I played competitive CS 1. After my CS 1. For the next year I played this game 16 hours a day, every day. It would blow their mind. I played 16 hours a day every day for over a year. I had the 1 ranked hunter on the server I played on, and after transferring to a new server one of the more popular ones , I was recruited by a top 10 guild in the world to be on their roster.
Before joining this guild I decided to quit the game. Shortly after I met some friends which kick started my journey into self-improvement and the life I live now. Was I tempted to? There were days when I had a massive desire to go play, but I had to stay committed to not touching any of them no matter what. If a friend invited me over to play, I would decline. If people at my house were playing, I would go do something else. It took a strong will but I was eventually able to break the habit, and as time went on, it became easier and easier.
Which brings me to the first and absolute most important puzzle to quitting video games: You must have a firm commitment to not play them. You must make that decision. You must make the decision not to touch them at all ever again. I mean, you seriously have to mean it. If not, you will end up playing them again and again, wasting your days playing some stupid video game, justifying it in a thousand different ways. I had just moved to Victoria, BC.
I moved out there to get away from Calgary and to experience something new. It was also a challenge to myself to see if I could move to another city and make new friends. A day or two after I moved in, one of my roommates, Ben, and I began to discuss our previous involvement in competitive video games, specifically the game Starcraft. He joked about buying the game again so we could play. Later that night as I was working away on my computer, he came home and placed Starcraft in front of me. He had gone out and bought it. He thought this was funny.
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I was laughing on the outside but inside I was pissed. I knew this was going to end poorly. Humble in defeat I made the decision to do whatever it took to make sure I could crush him anytime I played him from here on out, without cheating of course. For the next 5 months I played Starcraft hours a day. I would spend my time studying strategy, watching film, and playing as much as I could. I pretty much did nothing else. I improved rapidly, and as I began to get better Ben started to play more and more as well. By the end our games became extremely intense. The second and third pieces to the puzzle explain it perfectly: And being challenged can be an extremely motivating factor for someone.
The challenge of the game is one aspect to why you become as addicted as you do. Just look at two of the best and most addictive games out right now: World of Warcraft and Modern Warfare 2. In both games, you level up constant measurable growth. After 5 months of doing nothing more than playing Starcraft all day long, I moved back home to Calgary. I started playing Modern Warfare 2. The social aspect of these games is what really draws you in.
Eventually you get bored and do something else. But the games that keep you around for a long time are the ones that are social. Think about World of Warcraft, or Modern Warfare 2. These games added a major social aspect to each game, and that is why they have millions of players worldwide, millions of players who play them for a long long time. If you look at the best and most addicting games out there, they all comprise these core pieces. They are challenging, but you can also see constant growth and improvement over time.
They allow you to escape, even if only temporarily. Well, other than having that firm commitment, you need to fill all four of these areas with new activities. You have to fill them with activities that you like, ones that you like a lot. What activities did I start doing to fill those voids, allowing me to not need video games for that fix? I started to work on my social skills. This worked out really well. But only because I took it very, very seriously. A lot of them like to play video games. This is no surprise. There are some that have been successful in kicking that desire, and others that have not.
But it only works if you take it seriously. Social Dynamics is essentially a proactive approach to living the life you want. So they would find themselves bored at home a lot, and when you are bored at home, video games are an easy solution to that problem. What else could you do? If you want to learn how to play guitar, do it! But remember, playing guitar is missing one key piece: So instead of playing by yourself in your room all the time, play with a buddy a couple times a week.
Start a band or something. That would make a big difference. Read through the comments at the end of this article. Download my Free Guide Oh, and make sure you leave a comment too! Any activity you enjoy will work! If you have friends that just sit around all day playing video games… get new friends! None of my friends sit around all day playing video games, because we share other common interests. They all want to grow and develop other skills. I have friends that dance.
Others that play in a band. You need to find some type of lifestyle activity that you love. Something you are passionate about. I have a few friends that share that same passion so we hang out and do it. DJing allows me to escape from life temporarily and to relax. See a pattern here? I hope this article helps you guys out. You will finally be able to quit playing video games once and for all, giving you the time you need to live the life you want to live.
