Death of Fun

The holidays are upon us and that means sales on video games.  In years past I have gobbled up the cheap games like holiday dinner items but this year something odd happened.  After browsing through the deals I realized that none of the games looked interesting to me and more than that I didn't even recognize many of them.  Were they just not popular games and the really good deals were yet to come?  Am I out of touch with the games that are out there these days?  Option two seems more likely.  

It's alright I think, not knowing about new video games, since I'm getting older.  I don't have the time to play as many these days so it's natural I suppose.  The sad part of this story however is what happened when I actually did buy a game.  

The X-Com reboot was on sale so I purchased it but then something terrible happened.  I didn't care to play it at all.  No  interest at all to load it up and try it out.  It's installed, ready to go but even with an entire Sunday afternoon free I didn't even bother.  The thought of diving into a new game brought me no joy whatsoever.  What happened?

Things have changed quite a bit over the last few years for me and I realize now that video games don't hold the same excitement for me anymore.  After buying a house that I want to work on, joining a band and having more social hobbies now there isn't much room for video games.  It makes sense but the realization was a bit of a shock.  

After thinking about it for a while I realize now that it's all about what I gain at the end of the time invested in a hobby.  The band gives me the fun of playing music and some extra cash too.  Fixing the house gives me a sense of accomplishment as well as adding value on my investment.  Writing and designing games works my brain and provides entertainment for my friends.  Designing and building a quadcopter gives me a quadcopter in the end.  All of these things give me something in the end whereas playing a video game gives me much less in comparison.  Sure there is some fun and sometimes it's nice just to relax with a video game but when the game ends I don't have much to show for it. 

It comes down to getting the most of the time and energy I expend.  Less and less video games provide enough return on the investment compared to other things in my life.  I won't stop playing them, I'm not crazy, however it will be more likely I'm going to invest in an activity that produces something.  It's a strange realization and shift in my life but one for the best.  Maybe it means I'm finally growing up?  No...I still like ninjas too much for that.