I feel like a total loser maybe because of hormones or possibility that ive done nothing my whole like. Ive had some interest/ideas on what to do but all of them are complex and im not sure how to start simple. I want to make games but it requires coding, art, a cool idea, and more but i stink at all those stuff and im impatient for some reason. Its like i want life to be easy but its not. The only think ive pushed thru is dnd, i like it depending on the group, but right now i feel burned out and numb. I just need something for my personal life. It would help if i could do it from a computer because thats what i have or for free.
Weightlifting
garden, put your hands on plants, keep in touch with the world of nature…
Adding to that: It doesn’t have to be a garden. Pot plants do the trick, too. It’s nice to see something grow each day.
And if you (OP) think you wouldn’t be able to keep a plant alive, don’t worry. There are virtually indestructible house plants.
Having something green indoors apparently also lifts a mood.
This is from my personal experience, but the only thing that consistently does wonders for my mental health is working out. I do weights and cardio multiple times per week and if I skip it, I notice the negative effects. Working out gives me the mental energy to deal with life and have hobbies. You don’t even need to do a lot, 20-30 minutes every day should yield positive results.
I’ve built my whole world in D&D with its own pantheons but the one that took most of my time and helped a lot was buying my first raspberry Pi and learn Linux. Imo, it has gotten me through so many rounds of layoffs and somehow I’m still working there.
So do you want a hobby to relax or to develop a side skill? I got out of depression by developing a sense of worth with my work.
Do you like singing? Joining a choir might help. It also has the benefit of getting out of your apartment and meeting other people. And making music together seems to be good at lifting one’s mood.
It sounds like you have a hobby, add just need to give yourself permission to get at it - and give yourself a break about your lack of progress.
The only people who ever made a great game started by making a bunch of shitty games.
This may not be accurate anymore, but ~15 years ago I got my foot in the door as a game tester by showing a history of alpha and beta testing. I can go into more detail about my interview process if you want, but the point I wanted to make is that you don’t need to be a programmer or artist to work in the game industry.
Broader advice is to take what you love and instead of doing exactly that - make a lateral transfer to a different industry. Making good beer and making good pizza dough take the same skills, their end products are what differs
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Go the other way.
A hobby can only take you so far. I’d suggest you reassess your job/career.
In a good week you can spend ten or twenty hours on your hobby, whereas you’ll spend 40 hours working.
They probably have this book at your local library; you don’t need to buy it.
“Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.
Good luck
Creative writing starting from your DnD stuff. See world anvil - a world building platform for inspiration but then use obsidian which is free to worldbuild a bit then write stories. Meditation is a cool one as well, slowing things down helps some times. Photography with your phone will take you outside more. You will feel limited without a camera but I think it can still teach you to see the world differently. Of you like game design you can still be a writer for games so pursuing this as a skill?
Photography has helped me. Even if you don’t think you’re good, just take pics of things that look interesting to you. Take a bunch, because at least a few pics will be worth keeping.
Adding to that: Photography is good for people who have a hard time getting outside and walking around ‘without purpose’ or without target. If you carry a camera with you, you’re not going somewhere without purpose, but looking for a motive.
This might sound silly and not as cool as the gaming or programming stuff here but cross-stitching is super cheap and really easy to learn. It also has the value of a finished product that you can look at or frame or give to your friends. I love any hobby that has a finish line. It can get way more complex too so there’s always room to grow.
photo editing is an idea, but I suspect that it may be replaced by AI eventually. Maybe you can learn to use AI while learning how to do things manually too
Cooking and baking can be fun! And you get to eat the hobby after!
If you like dnd outdoor hiking is not a bad thing. If you have any kind of interesting landscape near you, walks in nature are great for mood and inspiration for dnd.
Keep It Simple and think of helping somebody like you running into your same state of mind. I feel this helps me keep my motivation up and write blog-like posts about what I learn and the tricks I used. Also, by keeping it simple, I can complete something. That is why when programmers learn a new language, they go after a hello world app. I hope this gives you a different perspective.
