Being a fanatic of something, in particular, can be an exciting hobby to partake in and keep up on. Especially if you’ve got friends or family members who are also interested in that very hobby that you love. The more you get to share your experiences regarding that hobby, the more ingrained you become in it.

While that’s a good thing, it’s also a bad factor in maintaining that hobby if you don’t have anyone to share your experiences with. Because then, you may lose motivation, you may lose all interest, or you just may wish you had a friend to participate with you.

Oftentimes our hobbies are extremely niche interests that no one else actually does want to join you in, and that alone can turn you off to continuing the hobby. Other times, though, it’s something fairly mainstream, so finding others who are also interested isn’t hard in the slightest.

For me, I’m into a wide range of things. But one that has held my interest for pretty much all my life is video games. And I do my favorite games a disservice by just referring to all of them collectively as “video games” as if they are all similar. News flash: they’re not similar in the slightest.

First off, there are many different genres of video games. And beyond that, there are games on different consoles and some on mobile. The few games that pique my interest span different consoles and a wide variety of genres, meaning I’m into some niche games and some others that are pretty popular.

With a hobby like this, though, a lot of games come and go. And that’s why I keep my older cartridges stored in cardboard boxes. There’s no better way to remind yourself of the games you used to play other than holding onto them in case you want to play them in the future. Though I know I never will, it’s something about the nostalgia that keeps me cramming more into those old cardboard boxes instead of getting rid of them or selling what I do have for a little extra cash. I’m sure a lot of you can commiserate with me when I say it’s not easy getting rid of things you used to love.

No matter what your hobby is, don’t give up on it even if others aren’t around to enjoy it with you. You should stick to what you love and try to find online communities at the very least. Apps like Reddit help with those problems, because there will always be someone out there who is just as much a fanatic of your hobby as you.