Gaming can be a great stress reliever, but it is also easy to become dissatisfied with gaming. If you’re not careful, difficult puzzles, challenging boss fights, and unfair online pairings can all elicit tremendous fury, which can detract from the enjoyment and relaxation of playing your favorite games.

We’re all about helping people maintain a healthy connection with gaming and get the most out of their passion. That’s why we always recommend addressing gamer rage as soon as it appears and finding healthy ways to process anger and other intense emotions. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I get so mad at video games?” then this post is for you!

How to Overcome Frustration and Anger in Gaming

1. Keep a Mood Journal

Managing gamer rage begins with identifying the source of your anger. If you battle with gaming-related rage, it’s likely that other elements of your life are also making you feel overwhelmed and angry. Keeping a mood journal – a detailed record of how you feel during the day — can help you understand where your anger stems from.

A mood journal should not be a chore to keep. You do not need to write lengthy descriptions of how you feel at all times of the day. Simply make an entry whenever you feel strong emotions coming on. Use this template for each entry:

• What led up to this feeling in the last day? In the last week?
• What thoughts am I having that accompany this feeling?
• What urges am I having in response to this feeling?
• Do these urges feel unhelpful to me long term? If so, what can I do instead? What would be the opposite of the urges I’m having?
• What plan can I put in place to try the behavior that’s the opposite of my unhelpful urges? Day, time, any particular place or people involved?

Answering these questions helps you reflect on your feelings in an objective way and may give you insight into the root causes behind gamer rage. While it might be tough at first to pause and reflect on the source of your anger, it can quickly become a life-changing habit. It’s important that you write your answers out, don’t just think through them. Writing will help get you out of your head.

2. Process Your Feelings With Others

You don’t have to handle gamer fury on your own. Persistently repressing your anger can be incredibly isolating, and loneliness can exacerbate your anger and other negative feelings. That is why we constantly advocate connecting with other gamers who understand your struggles in a helpful, inclusive setting.

However, merely ranting isn’t always the greatest approach to deal with rage. Instead, try joining a support group, where you can learn new methods to deal with your emotions while receiving professional and peer help.

Hero Journey Club support groups gather regularly in games such as Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, and they are ideal places to expand your anger management toolbox.

Hero Journey Club groups are led by guides who share your love for gaming. In addition to your group leader, you can count on other members to empathize with you, encourage you, and help you be the best you can be.

3. Get Outdoors

Remember when the Nintendo Wii used to give you a little pop-up message after you’d played for a while?

“Why not take a break? You can pause the game by pressing +”

Taking a break from gaming to get some exercise can have a positive impact on your life if done consistently. Even a walk (maybe with some Pokemon GO thrown in!) can provide a new perspective on life and transport you to a different, refreshing location.

Some of the finest times to exercise are before or after gaming. Exercising before gaming helps clear your mind and may reduce gamer anger, and working out after gaming will help alleviate any aggravation you may have while playing. In any case, including exercise into your daily routine is one of the most effective methods to unwind.

4. See a Therapist

Therapy can benefit everybody. It takes boldness and strength to recognize that you need support in reaching your goals, and that’s where a therapist comes in.

Finding a therapist who specializes in anger management can transform your relationship with video games — and life in general. Through treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), you and your therapist can identify sources of anger in your life and find new ways for you to cope with your emotions. As a result, you can expect to feel happier, healthier, and more balanced.

5. Evaluate Your Favorite Games

Some games elicit greater wrath than others. We’re discussing about Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Ninja Gaiden, and many others. Some competitive games, such as Valorant and League of Legends, can exacerbate your emotional instability. These games can be entertaining and rewarding, but they are also extremely challenging at times. If you find yourself throwing your controller at the wall every time you play, it’s time to try something new.

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We understand how difficult it may be to leave a game, especially if you’ve become completely immersed in its rich environment. We’ve all been there, but it’s frequently preferable to simply enjoy a game rather than becoming enraged by its difficulty or competition.

Here’s the thing: there’s a fine line between benefiting from difficult games and pushing yourself too far. Hollow Knight, for example, can be quite challenging at times, but it is also a rewarding platformer with stunning artwork and music. Shifting your focus to the journey and downplaying the significance of each individual achievement may help you remember that the joy of the game is what happens along the road.

If you can find a game that is both challenging and enjoyable, it could be a major win all around. Just be aware of gamer rage and know when to take a break!

