Making time for my hobbies

I love video games. Sure, I have a few genres that I like in particular (city builders, shooters, strategy just to name a few), but I would say that I love pretty much all video games. The only ones I can't really play are horror games and that's just because I can't handle jump scares. I've been thinking a lot about some of the benefits of playing video games, particularly when it comes to mental health. The two YouTube channels that stand out for this are Dom's Gaming Channel and The Emotional Gamer. They offer some great advice for how to play video games in a way that allows you to get the best out of them, mainly in terms of enjoyment but also how it can be good for your mental health. Advice such as focusing on one or just a few games or to take time when playing games. A lot of their talk does come down to 'play open world RPGs' but I certainly think some advice can be applied to others. For example, playing slow can take away some of the stress of a Total War campaign.

I have a huge backlog of games I'd like to get through. The issue is bringing myself to do it. I'm currently playing through Kingdom Come Deliverance which is an amazing game, but I often feel it's not one I can just boot up casually. I try to focus on working and being productive during the day, so I don't really feel comfortable playing a video game until the evening, often after I've had my dinner. But by that point I'm tired and I'm not really in the mood for loading it up.

Meanwhile, I've started playing through the Professor Layton games. I completed one when I was a kid and I loved the story of it. It's a game that feels like I can be a bit more casual. I don't have to leave the sofa. I don't have to set myself up at my desk. Does this mean I'm destined to never complete KCD, or the myriad of other games I've got on my PC that I do enjoy playing, I just struggle to load it up in the moment?

What is the solution for this? I haven't quite figured it out. It's something I'll spend some time thinking about. Once I've got a better idea, I'll come back to this blog and talk about it.