I don't like any games at the moment. “Death on the Nile,” “Face Noir,” “Gabriel Knight 2”—too difficult.
Gerda: A Flame in Winter – too depressing and too easy.
Winter Burrow – I don't even understand cozy games anymore.

I don't even want to start a game anymore because I know I'll hate it after thirty minutes (at least I lasted two hours with Gerda).
How do you get out of a slump like this?

Don't force it, you need to genuinely like the game. From modern adventures I've only experienced that with Thimbleweed Park and Hob's Barrow

The simplest answer is always to go and do something else away from gaming for a while. Eventually some game will catch your attention that excites you again.

Gabriel Knight 2

But I don't know if that was a good idea. The game is supposed to be difficult, you can die, and the Steam,-Version only available in English. Everything I don't like.
The first few minutes transport Germany back to 18th-century Bavaria. Somehow, no one seems to realize that Germany is not just Bavaria and that we have evolved over the last 200 years.

Don't force it, you need to genuinely like the game. From modern adventures I've only experienced that with Thimbleweed Park and Hob's Barrow

I'm pretty sure I would like the games under different circumstances. But I don't want to think about it right now. I don't want to think about it either.
Winter Burrow is an acclaimed game with over 1,000 positive reviews. If even a cozy game overwhelms you, it's time to sound the alarm.

Gabriel Knight 2 is certainly not bad, but it has ugly graphics and English without subtitles. (There's always a reason to reject something, and the English in the game isn't really that difficult. But after wandering around Munich, I'd had enough.)

Face Noir—I love noir films, but I think too fast and don't pay attention to the intermediate steps, and then I'm stuck like a deer in the headlights.

And so it goes on. I woke up today thinking that I would love to play World of Warcraft, but without other players. But after three add-ons, I don't have to start with that anymore; I already had a few add-ons to work through in the pet battles anyway.

Yeah - GK2 is difficult, I know! But I loved it.

I'm finding Grim Fandango hard too, and boring. I like the characters and I want to like the game, but I don't (and this is my second time giving it a go) so it'll probably just die on the vine.

I think the thing to remember is that sometimes it's just a moment or the right time, and the game, its story, setting and atmosphere just grab you. I know, for example, that I really enjoy escaping into an adventure game world when I'm feeling a bit tired after working hard, or to escape from life's problems for a short while. In the times when I've had the opportunity to play games because I have lots of spare time and not much else to do, I enjoy it much less.

The simplest answer is always to go and do something else away from gaming for a while. Eventually some game will catch your attention that excites you again.

Unfortunately, I can't do anything else at the moment, as I have problems with both knees and, as a result, a swollen ankle

The simplest answer is always to go and do something else away from gaming for a while. Eventually some game will catch your attention that excites you again.

Unfortunately, I can't do anything else at the moment, as I have problems with both knees and, as a result, a swollen ankle

Sorry to hear that. But there are still lots of options! Reading, writing, drawing, music, rewatching your favourite TV show, learning something new. Get your brain engaged with something a bit different.

I hope you get well soon!

It might help to set the mood. Make it a small ritual when you play a game, with a cup of tea, maybe read a manual. Keep distractions at bay as much as possible.

Make your engagement conditional. You probably know what your goal is: to relax, to be challenged, to be absorbed in gameplay or story. Whatever it is, ask of yourself to get in the right mindspace - then engage with a game. Feel out whether the game delivers. If you're just displacing boredom, you can keep yourself busy for a while, but you won't feel enthusiasm and it can be harder to tell what you're getting out of a game.

One thing I like to do: install three games I have in my library. Something I got in a bundle once, or got at 90% discount, maybe a longer game I considered to big of a time investment before. Give each a couple of minutes, see if it clicks for you.

My advice is to only do fun things when they’re actually fun for you. If you keep playing games when you are not in the mood, you may never like them again.

You don't have to like what everyone else likes. Think about what kind of setting and story interests YOU — and you alone — and I'm sure you'll find a game that caters to your preference.

And if not, you can just... make your own.