6. Find New Outlets

Gaming can be an amazing way to relieve stress, but it shouldn’t be your only outlet in life. Other habits and hobbies can complement gaming, giving you a well-rounded set of favorite things to do.

There are plenty of directions you can go when looking for a new way to let off some steam, including:

• Learning how to play an instrument (playing drums can be especially cathartic)
• Cooking or baking, especially with friends or a partner
• Playing board games or card games
• Joining a Dungeons & Dragons campaign
• Getting involved in martial arts like jiu-jitsu or karate
• Walking or hiking on trails near where you live
• Laugh. Learning to laugh at failure, can help reframe it as a stimulating challenge and an opportunity to grow

All of these hobbies can be both challenging and rewarding, and they’re also reliable sources of stress relief. As you find new activities that you love, you’ll still have plenty of room to enjoy gaming, but you may find that your gamer rage gradually lessens over time.

If gamer rage is a long-term struggle for you, we think the best place to start could be a short-term pause from high-stakes gaming altogether. Sometimes, stepping away from those kinds of games gives you some time to refresh your perspective and focus on other aspects of life, especially if these games are played with others that you’d like to continue to have a relationship with.

So, if you take a pause on gaming, how long should it be? The answer to this question depends on your current relationship with video games. To figure out how long your break should be, ask yourself:

• How many hours do I play per day?
• Do I consistently get mad or rage quit when playing?
• When was the last time I spent an equal amount of hours on another hobby?
• How is gaming affecting my relationships with friends and family right now?
• Is gaming stopping me from taking care of important responsibilities?

If the answers to these questions bother you and make you want to change, we recommend taking at least a few weeks off of gaming to focus on self-improvement and anger management. During this time, working with a therapist or support group can make a major positive difference, as can exercise, spending time with friends and family, and finding new outlets for your emotions.

How to Avoid Gaming Burnout and Maintain Your Passion and Motivation?

Set realistic goals

Setting unreasonable or unattainable objectives, such as finishing a game in a specific amount of time, reaching a certain level, or collecting all of the goods, is one of the reasons of gaming burnout. These goals can put too much pressure on oneself, leaving you upset or disappointed if you fail. Instead than focusing on the end, try setting more realistic and adaptable goals, such as honing your talents, learning new tactics, or discovering new knowledge. These goals can help you enjoy the process and challenge rather than the outcome.

Balance your gaming time

Another cause of gaming fatigue is excessive or insufficient gameplay. Excessive play can leave you exhausted, bored, or alone. Playing too little can leave you feeling out of touch, rusty, or left behind. To achieve the perfect balance, attempt to plan your gaming time around your priorities, requirements, and tastes. For example, you can limit the number of hours or sessions you play each day or week, or you can schedule your gaming time around work, school, or social obligations. You can also utilize applications or tools to monitor your gaming time and habits and make adjustments as needed.

Try something new

Sometimes, gaming burnout can be a sign that you need to spice up your gaming routine. If you are playing the same game, genre, or mode for a long time, you might feel bored, stuck, or uninterested. To avoid this, try to diversify your gaming experience by trying something new. For example, you can play a different game, genre, or mode that you have never played before, or you can revisit an old game that you have not played in a while. You can also try to play with different people, such as friends, family, or online communities, or you can join a gaming challenge, event, or tournament.

Take breaks and rest

One of the most important ways to avoid gaming burnout is to take breaks and rest. Gaming can be mentally and physically demanding, and if you do not give yourself enough time to recover, you can suffer from fatigue, headaches, eye strain, or muscle pain. To prevent this, make sure to take regular breaks and rest your eyes, mind, and body.

For example, you can take a 10-minute break every hour, or a longer break every few hours. You can also do some stretching, breathing, or meditation exercises to relax and recharge. Additionally, you can ensure that you get enough sleep, hydration, and nutrition to support your health and well-being.

Remember why you game

Finally, one of the best ways to avoid gaming burnout is to remember why you game in the first place. Gaming can be a source of fun, entertainment, creativity, learning, socialization, and escape. It can also help you express yourself, cope with stress, or achieve your goals. To remind yourself of these benefits, try to reflect on what gaming means to you and what you enjoy about it.

You can also write down your gaming achievements, memories, or stories, or share them with others. By doing this, you can rekindle your passion and motivation for gaming and appreciate it more.