I just quit gaming!

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MaRiOvtS
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I just quit gaming!

Hello everyone, as the title of this thread says, i have just quit gaming.

I'm 25, have a full-time job, a girlfriend, i love photography, mountain biking, travelling, i have a good life. I have always played video games, for as long as i can remember. My addiction really took hold though during the PS3/Xbox 360 era. When stories in games became more mature and online play became very addictive. I realised i had a problem when i started to call work and say i was sick, just so i could stay home and play video games. When i would choose to stay home and play on my games instead of going out with my family on daytrips etc. It's taken me a around 5 years to get to this point i'm at now.

Yesterday i finally made the decision to quit gaming for good. I have gone back and forth, selling and re-buying consoles after about a week for a couple of years now. Part of the reason for joining this site is to get some support from like minded people who understand what i'm going through. So, as i was saying, yesterday i put my PS4 on eBay. The problem i have though is that i can't just play games occasionally. If i have a console i feel i must play it whenever i have free time, i have stopped my photography, stopped watching films, stopped reading.. I love reading! Whenever i sit and start to read or watch a film though, i see my console and just feel the need to play it. If i could still enjoy other hobbies at the same time i would probably still play games. I can't concentrate on other things while i have the option of playing games though.

I managed to get myself to a point where i would take care of my responsibilities, then play games after, but i just can't enjoy my other hobbies while i have a console, it just sucks me in, makes me want to play all the time!

Another reason why i finally decided to totally quit is low the quality of games these days and the ridiculous way in which content is left out of the final game to be sold to you at a later date as DLC, overpiced DLC! I work **** hard for my money, i'm sure everyone else does too, but i honestly can't stand paying PSPS's for digital content which should have been in the game in the first place. I know it isn't a necessity to purchase DLC, but most games make you feel guilty or like you're missing out if you don't have it.

Also, i just got sick of wasting real hours of my real life, on something which has no meaning whatsoever. People say reading and films are no different, but they are.. A book has one price, a book doesn't make you feel guilty if you don't read it, a book isn't used as a device to extract money from you. The exact same thing applies to films.

Sorry for this poorly structured piece of writing, but i have bottled this up for years now and i just wanted to vent.. Thank you for reading and any advice people can give would be hugely appreciated :)

Andrew_Doan
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MaRiOvtS wrote: Also, i
MaRiOvtS wrote:

Also, i just got sick of wasting real hours of my real life, on something which has no meaning whatsoever. People say reading and films are no different, but they are.. A book has one price, a book doesn't make you feel guilty if you don't read it, a book isn't used as a device to extract money from you. The exact same thing applies to films.

Thanks for your share! Congrats on your decision!

Films and books are completely different than online video games.

Nick Yee, PhD at Stanford asked tens of thousands of gamers what makes gaming fun. They answered: 1) immersion, 2) achievements, and 3) social connections.

Books and movies really only share "immersion" with gaming. Achievements are non-existent and social connections are limited unless you join a book club or movie club, which most people do not do.

Therefore, gaming has greater potential for drawing people in and also arousing the brain/body with hormones associated with arousal.

Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD

My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan

*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.

MaRiOvtS
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Thanks for your reply. That

Thanks for your reply.

That is exactly my point. Games also actively try and get you addicted to playing them, games which require you to level up and repeat tasks must somehow keep you coming back. So they build into them mechanisms which trigger certain parts of the brain associated with addiction.

I don't know the correct terms to use, but i think you can see my point :)

Andrew_Doan
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MaRiOvtS wrote: Thanks for
MaRiOvtS wrote:

Thanks for your reply.

That is exactly my point. Games also actively try and get you addicted to playing them, games which require you to level up and repeat tasks must somehow keep you coming back. So they build into them mechanisms which trigger certain parts of the brain associated with addiction.

I don't know the correct terms to use, but i think you can see my point :)

I am agreeing with you and providing you the "terms"! :)

Andrew P. Doan, MPH, MD, PhD

My Gaming Addiction Videos on YouTube: YouTube.com/@DrAndrewDoan

*The views expressed are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the U.S. Navy, DHA or Department of Defense.

SheeshMode
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MaRiOvtS have you been to

MaRiOvtS have you been to any meetings yet? We have meetings here on olganon, times can be found here: http://olganon.org/?q=calendar. We also have meetings on cgaa on mumble at 10pm.

Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me to be realistic about the challenge I'm facing and to take good care of myself. If you need help PM me! I will gladly offer you whatever aid I can.

Reddog
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Reading was a big hobby of

Reading was a big hobby of mine too before gaming and something I have returned to. The big difference I see with reading compared to gaming if my kids come up to me and ask me a question I have no problem setting down my e-book and talking to them. I also feel like reading even fictional books offers a lot more return for your time than gaming. I learn new things constantly from reading and find new interest from reading. It is also a past time I am not ashamed to talk about in front of a group of friends or even strangers unlike gaming.

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow a Mystery, Today is a Gift, Thats why it's called the Present"

Ready for life
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Quote: "The problem i have

Quote: "The problem i have though is that i can't just play games occasionally. If i have a console i feel i must play it whenever i have free time"

Oh man, I know the feeling. I have finally come to the decision today, that like you I want to completely quit games as it is severly holding me back from what I really want to achieve in life. I wish u good luck, and hope to see you in one of the meetings.

p.s. Im going to try my first meeting today at 3pm ET.

Video game free since 01/05/2015

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