Last week I was feeling very BLAH about the current state of my gaming (yes, all caps was necessary). I was playing far too much Destiny, and not enough anything else. I was getting disillusioned with various aspects of Destiny and I just felt turned off of playing. Somehow that translated into being turned off of playing anything at all.

So I didn’t play. Anything. For over a week. It wasn’t intentional, but it happened.

Or didn’t happen, as it were.

Sometimes a mental tidy can be helpful.

During that week, I went outside far more. Where I happen to live, the seasons are really just one season with minor fluctuations (summer is 11 months long, and spring, fall, and winter are crammed into the remaining month). I saw a few leaves on the ground. I went to the dog park. I read more books. I cleaned and organized. I dusted.

Wild behavior, to be sure.

Today I went to pick up my pre-order of Yo-Kai Watch, and I somehow ended up with Call of Duty: Black Ops III, as well. I’ve played all of the last gen and current gen Call of Duty games (with the exception of Advanced Warfare, which I intend to get to), and I was all excited about starting it today and perhaps writing about it. And then a friend got online and asked if I wanted to play some Destiny.

My weakness.

I am always glad to play with the person who asked, and I was actually kind of curious to see what I’d think about jumping back in after quitting cold turkey for a week. Turns out, it was an interesting experience.

While I’m glad to have played with my friend, I realized I’m ready to put Destiny on a burner further back. I don’t think I’d mind playing it from time to time, but the daily and weekly activities seem a bit too much to me. I’m ready for new and fresh experiences. I’m ready for not only all the new games releasing, but the ones patiently sitting in my backlog collecting digital dust.

Simply put: I’m ready. Ready to give Destiny less energy, and other games more.

I’m genuinely excited to play Black Ops III this weekend. While some aren’t fans of the Call of Duty franchise, I enjoy their linear, action packed narratives. This one having local co-op certainly doesn’t hurt. I’m always interested in playing games with my partner, and it’s been a while since we were able to (weirdly, I think Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was the last co-op game we played together). I have a feeling it will be a good time, indeed.

I am also looking forward to Monday and the fact that there is 9PM release here on the west coast for both Fallout 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. As the days tick by, I’m increasingly excited for Tomb Raider. Other than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Until Dawn, this is the most excited I’ve been for a game this year. I had a stellar time with the previous Tomb Raider, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

So while I may not have played any games for the last week (excepting today, ending my “sabbatical”), I’m glad to dive back in today and I feel like this was a positive experience overall. Sometimes a fresh set of eyes is just what I need.

Have you ever taken a break (however long or short) from gaming? What was the cause? How did you feel going back to it?