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Hello everybody! This is my first journal update after my introduction post, and today, I put my money where my mouth is. I sold my PS4, my old X Box and all games I had for both systems. I also deleted my Reddit account and unsubscribed from every streamer and gaming news channel on YouTube I was following. My wife couldn't be happier, and we've already seen the results of my newfound "freedom." There are times where she will be busy where I am not, and these are the toughest times for me. It helps to know that she does not feel like she has won some battle, and wants me to be able to use that down time to relax and have my alone time. After some discussions, we are hopeful that I will still be able to use this time to game after my detox process, but maintaining an awareness of the draw of certain games that I will need to continue to avoid. I feel free, but I also feel sad. Not sure if I made too big a decision in too short a time. I still have my Switch, which is my brain's consolation prize; I still have a game system that will allow me to connect with my friends and family after my detox. However, it was really hard to get rid of my consoles that had been with me through some of the toughest moments in my life, that allowed me to connect with my friends, and had thousands of hours sunk into them. These make for great memories and, as per economics 101, sunk costs should not be considered in making a decision, but that does not make it easy to let go. It feels good to not have to worry about keeping up with other players online to maintain my competitive edge, though. I'm looking forward to seeing how gaming feels after the detox period, knowing that the style of game I will be limiting myself to will be able to fulfill my desire for games and keeping my brain active via puzzles and/or quick reactions, while still maintaining balance with my other activities. It is going to be a busy week at work this week because I'm traveling in addition to writing my reports and proposals, so I will hopefully continue to maintain a solid barrier to my cravings. Good luck everyone! Looking forward to sending out another update later this week as well as hearing your thoughts. -Erik (ydinpoika)

I m sort in another deimilama but a little bit different, you see I started a no animated detox while back where I said I would avoid cartoons and anime which I still plan to. The problem is I do animation and in order to grow my youtube channel I would need to venture out within the niche of faith based animations, the second is I m apart of two communities that are also into animations and I would like to be more active in them. This could be me rationzaiting things but when I elemiated everything I realzied It emliamted the interaction between these communities that helped inspire my own animation and I would still like to help them out just as they have helped me out as well fufuill a promise to one of them. The problem lies is this good idea make an expection to this or not because not sure what to do, am I rationzatling things because when I think cartoons I like cartoon network, nick, disney ect. and anime would all still be elemiated expect when I go to the movies theaters movies but I m wondering if its okay in the communities to do this?

For context, I’ve just had a relapse which I allowed to happen on the basis that cutting gaming (the symptoms) wasn’t going to fix my procrastination (the core issue). Answering someone else’s post has allowed me to debunk that argument in a sort of cathartic moment where I realises that the detox isn’t so much about cutting this or that but setting yourself up to have a clear mind to work on the rest. So I’m looking for this community’s help to assist me in debunking another major argument: the sunken cost argument. I view it in a bit of an extended manner. It’s not only about the sums of money invested into everything related to gaming for me (I’m fortunate enough that this isn’t a life threatening issue for now), but also about the emotional investment into gaming. 1. How can I ditch gaming when I have friends (no fallacy there, we get along online even outside of games) associated with it? I feel it might be a mind trick since I had no problem cutting ties during previous detoxes, maybe it’s the fear of a permanent end to that friendship? 2. I have an oculus rift gathering dust since I asked my parents to come over to my place and take my desktop with them. I’d like to be able to use it since the gf admits it was fun and she misses it, but then I’d have an even easier time getting back on to hardcore gaming with it. Should I sell it/have it hauled away along with the PC as proof of commitment to my detox? 3. Is anyone else holding on to tech because of the hope that one day they’ll be able to moderate? I’m at a point where I don’t know if I even enjoy gaming at its core anymore except a select few indie and PS4 games (I have no issues with gaming on PS4 somehow). There again I feel emotional investment may be a challenge to true commitment to a detox. 4. One of my alternative activities as part of my detox is game development. I’m naturally drawn by my peers and interested in indie/experimental games which I often managed to consume somewhat responsibly. I feel like a writer who doesn’t read if I cut them off too, but then where do I draw the line? How do I enforce it? Too risky I think. As I’m writing this I seem to realise how this is all a pathetic trick of my mind and I find myself desperately trying to explain arguments in favour of gaming that were solid in my mind but now feel grotesque on (virtual) paper. As you can see I understand the sunken cost fallacy (also called escalation of commitment) under an emotional standpoint as finances aren’t thankfully too much of an issue, but feel free to discuss that angle too. Cheers

