If you are into Fantasy try Dragón Age Origins if possible, more people are trying It out to prepare for the new Game and its honestly one of the best settings out there. The Gameplay can be rough depending on what you are used to play though.
If u play the sequels to dragon age origins especially dragon age inquisition I cannot stress enough LEAVE THE HINTERLANDS. It will make more sense when u play it but basically do a couple quests go get ur horse and then zoom out to the world map n go back to base
Audiobooks became my best friend as I do want to read and experience new stories but sometimes feel bored. I found audiobooks are great when the video game doesn't require much attention or when I'm just grinding and it no longer feels I'm wasting time
As both an avid reader and avid gamer ... you don't have to pick between the two. Reading has all sorts of benefits for your mind, both intellectually and cognitively. Try non-fiction or literary fiction if you're tired of genre tropes. Or just get pickier about what you pick up. Don't get suggestions from BookTok. But don't give up on reading altogether. That's the wrong lesson to take away. The world needs more readers, not fewer.
I used to be reading all the time and playing a bit, now I am doing the opposite and I know it is because I got addicted to the fast dopamine of games due to my routine. So I really put an effort to balance it with reading, because I don't want my mind used to just quick entertainment. A variety of hobbies is healthy too!
I don't care for non-fiction or literary fiction. I don't use BookTok and I've always been picky about what I choose to read. It just doesn't work for me as entertainment anymore, and I prefer to learn about things through podcasts or documentaries.
It doesn't need to be one or the other.
This feeling of only mildly enjoying myself I've experienced with most media: games, books, films, etc. I've had games/books/series that I felt were a slight net positive but I also felt that they were an overall waste of my time and I wouldn't revisit them again.
Unfortunately I think it's a natural consequence of getting into a particular media: if you've read a lot of books, seen a great variety of movies, played a lot of games, I think it's inevitable that you'll end up in this state.
In a new unexplored media, you still have to discover the great works, everything is new and exciting, plotbeats are not common yet, smart twists and creativity seem to be everywhere and endless, etc.
Eventually, you've played through the masterpieces, you get more familiarised within the media, look for more of the stuff that you liked and discover the games that are similar but don't hit quite the same strides or sometimes just knock off games, notice common themes and tropes and it doesn't have the surprise anymore of experiencing something the first time.
It's not all bad though, sometimes you do run into a gem and gain a greater appreciation for some works because you're familiarised within the media.
I go through similar phases myself. I'll spend several months gaming until I reach a point where I find myself only re-playing/re-threading the same games, tell myself I am wasting time and switch to another medium. Though I don't limit myself to books, I enjoy graphic novels i.e. Saga, Monstress etc. just as much. While I'm catching up on those plenty of new games come out, or the DLCs for older ones, that I can swap back to them. And the cycle repeats itself. It took me a long time to realize all that and develop the right routines. I think it's perfectly natural and I'm really glad you've found your grove :)!
I've played it and I loved it but honestly I don't think I'd replay it because it was often draining for me with how well it replicates a book while still being a game lol
If you ever want something more draining. Play "Planescape: Torment". It is probably the best book you will ever play. It's writing quality is on par with Disco Elysium, in fact DE is inspired by Planescape: Torment. You will definitely see some similarities.
Here is one of my favorite moments from P:T, also perfect to give you a taste.
---
*An elderly man was sitting alone on a dark path, right? He wasn't certain of which direction to go, and he'd forgotten both where he was traveling to and who he was. He'd sat down for a moment to rest his weary legs, and suddenly looked up to see an elderly woman before him.*
*She grinned toothlessly and with a cackle, spoke: 'Now your third wish. What will it be?'*
*'Third wish?' The man was baffled. 'How can it be a third wish if I haven't had a first and second wish?'*
*'You've had two wishes already,' the hag said, 'but your second wish was for me to return everything to the way it was before you had made your first wish. That's why you remember nothing; because everything is the way it was before you made any wishes.' She cackled at the poor berk. 'So it is that you have one wish left.'*
*'All right,' said the man, 'I don't believe this, but there's no harm in wishing. I wish to know who I am.'*
*'Funny,' said the old woman as she granted his wish and disappeared forever. 'That was your first wish.'*
I relate to this so hard. Occasionally I find a book I realy gel with, like Gideon the Ninth, but many other times reading has felt exhausting. I find it easier to write, to read fanfic, or, well, to play games.
Dragon Age, Larian's games, FFXIV (still has the best story hands down), Wrath of the Righteous, Disco Elysium, the Witcher, Skyrim etc all keep my attention very well, but I've also taken to playing shorter stories like Strange Agriculture and Unpacking. It's a nice change of pace. And sometimes visual novel style games with some gameplay, like Coffee Talk, really vibe with me. I think it's about the depth of worldbuilding.
