Like most hobbies, table gaming (i.e.
board and/or card games) is subject to the ebbs and flows of life. A table
gamer may experience weeks, months, or even years of high-peak interest in his
hobby, seeking consistent game sessions and new and exciting games to open,
sort, and explore. Conversely, a table gamer may be overwhelmed with life
changes, such as switching jobs, marriage, having children, moving to a new
neighborhood, checking out an unfamiliar church, and so on. What is difficult
to understand, though, is when one's interest in a hobby seems to wane for no
significant reason. Though I would contend that there is always a
reason, the underlying causes may be almost impossible to identify.
Nonetheless,
there are ways to handle periods of your life during which, for one or many
reasons, board games are just not as fun as they used to be or are not that fun
at all. Some of these methods are painfully obvious, yet some of them may be
unfamiliar to you.
Take
a Well-Defined Break from Gaming
The
simplest method for dealing with this malaise is to stop gaming for a while,
though I would not recommend taking an open-ended break. I suggest taking a
clearly delineated break by defining the start and end of the break. Call it a
"fast" from gaming. The fast could be for 10 days, 20 days, one
month, or even a few months. By defining the parameters of the break, you
establish that mental barrier for which to aim. By fasting from gaming, you may
regenerate that keen interest in the hobby, yet develop a healthier perspective
of it. After all, gaming is a relatively minor hobby and should not override
more important concerns, such as one's faith, or even family, job, and friends.
Explore Other Hobbies
Another
obvious solution is to engage in other activities. I would suggest physical
activities, like hiking or sports, to disconnect from the cerebral pursuits of
gaming and exercise other areas of your brain.
Return to a Beloved Game from Your Past
One way
to revitalize your interest in table gaming is to revisit a game from your
past. These kinds of games I call recharger games. For
example, I used to really enjoy playing Carcassonne with a few
expansions, especially Inns and Cathedrals. By
returning to a game from your past, you may rediscover those game-youthful
feelings you may have left behind and forgotten. If you have been tempted to
sell that old game, do not sell it; keep it as a reminder of your
"younger" gaming days. If you sold that old game, I recommend buying
it again and keeping it ready. Remember: just because you have
"evolved" as a gamer does not mean you cannot enjoy those past
gateway games that got you involved in the first place.
One
more thing to mention: even opening up an old game and thumbing through its
components may be enough to enjoy gaming again. Sometimes, I like to crack
open Core Worlds just to look at the card art and read through
the potential combos. That game is definitely one of my go-to recharger games.
Reconnect
with an Old Game Buddy
Another
way to rekindle your hobby fire is to call upon a game friend from the past. Be
sure to call someone with whom you really enjoyed playing games. However,
consider the possibility that the old gaming buddy has either moved on from
gaming or has "evolved" into other games. Recapturing that wistful
feeling of positive nostalgia may be only one-sided; factor that into the
reconnection and you will frame the reunion with balanced expectations.
Buy
(or Make) an Expansion
Occasionally,
all you need is to shake up an old game with a novel expansion to renew your
gaming spirit. However, I would extend this to a riskier idea: creating a
home-brewed expansion. When I am a bit bored, I like to think about ways to
tweak the existing rules by synthesizing new cards, game boards, and tokens.
Playtesting these ideas can energize a gaming veteran by making her analyze the
rules to find loopholes and advantageous combos that can be exacerbated or
mitigated by a homemade expansion.
As an
added bonus, there are a few methods that I would NOT recommend because these
can be counterproductive:
DON'T
Sell the Old Games...Yet
Selling
old games does not solve the problem of loss of interest... unless the issue is not
that. You may be selling games because you are absolutely no longer
interested in table gaming OR you have elevated table games to an unhealthy
level of interest such that you value them over truly significant parts of your
life. Of course, if you are just in a lull, hold onto your old games until you
are certain of your course of action.
DON'T Buy a New Game
Sure,
it's exciting to buy new games, sort components, sleeve cards, and organize
contents for a night-long session of gameplay, but I have found that this does
not alleviate waning interest on a long-term basis; instead, it staves off the malaise
for a short time. It also establishes a "cult of the new" pattern of
thinking. In other words, you are only able to ward off boredom by buying new
games. This is an expensive route with diminishing returns. As I have heard in
so many movies, if you are not enough with the games you have, how can you be
enough with a new game?
DON'T
Seek New Game Friends with an Expectation of Renewing Interest
It
may seem like an excellent strategy to try out a new gaming group, but the
worst aspect of this method is that you may become further disillusioned trying
to renew gaming interest with people you barely know or may not even like. This
could backfire spectacularly because new players are an unknown quantity. For
instance, if you are a competitive person who enjoys engaging in table talk
(i.e. light trash-talking), but you join a group who shies away from such
banter, you may end up further discouraged.
DON'T
Play Your Way Through the Doldrums
Much like a lot of
athletes, trying to play your way through a slump can worsen your negative
sentiments because you start feeling like you are in a pit you cannot escape.
However, this is not always true; sometimes, an unexpectedly exhilarating
session of play may recharge you.
In general, when suffering
through a downswing in gaming, I advise avoiding new situations, games, and
opponents, and return to past games, opponents, and groups with whom you relished
playing. Of course, this approach may not work for you; perhaps, something
novel may energize you. New friendships can also inspire you to continue.
I should mention, though,
that there is the danger of table gaming becoming that idol that one comes to
worship, as if the hobby becomes so integral to one’s daily routine and
thoughts that all other aspects of one’s life become secondary. Christians
think in terms of “idols,” and I believe that this approach is a useful way to
reassess what table gaming means to you. In fact, Philippians 4:19 offers intriguing insight in which Paul wrote of idolaters: their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. Does gaming dominate your thoughts and
free time? Does most of your discretionary funds go towards it? If so, I
strongly recommend taking a long break from table gaming and focusing on
pursuing God. Such a pursuit realigns our perspectives, which, ironically, can enhance
our enjoyment of any hobby. As is often overstated, table gaming can become “too
much of a good thing.” In that sense, the best way to reignite gaming interest
is to realign your priorities.
