Gaming

That's the neat part: I don't. I've played so many games I see most of them as minor changes from games I've played before. Most of them do not do anything interesting for me to invest my time in an experience I've already basically had. Very few games manage to feel different.

But if you are exhausted at the screen, touch grass. Playing video games may not be the vacation you think it is, you may need to go outside and spend more time doing things that are different from what you do most of the day: eg your work, your sleep and your main hobby. Go pick up hiking. If you find hiking boring, get a RC trail car and do rc hiking. If you really need that brainrot current popular fps vibes: go do hiking with toy guns: airsoft/paintball

game without [being exhausted of the] screen

There is your answer: if screens exhaust you, do something without screens.

Games are supposed to give you a good time, reinvigorate you, and prepare for your "real life". If you're sick of screens, then pick up pottery, or squash, or hiking, or skydiving, or cooking, or... thousands of activities out there to have a good time without a screen.

having a huge backlog

That's work. Just don't. Do stuff that makes you feel better, not just tick a box in a backlog so you feel slightly less bad.

The post work exhaustion will get easier over time, but it's a trick to balance. Make sure you're keeping your health good, getting adequate rest, etc. There will be some adjustment, some changes, it all depends on the kind of work you do and how hard you can avoid burning out.

Good luck, it will likely get better.

Portables are the best for this, imo. Steam Deck or a used 3DS are my choices. The latter is easy to mod and play all sorts of games including the gigantic DS/3DS library.

I find both systems clutch for the suspend function. Lets you pick right back up where you were. I will say the 3ds is much better at this with clamshell design that suspends on closing the lid and it's battery life in suspend is fantastic!

I also find stress relief games. Mindless 3rd person action games for me. Mad Max was great because I could drive around picking fights or crashing stuff. The Batman Arkham games and the Shadow of Mordor games are other great examples for me. I have not found any relaxing "cozy" games that work for me. Nothing has really grabbed my attention enough to stick with.

My suggestion is to either change the context you play games in, or pick games that are very cognitively different from what you normally do at work.

You can change your context with a new console, but I think it may be cheaper to do something like buying a controller and playing games while standing up, or on your couch/armchair, or playing games while sitting on a yoga ball. The point is to trick your brain, because it's associated sitting at a desk in front of a computer with boring tedium. Change the presentation and your subconscious will interpret it differently.

You can also achieve this by identifying the things that you have to do in your job that mirror videogame genres you enjoy and picking a game that shares few of those qualities.

I worked at the post office for years, doing mail processing, and my enjoyment of management and resource distribution style games went down sharply during that time because of the cognitive overlap- I played more roguelikes and RPGs as a consequence.

Work/life balance.

While I sometimes go a while without touching it before picking it up again, the Steam Deck DID take away that "ugh computer desk" feeling that kept me from gaming.

So I recommend it, BUT it's not a cure, either. It's just an unfortunate side effect of desk jobs that will never completely go away.

That's my secret cap. I'm always exhausted.

The Steam Deck has been a literal lifesaver. Enabling me to play in bed.

I remember when I first started working full time. The exhaustion is real. It doesn't ever really go away but you will eventually learn to live with it.

My gaming sessions on my Steam Deck are about 1-2 hours around 2-3 times a week. It takes me about 4-6 months to finish an RPG.

Sounds like you're mentally drained after work to be honest. Nothing you can really do about it except play on some days only when you have the energy for it, or on the weekends.

I simply started playing less. At first I felt sad and angry, recalling my previous gaming years, but once I started to accept the fact that I was growing up and life changes, the sadness passed. Nowadays I rarely can sit on the PC to play for more than an hour every couple of days. But it's fine. There really are not that many good games that are "must" play and there is no rush to finnish them.No stress about the back log. Also saves money on games, when you can just wait for the sales.

I do still play games on my phone, when I discover some what worthy games to scratch the itches.

That's the neat part. You don't.

Just get a bluetooth controller and use the SteamLink app on your phone. It let's you lounge back and play games just like the steam deck and for way cheaper. I'm actually finding it hard to justify buying a Steam Deck when I have this option.

I'm in the same situation, working 8 hrs at a desk and I can't join the discord group like I used to during school years. Now I just watch tv on the main monitor and use SteamLink on my phone

Making my gaming space more comfortable. I work at home on my desk, so I'm also often tired of sitting there when I'm done with work. A few months ago, I purchased a projector, which I can use while comfortably sitting in an armchair. Playing games on a 100 inch projector screen just makes them look way more impressive as well, even though my normal screen is technically better in every way. I also play on my couch using my Steam Deck.

