It happens to us even in our favorite MMOs. Content we enjoyed gets stale. We wind up in a rut. We still feel like playing, but nothing sounds fun. This is different from simply feeling turned off by a game, where we have no will to play at all. So what’s a gamer to do? Here are a few ideas.

Roll a new character

As an altaholic, this is my go-to. A new character in a new class, or even a new style of a class you’ve played but want to make different choices with, can breathe a lot more life into a game. Sadly, this often means either deleting a character or paying money for a new character slot. But I feel that I get a lot of value out of new characters, so I generally don’t mind paying for one.

Just wander

MMOs have rich, beautiful worlds. If you can think of nothing better to do, stop and explore them! Sometimes you’ll stumble onto something you’ve passed by a hundred times but never really noticed, or a hidden nook that you’re never sent to explicitly that has a cool easter egg.

Check things off of your IBNU list

We all have things in life and in games that are important but not urgent (IBNU). It’s a good idea to keep a list of these things and return to them when you have time. When you’re looking for something to do, these things can be a great change of pace and a great way to feel productive.

Help others

Send a quick message to your zone or guild chat and offer to help anyone in need. Sometimes all you need is for someone to make the decision of what to do for you, and you’ll likely make friends in the process.

Play something else for a while

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, or so the old aphorism goes. Sometimes the fact that a game has grown stale is just a sign that you need to step away and play something different before it becomes a chore. Coming back to a game after a long absence has a way of reminding us what we loved about the game — and giving us perspective about its faults.

So what do you do when a game becomes stale? Any tips not on this list?