Help, I'm losing interest in the hobby...

[ForeverHero]

So have you ever lost interest in the game/hobby to the point where you just want to quit for a while? I played a couple of games this past Friday and ended up losing both games. The thing that bothered me most wasn’t losing the games as both players did very well but I wasn’t having fun at all. I found that I was getting really frustrated and wasn’t having any fun at all. I used to look forward to days when I could play a game or hang out all day and relax but lately it seems like I cannot switch off real-life and unwind; guess I need a vacation or a new job 

Sadly, I made the decision to drop from the current campaign and hang up my models for a while, some of my friends recommended that I focus on putting my Skaven army together but I’m thinking I need a break from everything. It almost feels like having a second job…

I’m curious if this is normal or am I just having a bad day/month/year as I have tried various things to keep my interest in the game but nothing has really worked at this point. Recently, I’ve started up a couple of new armies like Imperial Guard and Orks but I’ve just seemed to have lost interest in them as well. The thing that bothers me is that I have invested thousands of dollars in this hobby and for some reason none of it has sparked my interest like it used too.

Any ideas on how I can rekindle my interest in the game/hobby? Maybe something that has worked in the past for you may help me find my path back to enjoying it once again.

Cheers,

FH

[Lerra]

It almost feels like having a second job…
It sounds like you've burnt out a bit. Try doing only what's fun - it's a hobby after all, and there is no reason to do it if you are not enjoying your time. Do you want to work on your Skaven? No? Oh well, no big deal :) Take a break, and if the idea ever seems appealing, start doing whatever tickles your fancy. When it stops being fun, move on to something else with your free time.

Don't worry about, "But what if I don't want to come back?" Most hobbyists regain their enjoyment after they get rid of the burn-out, and if it's not fun, what's the point? I've noticed that pressuring yourself to enjoy the hobby is counter-productive. That just makes hobby time stressful and it feels even more like work.

[Atrotos]

From personal experience I'd say life is like a tri-pod. You can usually narrow your life to three inter-dependent sections that, together, describe your entire life. For me there is My Fiance, My Work(Studies), and Gaming. My life can only be stable if things are even across all three legs. My advice to you would be to figure which of the legs in your tripod are giving you trouble. An example from my life would be my studies mean I can't make much money. This affects how much I can enjoy time spent with my future wife and how many models I can buy.

I think you'll find that if other things in your life are bringing you down it can affect your hobbying as well. What you perceive as disinterest may simply be real life eroding your will to have fun either because you're stressed or lonely or what have you. I say this because it seems unlikely that after years of investment one can simply loose interest in this game ergo it is not a problem with the hobby but something else.

Hope that helps

[Just_Me]

Yeah, that's a fairly normal wax and wane. I know I have all but dropped hobbies for a while only to revisit them later with greater passion and new insight. The only reason I have stayed so constant with 40k and its derivatives is because there is enough variety to keep me going; I may drop modeling for a while and just read the fiction, or I may shift my focus to Battlefleet Gothic for a bit, or just do some conversion work for the fun of it instead of stressing about completing an army, or do some background writing to develop my existing armies, or maybe I just play Dawn of War for a while. Not to mention the variety of flavors that exist within the hobby, I currently have different 5 armies, most of them only 1,000 points, when one gets boring for a bit I move on to another one.

Don't fight it, and don't worry about it, if you need a break then you need a break, when you feel the desire again you will get back into it. Explore something different for a while, or revisit an old hobby you dropped when you started 40k.

[Melissia]

In the hobby yes, in the lore/fluff, no. Without the lore/fluff, the hobby is nothing, and I in fact actually don't enjoy the hobby that much to begin with... it's mostly the games and the lore that draws me.

[Lord Azaghul]

Take a break.
I while back a friend of mine said “its just game, don’t do a damn thing you don’t want to”
Keep it that way. Put the models away for a while, go read, go write, watch a movie…until you feel like painting/playing again.

I had to put my fantasty armies (dwarf o&g) in the closet for about 6-8 months because the game just stopped being fun. I basicly got burn out after two back to back tournies, playing against nothing but powergaming daemons and undead ( I’ve always hated those two armies). It almost ruined fantasty for me. Even now its difficult to want to do much with them, but I pretty much only pull them out for casual club games. Even when 8th ed rolls out I don’t think I’ll be heading back to the fantasy tourinment scene. But hey I did want to paint some orcs the other day.

