just smile and try again. Also, make sure you do whatever you want. If you’re in a sandbox game like Minecraft, don’t listen to the "you can’t have keep inventory, that’s not real Minecraft" just do whatever you want. These helpes me out a lot and brought back a little bit of that joy I had as a child.



  50. Tanaka! on July 1, 2022 at 11:18 pm

    This is a great video. I experienced the same thing as I got older. What worked for me was finding different kinds of games. Lately I’ve been really into roguelites and story-based strategy games like Library of Ruina.