Willyeast

Hope you are able to continue with your 90 day journey. Day 4 for me.

I had played games as a kid and probably had a problem then and did give up when I was in college for two decades. I recently got back into gaming by some peculiar way. I had a gift card that had expired for cash redemption and could only get prizes. My wife suggested the game system since it was the pandemic and other than work I just stayed home for 3 years and had zero connection to the outside world. At first the gaming DID give me that connection. It was also fun to see how I could balance gaming with all of my other responsibilities with family, exericise, other hobbies, work, home, and the list goes on and on. I did always have some sleep issues but gaming made it worse where I would start waking up early and couldn't get back to sleep since I was thinking about trying to find time for the games before I had to to all of the other stuff. My sleep got worse and I eventually dropped lower priority hobbies. I then started realizing I was having a problem. My mind was telling me stuff like it is ok to drop this hobby for awhile. The sleep loss was also taking a toll on me physically. I had heard about game quitters actually through a spiritual( hindu ) community I am involved with as the guru prohibits games and someone suggested this site. I liked Cam's honest approach and also not demonizing games. I DO think there is some benefit gained from games. In my time playing some games like Astroneer or Minecraft or others, I did start to develop an intense interest in exploring deeply the natural world. My main issue was the addictive quality. Previous games were becoming boring and I was starting to constantly search for new games to play that were better. It was an endless search and also trying new games out. It takes awhile with modern games to learn. I am in Day 4 of my detox. So far I have already been sleeping better and I have gotten other stuff done. Games had a grip on my mind where I almost could not do other stuff because there was a pull to the system with any time that was not filled with pressing needs. I do have some negative emotions like sadness about giving up the activity. I am asking myself if I will have to quit for good. But for now I do know I have to take some time off. I don't know how much time.

Thank-you, I think that I may need to speak to a psychotherapist or another counselor to resolve my feelings. I do think that my gaming was becoming a problem at times though not at the level of some I have heard about. I do think for now it is important for me to take some time off gaming to reflect on questions I am asking myself. During the pandemic gaming gave me a great sense of community and connection to the outside world with my only time going out was at work. Thus the games and community have some connection for me and it is with some sadness that I feel I might have to give it up. However, in only the first few days of stopping I have seen various benefits from improved sleep to greater productivity so I don't think I can go back until I figure if I am able to moderate the games. Previously I woke up early in the morning thinking about games and couldn't go back to sleep. -Billy

I would cut the games temporarily and quit altogether and try other hobbies. There are many other hobbies to try from gardening to Dungeons and Dragons to reading. I myself am a spiritual seeker but also play DnD. I am only on Day 2 of my detox and play far more than you with limited time so I am giving up games at the moment until I clarify what I need to do long term for a more fulfilling life while still meeting human needs for recreation and connection that I got through gaming. Perhaps building imaginative worlds through writing and reading.

All, Here is the second part of my post. My last post was just a few minutes ago. I played Dungeons and Dragons for the past 15 years. It is a game I don't think I am addicted to. It is a table top game that I used to play with a friend in person but he moved away so now I can only find people online to play with as I don't have many other friends locally. Question is what do you think of other forms of entertainment like Dungeons and Dragons? Are they also harmful or good? Is playing either in person or online harmful? How do I know whether I should avoid a hobby or entertainment? I am so confused even if I should give up gaming. Thank-you so much for your time and help.

All, I have gotten back into gaming a few years ago after a break of a couple of decades. It is a long story but I had gift points that could only be redeemed for prizes so I got my first game system with the points and started gaming again. I did take the quiz but have a couple of other questions. I will ask the second question in another topic as I think people usually address topics better with separate posts. 1) What is the feeling of addiction? I do feel I want to play a lot but I don't know if that is from addiction or just wanting to play a fun game? I am not sure if I should stop or if games are just a fun thing to do. Though to be honest with you I have a weird combination of wanting to play and also boredom with the selection of games that causes me to search for better games