I recently got a job after finishing university, all is good. However, after 5 full days of being behind desk job, I feel a bit exhausted of being behind desk.
Thus my desire to game on PC has soured immensely. Despite having a huge backlog and actually want to finish games.
I’m debating to purchase a Steam Deck OLED in the hope, I can actually play some decent games on there without getting fatigue of desk/ screens but that’s a big investment (€670-700).
So I was wondering; how do the adults of Lemmy with 5 full days of work still get the time and desire to play their games?
That’s the neat part: I don’t. I’ve played so many games I see most of them as minor changes from games I’ve played before. Most of them do not do anything interesting for me to invest my time in an experience I’ve already basically had. Very few games manage to feel different.
But if you are exhausted at the screen, touch grass. Playing video games may not be the vacation you think it is, you may need to go outside and spend more time doing things that are different from what you do most of the day: eg your work, your sleep and your main hobby. Go pick up hiking. If you find hiking boring, get a RC trail car and do rc hiking. If you really need that brainrot current popular fps vibes: go do hiking with toy guns: airsoft/paintball
game without [being exhausted of the] screen
There is your answer: if screens exhaust you, do something without screens.
Games are supposed to give you a good time, reinvigorate you, and prepare for your “real life”. If you’re sick of screens, then pick up pottery, or squash, or hiking, or skydiving, or cooking, or… thousands of activities out there to have a good time without a screen.
having a huge backlog
That’s work. Just don’t. Do stuff that makes you feel better, not just tick a box in a backlog so you feel slightly less bad.
This. So much this.
The “backlog” is not something to work through, it is a lesson to learn: Do not buy a game unless you have time and are motivated to play it that very moment. If you buy it to play it “later”, or “next week”, you very likely are not going to play it, and it is just wasted money.
(The same is true for books, by the way. And when it comes to books, I refuse to learn this lesson.)
Portables are the best for this, imo. Steam Deck or a used 3DS are my choices. The latter is easy to mod and play all sorts of games including the gigantic DS/3DS library.
I find both systems clutch for the suspend function. Lets you pick right back up where you were. I will say the 3ds is much better at this with clamshell design that suspends on closing the lid and it’s battery life in suspend is fantastic!
I also find stress relief games. Mindless 3rd person action games for me. Mad Max was great because I could drive around picking fights or crashing stuff. The Batman Arkham games and the Shadow of Mordor games are other great examples for me. I have not found any relaxing “cozy” games that work for me. Nothing has really grabbed my attention enough to stick with.
I also find stress relief games. Mindless 3rd person action games for me. Mad Max was great because I could drive around picking fights or crashing stuff. The Batman Arkham games and the Shadow of Mordor games are other great examples for me.
Yeah, so for me it would be most Switch games through emulation (such as Captain Toad, 3D World and Odyssey) and P3R/P5R.
I have not found any relaxing “cozy” games that work for me. Nothing has really grabbed my attention enough to stick with.
I checked ‘cozy’ games but like you, they don’t seem to be my type of games.
I’m truly debating about the Deck but €670 is a lot to invest when being uncertain. Also what if it wouldn’t fix the exhaustion issue of screens and desks.
The post work exhaustion will get easier over time, but it’s a trick to balance. Make sure you’re keeping your health good, getting adequate rest, etc. There will be some adjustment, some changes, it all depends on the kind of work you do and how hard you can avoid burning out.
Good luck, it will likely get better.
I take a lot of breaks. Just a few minutes doing something else.
I don’t mind sitting at a desk, but some care tips.
- Stand up at least once an hour, even just to get coffee, go to the bathroom.
- Always have a (full) bottle of water with you. If it’s there, you’ll drink it, you won’t even notice it. Keep it in your eyeline
- Eyedrops. If you’re in an office job, you need eyedrops. If you game on top of that you need them more. I actually dried out my eyes from coding and gaming too much, it’s very easy to do. Talk to your eye doctor, get some artificial tears. Look away from the screen every 20 minutes or so and just blink.
I fall asleep with sticks in my hand
Me too. But sometimes I don’t even play video games
Ha
I usually wake up early before wife and baby, i play for about an hour or so on the weekends but usually by the time I make my coffee and sit at my desk and update they are awake so I mostly just collect steam games that maybe ill pass down to my child
I work on a computer at a desk all day. I’m do penetration testing and red team operations, so I spend a fuck ton of time doing training and development courses and labs which usually just involve typing a bunch of shit into a terminal window, both during work and on my own time (I genuinely enjoy it, it’s not a shitty workplace colonizing my off time situation), and I’ve played games my entire life.
Idk I’ve never had this problem. Screens recharge me, it’s people that drain me. I’d have the same flipped question for product vendors that are always at conferences and stuff, or business insurance sales people, just wondering how they get through all these small talk conversations, sales calls, dinners with clients, etc., without a chance to just sit behind a screen and answer people at whatever pace they need.
Oh. I have a variable height desk I got from DeskHaus. I love it. I’m standing a fair amount of the time I’m working. I have a decent SteelCase chair I bought during the beginning of covid. I got it from a refurb reseller, but even brand new it’s not their nicest chair, but it’s expensive enough and holding up well enough that I don’t see a reason to replace it yet. Standing through the workday helps me not feel exhausted and tired of sitting in the same chair for 12 hours since I haven’t been.
Making my gaming space more comfortable. I work at home on my desk, so I’m also often tired of sitting there when I’m done with work. A few months ago, I purchased a projector, which I can use while comfortably sitting in an armchair. I also play on my couch using my Steam Deck.
If you want, just get a bluetooth controller and use the SteamLink app on your phone. It let’s you lounge back and play games just like the steam deck and for way cheaper.
I’m in the same situation, working 8 hrs at a desk and I can’t join the discord group like I used to during school years. Now I just watch tv on the main monitor and use SteamLink on my phone
I think if you tried an OLED Steam Deck, you might change your mind. The screen alone is amazing… But also, the fact that it’s a fully functioning Linux device is great as well. So much better than Android.
I work full time at a computer. I have two jobs, so I put in 68 hours a week (second is 28 hours a week, no overlap).
I have no issues with eye fatigue best I can tell, that or I’ve just gotten so used to it. I will note I do have the blue light filter on my glasses lenses my optician recommended.
Well, I don’t have a desk job and I’m on console. So while I can sympathize, I’m not really able to offer advice.
I go through waves. Sometimes I don’t want to play games at all, and during those times I do some of my other hobbies/activities. Summer especially I spend a lot of time outside. I would advise against spending money to try and fix what just might be a temporary thing. Not to say you shouldn’t buy a SteamDeck if you want one outside of the fatigue, just don’t let that be the only reason.
How long have you been working a day job? It might just be a period of adjustment. School life vs work life is a lot different, so it takes time to adjust for most people. Also, if you work from home, that may also be a factor. If so, try not working where you game if possible. That was a huge thing for me.
How long have you been working a day job? It might just be a period of adjustment.
For about 2 months and a few days now. So I think, I already adjusted to the changes.
School life vs work life is a lot different, so it takes time to adjust for most people.
Definitely! It was tough the first few weeks, lol.
Also, if you work from home, that may also be a factor. If so, try not working where you game if possible. That was a huge thing for me.
At the moment I don’t yet, I purposely asked if I could work full time at office. I still live with parents and the distractions are a bit much. Might try working from home sooner or later though.
Steam Deck. I can play in bed, or even hook it up to the TV in my living room and play from my couch. I even picked up a wireless keyboard and mouse for that specific purpose.
When I was in my 20’s I had my PC hooked up directly to my TV. Now I have kids and I would rather not have it set up like that, but it may be an option for you.