I use my PC as a console an play from the couch on the TV with a controller!

At work and in game, every 90 mins try to take a 5 min breather and relax as much as possible, definitely stretch.

Beyond that, keep in mind how much sun and socializing you are getting and eat a protein heavy diet. That can drastically affect your stamina and will.

Beyond that it’s a matter of pacing yourself, being happy, and doing what works for you. If you don’t want to game, don’t force yourself to. Sometimes just watching tv and building something is better for you and your joy.

I watch other people play the games. Then when I'm tired I close my eyes and I have a nap. I can wake up, fully rested and maybe get to see the final boss! Or not. Maybe I just go to bed.

Steam deck is good! And if your Internet is good, any device that can do moonlight streaming.

I have my steam deck plugged into my TV in my living room. I'm all hardwired and can use moonlight to stream my PC to my steam deck with no noticeable latency. I'm usually very picky about input lag / latency and I legitimately cannot notice it. Moonlight/sunlight is wayyyy better than steam remote play imo. And for indie games that the steam deck can run well, I can play natively from that. I hardly ever play at my desk anymore

To be honest, I don't get a lot of time to game as an adult. For the past several years, my gaming is mostly restricted to fall/winter, like November through early March and even then, it's primarily around the holidays when I have extra time off work. Even during my "gaming season", I'm usually only able to get in a 45 minute session a few times a week. The rest of the year, I'm lucky to have the down time more than a couple times a month.

So, the big thing is: I have to really consider my time limitations and that restricts the types of games I play. No point in trying to play games with super complicated control schemes, complex story lines, or which require a lot of time dedication to "get gud" because I'm going to forget how to play, what I need to do to advance, and I'm just going to suck compared to kids who play 18 hours a day 7 days a week.

The Steam Deck actually did help me do a bit more gaming. Like you, I sit in front of a computer all day for work, so being able to game elsewhere and in a variety of locations is nice. Plus, I can fire it up when traveling.

I also stick to games that I feel like there's a good chance I can "beat" over the course of my gaming season or games with simple mechanics and limited stories. Like this past winter I played Doom. The year before it was Cult of the Lamb. The year before that it was Hades. Short enough games (at least the main story line) and simple enough controls. Then there are games like Vampire Survivors that offer short, simple, self-contained and satisfying mini gaming sessions if and when I have a random bit of down time and feel like playing something.

I don't burn out on screens. I can enjoy a game for 4 hours to unwind from 6 hours of work.

If you're just starting out working, I wager to say you're still... unoptimized. Putting in a lot more effort than necessary. New jobs are always stressful. Working for the first time even worse. Give it 10 years of working, and you'll (hopefully) find your groove where you don't let work drain your entire battery, and you still have energy left for relaxation.

I play on console mostly these days.

I often sit at a desk all day and all evening. I find that these things help:

• Good chair. Height adjusted for my keyboard/mouse height. Upright back. Lumbar support. Comfortable-but-supportive seat.
• Good posture (when I remember to pay attention to it).
• Split, tented keyboard. Mechanical switches that don't require too much pressure.
• Good display. IPS panel. Light anti-glare surface. Backlight that actually dims the light source, either without pulse-width modulation, or with PWM at such high frequency that it cannot induce flicker fatigue. Brightness turned down much lower than the default. Calibrated at that brightness setting, optionally to a slightly warm color temperature.
• Muted room lighting. Nothing behind me bright enough to reflect much on the screen.
• Comfortable clothes.
• Cup of water. Regular trips to the kitchen to keep it filled.
• Frequent short breaks. Start the laundry. Get a snack. Look at objects outside. Wash a dish. Bring in the mail. Make the bed.
• Exercise. At least 10 minutes daily; preferably 30 minutes or more. Stretches. Squats. Rhythm games that require full-body movement.

I don't have a desk job. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I also always end up taking a break in the suggested (or rather, the suggested manner back when video games straight up had warnings about playing too long in the manual/splash screens when starting them) when I am playing. Just stand up, walk to the kitchen/bathroom/whatever and look at something other than a screen for like 5-10 minutes every 45-minutes to an hour.

You should be able to do that at work, too. Just stand up, stretch, look at the ceiling/floor. You don't even have to leave your cubicle/office.

Lol...you don't! Welcome to adulthood and having real world responsibilities. For me it's turned into maybe 1-2hrs a night at best. Weekends I can sometimes get a bit more in.

I take a lot of breaks. Just a few minutes doing something else.

Weed helps, but not much. What really helped was getting out from a screen most of the working day.