Thankfully I had just started 40k when this was happening, and it was a nice change of pace. I am currently engrossed with my guard. I also think focusing on one army at a time helps maintain interest over an extended period.

Keep in mind – its supposed to be fun.
Just don’t sell your models yet!

[ForeverHero]

Just don’t sell your models yet!

No way would I sell my models, burned out- yes, crazy - no :)

I thank everyone for your comments and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that has felt this way. So I'll take some time off and comtemplate the meaning of life, which I know is 42 but it still doesn't make any sense :) then again like the game the writer of that novel was British.

Cheers,

FH

[BuFFo]

Oh yeah, this is just the human condition. You get bored with something you do constantly. Some people may takes years to reach this point. For me, every 3 years or so I just lose interest and stop playing 40k for about 6 months.

Just take a break and do other things.

[Just_Me]

... the meaning of life, which I know is 42

Nice, Douglas Adams is hilarious...

Anyway, everyone needs a break once in while. Don't stress, take some time off, and you will come back to the hobby refreshed and happier.

[Dark_Templar]

I used to play with a group of a$$hats when I was younger and ended up leaving the hobby for ten years.

I dont really game much anymore, but my love for the hobby and universe is bigger and better than ever.

I am just devastated that some punk kid in my family (haven't worked out which one yet, but I will) stole all my minis.

[rkiviman]

Take a break!! Read some great books, enjoy life and don't worry about it!! After a while then take a look back at the hobby and see if it's something that you're still interested in. Sometimes we all get sensory overload with our hobbies and need a breath of fresh air. I've built models for years and finally just got tired of it and took a hiatus. Glad I did, it gave me a better perspective when I came back to doing it once more. I really enjoy building and painting these models. Because of the time away lesson learned "it's got to be fun, or why do it".

[Just_Me]

I am just devastated that some punk kid in my family (haven't worked out which one yet, but I will) stole all my minis.

you should find him and PURGE HIM WITH HOLY FIRE!

Seriously though, that sucks, good luck finding them...

[ForeverHero]

Yeah, I'm a fan of 'the Guide'... I have used the following quote in the past when on various projects at work; love the look it gets when they figure out I'm serious ;)

"I love deadlines, especially the whooshing noise they make as they go by.
- Douglas Adams, author “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”

[imperialsavant]

:cool: Definately take a break if you are just not enjoying the gaming.

One suggestion is to read some GOOD 40K novels. Gaunts Ghosts or anything by Dan Abnett plus the Sandy Mitchell, Caiaphus Cain novels. The CC ones are full of humour plus action & background & just the thing if you feel jaded. The Horus Heresy ones are also reccomended as they give a great back story to what is the 40k universe now.

Maybe this will reignite your enthusiasm to "fix" the world. ;)

[chromedog]

How often do you play and how old are you? (as in early teens, late teens, 'adult'). All of these can contribute to this feeling.

I'm getting bored of 40k atm myself - but i've been playing for 22 years. It's more the fact that I'm the oldest in my club by a few years, and I really don't like playing against the cheating 12 year olds (who screech a lot, too). I'm dealing with this issue by starting Infinity with another club (I play 'regularly' at three of them) who have members closer to my age.

[Scoota]

One suggestion is to read some GOOD 40K novels. Gaunts Ghosts or anything by Dan Abnett plus the Sandy Mitchell, Caiaphus Cain novels.

I was going to suggest the same thing - the (well written) novels are an awesome way of reinvigorating your passion.
I used to work for GW, and ended up leaving the job because a lot of things got in the way of me enjoying the hobby. While it took me about 2 years to redevelop the passion (don't lose heart), a mate lent me Xenos and shortly after that I was back into the hobby enjoying everything that I used to, plus the time away broadened my perspectives on other elements of life, and I could bring a lot of these new experiences to the hobby. For example, I started building lots more terrain after that.

Do what you need to do, and if ever you're in Melbourne Australia and looking for a fun person to play against, give us a hoi. :)

[MightyOrang]

I'm with Azghul ... take a break.

Alternately, try something new -- like go play Warhammer Ancients or Field of Glory where you'll be forced to paint new armies in totally differnt schemes.

or just go pick of COD2MW and play until your eyes bleed. then play some more!

[Sangre]

Really really normal. Happens to all of us.

