I've been having the same problem recently. I seem to always be picking up games, maybe playing them for one gaming period (1-6 hours) and then putting them down and never touching them. It's not that I don't enjoy them. I certainly do. I think it's more of a problem of not remembering to play them. And when I do, I keep thinking that I should be doing something else. Or I figure "hey, I want to play this game." But then I notice the clock and see that I'm going to be doing something in an hour, so I don't want to get wrapped up in one. And so I put it off. Or I say "okay, one more hubski article" and just sit on here all day (or reddit). Hell, I'll even refresh and lurk on my usual sites (reddit, hubski, zeldainformer) instead of sitting down and playing a game. Then I feel like shit because I haven't played a game and I got nothing accomplished. It's a horrible feeling. So I'm trying to fix it. Set aside time to be productive and work on stuff. And then put aside time to game and have fun. That way I do both instead of neither.
Not just you Kafke, I have this happen to me as well. By the time I take out work, domestic fun duties, spending some quality time with the SO and with mates, there's not the greatest amount of time left to be had from the average week. Less so with rotating shifts, rosters and work. But, I accept that; it's the nature of the beast. What time I have is then divided on a raft of free time activities, and then trying to balance on giving time to everything, to do everything I want to do. What infuriates me most is when I look forward to playing a game, and then it turns out to be a let down; I then feel both time and money have been wasted: I could've spent the cash on something else, and the time doing something more rewarding. This is a big part of why I am so let down by GTA V, and I'm not phased about how unpopular that makes me: I have spent a few evenings trying to play it and ending up infuriated at the controls and glitches, and have given up on it as I don't want to waste more time on it. On the plus side, my housemate bought it, not I haha.I seem to always be picking up games, maybe playing them for one gaming period (1-6 hours) and then putting them down and never touching them.
This resonates with me. However, I'll add another factor; I'm spoiled for choice. My steam library is full of games I'm excited to play but don't want to start until I've put more time into, or finished, the large collection of half-finished games. When I sit down for time I've set aside for entertainment and playing a game, there have been so many times where I'll just stare at my library unable to pick one. This phenomenon happens with books too if I'm not careful. It's not even that I'm finished and need to move on, there are instances where I'll pick a game back up again, have a blast, and finish it. I go through waves of this happening but I feel like I'm currently much better about it. I haven't been buying anything new until I finish one. I'm also much more selective about what I will dedicate my time to. AAA games all share so many of the same common tropes that it will inevitably require spending a great deal of time doing the same familiar thing. The past few years I've been spending much more time with quality indie games that introduce something new or distill their mechanics and message down and refine them.
I've noticed this as well. Which is why I tend to avoid major titles. Nintendo has been doing a decent job, but still produces a lot of the same. Personally I like revisiting the Zelda series, so I keep picking them up. Even though I know it's going to be a lot of the same. Indie games are pretty much key here. Each is unique and different, because they can afford to be. Major titles need to be the same to get sales. Indie games are much more free, since they don't require a million dollar income.AAA games all share so many of the same common tropes that it will inevitably require spending a great deal of time doing the same familiar thing.