Mayday, Miss Marcy! New Year, Same Problems!

Happy 2026 Everyone! Welcome to a new year of Mayday, Miss Marcy! in which I take your questions and tell you the answers you may or may not want to hear. We had a pretty exciting start to this column back in 2025, going from something that we didn't think would have any legs to something that people have really seemed to enjoy and found some entertainment and actual advice from!

If you'd like to catch up on any of the last year of questions, you can check out the archive!

As we get started with 2026, I wanted to take a bit of time at the start to say that I've really enjoyed this column, as hearing from all of you and your questions, big or small, has been a nice way to bridge some connections with you, our readers. And, frankly, it has been nice seeing people react to the questions and answers and feel seen in what is both asked and received! So, here is to another great year of Questions and Answers as we all make our way through whatever 2026 has in store for us.

Before we get to the questions for this week to kick off the new year, here's a reminder of how you can participate if you are curious:

Have a question you want answered on just about anything you’d need advice on in this grand hobby space of ours? Board games, 40k, AOS, TTRPGs, MTG, anything and everything that we cover, we can help with!

It’s a New Year for those who follow Gregorian Calendars anyway, and so in this time of renewal, let us know if you have any questions fitting with getting started, new beginnings, or cleaning out those mental cobwebs!

For some examples, take a look at previous editions of our column at this link with a handy tag to see all previous questions and answers!

If you want to submit questions, we have a few days you can do it. Patrons can use the Discord bot command to ask questions, which will be received anonymously!

If you’re not a Patron, or just don’t want extra steps, you can comment on this article, or e-mail Marcy directly at marcy@goonhammer.com!

Get Out of Your Own Head

Hello!

I used to be a person who loved video games, but at this point in my life, I just don't feel good playing them. It's not simply the state of the industry and the constant bad news, but it effects going back to playing games I loved like Hades, Rimworld, or Fall of Cybertron. Every time I finish a long session, especially on a single player game, I just feel like I didn't accomplish anything, even if I did a lot in the game itself.

My friends are worried it's a sign of a larger depression spell, but I still feel good after doing other things. It's not like this has extended to every aspect of my life. I feel good after watching a film I love on my own, or when painting minis or making puppets. And I still love sitting on a couch and playing a game with a friend, though I feel that might be more of a "being with friends" emotion.

Have you ever lost feeling towards a hobby like this? I've had times where I've gone in and out of other ones, but nothing as much as this.

From, No Longer Your Pogchamp.

Dear Pogchamp,

I think what you're experiencing is perhaps part of depression, but I'm not a licensed therapist or medical professional, so rather than trying to diagnose you through text over the internet, I would say that while depression is a possibility, I think what you are actually feeling is a type of hobby burnout and frustration that comes with the hobby. There is often the tired "Let People Enjoy Things" chorus that accompanies trying to criticize things we do or enjoy, but there is some small kernel in there that can be accurate: once you start feeling like you are attached to a hobby in a very deeply personal way, the constant downturn and negative news and experiences within it begin to manifest in the way you experience it. There's no difference really from playing a game and being depressed by the state of gaming than there is in listening to a song and remembering how the artist is a trash person and then switching it off. We enjoy things far more psychologically than we sometimes like to admit to ourselves, and so once those negative feelings begin to attach, they can be really hard to shake off.

The other side and possibility is that you are simply feeling unaccomplished while playing games because you are reaching a point in which playing games does not bring you any sort of joy or excitement. There are a few reasons for that, perhaps, some of which may be that as you have gotten older, your day to day life and responsibilities have made gaming less appealing because it feels like you are "doing nothing". In other cases, the somewhat constant bloat of gaming "experiences" can often make them feel unrewarding for various reasons. Perhaps you are finding gaming bloat less worth your time, perhaps the types of games you enjoy are feeling too much the same, or simply your brain is telling you that you are "wasting" time on these games because you aren't doing something productive.

The additional information that other hobbies or activities don't make you feel this way, and the presence of another person also seems to lessen it, makes me think that you are also facing some mental pressure that being alone and playing a game is "wasting" time; instead of doing something "productive", you are being "lazy". These are broad strokes, but it feels like a core problem in any case is that you are currently not finding gaming, a major hobby of yours, rewarding, and the only way to really "Cure" that is to be direct with what about it is making it feel that way. If it is simply that you are bored, you should perhaps pursue either new games or a new hobby for a while, and if it is more mental, the gnawing feeling that you are being unproductive and unsocial, then perhaps you either need to shift your gaming to be more social (either by playing multiplayer or by playing with other people 'around' you), or train yourself to once again enjoy gaming as an escape/wind-down activity.

As for the negativity of the industry at large, that one is tough. It is important to stay abreast of what is happening, but much like social media doomscrolling, there are times when you just have to accept that enough is enough and separate yourself from the constant stream of negativity, or search for import or worthiness in what you are doing. You deserve to play a game and relax and enjoy an experience for a few hours; not all of your 24 hours of your day need to spent being "aware" of things.

I say that because I have actually experienced this with two hobbies: manga reading and video games! I used to be a voracious reader of manga, sometimes finishing 20+ volumes of various series in a single week, reading anything everything I could get my hands on. At some point, my desire to know "more" about the hobby made me get invested in "how it was made", and from there, it began to be less of a hobby and more something that I felt I could either affect or influence, but also that it had influence over me. Was I reading the right things? Was I reading things worth reading over things that were "less good", even if I enjoyed them? Was I, for lack of a better term, being "unwoke" in my hobby?

