I don't remember how long ago it was, maybe just a month or so but my PS-Plus subscription ran out and I decided to not renew it. While having hundreds of games at my disposal was nice for a while it actually contributed to me not really getting into many of the games I had access to because I knew I had a ton more that I could change over to right away. Since the library was constantly updated I never really had a chance to complete my goal of playing every single one of the games for at least an hour but I did make a pretty good dent in the catalog managing to play around 100 of them, which in itself is a crazy thing for me to accomplish in half a year.
So I guess you could say that I was gamed out after all of that and haven't renewed my subscription yet although it does weigh on my mind a bit here and there.
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I'm not trying to take a "holier than thou" approach or say that gaming is a waste of time or anything sanctimonious like that because video games have always been a big part of my life and I am sure they will be again at some point in the future. I just got burned out and when my credit card didn't go through on my renewal right away (i entered a digit wrong) I didn't want to go all the way through the tedious process of entering that data with a controller again and then just decided to not bother with it at all.
So what have I been doing with all that several hours a day that I spent gaming every day now?
I'd like to say that I joined a gym and put on 30 lbs of muscle and am now in the best shape of my life and feel great but that is not the case. I'm far too lazy and have too many work obligations to do something like that. One thing that I definitely have been doing a lot of that is likely worse for me than gaming is I have been watching a ton of movies and series every day.
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Binge watching is something that I of course know what it means but was just something I didn't really take part of until recently. I think that this is actually worse than playing video games because at least with gaming you are actively involved in what is going on. Now I just have horrible posture on my sofa or bed and watch hours upon hours of shows and movies in a row. In many ways this actually encourages more irresponsible behavior because since my brain is not really involved in the process, I tend to stay up later than I should. Because my eyesight isn't that great, playing games would actually make me tired after a while because I had to stay engaged and focused in order to do well. You don't really experience that with Netflix I'm afraid.
Just to be clear I am not looking for advice or fishing for sympathy here. These choices are my own and I am content with them.
Something that I have been doing more of that is probably good for me is that I am also socializing a great deal more than I used to. Now I meet up with my friends a lot more than I used to and since many of my friends are gaming nerds like me, I still end up staying up to speed with what is going on in the gaming world. I have started to go to quiz nights at bars and those are a fun way to socialize as well as learn a thing or two.
I have also taken to taking long walks and listening to podcasts and well, that kind of helps me to learn stuff and keep the ol' noggin workin' and from what I have read walking is good for your health, so I guess there's that. I don't do the walks because I feel some sort of need to get or stay in shape...I'm pretty svelte already... I just find that a walk combined with a podcast is a sort of meditation for me and I believe it is good for my mental health.
I feel as though gaming hours upon end and not interacting with the outside world was a bit detrimental to my mental health and it might be for other people as well. Again, I am not trying to convince anyone to stop gaming because I know I will be back. I just needed a bit of a break. What this has kind of opened my eyes to though is that when I do go back to gaming I think I will do it in more moderation than I did previously. I'd like to find some balance between the "real world" and the gaming world. Playing video games actually cost me significantly less money than what I am doing now so from an economic point of view gaming is much better for my bank balance than constantly going out and meeting up with friends.
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I think it is worth the increased cost though because by socializing I have actually been speaking to people about things that are not video games or movies and some of this has lead to professional development and this is something I have been ignoring for far too long. Even once I start gaming again I think I will broaden my horizons as far as who I hang out with is concerned. I may even take up a hobby or something like that. Recently a couple of my friends invited me to go bowling and while I was of course terrible at it compared to them, I had a good time. Maybe do a bit more of that in the future as well.
As it stands now, I wouldn't say that I really miss gaming yet but I know that I will. You don't just put down a hobby that you have had for 25 years and never go back to it again.
I know I'll be back soon but for now, I am content to not have it be a part of my life. My PS4 hasn't even been turned on more than a couple of times in the past month and it will likely remain that way for one or two more. We'll see my old friend, I'm sure we will meet again!