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Geek Culture / Programmers Block which turned into Gamers Block

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Sasuke
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Joined: 2nd Dec 2005
Location: Milton Keynes UK
Posted: 7th Aug 2014 13:44
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Seriously guys this is getting bad. I just figured I hit a spot of PB (round the start of the year) and now I can't even play games, though there might be an alternate cause. A few months back I made a new friend and we spent so much time together that games just didn't really come to mind. She eventually got a boyfriend and our contact became lax, actually don't see her any more cause the BF thinks we're doing it, paranoid. Anyway, after that I figured I've got a bit of spare time (I still hang with people most days anyway) and figured I'd get back into the games I've missed and try a bit of programming again... and nothing! It's like I have no interest at all and even if I try I instantly loose interest. I know that sometimes games would become boring because I had an idea in my head that would make this game better and that would make me want to program but now I can't even do that.

So my question, is how do you find an interest again cause I've got so many ideas I want to play with plus I did enjoy playing games?

"Get in the Van!" - Van B
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Van B
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21
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Posted: 7th Aug 2014 14:23
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Maybe your not the problem, maybe the industry is just dry right now - no new ideas, and hundreds of unfinished indie alpha's that you get sick of before they're even beta. Is it just me, or did games get really fricken shallow in last couple of years!

We need a new Fallout, or GTA5 on PC, or something for us to get our teeth into. Frankly it feels like the only game I even play these days is Battlefield4.

I am the one who knocks...
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Green Gandalf
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19
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Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 7th Aug 2014 17:32
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Quote: "So my question, is how do you find an interest again cause I've got so many ideas I want to play with plus I did enjoy playing games?"


First, stop worrying about it. Develop a different interest for a while. You'll know when you're ready to get back into it. Over the years I've had a number of quite different interests which I usually get totally absorbed in for a while and then move on to something else. Sometimes I get back to the old interests, sometimes not. Do what feels right for you.

What you're feeling sounds familiar to me. I get totally absorbed in something, then after a while I sometimes start to wonder why I'm doing it and at that point a strange sense of a loss of direction seems to infect me. Other times a new interest simply pushes the old one out. I've always assumed such feelings were a fact of life and decided not to worry about them. Perhaps I'm wrong and I should be.



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Digital Awakening
AGK Developer
21
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Joined: 27th Aug 2002
Location: Sweden
Posted: 7th Aug 2014 22:33
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I say get into indie games, they are short and refreshing and can be alot of fun without you having to invest a lot into them. Try FTL Faster Than Light, Kingdom Rush, Luftrausers or One Finger Death Punch. All available on Steam.

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Libervurto
17
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Posted: 7th Aug 2014 23:58 Edited at: 8th Aug 2014 00:03
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Perhaps this is a good thing for you. It may seem frustrating now but you will push yourself out of your comfort zone to find new inspiration.

You sound as though you have a mild case of depression, this is a normal reaction to a change in your life. You have gotten used to spending time with this girl and now that she is no longer around it has left a void in your life. I think this phenomenon is called identity displacement, where you base part of your identity on another person, so when they leave or die you fall into an identity crisis. I hope it is not that serious for you.

You are not seeing a friend that you used to spend lots of time with so of course you are going to be bummed out and find it hard to concentrate on things. It is going to take time no matter what you do. Maybe you should talk to her about it? Try doing something totally new that you didn't do with her. Maybe that is as simple as finding a game that inspires you again. I second the recommendation to look into indie games, they tend to be far more varied and interesting than anything mainstream.

From personal experience with programmer's block, I found it made me worse when I tried to force myself to code. I ended up hating the idea of programming, and I couldn't concentrate just like you were saying. Don't try to force yourself and don't worry about forgetting how to code or losing time that you could be developing things. You will naturally come back to it when you are ready, and you'll probably have tonnes more ideas.

Formerly OBese87.
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MrValentine
AGK Backer
13
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Playing: FFVII
Posted: 8th Aug 2014 08:27
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FEZ springs to mind, try watching The Indie Game Movie [Steam], shot my mood to code back up although I am also doing other things now

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Van B
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Joined: 8th Oct 2002
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted: 8th Aug 2014 10:13
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Quote: "try watching The Indie Game Movie"


Seconded, I've seen it twice now and I'd watch it again - everyone on this forum should watch it at some point... especially if they don't feel inspired to work on anything. Ed McMillen (team meat) is the king of indie game developers.

I am the one who knocks...
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Jeku
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Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Posted: 9th Aug 2014 04:22
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I'm feeling kinda burnt out on indie games at the moment. It seems like a high percentage of them are going for the 'retro' look which is overdone, and a lot of the indie scene feels quite pretentious. Just recently I bought a stack of PS4 games and started getting back into the longer AAA games...