Seriously, you can do it! Just look at all of the comments below of guys just like you who have successfully quit playing video games and are happier because of it. The five next steps you need to take right now to succeed in overcoming your gaming problem. Every Monday I answer your top questions on the Game Quitters channel. Come and interact with our community of gamers who also struggle to quit playing video games. Sign up and introduce yourself on the boards. Follow him on Instagram. He is the Founder of Game Quitters , a support community for those who struggle with a gaming problem.
If you don't wake up every day stoked to live your life, you have to sign up below: I played CS 1. Thanks for the comment Max. I think this article is powerful. Gets a ton of hits from the teamliquid. This is an excellent article. I like how you define the benefits of video gaming and provide solutions to get out of an obsessive lifestyle that may be limiting. Your language demonstrates that our emotional connections to activities are the drivers, not rational thought and this means that in order to change behavior, we need access healthy options that can make us feel good.
Thanks for the comment Kelley. I agree with everything you said. Appreciate you taking the time to add your input. This puts you in control of the game, You play it rather then it plays you. A few years ago I blamed video games as the cause of unhappiness and literally snapped my game disc in half, I went cold turkey. Still your end point remains true, find something else you like MORE then video games. This is important because Games are consumable media, You Need to create aswell to feel happy. If you recognize the teamwork aspect is something you enjoy a lot from the games, you could definitely look around and find other team based environments to fill your time with instead.
BUT now I need to quit cold turkey, I am taking this very seriously and will succeed thanks alot. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I totally agree with everything you said but I still have mixed feeling about games. I use to be really into counter strike when I was younger then I noticed that when i stopped playing for a while I really sucked. I realized that all good feeling I received when playing games where just a false scene of accomplishment because after spending all those hours at it, I never really gained any practical skills.
On the other hand when I was a kid I started playing this math game and it allowed me to see progressive results giving me a large passion for math that has been with me ever since and has helped me greatly in life. Cam do you think that if used responsibly games could help you practice and gain practical skills in a fun way? Thanks for the comment. If you are playing games to build skills I think that is ok. I myself used to be an video game addict back in my junior high days.
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What broke my addiction is actually the newer video games like Warcraft and Modern Warfare. A cool and realistic they looked, they had a big learning curve and took a long time to master. If you are married, have kids, take the dog to the dog park and still do all the things people with families do, is there any reason to stop gaming if you enjoy it?
Andy, Thanks for taking the time to comment. I definitely agree that with the amount of time needed to master games like Warcraft and Modern Warfare, it can be easy to break your habit. The opposite can also be said though. With these games becoming more in-depth with longer learning curves, they can also be much more addicting and take up that much more of your time.
Every time you play you become more invested. This causes you to not want to stop until you DO master it. Scary cycle to be in. Happy to hear you were able to break your habit though. Life is too awesome to be spent playing video games. Sam, thanks for coming by! I can see where you are coming from. Why quit if you have no reason to? I will answer it with a question of my own: With every hour your husband spends playing video games, what does he really gain from it, other than the pure enjoyment of gaming? However my opinion is this: We can than use this free time and flexibility to do the things we truly enjoy, like spending more time with our family, etc.
You can play hours and hours and hours of video games all you want, but at the end of it, you will still be the same person you were. I truly believe you should grow every single day. You should still grow every day. Every hour you spend playing video games is an hour you are stagnant. Second, I was always more interested in plot, storyline, realism, ie. All of these things were huge in me discovering who I ought to be IRL, so to speak. Knowing who you are, where you are strongest, and where you are weakest is a huge part of succeeding at real life challenges.
Quitting anything is times easier if you have a reason why that is emotionally rooted. Why do supermodels force themselves to eat almost nothing and stand in front of a camera or mirror all day? How boring does that sound? Thanks a lot Cam.
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This article really helped me with my game play. I am trying to find other things that I love to do instead of playing video games. Hope you have a chance to check out the rest of the site. Thousands of dollars spent. Dropped out of college… I like the slap in the face that this article provided. Count me as one of your success stories. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your thoughts with me. Keep me posted on how your journey goes. Have you had a chance to check out the rest of the site? Any other posts stand out to you??
I feel like I need to be rewarded ,, which playing computer game.. I definitely understand the situation you find yourself in. You come home and want to do nothing more than to sit down and relax. Video games seem to be the perfect solution. And in many ways it is. Except for one flaw: You wake up the next day and repeat. This goes on every day. Eventually at work you get a promotion so you make more money. With this money you go on more elaborate vacations for week or two, have a more expensive car, house, material things.
