Tofu

I really find this extremely relatable. Especially because I feel we've come from out of the same place. It's kind of like meeting an old friend from high school in the most random place ever. Thanks for posting!

Strategy games were pretty much my Achilles heel. In quitting gaming, how would you recommend to fill the strategy 'itch' that you get when playing these games. I'm not sure if it's exactly the same thing as a dopamine rush. Board games are definitely one way, is there any other alternatives to be able to fill this?

Yeah, I also realized that even though I was being moderate, I was on the slippery slope towards gaming more.

Hey everyone, so after a long time of not gaming. I tried moderation. It went pretty well, and you could still say that it is moderate, but it just doesn't feel right. I've noticed more and more it's becoming an escape, so although it still isn't affecting my life in a major way, it's adding nothing to it. So I think my brain has become attached to gaming again, so I'm going to quit again. Wish me luck!

Personally, I've found these 'games' to be perfectly fine. They don't really feel like games much to me but more like a workout video. Which is pretty much what they are except they track your movements and score it. But there is one large caveat in my opinion. The same system you use to do these fitness games also are just a couple screens away from a standard video game. So depending on your situation it may be best to stay away.

I completely agree with this. The outward performance looks great and gaming didn't seem to impact in a noticeable way. My actual education suffered though. I did what was required and vomited back out answers that I needed to memorize. But the retention was low because for me it was about doing the minimum so I could spend more time doing things I wanted (like gaming).

?Yes, for about the first three months I experienced them. I think it's totally normal. But I since then haven't really. It's just a matter of rewiring your brain. So when you do have those thoughts, first off don't beat yourself up over it. Next step is just to move on. Say, "Hmm yeah, that would be cool if sonic ran down that street" or something, but then just move on and let go. Keep doing that and you will be able to live clearly without those thoughts.

Hey everyone, my name is Trevor. I'm 20 years old and a college student. To start, I'll explain my brief history with gaming. I grew up on gaming. I have heard stories about when I was barely old enough to talk I would beg my parents to play this Dr. Seuss Alphabet game all the time. I would say "C's!" That would mean I wanted to play the ABC's game I suppose. Although I don't remember this, it shows how I started. I got into a couple of strategy games around age 10. I would play these for hours. I also got into mmorpgs. Part of the reason why I joined and am posting this is to show an example of someone who isn't an extreme case (i think), and how quitting has helped. My gaming really got worse when I went into High School. I would play on every weekend. Weekday's I did pretty good at staying away from gaming, but I would look up YouTube videos and think about it constantly throughout the day. I never was a 16+ hour straight gamer, but it was a constant thing on my mind. And looking back, I believe this is where I was addicted. I don't know if you necessarily have to play for long periods of time to be addicted, but if it controls your consciousness and decisions in your life, then I believe it is harmful I would play this strategy game with friends all the time. Constantly trying to get better (but really just running on an endless treadmill). I would choose to stay at home and game over than going out and socializing or learning new things. Yes, I kept my grades up, but my the other aspects of my life was very weak. I wasn't very social, I didn't know much about life, I guess you could call them 'street smarts', and everything I did was trying to hurry to do everything I needed to so I could game. So I suppose to sum it up, my life was going OK. But it could be better. -Trevor