Lately, I’ve been struggling with something that’s honestly been kind of unsettling – I’m losing interest in hobbies I used to love. Gaming, for example, has always been a big part of how I relax and unwind. But recently, I find myself staring at my library with zero motivation to play. The games that used to keep me hooked for hours now feel like a chore to even start.
It’s not just gaming either. I used to love photography too, but even that feels off. I’m not sure if it’s burnout, stress, or just me changing as a person, but it’s frustrating not feeling connected to the things that once brought me so much enjoyment.
Funny enough, I recently had a bit of financial luck and used some of it to upgrade my gaming setup, thinking it might help reignite that excitement. New gear, new games – still nothing. It felt good to treat myself, but it didn’t spark the joy I thought it would.
Has anyone else gone through this kind of slump? How do you rediscover that spark for an old hobby? Or did you find that the better move was to accept the change and explore something completely new? I’d really appreciate hearing how others have dealt with this kind of shift.
Comments
Find new hobbies.
It’s called getting older lol. I have been gaming for years (35 years old now). All I want to do these days is camp and fish. Just gotta find new hobbies that spark an interest.
Well first I’d like to say congratulations, it’s about becoming more insure as you’re getting older. Once you lose the interest, you’ll find that there’s so many better things in life to enjoy than the video game console and I applaud you for getting to this point in your life so far.
It all comes down to your personal improvement and personal discovery. You will eventually find something else to replace gaming and photography. Have you considered doing something outside like hiking or camping or going biking? Sometimes when you see awesome things in nature during a hike, you’ll want to capture it as pictures which might ignite your desire for photography.
Im just a guy on the internet but that sounds like depression. I’m a serial hobbyist. I’ve got a ton and I gauge my depression by how engaged I am in them. I could be wrong though, sometimes you just need to find something different to occupy your time and your old hobbies will eventually work their way back into your life.
Find new hobbies. Your old ones will still be there when the spark returns.
You change as a person with time and that’s ok.
OTOH, if nothing seems to bring you joy anymore, that might be a sign of depression.
THAT IS CALLED DEPRESSION
Get thyself to a Mental Health Practitioner RIGHT NOW.
I have to watch over the kiddos. I had to give up everything I once did and loved for it. I don’t like it, but I will sacrifice for them.
With gaming, you just need to take a break. I have seen so many people in a similar situation. Personally I’m sort of burnt out with gaming because of how deadend the communities for it can be. With a lot of the hobbies and other things that I have lost interest in was mostly because of the people I have met in various communities for them. Not all of them are bad sure, it’s just the feeling like you will always be an outsider.
What gave me a boost was a new friend or SO that isn’t into gaming at all, but is interested in getting into the nerdy stuff you are.
Im turning 40 in a couple weeks. And I felt this pretty hard over the last few years. But i think its as simple as just finding a new hobby…
Playing guitar and being in bands was my life on and off from about 14 to 35. I went years of not playing to suddenly joining a band and falling back I be love with it again. But I haven’t been in a band for at least 5 years now. And over the last 5 years I felt that passion and interest slip away. I still pick up the old guitar here and there but it got less and less as the years moved on because it just was not the same as it was for all those years. And as I lost more and more interest in it I became frustrated and angry and lost because I was so aware of myself losing interest in my love. Meanwhile my kids are almost grown, most of my old friends all moved on in life with kids, family and jobs. I needed something to do with my time other than scrolling Reddit and Facebook, watching tv, or drinking, or honestly all 3 at once. So really searched and tried a few things to get me hooked on something else. Cooking, gardening, painting, etc. while I enjoy those things it didn’t hit the same.
Now while I’m currently about a year into my new hobby, woodworking. ive really taken to it. I really enjoy the mental and physical skills needed just like music did. And I love planning and mental work that goes into thinking about how to it, hearing saws and smelling the wood. It definitely has scratched that itch playing guitar in bands did. Id be lying if I said I didn’t get a rush from the praise from a finished product again like music did… I’m still a newbie at this but I have found a lot of joy in doing it and also enjoy the deep diving into learning and watching videos about the craft… I don’t enjoy the expenses of starting a new hobby but I have been doing the used tool off marketplace route, still expensive but the hunt for tools is also exciting for me.
