How To Cure Your Gaming ADD

Sometimes, games are difficult to get and stay into. 

No matter how great, how high-profile, how all-encompassing, or technically proficient the game is, sometimes I just can't focus. My mind wanders. What am I missing out on? What's going on in the Internet world? Is there any gaming news I haven't read? What about my other games? I need to finish them.

Sometimes it feels impossible to let myself become entranced by the game in front of me. Perhaps it's just a boring game. That can't always be true though, right? Now that it's sitting in front of me on the television screen, my eyes keep wandering over to the stack of games on my bookshelf. There are so many. I have time to complete them. So why don't I want to?

I can only surmise that this stems from the fact that I just want to experience every game there is out there. I'm like a kid in a candy store. I walk into a GameStop or similar location and suddenly, my need to buy anything else greatly diminishes. But when I have these titles that I couldn't wait for, sometimes I just have so much trouble concentrating because there are so many other things to try.

There is a mind-boggling amount of games out there to soak in. Never in my life will I see or play them all. It's impossible. And that's why gaming is one hobby that you can never truly say you're "done" with, or that you've "seen it all" with. So how do I cope?

Luckily, I've got a tried and true set of options that I can use to curb this overwhelming feeling. I can "force" myself to get back into the mindset that I will pick one game and stick with it. And here's how:

Lend out games to friends.

If my friends have those games that I feel I'm going to have to force myself to decide between, how am I going to get to them? I could call them and have my babies returned, but that's too much trouble. If all I have around is that one game I have been meaning to complete for two or three years now, then I'll suck it up and make some progress. Sad, but true. That's how I had to finally conquer The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, because I was stuck at the infernal Water Temple for what seemed like an eternity. I know. I'm pretty horrible.

Hype yourself up for the game.

Remember how it felt when Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots came out on the PlayStation 3? It was the reason I made the justification that I needed a PS3 ahead of when my budget would allow me. Before, there hadn't been too many good reasons in my eyes. I had seen the trailers, and I'd read every piece of information that I could. My friends finished it before me, and felt like they had to tell me everything that happened right down to the letter. So when I finally obtained the game, I forced myself to play through even the most obnoxious moments. Because I had to. Because if I didn't, my friends would ruin it, and all the magic would be sucked out of it. Granted, it's hard to feel that way when playing through games like Dead Rising, since it's not the same experience, but I can psych myself into feeling that way. It works.

Knock out some things on your to-do list.

This should be a no-brainer. Cleaning your cat's litter box doesn't get you any achievements, now does it? How much does getting that load of laundry out and folding it suck? Spend a few hours in the real world, and suddenly that game you can't pay attention to seems more and more appealing. Writing essays is nowhere near as fun as traveling from planet to planet, taking on quests bigger than you can handle. If getting important things done doesn't make you feel like you deserve a reward that includes FINALLY getting around to that recent purchase, then I'm not sure what would help you.Stay calm, now. Focus. Don't let that money you spent go to waste! Hop off the internet right now and go make some progress. Do it for my sake, because my purchases are piling up, and I need serious inspiration.