RPG burn out

#1

A few weeks ago, I suddenly found myself not enjoying games (as player and GM) very much and not terribly interested or invested in this hobby that has had me obsessed for the past 1-2 years more than anything I can remember.

Possible Factors:
As a GM I have loved tinkering and “working out” mechanics and narrative systems/campaign ideas. But recently as a Player I noticed the games I enjoyed most were more about the narrative and character interactions (including in combat), the system was not so important. I also really noticed how games are so dependent on the group as a whole, not a solo activity like designing/playing a video game. Perhaps all this took a lot of meaning out of the GM workshopping.

Also there is the lockdown. It may be no coincidence that at a time where suddenly I would have more time to invest in the hobby than ever before, my interest disappeared. It might also related to my biggest issue as a GM/creator/artist, FEAR: I tend to plan/sketch/draft FAR MORE than producing an actual final “product.”
This is a theory rather than a feeling :man_shrugging:

At the time I accepted the loss of interest as somewhat natural after so much obsession, expecting it to return after a while, peaks and valleys and all that. Perhaps I want to make video games, or do something else related that I can’t put my finger on now.
But for the past month, there is now a huge empty gap in my time and attention that RPGs (and this community) lovingly filled.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Maybe not even with RPGs, but something else?

#2

Art tends to be influenced by our hopes, fears and anxieties. We understand that dreams are part of the brain’s system of processing the day’s information dump. Art is another piece of that. Our creations are imperfect manifestations of our attempts to bring order and meaning into relative chaos. So, sometimes an orc isn’t just an orc but a possibly subconscious representation of an unfinished task. There are different ways to approach a task. One, the straightforward approach, is to just Do The Thing (ie. kill the orc in the way). Another approach is Avoid The Thing (sneak past the orc, knowing that it is likely there are more ahead). Another approach is to Understand The Thing (attempt to talk with the orc and find some sort of mutually beneficial solution).
What you may be seeing is that, in these uncertain times, we are trying to understand and communicate with the orc (the uncertainty of our present situation).
Lay out your expectations up front. If you just want to kill stuff and throw dice (virtually), present that as the objective. Or embrace the chaos and let the game evolve as a means for the players to at least simulate facing their “orcs”. But don’t stop creating. That’s how the “orc” wins.

#3

Oooo!!!

Darkness reigns over the normally sunny plains, the plants all seem wilted as if starved of life!
The tower in the distance is only noticed by it’s being even darker than everything around it!

This is a big topic, and I have time to write, I am sorry if this becomes a huge rambling mess.

Possibility 1.

The Newness is gone
This is the aspect I’m least familiar with because I have been gaming for a long time.

But you have explored the frontier, except for some detail here or there, different ways of doing this or that you know how this works.

This is my normal state concerning RPGs. ICRPG is a very modular system with the essence of what is needed in almost every module.
It is a great tool to use when describing other games when they share parts.

Roll mechanic, challenge mechanic, damage mechanics, initiative mechanic…the only areas where it is lacking is complex defensive systems (such as ablative and absorbing armor) and roll vs roll mechanics.

After that, there is nothing new under the sun. Stories are man vs man, man vs nature, and man vs self.

You have explored those and the obsession is done. You have gained your blackbelt in RPGs. You are now a qualified teacher and practitioner. You are not a Master, but for 99.999% of situations, you will never need to be.

Possibility 2

You are in the early stages of depression.
Certain things lack their joy and color. I have not mastered this, but getting something of value that is difficult done, seems to rekindle my zest for life for a while…or a good mead and conversation.

Possibility 3

In a world where everyone is screaming of the unknown and that the sky is falling, games just don’t seem as real or important. Your brain is telling you this is a low priority because these other things provide so much more stimulation.

Possibility 4

Something else is tripping the endorphin switch in your brain. You are done with your new friend for a while, you don’t need to spend so much time with it…but hanging out with my old friends or that new new friend…

Possibility 5

a combination of all of the above
This is the most likely reality.
*Life has gotten a bit more real
*Other issues are using your brain time
*Your gaming buddies have hit a rut.
*You don’t care about the distinction between green claws and red claws for an imaginary creature that will not be part of the story in 12 minutes.

My suggestion.

step away, but keep at it
There are certain aspects of the hobby you probably still like, but spending 3+ hours with other people on an imaginary story that we will all forget portions of in the next 2 days, seems like a waste of time and effort, you could be mowing the lawn.
continue exploring those parts of the hobby, stay engaged with the forums for example. Learn to paint miniatures, outline scenes, create interesting NPCs…in essence hibernate it for a bit, but don’t abandon it, but stop the parts that are bugging you.

#4

I’ve totally had this. i personally love the creation phase… nooooot so much the running phase (even though this is the whole damn point of the creation phase). the last game i ran before Exiles (as seen on me own thread, update coming) was a 5e game in ravnica (which despite Hankerin’s musings of hate towards, i love) and it only lasted 4 sessions (good ones, with a conclusion, based on the movie Snatch, which i would run again with only some hesitation) but i still had that same issue you’re facing; burnout. prep can feel daunting, especially when you’ve run out of ideas. that well has to refill, that battery has to recharge. let it. give yourself some time, work on something else, or just don’t game “like that” for a while. if you really love it, it’ll come back to you. if you don’t, eh, you’ll find something else to fill your time. it always comes back to me after a while.

#5

Totally normal. I step away from time to time, whether it’s engaging in another hobby, going out with friends or family, playing video games with my son, or doing projects around the house.

Eventually, I always come back to gaming. Don’t sweat it, and don’t beat yourself up about it.

#6

Taking some time off is the best method for reevaluating and rekindling the love, whatever the subject may be.

Also somewhat tangentially related strategy that I use with most things is “Stir and (let it) Settle”. I decide to do something, usually after some research and/or thinking and then I stop thinking and start doing whatever I want and can, without much thinking. After some doing, I step away and let some time pass. Then I evaluate all of that experience. Since everything has usually settled then, I can accurately assess what worked and what didn’t.

Long story short, take some time off and come back with clarity. It always helps.

#7

Thanks all. Great input all round.

I felt it coming before the lockdown fun began, so it being normal fatigue of interest chimed strongest with me. Though I’m sure other factors play their part.
I will take some time off, indulge other interests and see how things go. I expect I will return, as I said nothing has held my interest so strongly for as long as RPGs.

Enjoy your adventures!