Former obsessions
Discussion
Some hobbies and interests have remained fairly constant through my life (or at least large chunks of it) eg playing tennis and learning languages. However some things that I used to do a lot no longer hold any or much interest for me.
Computer games would be one example. The original space invaders was my generation and I was obsessed with arcade games. That dissipated but then got a second wind with games on my phone / iPad. I don’t want to think about the hours I spent on Angry Birds, Temple Run and similar. Yet without actively doing anything about it my interest died and I can’t remember the last time I played a game on my phone.
Similarly I used to watch a fair amount of sport - tennis and motorsport mainly - yet as it moved to pay per view or subscription I’ve given up. We don’t even have access to any sport at the moment and I don’t seem to miss is.
More worryingly to confess on a car site but I’ve pretty much lost my interest in cars. Not a deliberate decision. For many years, decades in fact, I was always on the look out for the next car, poured over magazines, did lots of test drives, changed cars frequently. That seems to have dried up. Partly over exposure might be to blame. When I was a child in the 70s seeing a Ferrari was a big thing. I’m not sure if I can recall seeing any except when my father took my to car shows. Hell even seeing a Porsche was very rare. I don’t think I saw a 911 on the road until I was 13. Today I see Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris every day. They don’t seem very exotic anymore.
Anyone else have hobbies that consumed them but have since died out?
Computer games would be one example. The original space invaders was my generation and I was obsessed with arcade games. That dissipated but then got a second wind with games on my phone / iPad. I don’t want to think about the hours I spent on Angry Birds, Temple Run and similar. Yet without actively doing anything about it my interest died and I can’t remember the last time I played a game on my phone.
Similarly I used to watch a fair amount of sport - tennis and motorsport mainly - yet as it moved to pay per view or subscription I’ve given up. We don’t even have access to any sport at the moment and I don’t seem to miss is.
More worryingly to confess on a car site but I’ve pretty much lost my interest in cars. Not a deliberate decision. For many years, decades in fact, I was always on the look out for the next car, poured over magazines, did lots of test drives, changed cars frequently. That seems to have dried up. Partly over exposure might be to blame. When I was a child in the 70s seeing a Ferrari was a big thing. I’m not sure if I can recall seeing any except when my father took my to car shows. Hell even seeing a Porsche was very rare. I don’t think I saw a 911 on the road until I was 13. Today I see Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris every day. They don’t seem very exotic anymore.
Anyone else have hobbies that consumed them but have since died out?
Photography. Went to college, bought thousands of pounds with of kit.
A pro DSLR.
A midrange one as back up.
Three SLR’s
Tried to make it as a professional but couldn’t, more back business acumen than talent.
Had an enlarger and all to bits in a darkroom.
Two things killed it for me.
Going digital ( we are talking nearly twenty years ago ) because that’s what was happening at the time.
I felt it took all the skill out of it, I never got any kind of buzz seeing a great digital photo I had taken.
And the second? When I got to the point where I couldn’t pay my bills, so I went back to the day job.
My youngest daughter loves photography and art in general, last month I gave her all my kit.
Nikon camera’s, Pentax Camera’s, Nikon, Pentax and Sigma lenses, couple of Manfrotto tripods, enlarger, trays and chemicals went to the tip.
My IPhone 12 takes good enough pictures for me.
A pro DSLR.
A midrange one as back up.
Three SLR’s
Tried to make it as a professional but couldn’t, more back business acumen than talent.
Had an enlarger and all to bits in a darkroom.
Two things killed it for me.
Going digital ( we are talking nearly twenty years ago ) because that’s what was happening at the time.
I felt it took all the skill out of it, I never got any kind of buzz seeing a great digital photo I had taken.
And the second? When I got to the point where I couldn’t pay my bills, so I went back to the day job.
My youngest daughter loves photography and art in general, last month I gave her all my kit.
Nikon camera’s, Pentax Camera’s, Nikon, Pentax and Sigma lenses, couple of Manfrotto tripods, enlarger, trays and chemicals went to the tip.
My IPhone 12 takes good enough pictures for me.
Pretty much everything I start!!
Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Cycling - bought a nice mtb and then road bike plus all the kit and they are residing in the shed and have been for months
Fishing - now this I do partake in every now and then but each 3-4 session results in more kit that I just don’t need (current rod count at 11!)
