Torch

Hi GQ, As a former gamer, I was curious about how computer games may affect a child's brain. My nephew and niece are both younger children, and they are not into video games. Their parents are, however, heavy gamers in World of Warcraft. It's a miracle their kids don't even want to play on the computer or phone. My nephew once told me, "I stare at the computer screen in class all day. I don't want to do that when I go home!". Instead, he's involved with soccer, swimming, and just started learning martial arts. My niece is the quiet artsy one and she is involved with expressive dance, aerobics, and painting. Her parents showed her how to play Super Mario but it's been three months since that time, and she hasn't shown any interest. In my childhood, I did not grow up with video games when I lived in Alberta, Canada. I was outside playing with the neighborhood kids for most of the afternoons when the weather was nice. Or I'd go bike riding around the community with my brother. We'd build snow forts outside in the winter, and wanted to be outside even if it was snowing like a blizzard. Mum and Pop would bring us to the library to rent books, or games. They'd drop us off at the pool to take swimming lessons. And just like almost every other kid in my class, we even had weekly piano lessons. After school activities included floor hockey (I loved this sport as a kid), ice skating, Girl Scouts, badminton, ping-pong, even music band practice. I played clarinet in the jazz band. I did all of this without even touching a video game. Those were very happy memories, and I am so grateful for my parents who worked their butts off, and paid their hard earned money to enroll their four children into these activities. I'm an older adult now, and my entry into video games began about ten years ago. I played excessively for three years, but then stopped cold turkey for a long time. Currently, I can't seem to enjoy gaming as much as I did ten years ago. I feel physically and mentally unwell sitting down in a chair for more than an hour at a time. My back hurts, my legs feel numb, my eyes hurt from staring at a computer screen, and it does not help my posture. Not only that, there are moments I feel higher irritability and frustration. That's why I am doing a thirty day detox to hopefully reset my mind and body. If I am experiencing these physiological and mental changes at my age, then how does it compare with a younger person in their teens or twenties? I had naively assumed that a younger person would naturally have more resilience compared to an older gamer. But that was absolutely NOT the case after I read a few studies. One video demonstrated the blood pressure spike in a young man (early 20's) who was playing Call of Duty. The researcher took his blood pressure before he started to game, and then after he played CoD for a short session, under five minutes. His blood pressure escalated from 120/80 to 140 in a matter of three minutes. it was shocking to watch that happen in real-time. And he was a healthy person! How much more damage can that inflict on a person who is unwell with chronic disease? And what about the brain development in young kids? So that leads me back to the concern about computer games and a child's neuro-development. Their brains are still developing, and will continue to develop into their twenties. I will paste part of an article I recently read online. https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/how-do-video-games-affect-the-developing-brains-of-children "According to a study by the NPD Group, a global market research firm, his gaming obsession isn't unique. Nine out of 10 children play video games. That's 64 million kids—and some of them hit the keyboard or smartphone before they can even string together a sentence. The problem: many researchers believe that excessive gaming before age 21 or 22 can physically rewire the brain. Researchers in China, for example, performed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies on the brains of 18 college students who spent an average of 10 hours a day online, primarily playing games like World of Warcraft. Compared with a control group who spent less than two hours a day online, gamers had less gray matter (the thinking part of the brain). As far back as the early 1990s, scientists warned that because video games only stimulate brain regions that control vision and movement, other parts of the mind responsible for behavior, emotion, and learning could become underdeveloped. A study published in the scientific journal Nature in 1998 showed that playing video games releases the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. The amount of dopamine released while playing video games was similar to what is seen after intravenous injection of the stimulant drugs amphetamine or methylphenidate. Yet despite mounting evidence about the cognitive, behavioral, and neurochemical impact of gaming, the concept of game addiction (online or not) is difficult to define. Some researchers say that it is a distinct psychiatric disorder, while others believe it may be part of another psychiatric disorder. The current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-V, states that more research needs to be done before "Internet Gaming Disorder" can be formally included." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- So after reading the article, I think that gaming disorder not only includes a psychiatric definition, but also a physiological disorder that can lead to chronic illness. The video games being made nowadays are deliberately made to captivate young children and create addiction. You would be naive to think differently about this industry's intentions. In conclusion, I am going to take a stand against video games for young kids because I know how harmful it can be neurologically, and that it is a very slippery slope that can slide into a potential addiction. I will NOT be encouraging video games for my young nephew and niece because there are just too many risks.

