Unfortunately the general "blah" but extremely "blah". And yup, got maneuvering and doing some shit today and ut helped, I prefer practical exercise where something gets done. I think it's more a matter of keep doing things, wait it out and eventually things will come back online, hopefully gaming will be one of the things sooner rather than later, it's impossible to force yourself to enjoy something. 

I had the exact same idea that used to work for me, put on a podcast and play sonething mindless for the same reason that sometimes I can't concentrate at all and had RDR2, GTA5 and a few others to roam around in but the file sizes are so massive I can't keep these games for that reason. Like 300 gigs for those two games to keep handy, that's about 20% of my storage. It's criminal. Not to mention GT7 which I'd imagine now takes the entire launch PS5's storage. 

Never had. After finishing a game I change genre. You play a lot of souslike, right? Anime, manga, manhwa and manhua help too.

Watch let's plays

Yep 😀 I do like my souls likes. I didn't think I had a known presence on this site. 

Anime is quite an idea actually, usually past the bounds of storytelling so it might catch interest indeed. I've heard of a few since I last checked in with Devil man Cry Baby and Castlevania on Netflix. Is Chainsaw man one that was big? And I know K pop Devil hunters is apparently really good or is there something that's less main stream but really good?

? How does help?

I’ve had a few of those spells, and what fixed it for me was playing stuff I was thinking about. Even if it was an old game from way back in the day. Play what your brain wants, not what you think it wants. Don’t make it a chore.

If nothing is coming to mind, just take a break and then once the urge comes back, again, play what is drawing you in. Not what forums or the internet says you need to play.

I just play a variety of genres and swap between long games and short games. For example after a 90hr game like XCX I'd do a few shorter games that aren't RPGs like relaxing sword of the sea or a simple platformer etc.

Also instead of say doing GoW and Ragnarok in one year I do one then wait like a yearish to do the sequel. I did the same with the reboot Tomb Raider trilogy - makes each game feel more fresh

Reason why I have been a gamer for the past 35+ years and not suffer from burnout, is because it's not my primary outlet... I use it as a reward or escape after a long day or after a pretty bad job.
It's not where I invest most of my time.

For example, responded to a car accident yesterday, which didn't have a positive outcome... After I got home, showered, ate, I fired up a game of Alpha Centauri which kept me invested for 4 hours to help me unwind.

I find when people use gaming as a "crutch" to fill in free time, you aren't using it constructively and you do eventually burn out, especially if you are unemployed or only work a few hours a week.

Ironically, I probably spend more time on these forums than gaming, most weeks.


However, keep in mind... This is what works for me. - You need to find what works for you, we are all different, like different things, have different social, professional and societal pressures and more.

Okay. This comment wins. This is the MVP of this thread. Thank you so much. Watching someone else have fun with a game tricks you into thinking you are having fun, even if you can't get a session going it still feels like you have played.