You do this for 40 years and then retire. Does that make any sense to you? There has to be a better way. So with your current life right now, you get home, tired, and want to reward yourself by playing video games. My question is this: For many people, there is NO time in the day that they put towards that.
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I could dive into a rant about how at what point in the day are you not tired? You get to work: Two hours before you finish your workday: You get home from work: You go to bed, tired. What I will say instead is this: About learning how to pick up da ladies, what is the area you are having trouble with right now? Loved every word of your post. I have a unique situation. I have 3 addicting factors all boiled into one. I like to play Madden. I play in ever spare minute I have. I also Gamble with Madden.
I have lost over 5, dollars and for some reason I still want to continue. So now I have video games and gambling and I also smoke marijuana. I can tell your a very smart person and you put it in words very fluently. I have sold the game and even told the website I use for gambling to not allow me on. But then I will just come back and they will let me back. I am going to try and completely quit this crap. It is the holidays coming up and I would like to start using my energy towards my Friends, Family, Etc.
I believe the key to successfully quitting video games is a determination for a better life. Like I said in a comment above, at some point in your life you have to wake up and realize that the life you are currently living is not the one that will ultimately lead to your success and happiness.
Is it playing madden, gambling and smoking weed? Or is it something else? Things that make you WANT to wake up each and every day. Your attitude has to be that today is the first day of the rest of your life. To use a football analogy: Life is much more fun. So you mentioned you want to start putting your energy towards friends and family. If you played Madden any spare minute you had, you better make sure your schedule is BUSY but still fun. Also, when you want to have a bit of downtime which is necessary , what are you going to do instead of Madden?
So I never really get out of the house and im always playing games. How do I quit being such a loser? What are some activities you enjoy other than sports and video games? Are you interested in Music? Art of any kind? I was in that same position playing hockey for many years as an undersized kid. Instead, take all the time in the world you can to do the things you enjoy doing and socializing.
You mentioned you have a tough time socializing, so I would suggest just trying to socialize a little bit more every day. These are people that can hold a conversation already so if you put in that effort to start the conversation just say hi, and ask how their day is going , they will be able to help you from there. A question you could ask in your conversations is how to socialize. Try it out and let me know. Definitely respond with some other activities you enjoy.
Those will be a good starting place. Also, take the time to find out what you enjoy. And remember Dakota, the only person that dictates whether you are a loser or not is you. Remind yourself that you are a good person who is working on themselves and growing. Ive been checking back to this article pretty frequently over the last few weeks due to the expanding comment thread, and I have to say that when I saw your post it definitely hit home with me.
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First of all, MAD props to you for being able to reach out to other people with honesty, and intent to actually better yourself. I used to be in a very similar boat to you, and it took me a lot of years of working on myself — by myself and struggling before I reached out to other people for help with my growth. I have alot of respect for what you have done, and the actions you have taken themselves are the biggest proof that you are not a loser dude. A little about myself — Growing up I was like you so eloquently quoted yourself, a loser.
I had almost no friends that werent directly related to my sport, and I didnt know the first thing about making friends either. How could someone want to be friends with me? I was shy, reserved, and incredibly lanky and with terrible acne to boot. The closest woman to me until I was almost sixteen was my mother.
I felt weird, and disappointed that I didnt have close people in my life. I knew deep down, that I was a cool and nice person. I just didnt know how to show that to the world yet. I agree alot with what Cam mentioned, you are young and now is the time to enjoy the fact that your 14! Take the time to find activitys outside of the digital world that you really enjoy doing, and dedicate your time to excelling at them.
In time, you will come out of your shell, and let the world know what a bad ass dude you are. Yo fella, 14 your still young bro… alot of kids are into computer games having said that its good you realize there not the here-all end-all of life!! First and foremost man, you are a far braver person than most are at I never even thought to ask for help because I had totally given up on the idea of having friends.
This is a good thing: After that Dakota, just take some time to make yourself happy. Run, lift, jump rope, climb trees, hunt rabbits, whatever gets your blood flowing. Your only 14 man but it can be hard to see how large the world is sometimes when your focused on the small issues. Friends will come, women will come but these things can only be possible when you stop thinking that your self worth is solely based off of these two things.
