How have you gotten out of an otome/BL slump?

[Meringue]

Back when I first got into otome I was obsessed and could plow through a route in a day, nowadays I find myself with more games than ever but only completing a handful of routes over the course of an entire year. A lot of my VN friends have also been in similar slumps, so I wanted to ask: Have any of you been in and/or gotten out of a visual novel slump?

 

[icterine]

Hmm, I think I play through quite a lot of games each year (in part also because I have access to more games by virtue of being proficient in more than just English).

There isn't a "slump" period per se, but there will be times where I just end up grinding through a streak of mediocre / underwhelming games which lowers my motivation, but I push through anyway and from time to time I'll meet a game that makes me really glad to be playing, which revitalises me to push through more games.

I also alternate between indie and non-indie commercial otome games (with a dash of non-otome games in between), depending on my mood.

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

Most of the time, I just replay one of my favorites titles and that does the trick (lol). But I also don't play just otome/BL, so it's not that common for me to get in a slump ;b

I will usually rotate between eroge/galge/otoge/BL/GL, and it helps me not get tired of specific tropes in each genre, haha
Sometimes taking a break from reading VNs and playing more dating sims or RPGs can get me more motivated to read a new title, specially if I get tired of grinding attributes in a dating sim game and want to take it easy for a while. Playing in portable devices also help! I noticed that it's easier for me to push myself to play if I'm carrying my Vita with me ;)

 

[LapisWhale]

Not really a slump, but more like gaming burnout in my case :v It happens when I want to play so many games and keep up with all the new releases, but time is limited. And when I try to play games while burned out, it usually ends badly, leaving me not wanting to play anything at all for a long time =)))

Obstinacy is the thief of joy, so I guess it's better to just take it slow xDddd Also, playing a wide variety of game genres can actually help!

 

[801_9ma]

I haven't experienced that with visual novels yet, but have definitely experienced it with reading in general, going through periods where I can bulldoze through a ton of books in a short amount of time, and then having times where it takes me months to finish reading a single book (currently experiencing that, actually, despite me loving the book).

I used to stress out over it because I felt like I was missing out on stuff, especially compared to friends who can just blaze through stuff super fast, but I've been learning to relax. So what if I have a behemoth of a reading pile or a game backlog? I'll just get through them eventually and I shouldn't treat my hobbies like full-time jobs.

In my experience, switching genres helps with combating slumps! Personally I like switching between an otome, a BL and a general game, and it helps keep things fresh enough, so I think that's why I haven't been in a VN slump yet. On the other hand, I remember getting sick and tired of reading horror books back to back for a pet project, and ended up having my entire world rocked when I just thought "you know what, screw it, I'm gonna read a fantasy book for once".

It's also important to recognize that you may just dislike something and it's not for you when you come back to something multiple times and it still doesn't stick. My biggest tip for just about anything is to never fall for the sunk cost fallacy: if you really don't like it and don't see your experience improving, get out of there because your time is a precious resource and we all deserve to spend our free time doing something we love instead of putting up with something we don't like.

 

[Tenya]

I think this might be about more than just an otome/bl specific slump. (｡- .•)

In general, I would say it heavily depends on how you might approach consuming/playing games altogether. For me, I don't play as much as I would like simply because I need to be fully present to actually take in the story, characters, soundtrack, etc. And that means having a sort of, uh... the cognitive space, I suppose, to spare? These days, I actually mostly create more than I consume which keeps my brain very occupied and happy, but it can also be very exhausting, leaving me with very little energy to spare for... you know, actually enjoying things other people have made, LOL. I think it's a rather unpopular problem (?), maybe?

But when it comes to any kind of slump, I think the best solution is usually not trying to dig your heels in further, but instead pivoting to something else entirely. A new genre. A different type of game. Perhaps something you normally wouldn't pick up. Or just... you know, leaving it alone for a bit. I don't know about most people, but for me, I very often work in bursts, so I cycle between my interests/skills/hobbies frequently, and when one well dries up, I move on to the next. That makes sure that whenever I do come back to the original thing, I'm excited again. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Also:

My biggest tip for just about anything is to never fall for the sunk cost fallacy: if you really don't like it and don't see your experience improving, get out of there because your time is a precious resource and we all deserve to spend our free time doing something we love instead of putting up with something we don't like.

I really agree with this. I think we're very often led to believe that you have to finish things, and see them through, etc, but I think it's... a bit silly when life is so short and there's so much you can enjoy and explore that might actually be enjoyable. And who knows, maybe in the future you'll pick something back up again and it'll click. It's different stories for different season of life, too. ₊˚⊹♡

 

[satory]

People are not made to do only one thing, even if the thing in question is good. It's impossible to eat only one type of food, work 24/7 and it's impossible to always read the same stuff. As many have already said, it's important to change things a little. (From a person in the middle of a slump)

 

[vitanchlo]

The easiest way to get out of a slump for me is to take a break, replay the games I have already played and enjoyed and then hopefully find another I will love. The bad games are what get me in a slump in the first place, that and playing too many at a time.

 

[dzccc]

我試著在不太想玩的時候玩，但可能只是不停地按滑鼠左鍵，根本沒注意劇情。後來我意識到我不應該強迫自己；我應該做點別的事情，例如出去走走，聽聽音樂，玩玩其他類型的遊戲等等，等到想玩乙女遊戲的時候再打開它。

 

[appeldo]

When I get tired of playing games, I tend to get really into collecting related merchandise (bonus booklets, drama CDs, message cards, etc.).
As a result, I'm always broke)X

 

[jokerblackjack]

I actually stepped away from BL and otome games for quite a long time, maybe several months. But then I came back after seeing people posting about them on Twitter, and it made me interested again. It also reminded me of all the games I had left unfinished, so I started playing again.

Though these days, I don't get completely obsessed with them like before because I have other things to do. Visual novels require a lot of time and focus when playing. As for BL games, I stopped playing them after I got more into otome games, but I still keep up with new releases and collect the CDs because I haven't completely stopped loving them.

Otome and BL games are honestly one of my sources of happiness. Whenever I feel down, playing them makes me feel better, and I end up smiling so much while playing almost every time hahaha. (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠)

 

[AmnesiaArya]

An otome game slump isn't always permanent. Sometimes it's just because you're exhausted from work, or maybe there are other fun games to play, or even a great anime or short drama catching your eye. On top of that, with the fast pace of modern life, otome games require you to really slow down, settle in, and carefully read and absorb the story. That's probably why this feeling of burnout toward otome games—and visual novels in general—has become much more frequent in recent years.
In reality, once you actually open a game and manage to lose yourself in the story, that passion often comes rushing right back. Sometimes, not wanting to play doesn't mean you've truly lost interest in otome games; it might just be a form of emotional exhaustion. You simply don't have the mental energy required to immerse yourself in their slow-paced storytelling at that moment. Just give it some time to recharge, and you'll be fine!