What the hell is gamers block?  Gamers block is when you or a friend have either lost interest or just don’t feel like playing a video game, or to make it even more simple, it’s writers block but with video games.  You’re stuck on this one level and for the life of you, you can’t progress in the game so you just stop playing and it feels more like work than entertainment.  Or you are about to play a game and then a little voice in your head says, “Hey, you haven’t watched Netflix in forever, let’s do that instead!” or you crack open that book you have been dying to read.  Whichever way gamers block hits you I’m here to say it’s not a bad thing and you’re not alone.  I’m currently suffering from gamers block.  I’ve been stuck on this one level in Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest for what feels like a week and a half and I’m trying to level up certain characters before they die (I’m playing on casual). Right when I’m about to level up a character I mess up a move or the enemy gets lucky and hits me with a critical attack.  I’ve even had gamers block for Majora’s Mask 3D for months now and I STILL haven’t beaten it yet (torches and pitchforks down I will eventually).  Either way the Fire Emblem level has been annoying so I’ve been hiding in the pages of George R.R. Martin’s A Clash Of Kings to get my mind off of it (and back on it as I will explain).  Even when I have free time on the weekend I find myself looking at my 3DS and going to Netflix instead or going outside.  It sucks because you feel like you lost love for a game, especially a really fun game but do not worry!  I’m here to help with ways that get my out of gamers block and back to kicking ass and taking names.

It’s OK to take a break.

One reason as to WHY you have gamers block is because you have been playing the same game way too much.  Its great to have found a game you absolutely love and waiting a whole school or work day to play it seems like the greatest reward of all.  Yet there may come a day when a friend calls to hang out or you just decide to not play one day.  I’ve felt like I need to play a game and then force myself to play it and actually started hating the game and finding everything wrong with it.  So if you don’t want to play then don’t play, taking a break or little hiatus from the game may actually spark your interest and you’ll enjoy the game even more.  That’s what happened to me.

Do or watch something to spark an interest.

Years ago when I was playing Star Ocean: Till The End of Time I fell into really bad case of gamers block.  It went on for a good 3 weeks with me not picking up the game, until I watched the first Chronicles of Narnia movie on TV.  I got to the scene with the big battle with the White Witch and seeing that scene made me think of RPG’s and Star Ocean.  After the movie was over I looked at my game, thought about it, and started playing.  I would end up playing for hours that night and many nights later, all because my interest in the game was renewed after watching a fantasy movie.  It’s happened before and not just with a fantasy RPG, I once saw an action movie, I went to go play Call of Duty.  I went go-kart racing with my friends, and went home to play Burnout 3.  Either way doing something that is like a video game or reminds you of one may actually get you to play it.  I’m doing that with Fire Emblem by reading A Clash of Kings.

Play something else.

You’ve been playing that game for a while and now a new game is out.  Its all bright and shiny but you haven’t beaten this other game yet.  You buy the new game anyway but vow to not open it up until you beat the one you’re currently playing.  The bad news is that you’re playing Final Fantasy X and want to level up every character to 99 and your nice shiny copy of Mighty No. 9 is staring at you right in the face.  A few hours go by and as you play on you find yourself annoyed with the game like how Lulu gets annoyed with Wakka.  Well guess what, Final Fantasy X can wait, you have a brand new gaming experience to enjoy so go ahead.  This applies to games you have owned too.  If playing a certain game isn’t enjoyable but the feeling of playing something else is, then play that one.  We play games to have fun, not feel like we are working, which is ironic since one of my jobs is writing for a video game website (best job ever).

The only good thing about gamers block is that there is no wrong way to beat it.  Once you find your spark to play a game again it’s an amazing feeling.  I had gamers block for a long time once and hadn’t played a game in months until I bought The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.  Playing that game made me fall in love with video games again. Without it, I actually might not be here.  Now that the mushy stuff is over with go out and beat your gamers block so you can go back to getting that high score while I beat mine with a book or Netflix.  Or food.  Yeah definitely going with food.