Hello everyone, this is a post I'm asking for life advice and moral advice about making major life decisions and choosing a career. I originally posted this on Reddit on the subreddit r/StopGaming but I'm posting it on Game Quitters to get another perspective and a second consensus. When I was around 17 years old, I fell into a state of hopelessness and depression and not knowing what to do with my life. At this time the prospects for the real world were looking bad for young people in general and I felt a lot of pressure to make major life decisions on what to do with my life video games were a form of escapism for me. Unlike the vast majority of people on Game QuittersI never actually even came close to ever being addicted to video games and even when I was very young (I started playing video games when I was 4 years old) it never became unhealthy. I did play a lot of video games but I still have a life, other hobbies, friends, went outside, and did many different things with my life. I learned many other different skills and had (and still have) many other interests, skills, passions and a life outside of video games and just electronics, distractions, and entertainment in general. But when I was 17 and 18 it was having a negative effect on me to a point where after procrastinating so much and playing video games not because they made me happy but to escape from my anxiety about my future and the many problems in my life I had to deal with I quit video games and uninstalled Steam, uninstalled all of my video games, and I just pulled the plug on it. I did many other things in my life but I needed to figure out my life and to find out what makes me happy. After eliminating so many of my options one thing I have as a special dream would be to at least work for Bioware on at least one Mass Effect game and feel as though I made something artistically significant and important. considered and know I could go through a program on CGMA or CG Spectrum where to go in order to become is to work in commercial art and work as a 3D modeller, animator, character design artist, or environmental artist. I know some genres such as multiplayer games tend to be more addictive but all video games to my knowledge can cause harm to innocent people (correct me if I'm wrong). The problem I have with potentially planning to make a future career change to work in video games is that I feel as though even though video games did have a negative impact on my life at one point even if I end up doing great in life my work in video games will ruin the lives of at least millions of other people (according to the World Health Organizaiton) such including what it once did to me. Not to mention that its' already negatively impacted or ruined the lives of the people on or ruined the lives of the people on r/StopGaming which is a subreddit on Reddit about game addiction and people who want to quit playing video games. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider working in video games if not for the fact that Bioware exists and I feel as though their video games are not just games but tell incredible stories and are very much art. If Bioware were to be shut down, I wouldn't even think about working in the video game industry. Regardless, I want to be fulfilled in my work and a creative endeavor is something I'm considering. It could also be another form of art or writing or I could become an economist instead but regardless I want to do work that will make me happy and have a positive impact on the world. I know the video game industry is not perfect and I read a book from a video game developer with more than 15 years of experience in the video game industry as a game developer and the truth about what it's really like but I feel as though even if I were to only work for like no more than 5 years if I worked on let's say a Mass Effect game or some video game that is artistically significant and pushes the boundaries of technology, art, philosophy, and pushes humanity forward than that to me is worth doing as long as if I do it on moral terms and don't cause unintended (or worse yet intended) harm to innocent people and cause them to become video game addicts. The fact is that video games have caused harm to many people as proven on Game Quitters and I worry that it would be immoral for me to work in video games and that I would just ruin innocent people's live and be responsible for the rampant video game addiction problem we're seeing now in the world. I understand that addictions can form from various other substances and are caused by other mental problems and external problems such as depression, anxiety, traumatic life experiences, and numerous other problems and causes but regardless I am a genuinely good person with a kind heart and if video games really are that bad then I will not become a video game developer. So I am here to ask for honest help and advice on what I should do with my life. Should I become a video game artist and work in video games? Is it morally wrong for me to get into a career in the video game industry as a video game artist? Is it worth it to become a video game artist or just to become a video game developer in general? Are video games bad for humans and unhealthy for everyone? Are video games objectively a waste of time and bad for you? How should I make my decision of whether or not to become a video game artist and work in the video game industry? To everyone here, please give me the best help and advice that you can. I want the truth, thank you! ? TL;DR I am a genuinely good person who once suffered from problems with video games having a negative impact on his life that is now considering becoming a video game artist and work in the video game industry. I feel as though it is morally wrong and that I would contribute to the video game addiction problem we're seeing now and ruin innocent people's lives. I want to be artistically fulfilled and that's why I'm considering doing this. I am looking for advice on whether or not I should become a video game artist and work in the video game industry and the ethics of making that career and major life decision.