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Cycling - bought a nice mtb and then road bike plus all the kit and they are residing in the shed and have been for months
Fishing - now this I do partake in every now and then but each 3-4 session results in more kit that I just don’t need (current rod count at 11!)
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
Hi-fi throughout the 70s/80's, got hooked when first married and bought a nice turntable and amp in 1970 and it all escalated from there. Built my own cabinet and had LP storage, amps, and twin turntables all built in with associated switch gear to switch turntables, amps and speakers, got rid of everything in 2004 apart from my 200 or so LPs. Just starting again now with renewed interest and so far have got a Rega Planar 3 turntable and Monitor Audio Silver floor standing speakers and enormous MA Silver sub-woofer, just waiting (read getting the house organised after extension build) to order a Quad Vena 2 amp and getting the turntable booked in for a motor and cartridge upgrade and general service.
I took up scale modelling when I retired last March, did half a dozen models and I’m bored with it.
I need to find another hobby.
Also as someone above said..cars. In my youth I was always swapping engines, gearboxes, updating suspension etc. Now I haven’t had a decent car for years. I just buy whatever shed my BiL happens to have at his garage.
Now I’m on the lookout for a newish car I was looking at Astras but seriously wondering if the 200hp version would be wasted on me... I feel dirty even admitting that.
Used to have a few
DJing - Used to love mixing vinyl on Technics and played in some pretty big clubs back in the day. Just as i was looking to get regular slots etc CDJ's were released and every man and his dog was a DJ overnight. Used to turn up to venues with my record bag sometimes even my turntables and get laughed at, had to unplug the CDJ's to knock out a set. Really killed the whole music scene for me. When i have the space i will invest in a personal set up and take it back to the old school.
Fishing - Still go once or twice a year for a few nights, nothing beats camping for a few nights with no phone signal, few friends, hot weather, BBQs and beers, catch a decent fish or two. Cant wait to do this with my son when he is old enough but the amount of gear you need to take sometimes makes me think i need a van. Will maybe get back into it in the next year or so and just be opportunistic travel light, and do day sessions.
Skateboarding - Most of my summer holidays was spent skating around London. Southbank, various places in Croydon/Caterham. Bought a skateboard during lockdown as there is a decent skatepark about 5 minutes skate from my house, only been out once. Not as flexible and nimble than i was 20 years ago.
More recently i was obsessed with they gym. Up at 5am - Gym by 6am every day 6 days a week. Not just for physical purposes, mental aswell. I managed to transform my physique around 3 years ago but now i just dont have the time. Must admit i got a bit bored of it but now i am a bit of a blob so need to find a new passion.
Now i have a 9 month old son i feel that i have quite a while before i can take some time for myself. Thats one thing i under estimated with having children, hobbies are non-existent. I just hope we can find an obsession together in a few years time, any of the above would be great !
DJing - Used to love mixing vinyl on Technics and played in some pretty big clubs back in the day. Just as i was looking to get regular slots etc CDJ's were released and every man and his dog was a DJ overnight. Used to turn up to venues with my record bag sometimes even my turntables and get laughed at, had to unplug the CDJ's to knock out a set. Really killed the whole music scene for me. When i have the space i will invest in a personal set up and take it back to the old school.
Fishing - Still go once or twice a year for a few nights, nothing beats camping for a few nights with no phone signal, few friends, hot weather, BBQs and beers, catch a decent fish or two. Cant wait to do this with my son when he is old enough but the amount of gear you need to take sometimes makes me think i need a van. Will maybe get back into it in the next year or so and just be opportunistic travel light, and do day sessions.
Skateboarding - Most of my summer holidays was spent skating around London. Southbank, various places in Croydon/Caterham. Bought a skateboard during lockdown as there is a decent skatepark about 5 minutes skate from my house, only been out once. Not as flexible and nimble than i was 20 years ago.
More recently i was obsessed with they gym. Up at 5am - Gym by 6am every day 6 days a week. Not just for physical purposes, mental aswell. I managed to transform my physique around 3 years ago but now i just dont have the time. Must admit i got a bit bored of it but now i am a bit of a blob so need to find a new passion.
Now i have a 9 month old son i feel that i have quite a while before i can take some time for myself. Thats one thing i under estimated with having children, hobbies are non-existent. I just hope we can find an obsession together in a few years time, any of the above would be great !