You gotta try a few things man, see what hits and what doesn’t. You might need to just grieve that loss of a hobby but you also might need to just walk away from your hobbies for a while and come back later. You never know when that renewed love will come back. But in the mean time try a few things and see what you enjoy doing…
Take a long break from it and come back when interest peaks again.
Honestly, antidepressants. That and getting my blood levels checked out, it turns out my depression gets noticeably worse when my vitamin D is low.
Talk to a doctor about it man, meds are awesome and can make a huge difference.
I find that hobbies come and go, and the most persistent ones are the ones who always return eventually. It’s good to be open to new things, it’ll enrich your life over time.
I have several hobbies. I get tired of one and focus on another. I circle back eventually. Sometimes a few years later.
You grow.
This is golf for me and it tends to come in 2-3 year cycles. I’ll have a few years where all I want to do is play and that’ll be my plans most weekends, then eventually I’ll realize one day “oh wow I haven’t played golf in 3 months.” No big deal to me, it’s a leisure activity not something I’m chasing hard goals in and if I’m not playing then I’m having fun doing something else. Maybe it’ll be a hiking binge, maybe the concert slate was so good for a few months I didn’t have much spare money for golf, maybe it’s a home project, whatever. It’s always gonna be there for me when I want to play often again. I already have a job and a family, I’m not gonna force myself to do things I don’t want to do that day just because I feel like I should do them, there’s enough of that in the more serious aspects of life
I played D&D multiple times a week for 7 years straight. Now, there’s a D&D convention on and the thought of going just elicits a groan from me. It happens. Now, I only play when I really really want to, and usually it just reminds me why I stopped playing. I get bored, restless, I’ve done everything there is to do. I have 139 characters, I’ve played every class to level 20, I have one of almost every subclass. It’s done. Time to find something new, that does excite me. It doesn’t bother me, it’s just one chapter in my life is ending and another is about to begin.
I try not to beat myself up over it. Interests change. It’s normal. Doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you or that you’re lazy or whatever. Sometimes your brain just wants something new. What usually helps me is taking a step back without guilt. I’ll give myself permission to drop it for a bit. Not forever. Just long enough to breathe. That space can work wonders. I’ll shake things up. If it’s something like playing guitar, maybe I’ll try learning a totally different genre. Or if it’s the gym, I’ll try a new workout or even a new location. Little tweaks can reignite stuff.
that might be depression buddy. watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o
I’ve always had a lot of hobbies that ebb and flow. Some might be a complete obsession one year and then a mild distraction the next, then they come back again. I don’t think it’s any sort of issue that I need to deal with, it’s just part of our changing lives and as long as we’re still active we’re all still good.
I think when that happens I’ve found I tend to eventually segment into a new hobby or a redefine that old hobby I have and find a new aspect of it to focus on
Eventually after a while I end up missing the old hobby and come back full swing into it
Understand that passions naturally ebb and flow. You don’t have to complete everything — the goal is to learn from each experience, then move on to the next interest. Over time, you’ll build a library of 100 different passions you can tap into whenever you want. The real freedom is being able to choose where you put your energy, without forcing it.
That’s depression
By being depressed and miserable about it until i find a new thimg
Not sure what your age is , and I’m not trying to recommend stuff as I’m not a doctor. But I can fucking guarantee something to you.
Have a night out with the misses and some close friends. Good friends you can be honest with.
I would do that when I hit burnout and a rut, and enjoy the night with some chocolate mushrooms.
The benefit of them is usually so profound, your whole mind is temporarily expanded and rewired. Epiphanies can be had, and they will
And can last for years.