The best way is to put all your models in a sturdy box, and stick it away for a while. Avoid the temptation to sell it off. One day you'll get the spark back.

[Dark_Templar]

you should find him and PURGE HIM WITH HOLY FIRE!

Seriously though, that sucks, good luck finding them...

Don't you worry, I will go medieval on his a$$, but there are so many punk kids in my family.....darn siblings and their fertility.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

yeah, I get tired of 40k sometimes myself - for me its more just the lack of fresh new things, I get bored of the same old armies ect, daemons brought the excitement back for a short-time but didnt really have the staying power since it wasnt -completely- new. Next best thing (for me) would be to see a 3rd army like DE or necrons get updated, that would probably get me back into the hobby. For now though, im focussing on making and getting my own war-game out there - that way I can make the perfect wargame for me (and hope it appeals to some others too!).

[Aldramelech]

I walked away for 7 years! Sold the lot, had nothing to do with it. At the point I left, it had taken over my life. Now I'm back Ive told myself I wasn't going to be so "Full On". I think if you reach the point that your making life decisions based on gaming, you need to step back or even stop. If like you your just not having fun at the moment, a short break should sort you out...........

[quinn]

Yeah, but you quit in the middle of my campaign!!! (Which is true, but it's okay) I got totally burned out on Fantasy after all the pre-tournament games and then the tournaments, and then Ard'boyz and then...
I needed a break from Fantasy, so I decided to run a 40K Campaign for our store. It's been great as I've concentrated on doing terrain, organizing battles, writing fluff, etc., and haven't played a game for a couple months.
So now I'm getting excited again about doing a new Fantasy army and prepping for the next round of tournaments. I'd tell ForeverHero to do the same thing, but he really is a member of our group!

[anubis]

So have you ever lost interest in the game/hobby to the point where you just want to quit for a while? I played a couple of games this past Friday and ended up losing both games. The thing that bothered me most wasn’t losing the games as both players did very well but I wasn’t having fun at all. I found that I was getting really frustrated and wasn’t having any fun at all. I used to look forward to days when I could play a game or hang out all day and relax but lately it seems like I cannot switch off real-life and unwind; guess I need a vacation or a new job 

Sadly, I made the decision to drop from the current campaign and hang up my models for a while, some of my friends recommended that I focus on putting my Skaven army together but I’m thinking I need a break from everything. It almost feels like having a second job…

I’m curious if this is normal or am I just having a bad day/month/year as I have tried various things to keep my interest in the game but nothing has really worked at this point. Recently, I’ve started up a couple of new armies like Imperial Guard and Orks but I’ve just seemed to have lost interest in them as well. The thing that bothers me is that I have invested thousands of dollars in this hobby and for some reason none of it has sparked my interest like it used too.

Any ideas on how I can rekindle my interest in the game/hobby? Maybe something that has worked in the past for you may help me find my path back to enjoying it once again.

Cheers,

FH

carefull i dropped the hobby once back when 4th editon started. it took a friend 2 months ago to re kindle my passion.

i did a necron and went to sleep for an age. now its 5th edition and my necrons are still the same after 7 years.

in the last 2 months ive tripled my army size and finaly bought a couple of monoliths.(when i used to play 7 years ago having a monolith was like owning a titan or manta in todays standard.

who knows with the changes happening in the next couple of months i think you might find your muse again

[j-orge-287]

I can't seem to game often enough these days, and my brother stopped so I can't game at home and I don't kow anyone well enough at my local store because I can't game often enough.
Could be losing interest-maybe try gaming more in the new year.

[ForeverHero]

when i used to play 7 years ago having a monolith was like owning a titan or manta in todays standard.




I remember those days as well, used to play with a guy that had two of them and a Nightbringer.... it taught me the value of the Lascannon...

[ForeverHero]

[QUOTE=quinn;38627]

Yeah, but you quit in the middle of my campaign!!! (Which is true, but it's okay)

/QUOTE]

Yeah, I am sorry about that but I was going to have to miss the next couple of weekends due being on-call for work and felt that it wasn't fair to leave you guys hanging.

Regards,

FH

[theabsolved]

Sorry if this is a bit of a necropost, but I recently had a similar situation - around august I totally lost interest in the hobby, and took a few months out- it's really served me well to stand back, evaluate, and see exactly what I enjoy about the hobby and what made me lose interest. Now I'm getting back into it, it's really refreshing. I've found that I no longer need the latest release, because when I look at my collection, my favourite models are those with character, not the newest ones. It's also made me realise that I wasn't enjoying keeping up my blog. I was getting a tonne of visitors through the BoLS link, but I just wasn't enjoying writing it. I like to think I have a cool army, but I don't need to prove that online, I'm happy if the only other people that ever see it are the few friends I play with.

