Dealing with burn out from a game, or just gaming in general, is something many people deal with. I deal with it all the time myself. The speed with which we have to cover games as they come out, as well as all of the games we have to play for our job, it makes dealing with burn out more frequent.
That's not a complaint either. I recognize how incredibly lucky I am that I get to write about games and this industry for a living. But that doesn't lessen the effect of cramming a huge game in a weekend on a deadline and whatnot.
Jonathan, in his latest Norrathian Stride column, talked about burnout in EverQuest II. It got me thinking: when I have this feeling, whether it be a game that I am playing just for fun or a game that I'm covering, I usually have a game always installed on my PC that is my "zen" game. Something that I can play without much thought, that I enjoy for long stretches and can get me itching to hop back into the game that I was burnt out with in the first place.
This is why I typically play multiple games at once. This way I'm not just blasting through a single game for days and weeks on end. However, there are times where that isn't possible. These little breaks, whether it's going into Middle-earth for a jaunt in The Shire or taking on the world in Civilization VI, they mentally recharge me to hop back into the world or game I was burnt out with a few days prior.
In fact, I specifically keep these games installed on my PC just so I can make those quick trips to break up a large gaming session or blasting through an expansion for coverage. This way when I return to the new game I can approach it with a fresh mind.
It got me wondering: how many other people out there play like this? I know friends who can just focus on one game for months straight and never getting bored or mentally tired of the same game, whereas I know other people like me who have to play multiple games at one to break that monotony. Do you have games installed or on tap to play at a moment's notice when a game or genre burn you out? Do you turn to games, or do you turn to other hobbies? Let us know in the comments below.