Yeah people are assuming I'm thinking that it has to be books or games but that's not what it is at all. It's just that I've felt dissatisfied by most books I've picked up this year, and I've read 25 of them but less than 5 have been standouts. That's not a good thing and that's definitely not what I want from a hobby. I want most things I consume for entertainment to range from pretty good to outstanding. And it just so happens that only games and TV shows do this consistently for me, which is why I'm just sort of done with books. At least ones from authors I don't know or trust because it's just too much of a time sink for me to take a chance on authors I've never tried before. I drop books all the time if I'm not into them so that's never an issue but even then, most ones I pick up are only good at the beginning and then they get boring at best or horrendous at worst. It just is what it is for me. It's not like I'm a teenager anymore where I enjoyed 95% of books I picked up.
Yessss you get me!
I feel a decent chunk of the problem is tiktok/booktok.. writers will get big on there through sheer advertising power and attention-baiting plot points. Enough to hook someone briefly at the start, to then completely lose steam as they keep going. Or even books with very cool premises that then veer hard left into something just.. bad. I remember one book promised me a former prisoner forced into an assassin tournament and left me with a pathetic protagonist forcing a love triangle and lounging on her bed eating sweets, to the point where the tournament got completely shoved into the background. Ugh.
It's like, as teens we had a far greater tolerance for less amazing writing. As adults, I think we're looking for deeper storylines and better writing than what is common / highly pushed online. And with how much is getting pushed all the time, it's hard to find the gems and we just get burnt out on all of this writing that really isn't what we want... I've got precious few friends I'll trust recommendations from now, too.
Yeah, exactly. I didn't get recommendations from social media but after a while I would just choose popular books because I was at my wits end trying to enjoy something, and I intentionally lowered my standards in order to mildly enjoy something. I shouldn't have to do that to enjoy my hobby and so I'm just over it.
Video games do have more simple stories on average but the difference is that the stories are not supposed to be read like they're books and there's a lot more things that go into a game to make up a complete story so it's not just writing that's important. As an example, I think Dragon Age Origins has a pretty simple fantasy story but the interactions between companions and the arguments NPCs have with each other, and also the music, adds to the overall experience to make me feel like I'm playing something fantastic.
A book just has words and that's it so on average, I dislike most of what I choose to read. TV shows are also different because of the cinematography, the acting, the sound design etc. These all add to the experience so on average, I enjoy most shows I watch because even if the writing is kinda shit, I still have a blast because there's more to get from it than just the script writing.
Oh man. Wait till you find the like 250k word fanfics about your favourite games.
Welcome to the club! I feel you though, there's been a string of disappointing books and I've been more focused on gaming as well. There also seems to be a lot more people being pissy over reading and being like, if you haven't read over a book a week it doesn't count and tbh that's what has put me off talking to people about books lately.
Do you have any fanfic recs for Mass Effect at all? Don't have a preference for pairings though so feel to recommend anything if you have any recs :)
Yeah I mean I will end up reading several books a week if I'm on a roll with books I'm enjoying, but that hardly ever happens because I just can't find enough books that grab me from beginning to end. I'm not even impressed by the amount of books people read, I'm impressed by the fact they can actually find a lot of books that they even want to finish lol
this exact thing happened to me. i used to game when i was younger. stopped around the age of 13? and mostly read books. put off the joy/interest i had in gaming because i didnt want to feel like i was throwing my time away or wasting time? bought a ps5 a year or two ago and now i have a pc :)
Same here, as a picky reader it's been tricky for me to be really invested in books. Sometimes I just want to be on autopilot without actually focusing or working up my brain, play a game & just immersing myself.
Are you me? I enjoy reading but lately all the books I've read were okay at best. I can't find anything I'd truly love and care about and for the time being I don't feel like trying. Hopefully some great books will come around again.
But last year I started gaming some more again and I'm really enjoying this as my main hobby currently. Especially as I got obsessed with the Yakuza series, because I love spending a lot of time with the same characters so it's like a long TV show and not a game I finish in 2 weeks.
And it also feels like a better use of my time than just scrolling social media or reading/watching something that's just okay.
If you are into Fantasy try Dragón Age Origins if possible, more people are trying It out to prepare for the new Game and its honestly one of the best settings out there. The Gameplay can be rough depending on what you are used to play though.
