What to play when gaming isn't fun anymore? Is it over? Tell me about a game thats worth a damn.

Dark Souls

I have the same sometimes, i won't play for days, weeks or months, but then i have to play again start a new game of Day of the Tentacle and i'm all in again. It's my all time favorite and even though i guess that you played it in your 30 years of gaming... if not, get it, install it and play it.

When gaming isn't fun, reading is it... (:P)

Dark Souls brah!

I don't think I lost the feeling of fun in games, but I do feel guilty playing them, because I know I could do something more creative with that time. The problem with games is that they tend to be very time consuming compared to other content consumption, and can also require more attention and learning, so it's harder to multitask with them, or stop and continue them later.

I ended up gravitating towards more casual games, in particular hidden object adventures, which tend to be short and offer hints but have a story aspect and some problem solving.

Still, having started playing Shadowrun Returns on my Nexus 7 I did enjoy that quite a bit. I stopped for now (because it hogs the tablet, since running other apps can force quit it and it only has a checkpoint system), but I plan to continue when the planned save system arrives.

I don't really care about impact. I watch movies which don't have an impact, read books or comics which don't have an impact, they're just fun. Same for games. I do neither of these things very often, but when I do, I don't need them to change my life or anything.

How can you waste enjoyment? Isn't that the entire reason for living? :p
Also don't play games unless you wanna. There's nothing anyone enjoys doing 100% of the time. Play when you wanna and what you wanna. It wouldn't hurt to try some genres you've never considered before.

Nothing. Take a month or two off, like completely, and then when you return, it'll feel alright. No phone games or handhelds either!

If you don't have an Xbox 360 or a PS3, get one, and play Nier. Nier's storyline is the most amazing story I have ever experienced. Nothing comes close to it, but in order to get the full experience, you HAVE to beat the game 4 times. It is worth all the time it takes and more.

It seems like maybe it isn't anything wrong with the games but your perspective and priorities have changed. You say you feel really guilty after playing and that you've wasted your time. I think you need to explore these feelings. Why, specifically, do you feel guilty? Is there something else you should be doing or would you just be watching TV instead? Are you feeling pressure because your peers maybe view playing video games in a negative or childish light? Why do you still play games if they make you feel this way? It doesn't matter how good a game is, if you feel this way after/during playing it is going to color your views of that game in a negative way. Until you can resolve these feelings gaming is going to be a joyless experience.

I would strongly suggest the video series Extra Credits. They are adults that look at video games in a very mature and deep way. There are a lot of them that are aimed and people in or interested in the industry but there are some that look at gaming in society. Discussions on the positives of gaming, overcoming the stigma of being an adult that plays video games, etc. The beginning of the first season has a number of episodes like this. I love this series because it reminds me that games, just like movies and books and music and any other form of media, can be for just more than entertainment but it's up to the player to find that meaning.

Sorry if that was a bit rambling but in summery, it's not the games, it's you. You'll either have to sort it out or move on. Check out Extra Credits (they're on youtube too).

Ive been in this slump before myself, personally when this happened to me i reverted to the simple things for example world of goo may be something to try. Also I went back to games of my childhood either via emulators or the old Nintendo console that somehow has not died yet, never could get into Atari though aside from that chicken crossing game, but that console broke before i got my first Nintendo so i emulate it on pc. Dont know what your thoughts on the final fantasy games are, but i enjoyed them a great deal. Guess what im getting at is some times less can be more, all according to taste of course. Super Metroid, firepower 2000 in the Snes line up were excellent games as well.