Esceptico said:
That dissipated but then got a second wind with games on my phone / iPad. I don’t want to think about the hours I spent on Angry Birds, Temple Run and similar. Yet without actively doing anything about it my interest died and I can’t remember the last time I played a game on my phone.
Playing crap games would probably kill my interest in gaming too.Esceptico said:
More worryingly to confess on a car site but I’ve pretty much lost my interest in cars.
Me too, to an extent. I realised a few years back, a mate who owns a garage got a Lotus Carlton in p/x. He knew I'd always liked them, but had never driven one, so he called me up, invited me over to take it for a long test drive. But he was 25 miles away and I just couldn't be bothered. Puggit said:
I totally get the sport on TV thing - F1, tennis, football, all gone PPV and I am not paying Murdoch to watch it. I look forward to the World Cups in rugby and football and the 6 nations as they are all free to air.
Same here. Don't know who most of the supposedly famous sports stars are these days. I used to know them all. I used to be able to answer loads of questions on "A Question of Sport". Now I don't even know who the participants are.
Puggit said:
I totally get the sport on TV thing - F1, tennis, football, all gone PPV and I am not paying Murdoch to watch it. I look forward to the World Cups in rugby and football and the 6 nations as they are all free to air.
T'ain't Murdoch any more, it's Comcast I think. From the frying pan...
Nola25 said:
Pretty much everything I start!!
Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Cycling - bought a nice mtb and then road bike plus all the kit and they are residing in the shed and have been for months
Fishing - now this I do partake in every now and then but each 3-4 session results in more kit that I just don’t need (current rod count at 11!)
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
+1 Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Cycling - bought a nice mtb and then road bike plus all the kit and they are residing in the shed and have been for months
Fishing - now this I do partake in every now and then but each 3-4 session results in more kit that I just don’t need (current rod count at 11!)
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
This sounds like me - I think I get more enjoyment over researching and buying the kit rather than the hobbie itself..G7orge said:
Nola25 said:
Pretty much everything I start!!
Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
+1 Piano - bought a nice electric piano and played it probably twice
Photography - bought loads of kit, bodies, lens, filters, tripods, bags etc - very rarely sees the light of day
Guitar - well that looks nice on the wall cause it doesn’t get played
I think I may have a problem and a little ADD
This sounds like me - I think I get more enjoyment over researching and buying the kit rather than the hobbie itself..Used to get the same thing with cars, now that is a very expensive way to get a buzz. Now don't get me wrong, picking up a new car is amazing but I am more than happy with driving a shed now.
Last near miss was a Raspberry Pi, I got all excited about building a Retro Pi machine to play old computer games on, luckily I realised that once it arrived I would most likely never take it out of the box. Instead I bought a £4 USB joypad on eBay, downloaded some emulators and then 30 minutes later got bored of the whole thing.
When I was younger I would get obsessed about something, buy all the magazines, join the forum, get the best kit and then just as quickly lose all interest and never look at it again. Good to see I am not the only one.
Similar to OP, I'm of the generation for whom Space Invaders, then Asteroids, Missile Command and Galaxians were the arcade/pub games of my youth. Then the home consoles - I was a Sega Master System devotee, then Megadrive.
Interest resurfaced with PC games like DOOM and Duke Nukem. Used to spend hours playing Descent, Dungeon Master and Populous - but then games got to be more about the appearance and they had to tell a story rather than interesting and challenging gameplay. Lost all interest in computer games more than twenty years ago.
Like many above, I get obsessed quite easily/often - mostly short-lived though.
The last couple of decades I've become more interested in health and well-being in general, but have flitted from many extremes to another. The desire to remain fit and active has persisted though, probably to the point it can be seen as an obsession.
That, and my dogs.
Interest resurfaced with PC games like DOOM and Duke Nukem. Used to spend hours playing Descent, Dungeon Master and Populous - but then games got to be more about the appearance and they had to tell a story rather than interesting and challenging gameplay. Lost all interest in computer games more than twenty years ago.
Like many above, I get obsessed quite easily/often - mostly short-lived though.
The last couple of decades I've become more interested in health and well-being in general, but have flitted from many extremes to another. The desire to remain fit and active has persisted though, probably to the point it can be seen as an obsession.
That, and my dogs.
LordGrover said:
Similar to OP, I'm of the generation for whom Space Invaders, then Asteroids, Missile Command and Galaxians were the arcade/pub games of my youth. Then the home consoles - I was a Sega Master System devotee, then Megadrive.