Find your own happiness first, and then others are going to see how radical you are and want to join in the fun. Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts. I really like the Wrestling suggestion. Wrestling is one of those sports that I find really develops their athletes into work ethic beasts with incredible discipline and drive.
I know it sounds cliche but Be Yourself. Get out there and create your own persona. Get to meet people and find out what you like to do. When you meet more people, you will feel comfortable with yourself and with others. People will get to see the real you. You dont have to do this wearing trendy clothes or doing what other people tell you. Live your own life and everything will fall into place. When I was your age, I was in what appears to be a very similar position to you. In school, I thought I was a loser, and all I wanted to do was fit in with other kids and be the popular one.
No matter what group of people I tried to hang out with at lunch break or even in class, everyone seemed to dismiss me as weird and either ignore me or straight out just pick on me. Bullying was just a part of life for me in my junior high years, and going to school every day was in some ways the physical bane of my existence. It was hard to connect with anyone, but at least here no one would shove me or deliberately try to bring me down as soon as I tried to start a conversation or make a comment. I got huge into World of Warcraft. A few other guys on the swim team were playing it, so I decided to join in as well.
Needless to say, it consumed me. It was so easy to go home and just grind for hours at a time, not saying a word to anyone except the people in my guild and my two friends who played with me. And for two years, it worked. It definitely helped me get through my troublesome junior high years where I was awkward and bullied to my high school years where I was…well…awkward, but at least no one noticed me. Not that it mattered, I fit in where I cared most about anyway…in WoW. With the bullying that repressed my individualism gone, I was able to think about things and desire things that I had never even considered before due to my negative self-perception…like girls for example.
I remember there was this one super cute girl in my bio class too and for the entire first year of my high school career, I would just be debating in my mind over and over again if I should talk to her or not. Even though I thought she was super cute and cool, in my mind there were so many reasons against it. How can I even talk to her? It took me 18 months until I finally asked her out, and man, it was hard. She ended up saying no, but 2 weeks later, I found out that an even cuter girl at swimming had a crush on me.
I asked her out, and we had an absolutely phenomenal relationship that lasted over 3 years. For the video games: For example, if you and your friend who recently moved away play any games online together Starcraft, LoL, DoTa, etc. I realize that they are a pretty integral part to teen culture, so completely omitting video games from your life might even hurt your ability to connect with others in some cases. Cam said a lot of really good things and I would take them to heart. As for girls, if someone really likes you they will like you for you. Remember girls like confidence, find something you do well and show that side of you.
Girls are attracted to that. For example if your funny use humor as an ice breaker to find common ground with a girl you like. Find something that makes you happy regardless of others. Focus more on positive things like learning something new and fun. If your happy with who you are then others will see that too. Losers a term put onto a select few by people who are afraid of differences amongst people. They have no idea how hard a small word such as loser hurts someone just for being unique and being their own person.
So what you play video games instead of being captain of the football team. I am completely blown away that a 14 year old took the time to ask a really awesome group of individuals on how you can expand socially to help you get where you want to be. They have all been where you are now and are super dope guys now- AND I love to surround myself with. As a womans perspective- Matt is right when he says that girls like guys who are super passionate about the things they do.
Get out of your room, away from the TV and out in to doing a sport or activity that you can surround yourself with people who are passionate about the same things you are. However the wrestling idea is a pretty good one! You will make friends effortlessly as passion breeds success and people naturally gravitate to people who are happy and successful. I went in to dance and met so many amazing people when I felt really alone after a big move.
I left a lot of my friends behind so it was terrifying meeting new people but by getting in to new activities it allowed me to meet people who liked the things that I did. Thanks for commenting and reaching out to us! I would love to see more kids your age take that kind of responsibility for their own growth. You have a lot more strength than you probably give yourself credit for.
All of these responses are great. Everything you wrote in this article hits me subconsciously, even though I think of it but never really admit it. This hits me like I was traveling deep down in my past 10 years ago. It was a dumb repetitive mouse clicking games, yet us students became friend and we game in the computer lab afterschool, this went on for a while, and we got addicted, but their addiction were not as strong as mine. I was literally consumed by the game and I usually played like 12 hour straight, and usually play games until like 9 pm then do homework and head to bed.
