Obsession No Longer Engaging

[Maria Ventresca]

Hi, I've had a long time addiction to video games. I've found myself with a surplus of free time lately (potentially losing my job, woo), and I've found that they no longer engage me. In the past, I would be completely satisfied spending the whole day playing video games/generally being on my computer, but that's no longer the case.

I find myself miserable (mostly due to the job thing, but partially due to this), and I don't know what to do with myself. I don't have any ideas for new hobbies to cultivate, so I've just been sitting alone in my apartment killing time and feeling miserable the whole time. It's not just due to the excess free time, I was feeling this ennui before when I was working regularly.

Has anybody experienced this before? If so, do you have any ideas as to why this might be, how I might recapture the enjoyment, or ideas for new hobbies? What do people normally do with their days?

 

[Bro'Freak]

I know exactly how that feels.. I'm a 41 year old & have played computer games since they were on tape..
It's funny how they've progressed to such an amazing level of fidelity. I found my interest started to wane at around 37 years of age.

I think for me it's partly to do with having seen it all. I play the odd game such as "Grim Dawn" at the moment & game on "War Thunder" in Arcade battles it's a online F2P game (tanks ftw!) plus the occasional game of Battlefield 3.

Now I find that I can't settle any more & my mind wonders to other things. I find a good walk in the country helps & have been considering taking up photography. I was even considering taking up a course in furniture manufacturing as it seems one of the few industries left here in the UK that could ride the storm of the recession. I certainly have access to all the tools & have always been good with wood & metal so my plan is to take an old 1960's wooden hi-fi cabinet (the long sideboard type) & convert it to something with a good sound - HD audio from a laptop & hidden screen, nice speaker cones & worthy amp. This is just for starters.

If you are inclined to play on the PC still have a look at Eve Online, I have to warn you it is about interacting if you want the best that game has to offer. Which will require a Team speak client usually to be run alongside the eve client. That game kept me busy for 2 years But it does require role playing from you which might be to much for some.

 

[tree]

I have never described my interest in salvaging cloth and making
pieced quilts or pictures or toys from it as an obsession. I have
about as much fabric as the average person who does this sort
of thing.

What I have noticed in the past year is that I have to approach
working/playing with it in a 'business-like' way. Once I am active
with it, sorting or trimming or planning, I am immersed and not
judgemental about it.

Until then, however, there is the feeling that I may as well leave
it all where it sits or shove it in the wood stove or the occasional
wistful thought "wish there was somebody who wanted this."

It just doesn't seem important. Not worth doing.
This is the opposite to how I feel when I am touching the stuff
and putting a color next to a color.

 

[Judge]

I have had a number of "obsessions" over the years, which I'll not bother to list at this time. However, i will comment on a couple. One is my stamp collection. I delved deeply into it. I bought all that one needed to get started, studied the various aspects of the hobby, studied famous collectors, pursued it with a passions. The collection, probably worth a few thousand dollars now, sits in a tote box in my spare room. I've not had it out in probably ten years or more.

It's the same with my Harley Davidson collectibles. I'm a die-hard HD fan. However, my obsession needs to be separated from my brand loyalty. My obsession went to the point of buying anything and everything that had HD on it. My lady-friend still sends me HD stuff for my birthday and Christmas. I'm grateful but I wish she wouldn't since I don't have that level of interest anymore. I have a couple hundred diecast Harleys that are stored in a box somewhere in my house. It's the same with all the expensive coffee table books; one cost over $100.

Like Tree, there are times when I "wish there was somebody who wanted this," as it's taking up a lot of space and will be something I'll have to move when I retire and leave this area.

Anybody interested in a stamp collection or a butt-load of Harley Davidson stuff?

So...does this mean you collect things with AMF on it as well?

Sorry...now I'm just being ornery. Those infamous AMF years...

Great story though, that Harley bought their own brand name back and rightfully so. Here's to happy endings!

 

[Flinty]

All I will say here is that I'm taking a break from my obsession. It's been over 20 years since I've been allowed to.

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

I completely relate to this, I have very fixed obsessions, normally on one particular book/ fictional universe. In the past my obsessions have naturally changed every now and then, a new thing catching my interest and causing me to lose interest in the last thing, with no gap. But I when I lost interest in my last obsession, I had no new interest to replace it with!

Cue endless boredom and ennui, it got to the point when I felt like I was lapsing back into depression (after 7 years of being mentally healthy, this was a terrifying prospect). I have no idea how "normal" people pass the time without special interests to occupy them. I have no advise, for me it was just a matter of waiting and trying to occupy myself with other things, until finally something new caught my interest.

It's a bit alarming to realise how dependant I am on my special interest, even when I have work and travel and other things to occupy myself with, making it seem like I have quite a balanced life

 

[clg114]

For me, I have lost a lot of special interests just because I can not do certain things anymore. I am just to old for the dirt bikes and snowmobiles these days. I have even slowed down on my golfing a lot. The thing is, I have not lost interest. I would really love to be able to do the things that I used to do. Getting old is not for sissies.

 

[Mr Allen]

I#m still very much into gaming even at just turned 40, even as far back as when we we used to load games off tapes and then a lot of the time the damn thing would crash.

I just don't buy as many games nowadays due to the expense.

 

[s6driver]

My obsessions tend to fizzle out after anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. And when they fizzle out, they really fizzle out. Like many, I played 10 hours of video games a day in grade school. Haven't had any interest in them since. Was obsessed with cigars for about a year, now my humidor with 500 cigars in it hasn't been opened in two years. Obsessed with brewing beer for about a year, haven't had any desire to in about 5 years. Similar story with computer programming. And cars. One of my biggest obsessions, hiking and camping, has lasted 15 years though, and probably not going to end any time soon.