Its actually not a slump. I’m an old man. seen this done this. Lets step back a bit. You’ve been gaming as long as you can remember. After a while you start recognizing a pattern. These games require these x – skills. You start focusing on the ones you love. Strategy, racing, creative, shooters or whatever combination you gravitate towards. More and more you get better and better. This feels good right? New game is coming out, you pown those newbs (told you i was old) . You get online and groups of people that match you. Each game is a different group. After a while, you start to notice not much is changing in the first person shooter genre. You kick ass, but it doesn’t add anything to you like it used to. The reason why is the dopamine pattern transmitter in your brain isn’t finding anything new. You’ve see it all already in every form. Here is a thing people don’t tell you. This is what mastery actually feels like. You’ve put in the hours, you’ve built the muscle memory, you have seen every pattern, every story, any combination of them then they are recognized as soon as you start the first level. This is why Magnus quit chess on top of his game. Its just completed. There is nothing new left for your brain to take joy in. And honestly, except for occasional nights here and there you never will get that giant buzz of joy again. Now, don’t fret, this is actually a good thing, because you are freeing up your brains bandwith for your brand new hobbies. “What new hobbies?” you ask? I don’t know, but I do you you will know when you try it. Now is when you start to hike, or learn to code or cook. Every think about a climbing gym, mountain biking, bowling, or board game groups? Photography, bird watching, gardening, I don’t know. Legos, carpentry, just whatever. Before you were too obsessed with your last puzzle (gaming) but its been beat so that joy you once found in gaming is ready to be found in something else. Try things fearlessly and something is gonna lite you up just like gaming used to.
I’ve found new ones. For a time, I liked something, and then I found something new that I liked better, and then after a while I found something else new.
I love drumming. Did it from 10 to about 22 years old. I’m now 43, and I have a decent drumset in my basement still. It didn’t really see me for the last 20 years much. I’ve been working and doing all the things adults need to do. I’m too tired to put the love into it as I used to. I need to function.
How do I deal with it? Well, I basically just don’t. Just hoping that upon retirement, I still have the chops to pick it up again.
What helped me when nothing else did was finding a community of like minded people that did what I did
We outgrow things. I’d find another hobby or throw myself into my work, workout, relationship or self-improvement until something catches your attention.
Could be a few things. I’m someone who has Major Depressive Disorder eith fairly frequent spouts if depression, ans yeah, burnout and depression absolutely can cause this feeling, but so could you finding different interests, or just simply enjoying those things less. I recommend taking a small break from those things to try something new, they could just be routine things that no longer are enjoyable but you do out if habitats. If you continue to feel this way or it gets worse go seek a therapist. Even if you aren’t depressed, having someone to talk to about these things, someone who will listen and give you feedback and provide ways to improve yourself or aspects of your life, can really do a lot of good for you
Could be a few things. One is simply bored of playing video games or another is depression. I know for me I certainly don’t enjoy playing video games as much as I use to but still enjoy reading so I figure it isn’t depression in my case. Try new things and if nothing brings you joy then you might want to see a mental health professional.
I find the answer to that question is that I take that as a sign that it’s time to expand my hobbies, or pick up an old one that I think I might enjoy again. I don’t know if this makes me weird, but I tend to rotate my hobbies a few at a time instead of doing all of them during the year
For me, it’s a sign that it’s time to do a grass touching week, where I swear off of alcohol, porn, and all social media (including reddit), for 7 days. I find it helps me reset my mental state.
It might have something to do with my ADHD, but I get depressed when my dopamine system is too borked from over-stimulation, stress, or too much instant gratification.
I watch tournaments of games I never played on YouTube 😁
recently took up reef keeping / fish tanking. somewhat passive hobby that does require research and a little extra effort every now and then but is pretty gratifying. it’s funny because i enjoy going fishing but haven’t really went fishing for probably 2-3 months now. currently thinking about other stuff im interested in and looking to try and diversify my hobby time because it occurred to me that in the last 3-5 years i really don’t do much outside of work. ive found that online you can go down two types of rabbit holes. one is endless scrolling of mindless stuff which i still engage in often and the other is just lettin my curiosity bounce from one thing to the next until i’ve found something that really peaks my interest and i want to dig deeper into it. try and get online and find a ‘good’ rabbit hole to go down and then take it and run with it. idk
Talk to someone. Literally, it’s a clear sign you might be clinically depressed.
Obviously, a doctor is required to make a diagnosis… but, “losing interest in hobbies” is a classic sign you should seek help. I know this because I waited too long and just about lost a spouse.