I hide my game window and pretend I was doing homework when my parent comes in my room. I cry now, because I needed help but my mind was sub-consciously wanting me to continue playing video games, it is like a disorder. I went from the elite excel classes down to the mediocre. The addiction was so powerful because I was an godly FPS player, I literally end up with kill death ratio, and it literally made you want to play more and more.
I think that why my addiction never stopped,. I think one of the closest time that I was about to quit for good was when computer video games always have cheaters, aimbotter,hackers etc. I even eventually reject to go out with friend, hang out socially, I even lie to them that I was busy just to play video games. Even my parents were amazed how I can sit for 18 hour straight at home in front of the computer not moving not exercising, for many years.
Through my teenage year, I have not been very social, and it was extremely detrimental because I rarely spoke or improve my communication skills. I barely read, and it has causes me to have disorder similar to dyslexia. I was extremely trouble forming sentences when I started getting a bit nervous, and broken sentences fragment comes out of my mouth, and people have trouble understanding me. I really want to quit and move on with my life. I found this article completely by chance.
Skyrim is, hands down, probably the best game for a couple of years to come. So as you can imagine, I played it for hours and hours as soon as it came out Nov The download off of Steam finished over night. The 11th was a Friday. Yeah, I skipped class, played till 10, repeated that on Saturday and Sunday. During the week I played as well but not as much since I had class. Weekend came, and I did it all over again. Completely shut out the rest of the world and focused on Skyrim…. Now, it really hit me last night. I was out with my friends surprising seeing as how I actually went out instead of choosing to play Skyrim and one of them told me of his new girlfriend.
The other told me of a girl he was beginning to make move up on. I actually am not into anyone but I think the reason is because of my fucking anti-social gaming habits. And to experience something, I have to actually be doing it, right? Happy to receive your comments. I hope you guys can use the concepts within to quit gaming and start living your life to the fullest.
What activities can you fill your video game time with? And when you want to have a bit of downtime which is necessary , what are you going to do? Thanks so much Cam! I really hope this article helps me quit video games all together, and get rid of my addiction. Well I find this a hard topic to discuss, I guess the first step to changing is admitting you have a problem. Im 14 and I feel I have a problem. My reclusive behaviors have cut me off from the world. I still get out and enjoy things with my family, but other then my friends I have met online, I dont really feel like Ive got many other friends.
I guess thats ok with me because I think being out of social contact really gives you an appreciation for solitude and peace. I recently had a discussion with my parents about it because I felt it might be getting out of control. They were very supportive and I know I can count on them when I need help.
Im trying to focus on mt music and becoming better at that, but I always have this haunting feeling that ive done something wrong, and that maybe im missing something…. Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this website. I such a lot without a doubt will make sure to don? Thanks for coming by and commenting. How have things been going since you commented at the end of November? Have you been focusing on your music like you mentioned you would? Do you collaborate with anybody else on your music?
Having a passion for music is great, and will definitely be a worthwhile investment of your time. Like Skyrim which i recently started playing. Since stumbling upon this post recently i have sold my copy of Skyrim, i realise that playing games is not doing me any good at all. I have quit games all together. Thanks for the advice and wish me luck. I just came to say that after a month from reading this article, I have decreased my gaming time every week till I eventually stopped playing all together.
I kinda find it funny that there were so many professional tips and resources for how to stop playing video game but your Article was like the golden ticket, just completely wow, blew me away. Junior- Super pumped to have you give me an update. What are you spending your time doing nowadays instead of playing video games?
I definitely feel like the other resources out there -although offer a few good tips- really miss the core of the problem. Keep up the good work. If so, nearly everyone does it to pathological proportions. I would dispute that video games are the only problem here. Playing video games, social networking, watching videos, sports, music, etc. If you merely shift from one temporary escape to another you are simply shifting the addiction, not curing it. You can have constant measurable growth by doing past exam papers. Each question done is a measured growth, and you can measure your ability by checking your exam results.
Nobody that I know is addicted to doing past exam papers, or does this appear to be a popular pastime. Popular addictive games such as Counter-Strike and Starcraft do not provide constant measurable growth. You win one match only to lose another, depending on how good your team is and what strategy the other team decides to pursue. Often game outcomes are decided when one player in one team leaves the game.