Gaming, too, became that. Gamergate exploded at a time when I was trying to be very into games and gaming, and the extreme burnout and negativity and backlash became too much and would often make me resent what I was doing. It has taken me a very long time to get back in to either hobby, and the fact that they are in some way attached to what I do for a living has made it even harder, because while I still play a lot of games, I often don't play them "for fun", but this past year I started to do so again; the same goes for my reading habit, which has slowly started picking up. I think if you are noticing this issue now, you can take some time to rebuild and reapproach it and hopefully find your passion for the hobby again. I would suggest that you do take a bit of time away from things though, instead of trying to force yourself to like it again. Trust me, that didn't work for me, and it certainly made my recovery longer.

Hall of Shame

Dear Miss Marcy,

I've come to you about my somewhat growing aversion to my hobbies, particularly, board games. I've been enjoying myself with other things like magic and the games of 40k i occasionally get in, but lately my board gaming passion has been dead in the water.

For one, my gaming group has more or less died out. schedules and other things seem to have mostly made gaming very rare, and when we do play, we seem to just play the same games or very simple games.

My real problem though is that i am starting to resent my gaming collection; when i walk past them in the hallway, i tend to just feel a sense of dread or shame at the money I've spent on games that got played once or not at all. I've debated selling them but that takes time and also i feel bad about the money i spent only to try and sell them at a loss.

Thanks,

Cardboard Complainer

Dear Complainer,

I think what you're facing is oddly similar to our previous question, but in a somewhat different capacity: you are seeing your hobby for the cost, not for the hobby, and thus you are equating the time you are spending on or with the hobby to the amount of money you have invested into it. I can only tell you simply that this way lies folly, because you will never be satisfied with the amount of money you've spent versus the amount of time you have played or interacted with it; there is no way to properly gauge whether you have gotten "your moneys worth" from something.

As for selling your games, there's actually nothing wrong with that, and there is a pretty healthy way to view it in terms of downsizing. You don't even have to consider your current ennui as a reason why; downsizing is healthy and helps you maintain your hobby and your focus. If you find you aren't playing certain games anymore, or that you and your group have bounced off or not enjoyed some games, then by all means sell them! If you want, see if you can find a local group on Facebook Marketplace or Reddit and either try to sell them locally, or trade them with other people, which might help make you feel less bad about your sunken cost.

I've found that my own board game collection has been culled a few times, and it also will continue to be culled, because over time I have simply discovered that games I thought I'd enjoy are not enjoyed by my group, and also some games just don't live up to their promises. If I only have limited time to play board games with friends, I would prefer that I spend that time on games we all love and enjoy playing, even if we played them before; that is far more valuable than experiencing every game ever right out of the shrink once and then moving on to something else; I'd rather play Pandemic: Fall of Rome 20 times than one single play of Yokohoma just because I "should" play it.

If you feel that way about your collection, you probably do need to cull it. Don't worry about the cost; you can't "get your money back", nor can you get your time back, so simply sell them, donate them, or otherwise clear them out so that you can feel better about your time, hobby, and collection. You'll feel a lot lighter and you'll feel less burdened by it in the long run.

Gifting Gaffe

Hi Miss Marcy,

For this holiday, I received a few gifts from the people that traditionally get me things (namely my parents) that have felt the least caring that they've ever felt. I prepared a fairly short list of general things that I enjoy and presented it to them back in November, since they always insist on getting me something but won't just give me money, even as an adult.

The issue is that even with this list, the things I got felt particularly... careless? The things on my list that I expected or wanted remained ungifted, and the things I did get are pretty useless to me. I'm try not to feel bitter and resentful about them because I do a lot for them and it seems like they didn't think about me at all and simply bought cheap things related to my list off Amazon.

I'm asking mostly because I don't really know what to do with the stuff they gave me, because much of it is niche hobby related things, and since I didn't buy them, I can't return them either.

Gifted Kid

Dear Gifted,

Been there. I think the issue that you've encountered is that as you've grown as a person, your parents have regressed. You aren't their little baby anymore and while that has some aspects of bittersweet melancholy to it, the more real problem is that your parents do not "know" you and have apparently decided not to do so. You prepared a list and unless everything you really wanted was a bazillion dollars, the assumption you have that they simply bought the cheapest things is likely the correct answer. You may also never really know why; perhaps they didn't have the budget, perhaps they ran out of time, perhaps they just didn't care enough to do any sort of shopping; I think no matter what the reason is, it won't comfort you.

Instead, I'd urge you to see if you can repurpose their gifts to other people in your area. I know that doesn't get you the things you wanted and maybe now have to buy for yourself, but it can at least find some way to get the things you received to have a chance at helping someone else out in their own use. You didn't say exactly what the things are, but I'd say consider seeing if there are any hobby groups in your area or school groups that may really like to have some new materials or items to work with.

I think all I can offer you though is that it sucks to not be known, but just know that it doesn't make who you are invalid. It is unfortunate that your parents have decided to not know who their child is into adulthood and try to interact with them at that level, but sadly this is just how some things go and there's not a lot that can be done about it. Next time they ask you for a gift, pick one or two things specifically and don't give them wiggle room; it could also be just that the choice + cost problem led them to select things that gave you volume over value.

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Tags: mayday miss marcy