My advice? Go out and date some new girls. You have an empty hole from this special person that you've been hanging out with, and it seems like maybe you were into her and she went off with someone else. I was engaged to a girl until two weeks ago, and that put an empty hole inside my heart as well, so I know what you're feeling (if that is in fact what you're feeling). I've got two dates lined up for my weekend and a stack of PS4 games to help get rid of that void, and I'm going back to the gym several times a week. Just getting fresh air and new friendly company should lift most people's spirits.

If in the end you don't ever go back to programming or playing games.... so what? There's nothing wrong with dropping a hobby completely and finding new ones to replace them with You can always come back to programming when you're 75 years old.

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Sasuke
18
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Joined: 2nd Dec 2005
Location: Milton Keynes UK
Posted: 9th Aug 2014 17:36 Edited at: 9th Aug 2014 17:37
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What's actually interesting here is I'm actually seeing someone and have been for awhile but she's away most of the time uni and most stuff I did with my best friend, she also went to uni and in a sense the new girl (which btw, the girlfriend introduced me to) filled the best friend role. I'm the sort that's always had a female best friend but I also have a girlfriend which I love dearly. So I wasn't into her, if she thought I was she must of got the worst impression when I was Skyping my GF every night haha.

The new girl just never played games and I didn't want to bore her with them so I just got used to never playing them and now... I just can't find a way back in. But Indie is defo a good start.

Quote: "Ed McMillen (team meat) is the king of indie game developers."


Agreed!

Quote: "From personal experience with programmer's block, I found it made me worse when I tried to force myself to code. I ended up hating the idea of programming, and I couldn't concentrate just like you were saying. Don't try to force yourself and don't worry about forgetting how to code or losing time that you could be developing things. You will naturally come back to it when you are ready, and you'll probably have tonnes more ideas."


I like this advice thanks

Quote: "If in the end you don't ever go back to programming or playing games.... so what? There's nothing wrong with dropping a hobby completely and finding new ones to replace them with You can always come back to programming when you're 75 years old."


So very true, I still got time.

And I agree about the gaming market at the moment, everyone is trying to rehash old ideas or copy what's selling into something else. There's nothing really amazing at the moment, though No Man's Sky is looking like it could be quite interesting. My friend suggested doing more console gaming because its more causal, guess it can't hurt to try.

Quote: "try watching The Indie Game Movie"


Watched oh so many times

"Get in the Van!" - Van B
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Libervurto
17
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Joined: 30th Jun 2006
Location: On Toast
Posted: 10th Aug 2014 03:24
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Does anyone else feel guilty for not coding? I haven't done any coding for a while so I haven't been thinking about it but I used to feel bad if I hadn't written anything for a week or so. Is that a sign of addiction?

Formerly OBese87.
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The Zoq2
14
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Joined: 4th Nov 2009
Location: Linköping, Sweden
Posted: 10th Aug 2014 03:59
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I sort of feel guilty when not coding, atleast when I have a project that im working on. Also, im usually to tired to code in the evenings so when I have free time in the morning, I feel more guilty for not coding because I know that I won't be able to do it later For me it was really nice when school ended for summer and I got done with all the projects because I got time to do something else, which is pretty weird since I do most programming as a hobby.

Say ONE stupid thing and it ends up as a forum signature forever. - Neuro Fuzzy
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BiggAdd
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Posted: 10th Aug 2014 04:54 Edited at: 10th Aug 2014 05:16
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I would also agree with Libervurto and say that you sound depressed!

Depression is a funny thing, as anyone who has gone through it will tell you that they never realised they were until they were told or had some sort of break down.
You need to fix the thing in your life that is bringing you down if you want to get back to your normal self.

I'm like you I think, I get on with women (or gay guys) better than I do guys, so my closest friends are usually of the opposite sex. You would think a platonic relationship is an easy thing but it always has its difficulties (mostly from external sources as you described). Its nothing sexual, its just we connect better on an emotional level.

Maybe if you talk to her BF and try to explain that you aren't interested in her that way then he might let you guys hang out. But he might be too jelly for all that.

I hope you manage to get stuff sorted!

EDIT: I only suggest that you might be depressed because you mention that you can't get into coding either. Not being able to do the things you enjoy is a sign of depression.
However things do change as you get older. These days I'm not really interested in playing video games unless I'm either being creative, learning something that I can apply in the real world or playing with friends.

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Libervurto
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Posted: 10th Aug 2014 05:13
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I have to agree with Jeku. Maybe shutting yourself in a dark room and coding is not what you need right now.