Interest resurfaced with PC games like DOOM and Duke Nukem. Used to spend hours playing Descent, Dungeon Master and Populous - but then games got to be more about the appearance and they had to tell a story rather than interesting and challenging gameplay. Lost all interest in computer games more than twenty years ago.
Like many above, I get obsessed quite easily/often - mostly short-lived though.
The last couple of decades I've become more interested in health and well-being in general, but have flitted from many extremes to another. The desire to remain fit and active has persisted though, probably to the point it can be seen as an obsession.
That, and my dogs.
I find myself now looking for the next car and saying " i just wont use it so whats the point". Interest resurfaced with PC games like DOOM and Duke Nukem. Used to spend hours playing Descent, Dungeon Master and Populous - but then games got to be more about the appearance and they had to tell a story rather than interesting and challenging gameplay. Lost all interest in computer games more than twenty years ago.
Like many above, I get obsessed quite easily/often - mostly short-lived though.
The last couple of decades I've become more interested in health and well-being in general, but have flitted from many extremes to another. The desire to remain fit and active has persisted though, probably to the point it can be seen as an obsession.
That, and my dogs.
I think i've gotten to the stage where i realise i just wont get the full benefit from driving them anymore so after getting ready to bid on CC's i just leave it.
Also gone back to loving playing golf too.
Must be getting old !
Most of my hobbies have stayed fairly consistent, but the level of obsession varies. So things I've been obsessed with would be:
Cars (this has been pretty much permanent since I was a child and has only grown with time)
Watches
Guitar
Sim racing (and to a lesser extent computer games in general)
I suppose I was really quite in to electronic gadgets and then programming / computers when I first started doing it but after basically 15 years working with them, I hate computers now with the fire of a thousand suns and they are just a job
I enjoy programming / systems stuff whilst I'm doing it, but I have zero interest in it outside of work.
I was also really quite in to weight lifting and yoga for about 10 years, but after a few years of depression killed my enthusiasm for everything, the gym side of it has never picked back up again, so I suppose that fits the bill too.
Cars (this has been pretty much permanent since I was a child and has only grown with time)
Watches
Guitar
Sim racing (and to a lesser extent computer games in general)
I suppose I was really quite in to electronic gadgets and then programming / computers when I first started doing it but after basically 15 years working with them, I hate computers now with the fire of a thousand suns and they are just a job
I enjoy programming / systems stuff whilst I'm doing it, but I have zero interest in it outside of work.I was also really quite in to weight lifting and yoga for about 10 years, but after a few years of depression killed my enthusiasm for everything, the gym side of it has never picked back up again, so I suppose that fits the bill too.
I think I've only had 2.
Crash Team Racing on the Playstation. Late teens me and my mates used to hammer away at this probably 2 hours a day for 1-2 years. Got rather good at it. Found I was quicker than all the online tutorials / experts / fast times. Didn't know speedrunning was a thing then as I could have done pretty well. Adulting got in the way and that just dropped off.
Rowing at the gym. Was my favourite activity and I was pretty decent at it. We got a chart put up on the wall to record times and over time I got myself to the top in every distance category. Came in one day to find someone had wiped the board and I just lost all interest.
This one is making a resurgence now though as we bought a rower about a month ago and I'm using it nearly daily and keeping track of all my times and distances.
Everything else I do I seem to just get into it enough to comfortably do it rather than excel or get obsessive. I don't have much free time to get obsessively into anything now. I'd love to speed more time with BBQing and smoking but rarely have the hours it needs free.
Crash Team Racing on the Playstation. Late teens me and my mates used to hammer away at this probably 2 hours a day for 1-2 years. Got rather good at it. Found I was quicker than all the online tutorials / experts / fast times. Didn't know speedrunning was a thing then as I could have done pretty well. Adulting got in the way and that just dropped off.
Rowing at the gym. Was my favourite activity and I was pretty decent at it. We got a chart put up on the wall to record times and over time I got myself to the top in every distance category. Came in one day to find someone had wiped the board and I just lost all interest.
This one is making a resurgence now though as we bought a rower about a month ago and I'm using it nearly daily and keeping track of all my times and distances.
Everything else I do I seem to just get into it enough to comfortably do it rather than excel or get obsessive. I don't have much free time to get obsessively into anything now. I'd love to speed more time with BBQing and smoking but rarely have the hours it needs free.
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