5 (Possibly Fake) Ways to Beat the Blues

Lucky for HER that I am her friend! *pose* As an untrained and untrusted doctor, I had seen so many cases of this before. I sat her down and told her the diagnosis: Digital Depression, or as I like to call it, the Gaming Blues. Shocked, she asked if there was a cure. Once again, it was her lucky day! Not only did I know the cure, but I have defeated the down-in-the-dumps disease before, and was ready to help her as well!

First of all, you may be wondering: How do I know if I have the blues? It's very simple to identify. Do you dread playing games? Do even your favorite games bore you? Would you rather leap off Terror Mountain than attempt to make 10,000 Neopoints in one day? If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you probably have Digital Depression. Fear not! There is a cure! Read on, my friend.

Getting past the Gaming Blues is a lot easier than most people know. Don't listen to anyone who tries to overcomplicate the process, because I've trimmed the recuperation procedure into 5 tried-and-true tips and tricks. By following these hints, I guarantee that you'll be able to beat the blues in no time.

1. Establish routines.

This may sound like an oxymoron, but trust me: Setting up 2 or more gaming routines is good for you. Go through the lists and pick out your favorite games, or games you're good at, and compile them into routines. Keep your number of games on each list reasonable and balanced between lists-nobody wants one routine of 20 games and one of 5! You should always have more than 1 routine, because if you're playing the same 10 games every day, nothing will take you to the land of grey faster. Keep your lists saved somewhere, and when you're ready to play your games for the day, pull out your gaming directory. This way, you have choices of games to play and can pick whatever suits your mood for the day. If you're feeling especially adventurous, try categorizing your routine lists by a theme: Island, Faerieland, Spooky for example! Always make sure you have plenty of variety in difficulty as well. Don't make one list all hard games and one all easy - which one do you think you'll want to play? :P

2. Mix it up!

Please, please do not only play one type of game in your entire Neopian career. Just because you're lacking hand-eye coordination does NOT give you an excuse to play Luck and Chance games for all your routines. A healthy combination of Luck and Chance, Action, and Puzzle games is your best option! I used to play nothing but Puzzle games, but one day, I went in the Action room and tried out a few games, and loved them! Having a variety of game types helps to spice up your routines and give you some fluctuation in what you do.

3. Challenge a friend!

So you AND one of your Neofriends are both Grand Masters at Hasee Bounce? Why not challenge them to a game? By putting yourself in a competitive environment, you're more likely to try harder and not feel that "BLAH" sensation! Go ahead and send a challenge to someone-it will help you not only to avoid a monotonous feeling, but to score higher on the game. Higher scores will equal more neopoints, and you'll have more fun while playing the game! Try it on a game you don't like as much too - you may find out that you do better this way! So go ahead and send out some challenges, and watch your scores get higher!

4. Try something new!

You have your best and most reliable gaming routines set up, right? Don't be afraid to add in a new game now and then. You never know when you may discover some mad skills at Snowball Fight! Oh, and if you hate a new game, or stink at it, don't worry! Just because you played it once doesn't mean you have to ever again! Although if you do end up being fantastic at it, I would probably recommend continuing in play. If you DO find another game that you're good at, add it to your routines! Eventually you might have enough new games to form an entire new list of games! A great way to try new games often is to play the featured game. No matter if you're good or bad, you still get double the neopoints. By stepping out of your usual gaming box, you'll be able to find great new ways to break up the usual boredom!

5. Set goals!

Setting goals for each game you play is way easier than you might think. All you have to do is take a look at your high scores list, and set it within reasonable range. A simple way to set goals is to try to set a new high score every day. When aiming for goals, keep in mind that your objectives should be obtainable & specific. First, obtainable: set your goals so that they're not too easy to reach, but not extremely hard either. If your high score in Whack-A-Kass is 1,000, a reasonable goal would be trying to reach 1,150. A ridiculous goal would be trying to reach 5,000. Secondly, specific: goals should be very direct about what score you want to get in a certain game. A specific goal might be, "I want to score between 500 and 600 points in Mootix Drop." Unspecific might be more like, "I want 2 do gud in a game 2day." (I thought the chatspeak might help get my point across...) If you set goals, you're more likely to score higher and make more neopoints in your daily games.

Remember: these are only a few hints on how to spice up your gaming life. Don't be afraid to attempt something different! There are tons of ways to trick yourself into enjoying games again - it's just a matter of searching to discover them. By following the tricks I have provided for you today, you will be able to find new energy in games.

Oh yes, I suppose you're probably wondering what happened to my friend? Well, she took my tip and challenged me to a very, er, heated (to say the least) game of Meepit Juice Break. ButIWonOfCourse. *shifty eyes* I believe it's time for the doctor to make her graceful exit! *trips and falls down stairs* Gah...