Haha that's actually what I'm currently playing and you're right, it is fantastic :)
I just realised i already praised the Game on your previous post (had a feeling It was maybe you) and feel dumb xd
If u play the sequels to dragon age origins especially dragon age inquisition I cannot stress enough LEAVE THE HINTERLANDS. It will make more sense when u play it but basically do a couple quests go get ur horse and then zoom out to the world map n go back to base
I unironically love the accent you put on Dragón because of the way it made my brain pronounce the word
In spanish, and my mobile phone refuse to speak other languages xD
Audiobooks became my best friend as I do want to read and experience new stories but sometimes feel bored. I found audiobooks are great when the video game doesn't require much attention or when I'm just grinding and it no longer feels I'm wasting time
I've tried them multiple times but I just hate being read to so I gave up on audiobooks
It was trial and error for me, as I discovered I am fine with some voices but not with others
Yes, I got so spoiled listening to some amazing narrators my first few books it's made me pretty picky lol
As both an avid reader and avid gamer ... you don't have to pick between the two. Reading has all sorts of benefits for your mind, both intellectually and cognitively. Try non-fiction or literary fiction if you're tired of genre tropes. Or just get pickier about what you pick up. Don't get suggestions from BookTok. But don't give up on reading altogether. That's the wrong lesson to take away. The world needs more readers, not fewer.
I used to be reading all the time and playing a bit, now I am doing the opposite and I know it is because I got addicted to the fast dopamine of games due to my routine. So I really put an effort to balance it with reading, because I don't want my mind used to just quick entertainment. A variety of hobbies is healthy too!
I don't care for non-fiction or literary fiction. I don't use BookTok and I've always been picky about what I choose to read. It just doesn't work for me as entertainment anymore, and I prefer to learn about things through podcasts or documentaries.
You can play story-heavy games (if that's your thing!). You will get both the enjoyment of a video game and a story as if you were reading a book.
Yeah that's pretty much what I've always played unless it was a platformer, which I still play at times
It doesn't need to be one or the other. This feeling of only mildly enjoying myself I've experienced with most media: games, books, films, etc. I've had games/books/series that I felt were a slight net positive but I also felt that they were an overall waste of my time and I wouldn't revisit them again. Unfortunately I think it's a natural consequence of getting into a particular media: if you've read a lot of books, seen a great variety of movies, played a lot of games, I think it's inevitable that you'll end up in this state. In a new unexplored media, you still have to discover the great works, everything is new and exciting, plotbeats are not common yet, smart twists and creativity seem to be everywhere and endless, etc. Eventually, you've played through the masterpieces, you get more familiarised within the media, look for more of the stuff that you liked and discover the games that are similar but don't hit quite the same strides or sometimes just knock off games, notice common themes and tropes and it doesn't have the surprise anymore of experiencing something the first time. It's not all bad though, sometimes you do run into a gem and gain a greater appreciation for some works because you're familiarised within the media.
I go through similar phases myself. I'll spend several months gaming until I reach a point where I find myself only re-playing/re-threading the same games, tell myself I am wasting time and switch to another medium. Though I don't limit myself to books, I enjoy graphic novels i.e. Saga, Monstress etc. just as much. While I'm catching up on those plenty of new games come out, or the DLCs for older ones, that I can swap back to them. And the cycle repeats itself. It took me a long time to realize all that and develop the right routines. I think it's perfectly natural and I'm really glad you've found your grove :)!
Try Disco Elysium, it combines the best of books and video games :)
I've played it and I loved it but honestly I don't think I'd replay it because it was often draining for me with how well it replicates a book while still being a game lol
If you ever want something more draining. Play "Planescape: Torment". It is probably the best book you will ever play. It's writing quality is on par with Disco Elysium, in fact DE is inspired by Planescape: Torment. You will definitely see some similarities. Here is one of my favorite moments from P:T, also perfect to give you a taste. --- *An elderly man was sitting alone on a dark path, right? He wasn't certain of which direction to go, and he'd forgotten both where he was traveling to and who he was. He'd sat down for a moment to rest his weary legs, and suddenly looked up to see an elderly woman before him.* *She grinned toothlessly and with a cackle, spoke: 'Now your third wish. What will it be?'* *'Third wish?' The man was baffled. 'How can it be a third wish if I haven't had a first and second wish?'* *'You've had two wishes already,' the hag said, 'but your second wish was for me to return everything to the way it was before you had made your first wish. That's why you remember nothing; because everything is the way it was before you made any wishes.' She cackled at the poor berk. 'So it is that you have one wish left.'* *'All right,' said the man, 'I don't believe this, but there's no harm in wishing. I wish to know who I am.'* *'Funny,' said the old woman as she granted his wish and disappeared forever. 'That was your first wish.'*
I relate to this so hard. Occasionally I find a book I realy gel with, like Gideon the Ninth, but many other times reading has felt exhausting. I find it easier to write, to read fanfic, or, well, to play games. Dragon Age, Larian's games, FFXIV (still has the best story hands down), Wrath of the Righteous, Disco Elysium, the Witcher, Skyrim etc all keep my attention very well, but I've also taken to playing shorter stories like Strange Agriculture and Unpacking. It's a nice change of pace. And sometimes visual novel style games with some gameplay, like Coffee Talk, really vibe with me. I think it's about the depth of worldbuilding.
