The solution is to have more contests throughout the year, with starting times spread out throughout the day (for different time zones). There are plenty of pla

The solution is to have more contests throughout the year, with starting times spread out throughout the day (for different time zones). There are plenty of platforms (Codeforces, Codechef, Atcoder) that run regular (weekly/monthly) contests at various times. You can participate and replenish your sapped joy (though unless you train regularly, you will still be at a severe disadvantage) Alternatively, if AoC were to be run by a team (and not a single person), they could start at a different time each day.