It's been about 3 months since I last indulged in video games and there's no coincidence that this time period lines up exactly alongside my sobriety.
Kicking the habit of gaming was a serious turning point for me although it took far too many years for me to realise that it was an underlying factor that added to the downward spiral.
I've been exposed to video gaming and computers since a young age. Maybe not as young as the kiddos these days though, I still went outside and rode bikes, made fires, jumped around on roofs, and whatnot.
The gaming desire probably started back in primary school when I used to read adventure quest books with friends where you made choices and jumped to different pages. We used to make mazes ourselves on paper and wrote our own stories. The nostalgic vibes are hitting hard.
After that, there was always the newest in trend gaming device being talked about in school, from the Pokemon days of the Gameboy Colour, up to the Xbox 360 and PS3 when I was leaving school. It was the norm and I can see how that has progressed in recent times.
My not-so-distant relationship with gaming was a very unhealthy one. I was running away from my problems and trading out my own reality for the reality of video games and the procrastination haze that they provide.
Every downfall I've ended up in has started with a boring Friday night where I've said "Oh yeah, I'll play that again".
It starts as a few hours of enjoyable gameplay and ends up with full days into months being spent disconnected from real life and avoiding the world. I've got one of those 'all or nothing' personalities and gaming is just not a good fit for me.
This pattern is made even worse when it's paired up with other habits that are highly destructive to mental and physical health.
I'm glad I managed to realise the trigger that gaming was for me and I'm now happier than I have been for years. There is an insidious nature to the activity if you aren't in control of your shit and it can quietly start pulling you away from your responsibilities if you let it.
I can't get any time back, but I'm definitely making up for what was lost now from all those hours spent in whatever digital world took my fancy.
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I hear you man... time spent gaming is time that could have been spent on more 'productive' things or just self-improvement / improving relationships.
I've been meaning to get back into gaming but at this stage in my life I can't afford to spend 4-5 hours a day on a game.
Folks have suggested gaming in moderation and setting aside something like 2x per week for gaming but i'm a little afraid to start. If there's one thing i've learnt from giving up alcohol it is that cutting something out 100% is easier than 95%.
Definitely. I've tried cutting back and doing it in moderation before but it never lasts. Much better to cut the head off the snake and stick to your guns.
I also can relate to this. My gaming started early and ended early thanks to my dad who always help me repackage every video game I ever bought From Super Mario To Sega.
I now do realize that gaming is just another time consuming entities meant to keep people in the dark.
I don’t mean playing game is a bad idea but getting addicted is very dangerous on the long run.
Having a healthy playing habit can be a good thing. Like playing only when you want to clear your head, it won’t hurt to play twice in a week.
yeah I don't play often just to pass time, not like crazy I only play for 15m a day or less
Okay that’s a healthy playing habit
A couple of my friends play in moderation and know when to call it a day on the games. I'm not sure if it's a personality thing or if it's something to do with the addictive nature. Everyone is different I suppose.
Are you still gaming recently @marvinix?
Yes you’re right , we are all different.
I don’t play video games anymore or haven’t been playing, can’t remember the last time I played. Am sure I haven’t played any this year.
The type of games I play these days include Rabona and maybe hop in the splintersland train later.
This is great! I love hearing stories of people taking their lives back. I remember when I had substance abuse issues and played too many games. Those days are all behind me and I feel so much better for it. Stick to it, you will not regret it. It is great to have constructive things like POB where you can write, read, be creative, and earn rewards.
Good times mate. It's a tough shackle to get out of and it's pretty easy to fall back into it as well. I'm gonna stick with my routines and how life is right now for sure, it's much more fulfilling. Nice to hear from others who've experienced similar.
It is a big step and little they achieve it, lately the games are designed to be more and more addictive, there are games today that release a load of dopamine and have the equivalent of a 25 year old adult, imagine that in the brain of a 9-year-old boy to give you an example. On the other hand, there are games that stimulate your brain in a good way and using them with a lot of self-control can surely be a help for those who need it.
And on this week's word I'm still working on it, I'm hoping for a little more inspiration. I will do my best to be on the winners podium, in the meantime cheers and see you in the awards round!
That's how it goes. I've found that the games that require some kind of levelling up and open-world progress have the ability to really suck you into them. Then every level and step of progress gives that dopamine boost right as it's designed.
Have fun with the word of the week bud, I'll look out for your post.
It has a relationship with insecurities and old fear perhaps when we were kids.
I can relate to ur experience Since I've playing cod on mobile And caused me blurry vision temporarily.
I often put the phone on focus mode for not to be drained over by notifications
I can understand that, maybe there are some links to childhood which could be contributing to parts of it. That conversation can be had with my therapist lol.
Playing on those smaller screens for long periods of time is very rough on the eyes, especially when playing something like Call of Duty. Careful with your eyes!
Yes bro, there's some practice called healing the inner child. That is even when adults. Our inner child if suffered in the past From any traumatic event. It could be needing some affection, to be heard And understood.
Connecting with the inner child. Could resolve many problems who we were unaware of and wss affecting our behavior.
