Gaming Hiatus

[raggamuffin]

Who here has had one? What were your reasons?

I've gamed pretty much solidly since I had my first console when I was about 7 or 8. Since then the amount of time I dedicated to gaming increased and now I feel like i'm at a tipping point.

I prioritize gaming over everything and it's started to take it's toll. I flunked 2 colleges and dropped out of uni as I'd dedicate most of my free time to gaming rather than studying. Relationships have been on the backburner in terms of time spent on romance and going places.

Lack of drive, increased social anxiety, difficulty in maintaining conversations, lack of empathy, poor physical fitness, laziness, lack of drive. I can associate a lot of these issues to the fact that in my free time I'll spend 7-12 hours daily on gaming outside of work without fail.

My latest job is a 4 on 4 off work shift. It's allowed far too much time to game.

I think any addictive behaviour is trying to fill a void. I know what I would be doing in my free time if I didn't squander it on gaming.

I've pondered quitting entirely but I think quitting any addiction entirely and refusing to ever do it again almost empowers the addiction in some strange way. I think I need to limit how much I play as it's been over 20 years now at gaming and nothing to really show for it except probably around £10,000-15,000 spent on consoles, games, PC's and in game purchases.

Ed

 

[falkenjeff]

I think any addictive behaviour is trying to fill a void. I know what I would be doing in my free time if I didn't squander it on gaming.

Every time I try to "quit" gaming I just sleep because I'm bored and/or don't really have a reason to wake up and get motivated (or I'm depressed I honestly don't know).

So I don't quit because that's super unhealthy.

Although with my current job I don't have the free time to game OR sleep, so..... lol

 

[Gareth]

I've recently started up gaming again after 10 or so years. Maybe a bit of super casual gaming in there at random points. (Can't remember why, maybe just life/not having the time or money for the latest game or console/etc) I missed it so getting back into it a bit recently, but still wanting to keep my gym routine and other activities afloat.
Maybe just try to find some additional hobbies to distract yourself. It seems to have hindered your educational pursuits though, so I would definitely look into slowly decreasing the amount of gaming time so it doesn't hinder your quality of life.

 

[Starklife]

I think it's important to have physical activity in life....at least enough to keep your body in decent enough shape that it doesn't effect your mental side.

But outside that? Not really.

The world has been going to shit for years, going outside is mostly awful (unless you live someplace really nice and can actually go to the nice places)

I spend 10-15 hours a day at work, stuck in traffic and seeing how bad things are. Homeless sleeping in boxes on the sidewalks, or just on the sidewalk with nothing at all, degenerates shambling into the streets heedless of traffic, pissing and shitting in public, the horizon lost in a haze of pollution. The constant fumes of vaporizers, cigarettes or vehicle exhaust making it impossible to get a breath of fresh air.

Beer gardens and tap rooms opening in every city, charging way too much for over-rated hipster swill, full of socialites talking about nothing at all, whatever it takes to distract them from their worthless lives, telling dumb jokes that aren't funny.

Even the beach is nasty, with tons of radioactive waste leaking into the ocean every day and the trash islands. The last time I took my kids there one of them stepped in some kind of tar and got it all over his foot it took a lot of work to get it off.

The only place worth going to outside is the mountains and that costs too much money or takes too much time unless you're lucky enough to work in the mountains in which case you probably are just barely getting by.

Anyhow my point is, I don't think playing videogames are bad, and there's no point taking a break from them, just sell your soul to YouTube or twitch and keep playing. As long as you figure out a way to keep your body in shape and in physically good health you'll be better off staying in doors. In fact I recommend a nuclear vault.

 

[Spoon]

I lived up in the mountains with very limited internet and technology for 5 years. Nearest city was like 2-3 hours away depending on where I was.

I got really good at hiking and fishing, read a lot of books, watched a lot of movies and tv series (sometimes on VHS!), saved a lot of money. This, at the expense of not being able to do lots of my favorite/important "real world" stuff, like wrenching on cars, going to swing dance clubs, pursuing higher education, playing video games, etc.

I enjoyed my life, but I'm not sure I could enjoy that for the rest of my life. It was paradise even when I was working "hard" (realistically, I never cleared more than 50 hours a week) but I didn't want my whole life to be just that. Feels too limiting. I'd rather choose it again someday after I've tried for "more" in the real world than have it be my "best" available option.


E - More to the point of this thread, no matter what you do, you'll pretty much always find something that fills time gaps in your life. Whether other people around you find those pursuits respectable is meaningless so long as you enjoy it. Someone who goes fishing for 20+ hours a week (much like I used to) is doing just as much good for the world as someone who plays video games for that time, or who goes out dancing, or who paints or draws or plays music. Just relax and enjoy life.