UsualSuspect

@amchow @Strykyr22 @PeteStf @MuMuMelon Thank you guys really much for your replies and support! Really appreciate that you take the time to cheer me up. Meanwhile I talked to a psychologist, but I kinda doubt, that he can help me, as I do not think, he understands my situation and what I am feeling like at all. I am still very afraid of what I lose, but I will start with the respawn guide anyway right now, because I think, what I gain is a lot more than gaming has to offer, espacially in the long run. Maybe it is a chance for me to start over. After all, I can't find any reason to not at least try it. I've read Paulo Coelhos "Alchimist", a book about life goals. He says that, if you really try hard to achive something in your life and keep on doing that, then the whole world will help you to do so. Altough I would describe myself as a very sceptical person and I do not believe in esotericism, religion or fate, I believe, that his proposition apply in terms of how our actions impact our environment, which in return can amplify our intentions even more. So thank you again for not letting me down in my darkest hours. Edit: Added tags.

Hello everyone, I'm 29, I am addicted to gaming and I am here to introduce myself. I hope you can give me some helpful advice, as I feel like I just can not "get out" of my misery alone. Gaming occupies most of my time (like 12 hours a day since several years, sometimes even more) even tough I have plenty of work to do! As a consequence of that, I rarely leave the apartment, I do not spend much time with my wife, family and friends, I can't finish my master's degree and my boss is getting more and more annoyed because of my delayed responses and overall slow progress at work. Altough I am certain, that something has to change and I have to move on and "grow up", I am anxious about quitting games. I never felt like I was very emotional or empathic. Even if I tried to focus on my feelings, I usually just can't feel anything like joy or sympathy, only slight amusement at best. However when I play video games and I listen to the beatiful soundtracks or look at the stunning artwork and storytelling of some games, I actually feel joy, sometimes I even cry. I fear that, by quitting games, I miss out on these moments. Don't get me wrong, I also had moments in my life that were wonderful and were not related to gaming like the marriage with my wife or hiking in the Alps and looking at the mountains, but still I feel like quitting games will make me miss on so many emotional moments and memories. I used to play guitar, piano or do sports, but recently I just feel too exhausted to even do that. I just don't know what to do. I feel depressed and I am ashamed. I am tired and sleepy for the most time of the day. I get angry fast, I can't work, I can't concentrate, but I also can't stop playing games. I feel trapped, because I know, that I can't really continue my life this way, but also I can't live without games. I already contacted several psychological professionals, but all of them are either busy or are not responding to my requests at all (I did not mention gaming in my requests so far). Please help.