It also helped me to calm down with the hobby - I don't HAVE to paint those ranks and ranks of Skaven - If I'm enjoying it I'll paint - if not, I won't. I don't have a deadline to follow at all.

My advice is if you're losing interest, that's fine. Take a few months out. If you never return to the hobby then it'll be because you lost interest, not because it was snatched away from you.

[snikrot]

something that made me lose interest was all my friends quitting.i had a tight group of 8 gamers we played every week then they all stopped i still played for awhile but not having anybody to game with really killed the hobby for me now i just read the novels and occasionally paint. i am probably just going to stop playing altogether and see what i ant to do. moving to germany from the US hasn't really helped either i moved about 3 weeks ago and have yet to really learn german yet so gaming is even harder now.

[Subject Keyword]

I find that video games are a nice addiction to use as a 6 month or so long proxy for Warhammer.

I just played through Mass Effect, Silent Hill 2, 4, & 5, Condemned, and Bioshock again, not to mention x number of hours of Left 4 Dead 2. By the time I was done, I couldn't WAIT to get my hands back on some models.

[Doomgrin]

The big thing for me right now if reading the novels. It makes you appreciate the game universe more and visualize certain aspects of the battle. IG has a ton of novels.

Recently I started the (rather long) Horus Heresy novels after reading all 6 books of the Space Wolves Omnibus I & II in less than a month and then the Eisenhorn Omnibus.

Another option, if you have it in your area, is to play at a different store. You get different players, armies, and play styles to interact with.

Lastly, I got into terrain making and now have 4 different landscape types complete with terrain for each!

[Bedroom General]

Such an interesting thread.
I am a 40k FANATIC.
I have played GW games since 1996.
I don't play very much.
I don't paint anywhere near as much as I'd like to.
I have far too many armies.
I read a lot of the novels.
I buy WD even though it isn't worth the money.
I argue about rules, and ring up GW stores in the middle of games for rule clarification!FAIL!!!!!LOL
I have a close group of friends who are pretty much as obsessed.(This is an important sentence.)
I have a wife, lifestyle and job that enable me to do this. (This is an IMPORTANT sentence.)
I have other hobbies/pastimes/interests.
It has become part of my life.
I regret nothing.
*Other people's experiences may differ.*

[ForeverHero]

Well, I took everyones advice and stepped back from the game for a bit and just put everything away for a while. I'm still reading BoLS and WD and I have to admit that my interest has perked up a bit with all the Tyranid stuff I've been reading about. I'm planning on picking up the new codex in Janurary and we'll see what happens after reading it.

I don't think that I'll be rushing right back into play WH40k but I do have a fully painted Nid army in the display case. I'm curious how it'll come out in points now that everything has chnaged so we'll see what happens. For now, I'm enjoying the time off and focusing on building my new Giant Scale RC 50cc Extra 300...Santa was good to me this year :)

Cheers,

FH

[Duke]

(Sprinkles water) The power of the Hive Mind Compels you! (Sprinkles water) The Power of the hive mind compels you! (Sprinkles water) The power of the hive mind compels you! ;)

Duke

[Cyberscape7]

When I first started I quit for about 6 months! but I found that if you make it funny it is much more enjoyable. e.g. me and my mate do narrative campaigns and we completeley muck around by turning a leman russ upside down and calling it the great battleship FISH. Treat it as a joke as you get better at it.
Hope that helps.

[Anarchyman99]

In the hobby yes, in the lore/fluff, no. Without the lore/fluff, the hobby is nothing, and I in fact actually don't enjoy the hobby that much to begin with... it's mostly the games and the lore that draws me.

99% what I was going to say, building on that base, try diving into that storyline it has helped me many, many times.

[Phototoxin]

99% what I was going to say, building on that base, try diving into that storyline it has helped me many, many times.

Sorry for thread necro, but it seems to be the same as what I'm facing, the lore/fluff is so-so to me, the TT game is crap and I'm not that overjoyed with the effort I need to put into the models to play a game I don't enjoy which isn't representative of the fluff.
Q.Q