It is difficult to have constant measurable growth in a game where outcomes depends highly on map, team composition, other circumstantial reasons. Smurfs further destroy the already flawed ranking system. Pretty much every problem poses a challenge. There are numerous unsolved mathematical problems including:. None of these have been resolved and are sure to pose a challenge to anyone and each has a reward of one million dollars , but I have yet to hear of anyone dying from spending 50 hours on trying to solve these problems.
Video game addiction has little to do with social needs, which are nowdays mostly fulfilled by social networking websites. People used to be addicted to Pacman, Contra or Space Invaders. These were singleplayer games yet were very addictive for some. The addicts competed against their own high scores. With the advent of multiplayer gaming, players can now compete against players other than themselves, thus vastly increasing the challenge.
Unlike the AI, players good players that is get better by practicing and learning from past experiences, thus providing more of a challenge. Also, the social aspect does not explain the increasing popularity of flash games, most of which are single player.
Even if you are not addicted to one particular flash game, playing through the numerous games that come out every week takes up a lot of time. Some people spend hundreds of hours trying to get a high score on a singleplayer flash game. This is clearly addiction, yet it has no social aspect. There are escapes that work for one group of people but not another. Playing guitar might allow you to get away whereas I can care less. So really you can only list common ones as examples but it could be anything.
As far as shifting the addiction, the addiction is not just the act of escapism. Video games provide escapism but it is their combined components that can lead down the path of addiction for some people. Working out, sports or social dynamics might allow for escapism but it is not often that they become compulsions leading to not socializing, not sleeping, poor diet or ignoring things that would make the rest of your life better.
In addition most people have some idea if they are getting better at something even if growth slows to a crawl or effectively hits a ceiling. Like the counterstrike example, I knew I was getting better for a long time based on the increasing situations that I could survive through or how many people I could mow down without dying. Honestly by the time I was no longer getting better the addiction hooks were in and all the other points in the article still applied. If you are getting better at performing a static task or able to accomplish an increasingly difficult task then that for all intents and purposes is measurable growth.
It has to be challenging but doable. If I am starting to workout for the first time ever, put lbs on the barbell and then try to bench press it, it will not be long before I give up on working out. Immensely difficult or seemingly impossible tasks are not ones that we continue to pursue unless it is absolutely necessary survival. The examples listed are beyond the scope of the vast majority of humanity. People want something that is hard but not too hard. Also how many funny or incredible stories start or end with the person telling the story not interacting with any other people around them?
It does provide great advice towards using some of the similarities between gaming and new pursuits. It is easier to create a new habit that pulls you in positive direction than it is to destroy an old negative one. Also breaking down the points separately like I am guilty of here myself weakens their synergistic effect. No activity that provides only one of the listed points would be as successful as any pursuit that that combined more of the points. Which is also the reason that some chores do not become addictive.
Also would have to thank you Cam as you are right that most video game addiction articles do not approach it in a real world manner. I have learned a lot using video games: I put the onus on myself to improve my situation. I am unattached to outcomes. I keep challenging myself to improve and get more efficient. I get really really good at the problem.
I get to amuse all my dedication, creativity, and perseverance. And then Cam made me ask myself: Find at least five classes that MAY interest me and sit in on a lecture to introduce myself to the class. I will cook it with reckless abandon.
I also want to get more involved in this community, improve my writing, take social dance classes signed up during this post: Look how busy I am already! Definitely some intriguing conversation. My perspective is the one I currently believe to be closer to the goal of having a real framework to succeed in a specific goal — in this case, being able to quit playing video games for good. Each comment is feedback that we can pool together and as a collective ideally get closer and closer towards being able to succeed.
That is without question true. Something to understand about the post is that these points on their own will lack the ability to stand firm and be the singular cause of someones addiction to video games. You should not, and I do not recommend this in my article, simply shift from one temporary escape to another. Something you are passionate about, and something that leads to you working on your purpose. The purpose of life is a life of purpose, after all. I completely agree that this is not the one and be-all post about video game addiction.
If your goal is to quit video games, the chance you have of success is much greater by filling the time with an activity with similarities, albeit one that is productive and towards your purpose as I stated above. It could be anything, but most people tend to engage in the common ones such as watching television, reading fiction and playing games.
In my opinion these are all as bad as each other in terms of practical value generated. Any activity that provides escapism is usually addictive. Watching television or reading fiction for example can be very addictive and destroys lives. For Measured Growth to be constant there must be an external as opposed to internal mechanism of checking progress. Also in Starcraft, the vast of majority of UMS players and I only play UMS have the same rating of , thus making it impossible to know who is a pro and who is a noob.