Thank you @D_Cozy ! This was so nice to read, because you relate to what I am going through, as I'm sure many Gamer Quitter members also experience. It's nice to have somebody validate it. I highlighted various points you made in reference to 'being part of a community, losing a sense of identity, and the grind of it all'. The weird feeling is still there. It's restlessness. Maybe because I have all this time to spare. I'm so accustomed to doing-doing-doing and not enjoying the process. So my hobbies become noticeably slow-mode. I'm adjusting to the switch in pace. The thing is, before I was a gamer, the slow-mode was natural to me. I didn't view it as slow at all, but knew that some projects will not be completed in one day. And I shouldn't be breaking a sweat or losing sleep to complete it! That's the strange thing about returning to a life without video games. Enjoying the journey is what I am re-learning. I think my dopamine receptors are going to take a long break from hereon, and need a reset. The weird feeling is also tied to the loss of an online community and self-identity. I can only imagine what it was like for you to give up that leadership identity that you developed in the games! I was nowhere near that level of skill or capacity. But yes, I do feel a sense of identity-crisis? I feel like I let the team down, and that I am no longer 'useful'. It is a strange feeling. I am a giver, naturally. I was accustomed to helping out members of my guild, whether it was crafting items, completing deeds, or helping out with dungeons here and there. I gave so much of my time doing that in online gaming. There is a void. I'm not sure how to replace it, but I'm considering using my crafting talent to make items for the homeless. For example, hand-knitted scarves or hats. I'm a fairly good knitter and like to experiment with patterns. Plus I have so much leftover yarn. I think this might help fill that void. I'm using my creative talent, and donating my product/artwork to somebody who could benefit from it. So many thoughts going through my head. I can't process them all right now. I think I'm in a state of flux, but that's okay. As you mentioned, it will pass and I think it is a normal feeling after not participating in digital entertainment for a week now. I admire your ability to moderate the gaming and for wisely eliminating the games which do not work for you. One day, after this 30 Day detox is done, I'd like to reintroduce only one game into my life. It would be a multiplayer cozy game, not a true MMORPG. And I would play this with my gamer friend on a casual basis. We'll see how this goes. I still have a little more than four weeks left before my thirty day detox is complete. I will continue to write in my journal on a daily basis.

Welcome @NewHope ! You've found a great community here. I recommend reading some journals. You'll find people with similar struggles and read about various ways they cope with video game addiction. I've learned a lot from the people on Game Quitters. Hope to hear more about your new journey in real life! Torch

My apologies @Amphibian220. I gave you the wrong advice. I should've inquired about the context of your statement. It sounds like you know what to do, practicing assertiveness with coworkers. You will get better at this over time. Perhaps write down a few scripts that you might say to the coworker? Your coworkers will respect you for standing your ground, and you will feel proud if yourself. Let us know how it goes!!

Oh my goodness! The candy cravings! I can relate! Yesterday night, I was reaching for chocolate Hershey Kisses! I ate 10 of them all at once before bed. I wonder if the changing weather prompts our bodies to reach for sugar-stimulating foods? Junk food tends to give us a short sugar rush before we come crashing down. Perhaps it's healthy fats that we are missing? Or even Vitamin D? So I will experiment with taking Omega -3 fish oil x2 per night, and also Vitamin D. We are Vitamin D deficient especially during Fall/Winter time when we don't get enough sunlight. I hope this helps. I'll be experimenting x 1 week to see if I feel any better and my carb cravings diminish.

Hey all, I uninstalled the mmo from my computer. I didn't even say goodbye to my guild either. I just uninstalled. I feel weird. Maybe I just feel like it's really the end. I think I needed to sever the ties with people online. That's what was keeping me in the game. I need to process. ````````````````````````` But overall, I just feel like I don't have to deal with it anymore. It was becoming a burden to login and do those game tasks repetitively. Unending useless tasks online. I feel free from that burden and free from other people's expectations in a game. I wanted to rage quit the guild so that I wouldn't ever go back. But I didn't. I just left my characters there on SWTOR to rot. I didn't invest that much time into them, so I don't feel like I've really lost much. And I didn't really know the kin members that well either, no real 'friendships' resulted from my game time. I was a quiet person, and didn't say much in the chat room or on their voice channels. ````````````````````````````````` I just feel weird. How did you feel when you quit all games? I appreciate the feedback, especially about how long this odd feeling will last?

Hello Kuni, I was glad to read that you have returned to the arts. Personally, art and crafting has been the main source of fulfillment in my life too. I think that I am gifted as well, because when I was very young, I could pick up on crafts and instructions very quickly. Currently, I am still active with my art work and continue to explore different ways to express myself using various materials like clay, wood, and textile. I also think that a yearning to create, especially for people like us, will always find its way back. Two years ago, after many moons of not doing anything creative, I started to make art again. I can't pinpoint exactly what encouraged me at the time, but when my artistic energy came back, I could not stop thinking about new designs, sketching them out on a notepad, and ruminating about future projects I wanted to start. Creativity will never entirely leave us, that is what I am sure about.

Hello @D_Cozy, Thanks for sharing your thoughts in this journal! It's very meticulous with a lot of good detail and insight. I'll continue reading along and try to catch up with what you've written over the past several months. As you already know, I'm here as a casual gamer in that I reach for IRL hobbies first before I game. It was interesting reading that you have ADHD and how this affects you when gaming. I look forward to reading your future entries. And I hope to write more about my own adventures in life going forwards and possibly leaving video games behind. We'll see.