Formerly OBese87.
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Chris Tate
DBPro Master
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Location: London, England
Posted: 15th Aug 2014 23:14
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I often try demos of games I would never think of buying; sometimes you can find a game that you find so interesting on a personal level that you feel good knowing you would have never have found a treasure without seeking for it. I apply the same principle to of my commodities; I am the best reviewer for me.

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Green Gandalf
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Playing: Malevolence:Sword of Ahkranox, Skyrim, Civ6.
Posted: 16th Aug 2014 13:17
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Quote: "I often try demos of games I would never think of buying"


Good idea. Noted.



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Quik
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Location: Equestria!
Posted: 18th Aug 2014 17:27
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Quote: "I often try demos of games I would never think of buying"

Well, i've found demos of about a handfull of games this year, out of a basketfull - and only one or two were AAA Titles so.. Well - i mean it's great with demos, but finding demos is another question.



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Libervurto
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Posted: 19th Aug 2014 01:52
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I often get the humble bundle for free and if there are any games that particularly impress me (or I want the "locked" ones) I throw a few dollars their way. It is a great way to get different games.

Formerly OBese87.
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Chris Tate
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Posted: 20th Aug 2014 00:47 Edited at: 20th Aug 2014 00:51
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Quote: "only one or two were AAA Titles so.. Well - i mean it's great with demos, but finding demos is another question."


This unfortunately valid point made reminded me the solution of watching lots of game videos; if you cannot find a decent demo to play, the next best thing prior to purchase is to watch the game in action over a sufficient duration. I have succesfully purchased some of my all time favourite games just by watching someone else play with no difficulty imagining myself using the controller.

But be warned if you have not tried game video watching. Tis an acquired art with much needed skill and patience because you have to weed out the biased review orientated flicks outlining the best 5 minutes of gameplay which happens to be the only 5 minutes of gameplay worth your time; and then there is teenage if not preteen uploaded flick soundtrack mixed with overdriven club music or immature speech so loud you seldom hear any sound originating from the actual game, plus other annoying YouTube-cultural fails and all of your idiosyncrasies in one instance.

Alas that is the nature which surrounds the internet.

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Clonkex
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Posted: 28th Aug 2014 17:15 Edited at: 28th Aug 2014 17:16
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Quote: "Is it just me, or did games get really fricken shallow in last couple of years!"


Definitely not just you! Games are losing it recently. The industry is becoming too big. I think eventually it'll resurge with great games, but for now they're all mainstream copies of each other.

I definitely feel guilty when I don't code. I'm not sure why I used to, but recently it's because I have no job, I've just about finished school and TAFE and Mum's pressuring me to do something


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Indicium
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 03:08
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Quote: " I've just about finished school and TAFE and Mum's pressuring me to do something "


I thought you were older.
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Clonkex
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 04:41
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Quote: "I thought you were older."


19


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Indicium
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 04:58
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Quote: "19"


Same age as myself.
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Clonkex
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 06:39
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Quote: "Same age as myself."





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Ortu
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 08:05
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Youngins... now I feel really old

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Clonkex
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Posted: 29th Aug 2014 17:32
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Quote: "Youngins... now I feel really old "


Haha don't worry, compared to you we probably know nothing


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BiggAdd
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Posted: 30th Aug 2014 09:32
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Just like Jon Snow.

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Clonkex
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Posted: 30th Aug 2014 11:10
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Quote: "Just like Jon Snow."


I didn't know that was, so I googled it. A Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones. My brother, Dad and I watched the first episode of GoT, but as brilliant as it looked like it would be, it just contained far too much pornography. Ruins a perfectly good TV series.


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Libervurto
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Posted: 30th Aug 2014 12:12 Edited at: 30th Aug 2014 15:53
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Quote: "but as brilliant as it looked like it would be, it just contained far too much pornography."


Mod Edit: There's a reason South Park is rated mature. Bad Libervurto!

Formerly OBese87.
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Sasuke
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Posted: 10th Sep 2014 15:15
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############## SASUKE IS BACK BABY ##############

So strange, just the other day and I've been struggling with sleep for months up to this point, I suddenly got tired and slept for like 14 hours. When I woke up I felt like I had missed so much. Hit up a game and I'm like what the hell, I can play again! Did a little programming afterwards and just boom I'm back and invested. Just bizzare but least this depression is over cause I've been dying to program some of my ideas

But thanks for all the support and advice guys, it actually helps!

"Get in the Van!" - Van B
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Van B
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Posted: 10th Sep 2014 17:04
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Good stuff Sasuke.

Sometimes a good nights sleep does the world of good.

I am the one who knocks...
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Clonkex
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Posted: 11th Sep 2014 08:11
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Awesome! So glad you've got life back in your... life


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