Even in ladder games, players with low ratings very often beat players with high ratings. Your mental idea of your skill level is neither Constant nor is it Measurable. This does not invalidate my point. There is a wide range and available of problems to pick from, easily accessible from the internet.
My point is why do people play video games instead of doing maths problems of equal difficulty? Most people are not addicted to puzzle games and are instead addicted to FPS games which do not really provide much of an abstract challenge, only activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Telling stories is an inherently social activity — you are telling a story to amuse someone else.
Playing Space Invaders or Pacman is definitely not — you are killing aliens and eating ghosts by yourself. And the similarities may be so great that the new pursuits are not much more productive than gaming itself. Breaking down the points separately is how science works. RPG games lack both the social and the challenge aspects. In other words you are recommending breaking the addiction instead of simply shifting it.
Whilst this is the ultimate solution, it seems to be beyond the ability of the majority of addicts. How many times have your parents told you to stop playing games and do something productive with your time? How many times have you actually listened? I suspect not many. The same is true with the vast majority of addicts.
When you quit an addiction for even a few days, you experience withdrawal symptoms that make you think twice about quitting that addiction. Eventually the temptation is too great and you relapse. As I have already said, these 4 components are not present in all video game addictions, the only factor in common with all video game addictions is escapism.
Video games are a catch all term for a delivery method in the same way that a bottle can carry beer, water or soda. The things that make them addictive are not going to be the same from genre to genre. They all would have different aspects that would make them addictive to different types of people.
Likewise your favorite genres could be completely different. It seems that certain genres lead to addiction more than others, which probably has to do with certain traits that are hardwired into most people to some degree or another. Two reasons that I can think of that video games are addictive other than what is listed in the article are probably not what you want to bring to future endeavors:.
Delivery Method- Internet use by itself is found to be habit forming for a lot of people. Video games use the same method but amplified. Rewards for actions tend to be immediate, extravagant and frequent. As your brain grows accustomed to this type of feedback other real world feedback can feel slow and numb. Gambling Mechanisms- Grinding out your WOW character long after the rational side of your brain would love to do something else? But instead of once every couple of minutes it then hammers your brain with it a couple dozen times a minute.
Even friendly competition adds the amount of focus that someone brings to an activity. You could break down each genre separately and based on personality type. Lets say WOW for example. Someone lonely might grow addicted to the escapism and the social aspects of the game. Someone predisposed towards gambling addiction or maybe likes the feeling of succeeding would fall into the measurable growth and item grinding aspects of the game. A FPS is escapism, challenging competitive ,social with some measurable growth which delivers feedback at a quick and consistent pace.
It might depend on what the persons personality is combined with a certain type of game. Think of it this way. You ask me why I like my girlfriend. I broke down why I like my girlfriend into four variables. Much like which game mechanics encourage addictive behavior varies from game to game, there are probably different life circumstances as well as genetics that make someone more susceptible to addiction. Which is why I would think there are two sides to quitting an addiction.
One is the withdrawl symptoms that can persist for awhile after. Thats why people say you need to actually be ready to quit. You need to be vigiliant on keeping away from games and be willing to push through the uncomfortable feelings. It will subside but it can take time for some people. The additional things to deal with would often be loneliness ,depression, bordom or whatever it is you need escapism and gaming for in the first place. You cannot back away from the addiction without replacing it with something.
If video games were what you did with most of your free time then you better have something in mind to replace it. You can only stand to be bored or lonely out of your mind for so long until you will boot up your favorite games again. One other thing I speculate about is that the more interests you have the less susceptible you would be to a mental addiction. If I play in a band, work out and occasionally surf, I would be less likely to have video games ever be more than a distraction in my spare time. As started, I vowed to myself that I would stop gaming once and for all.
For a while now I have been gaming and have only just recently admitted that I am addicted. This article especially how you were in my position has given me the strength that I need to really quit. You have changed my life, thankyou. Happy New Year to you as well. Keep me posted on your progress. I have made the decision to quit games forever so I will never be a game addict again. Or an addict to anything that I can identify. I now fill my time with everything I had put off — exercise, reading, writing, socializing etc.
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How to Quit Playing Video Games FOREVER
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