(Look it up, it's really interesting to know)
I've been told about this before on multiple occasions, maybe I need to look into it further. My inner child definitely needs some work, lol.
give it love and attention. that's the most powerful energy in the universe.
you know how toddlers act, if not getting what they want they start screaming and whining lol
doing so means give me attention know i'm there older me !
give it love and be aware of him (this inner child_just a concept_).
for instance my inner child wants me to draw and watch anime so I've downloaded the 2020's version of adventures of Dai/dragon quest. I'll see how it goes once i watch my favorite childhood anime again.
some furniture is getting smashed for sure lol
I know what you mean. I never understood how people can play game to relax and just stop after half an hour.
I had to disavow all singleplayer games, because they are huge timesinks for me. Days go by without anything being accomplished. I can't stop, but I can stay away. Just like you. :)
Filthy casuals, lol. The envy is oozing from me if you can't tell. I'm with you there, it's so easy to drop a full weekend into a new game if you don't have anything else to do. Better off without them, there is much better uses for our time.
I'm glad it's okay outside of that ... Games is like drugs or alcohol consumes your life, it takes you to a world that is not real, it makes you forget your problems. But in reality everything remains the same ..
If we want to get out of a problem we must face it, not immerse ourselves in worlds that are not real.
Most definitely, I've had experiences with all that you mentioned and can confirm that if not managed responsibly they will start to cause havoc with your life. Is it something you've ever had any issues @celi130? Gaming is everywhere now and there's always some form of it out there.
I have not gone through situations like that ... I have had problems, and blow in life.
But I've gotten by without alcohol, tobacco, or gambling. Diving into that world will make the problem bigger ... I'm glad it's out of that ...
Well, I can't disagree with this because I too was a bad addict of games. I started playing with the old good atari and never stopped until today. Genesis, saturn, ps2 and finally PC. There were years when I would just do 1 hour of fireshow in the streets to pay the food for the week and would stay the rest of the time playing. And I was glad that I never liked online games, or I think it could've been worst.
At the same time, I have zero regrets from that time. I was really happy that I could do that, that I had a way of life that allowed me to play as much as I could. Of course I was single and had no perspective in life, and some crazy inspiration made me sell everything and start travelling around, but even today I like to have one or two games in my phone.
I think it's equal to any drug, it can be fun if you can keep it recreational, and can be really bad if you let it run over your life. All about this thin line called balance.
I'm a huge supporter of games, but at the same time I know it can destroy personal lives. I'm glad that you found out this trigger and got out before it was too late!
Thanks for sharing! Everything you write always makes me think of my things too!
Let's keep growing together!
It's interesting how we've both had such similar experiences, it must be a generational thing? Hard to say for sure but it's great to hear about your thoughts and experience with it.
That's just it. Finding that balance and not overindulging is the key (like most of the bad things for us lol), I just find it easier to cut it out altogether and not have to deal with it.
Cheers for stopping by mate.
I think so too. We grew up in the middle of the technological boom.
I totally get this. I sold my Xbox when I got married (she didn't ask me to, just knew it had to be done) and from time to time I delete all my phone games. But eventually I get back, until it's taking too much of my time.
I keep my PS Now habit really under control and play it to relax. Discord chans and even this have the same addictive qualities by design with money added to even get more of a Dopamine rush. You can see on my blog huge gaps because I refuse to let something take up too much of my time and it's great you realized this and took action.
I play a few hours a week with projects and real life going on, am a sucker for MK and Injustice League ;)
I agree, they definitely have an addictive nature to them. I've been trying to stick to certain times blogging and commenting but it doesn't always work out. The writing aspect of it can be rewarding, there is that going for it.
Good on you also, I remember the tag you started up back in '18 called teamgood or something, time has flew by. I never played MK truth be told, I didn't really get into those kinds of games. Think I played Tekken Demo a few times as a kid but that was it.
oh yeah it's still around but not on here so much or at least outwardly, time has flown by and ohhh Tekken , love that game
I can understand this. A lot of games today are fixated on being triggers that are like gambling that keep people playing and playing for honestly unhealthy hours. I kicked it myself for the most part but still play some but it's more of a back end thing if I want to relax and just have a little fun break or it's a rainy day out where there isn't much else to do.
I went cold turkey on TV many years ago and honestly my lifes been 100x better once I removed that. I also 90% removed gaming and you'll quickly realize how much time in your day you have to do other great fun things instead along with new hobbies. I started my own garden, found more time to write, more time to read and interact with people and it's just a huge stress relief
I definitely know that feeling. When I kicked the habit and went sober I was sitting there at times thinking "Holy fuck, I have so much time on my hands that I didn't know I had".
TV is still a regular habit for me but I try and switch it off and let my brain think in the mornings. I'm going to make an effort to watch less today after this comment you've shared, it's got me thinking how gaming and TV are very similar.
man I love games but also keep my health in check don't wanna be doing some thing too overboard and I love playing pubg
A little bit of exercise every day keeps the mind on the ball, that's for sure. I've played PUBG on the mobile briefly but I never really got into the hole battle royale style of game.
Better late than never,good to see that you discovered the truth before it becomes too late...I am happy for you @calumam
Cheers fella, it's been a great revelation for me and something I wish I stopped years ago. What are your experiences with gaming, if you have any?
Breaking free from gaming addiction is a good news when the addiction is negatively affecting the life of a person....
Couldn't agree more.
doing exercise is good for your health and spirit
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