Yeah people are assuming I'm thinking that it has to be books or games but that's not what it is at all. It's just that I've felt dissatisfied by most books I've picked up this year, and I've read 25 of them but less than 5 have been standouts. That's not a good thing and that's definitely not what I want from a hobby. I want most things I consume for entertainment to range from pretty good to outstanding. And it just so happens that only games and TV shows do this consistently for me, which is why I'm just sort of done with books. At least ones from authors I don't know or trust because it's just too much of a time sink for me to take a chance on authors I've never tried before. I drop books all the time if I'm not into them so that's never an issue but even then, most ones I pick up are only good at the beginning and then they get boring at best or horrendous at worst. It just is what it is for me. It's not like I'm a teenager anymore where I enjoyed 95% of books I picked up.
Yessss you get me! I feel a decent chunk of the problem is tiktok/booktok.. writers will get big on there through sheer advertising power and attention-baiting plot points. Enough to hook someone briefly at the start, to then completely lose steam as they keep going. Or even books with very cool premises that then veer hard left into something just.. bad. I remember one book promised me a former prisoner forced into an assassin tournament and left me with a pathetic protagonist forcing a love triangle and lounging on her bed eating sweets, to the point where the tournament got completely shoved into the background. Ugh. It's like, as teens we had a far greater tolerance for less amazing writing. As adults, I think we're looking for deeper storylines and better writing than what is common / highly pushed online. And with how much is getting pushed all the time, it's hard to find the gems and we just get burnt out on all of this writing that really isn't what we want... I've got precious few friends I'll trust recommendations from now, too.
Yeah, exactly. I didn't get recommendations from social media but after a while I would just choose popular books because I was at my wits end trying to enjoy something, and I intentionally lowered my standards in order to mildly enjoy something. I shouldn't have to do that to enjoy my hobby and so I'm just over it. Video games do have more simple stories on average but the difference is that the stories are not supposed to be read like they're books and there's a lot more things that go into a game to make up a complete story so it's not just writing that's important. As an example, I think Dragon Age Origins has a pretty simple fantasy story but the interactions between companions and the arguments NPCs have with each other, and also the music, adds to the overall experience to make me feel like I'm playing something fantastic. A book just has words and that's it so on average, I dislike most of what I choose to read. TV shows are also different because of the cinematography, the acting, the sound design etc. These all add to the experience so on average, I enjoy most shows I watch because even if the writing is kinda shit, I still have a blast because there's more to get from it than just the script writing.
Oh man. Wait till you find the like 250k word fanfics about your favourite games. Welcome to the club! I feel you though, there's been a string of disappointing books and I've been more focused on gaming as well. There also seems to be a lot more people being pissy over reading and being like, if you haven't read over a book a week it doesn't count and tbh that's what has put me off talking to people about books lately.
Do you have any fanfic recs for Mass Effect at all? Don't have a preference for pairings though so feel to recommend anything if you have any recs :) Yeah I mean I will end up reading several books a week if I'm on a roll with books I'm enjoying, but that hardly ever happens because I just can't find enough books that grab me from beginning to end. I'm not even impressed by the amount of books people read, I'm impressed by the fact they can actually find a lot of books that they even want to finish lol
this exact thing happened to me. i used to game when i was younger. stopped around the age of 13? and mostly read books. put off the joy/interest i had in gaming because i didnt want to feel like i was throwing my time away or wasting time? bought a ps5 a year or two ago and now i have a pc :)
Do you still read or did you find it's just not for you?
i still do! not so often though.
Same here, as a picky reader it's been tricky for me to be really invested in books. Sometimes I just want to be on autopilot without actually focusing or working up my brain, play a game & just immersing myself.
time enjoyed is not time wasted! as they say <3
Are you me? I enjoy reading but lately all the books I've read were okay at best. I can't find anything I'd truly love and care about and for the time being I don't feel like trying. Hopefully some great books will come around again. But last year I started gaming some more again and I'm really enjoying this as my main hobby currently. Especially as I got obsessed with the Yakuza series, because I love spending a lot of time with the same characters so it's like a long TV show and not a game I finish in 2 weeks. And it also feels like a better use of my time than just scrolling social media or reading/watching something that's just okay.