Same as we all do, sell all your shit from hobby G at a massive loss and throw it full ass into hobby H. Rinse and repeat.
I was an avid board gamer and I have over 200 board games in my collection. My lifelong best friend and I would play one or two board games every other Saturday while my wife was at work. We grew up together and played board games and D&D when were kids and in college. After I got married our Saturday board gaming session was going on for about 10 years. Then my buddy died a few months before the pandemic and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve played a board game since then.
I’ve tried everything I could think of but…..I just have zero interest. Luckily I have other hobbies like video games and fishing to keep me occupied during my downtime. And since my friend died I’ve gone a few years past 50 and for some weird ass reason my “Midlife Crisis” has been me watching my diet and trying to lose weight, cutting way the hell down on my drinking and actually doing crazy shit like going rock climbing with my teenage son. And the rock climbing thing, while about as hard as it can possibly be considering my age and the dad bod I sport, has really peaked my interest. So I’m thinking that if I can shed a few pounds to make it less harsh on my old bones I might keep doing it on a regular basis. My kid is also a black belt in Taekwondo and I know he would like it if I joined the class he takes so I’ll probably do that starting next week.
I guess that like you OP I lost my mojo for the thing I love, in my case I lost my board gaming mojo and I’m unsure if I’ll ever really get it back. But I also guess I found other things to replace it, things totally outside my comfort zone. Maybe you need to think outside the box like I did OP and try something you never even thought about. Hell, I also took up lock picking just because I wanted to see if it was real or just some stupid movie BS. It’s real and it’s not all that hard. And there’s an entire hobby built around it.
The lock picking thing is just one example and there’s millions of things you can choose from. I recently realized that men can turn any damn thing into a hobby (I also just found out knife sharpening is another niche hobby) as long as it involves some sort of collection of tools or gear to do it so you have a limitless selection to pick from.
A lot of people are jumping to conclusions and saying its depression, but sometimes I think your life gets so busy and you have so many obligations that it affects your time and changes how you would approach your day. When I was in my early 20s I never did anything and loafed around and played videogames and was still depressed, but now I have more errands and tasks I need to do and have a need to finish things in a timely manner.
And I feel like being more oganised is more valuable to me and having more discipline helps me feel more free compared to when I was younger and I was always running out of time. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s serious clinical depression. Your tastes evolve over time and you probably haven’t found something new to be interested in yet.
Occasionally i stop gaming for six months because I think my body and brain needs the outside or the achieve more practical goals like DIY or fitness.
I try to diversify in advance so if something goes sour, I can just swap to an alternative.
With gaming I think most people outgrow it. I certainly did. And photography – maybe the way you did it became boring and is time to change genre. Did you try macro? Astro? Film with self developing? Luminography? IR?
Take up walking, in the woods is best. Breath in the beauty of nature and revisit your hobbies after a month or two. I bet you will have a different perspective on them. I don’t think what you are going through is that different for a lot of people.
I’m the same way with gaming but I just find most games really boring and uninteresting. The old single story games from the 2000s and early 2010s was my kind of game. I could get sucked into them so easily. I replayed Fear 2 recently for the first time since it came out and it drew me in so quickly with its story, atmosphere and gameplay. It’s a simple shooter with a fairly average story but it just had so much charm. They just don’t make games like that anymore. There’s something missing in modern day games.
I found that I don’t enjoy old hobbies because they don’t contribute to my current values.
Example. I used to LOVE video games. I’d spend hours playing.
Nowadays, I really value productivity. My new hobbies are gardening, raising chickens, reading, fitness, and learning. I still have my old system, but I never play it.
Hobbies tend to align with your values. Over time, you’ll have new hobbies and drop old ones. Sounds like it’s time for you to find your new hobby.
you are finding video games no longer satisfying. Me too.
Boredom is good. Learn something that requires skill and knowledge. A musical instrument, a craft, an art form, dance, write. Etc.
Instead of getting to new levels in a game, get new levels doing something with a product. Woodworking, painting, leatherwork, guitar, photography, tuba, whatever.