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Feeling FOMO (fear of missing out) used to put a real damper on gaming, but trends, hobbies, and a different perspective have broken me. I can say, with confidence, that I no longer feel FOMO, but JOMO—the joy of missing out. It’s a strange feeling, one I hope more gamers adopt, at least to some degree. I don’t enjoy video games any less; in fact, when I do sit down to game, I’m having more fun than ever!
It Was Putting Too Much Pressure On Me
One of the biggest reasons for my JOMO is the gaming industry’s incessant need to grab my attention. “Hey, have you played the new season? Don’t forget to buy the new season pass and the 400 DLC for the full experience! Oh, you were gone for weeks? Good luck catching up!”
I’m mostly speaking to multiplayer games and especially live-service garbage. These games want to hold my attention with sparkly lights and “content” but it ends up feeling like glass to the brain. And if you do opt into those games, you have to play it like a second job, or the community passes you by and then you have no one.
I’ve always cherished single-player games more than anything, and JOMO has made me love them even more. It has me appreciating the endpoint of a game as opposed to something unraveling over time. I have Baldur’s Gate 3 to thank for that!
I’m Tired of Seeing Microtransaction Everywhere
Nothing tips the scale against a game’s favor like microtransactions. It gets so bad I won’t give games the time of day, even if I get a whiff of MTXs. I’m just tired of feeling like I’m not getting the full experience, especially if said microtransactions are costing as much as a streaming subscription.
Do you realize a skin that costs 800 V-bucks on Fortnite could pay for a month of Netflix? It’s the ad-supported tier, but hey, that’s a whole month of movies and TV shows for the cost of a skin that you might use a handful of times. And most of the time you’re seeing the backside of your character anyway.
Tell you what: try taking a couple months off from buying microtransactions. Let’s say two or three months. Any time you get the itch to buy something, put it on a list, along with its price. Tally them up at the end, and you’ll quickly realize how much you’d have wasted. That’ll cure your gaming FOMO real fast!
There’s More to Life Than Gaming
Maybe it sounds obvious, but sometimes you need someone to draw attention to it. Case in point: it’s good to take a break from gaming. Go outside, touch grass, read a book, try painting, drawing, or pick up any number of hobbies and skills.
I started playing guitar again, drawing, and even started D&D sessions with my family. I got so busy doing other stuff that by the time I felt like playing something, my PS5 had a layer of dust, of which I’m usually quite fastidious about keeping clean.
Whatever you do, try involving your friends, too. Be social! After some time away or, at the very least, reducing your game time, you’ll ascend to JOMOism like me and gaming FOMO will feel like a thing of the past.
