What games make you a game addict?

[HarmonyHaag 0]

Hello everyone. I’m new to Game Quitters community and trying to do my best to quit playing League of Legends. I wonder what kind of games make you become a game addict? Please share and update a bit on your progress of game quitting. Hope to see some motivation from you guys.

[Captain_Pilz 73]

Welcome HarmonyHaag! It's great to have you here.😄

From what I've seen here, it is possible for all types of games to be incredibly addicting. Admittedly there are certain genres of Online Games that tend to be problematic, namely the competitive ones like League and the MMOs like WoW. But the individual reasons why people become addicted to video games are just that: Individual. Some found a sense of community, some found a sense of accomplishment, some found a way to escape from adversity in their real lives. For some it's all of those or none of those. And our motivations to quit are manifold as well.

When played my first video game (Minecraft) I was captivated by it like nothing else. During my teens, long periods of my life solely resolved around the next time I was able to play my favourite games: Minecraft, Ark, Cities Skylines, Hitman, and a few story games. I was never integrated into a gaming community, I never got a sense of accomplishment from the games I played, hell I never even finished anything I started - to my brain video games were simply the epitome of pleasure. I was never able to distance myself from them, even when they stopped being fun during the last 2 years. That was when I realized how compulsive my consumption had become.

I now see that I was fortunate to excel in school and my hobbies regardless. When I look at the time I wasted in the last 8 years, I have a lot of regrets. Today, I have a lot of opportunities that I simply refuse to waste. I don't want to feel the same regret when I am 30.

 

As a final thought: If you notice that video games affect your life negatively and you want to get better by quitting, you belong here. Some people here are relatively normal people that notice their gaming getting in the way of their lives, others have or had their life fall apart or have multiple psychiatric diagnoses. We are all in the same boat and here to help each other achieve what might be the hardest for many of us. And if you are in serious distress, make sure to get professional help.

 

Looking forward to updates on your progress!

Cheers,

David

 

[Wildermyth 88]

Most games to be honest, but primarily RPG's, MMO's and live service games. I get easily addicted to progression systems, character creations and that sort of stuff. The final game I played was Elden Ring and it had all of these elements as well as some specific mechanics that I struggled with. I do not like when I cannot control quest lines and character interactions and Souls games are notorious for sweeping the rug under the player in this regard. This means that I constantly restart my games and find myself in an endless loop of frustration.

I also get easily addicted to achievements and meta-progression which can become it's own painful game.

Edited October 22, 2022 by Wildermyth

[pdallair91 77]

On 10/17/2022 at 1:19 PM, HarmonyHaag said:

[...] what kind of games make you become a game addict?

For me, the most common characteristic in my binge gaming episodes is the "single player" experience.  The game doesn't have to be exclusively offline and single player, although they tend to be.  This can range from Minecraft to Elden Ring.

I think what I'm addicted to deep down is the sense of accomplishment (i.e., competence) I tend to get from the frequent extrinsic feedback, especially the positive kind.  Leveling up, accessing new content (characters, areas, items, etc.), finishing a quest/task, achievements/trophies... I don't always need to deliberately set these as goals, track them, and reward myself.  The game does most of that for me.

[Lobares2 55]

No game ever hooked me, but league of legends did mostly due to the elo system lmao

off since 4 years best decision

[Niko_Buccellati 39]

On 10/17/2022 at 7:19 PM, HarmonyHaag said:

Hello everyone. I’m new to Game Quitters community and trying to do my best to quit playing League of Legends. I wonder what kind of games make you become a game addict? Please share and update a bit on your progress of game quitting. Hope to see some motivation from you guys.

Any game can do. It depends on what is the initial reason for a person to turn to a gaming activity instead of real life activity. For example it's more likely that someone who wants to socialize will be addicted to an online multiplayer videogame but someone who is just escaping some real life troubles might get addicted to a single player game just fine as well. Plus nowadays they very often merge single player and multiplayer games together.

[Pochatok 563]

3 hours ago, Niko_Buccellati said:

Any game can do. It depends on what is the initial reason for a person to turn to a gaming activity instead of real life activity. For example it's more likely that someone who wants to socialize will be addicted to an online multiplayer videogame but someone who is just escaping some real life troubles might get addicted to a single player game just fine as well. Plus nowadays they very often merge single player and multiplayer games together.

Second this! It really depends on two factors: what you're seeking from games (fun, genuine connection, escapism, immersion) and how strong the addictive mechanisms in games are (ex/intristic rewards, lootboxes, progression, etc.). 

For me, I seek cognitive challenge/logical thinking, immersion, and some escapism. Games that I avoid, then, are competitive multiplayer or those realistic and complex gameplay mechanics (Rain World/Noita). Games that do not trigger anything for me are Minecraft (no challenge or immersion) or Visual Novels (no challenge, little escapism).

[nils 54]

Hey HarmonyHaag! 🙂

@Captain_Pilz has summarized it perfectly, i think.

Personally, I find games with the following aspects most addicting (for me it is League of Legends):

- they are competitive (elo system / PvP)

- constant ingame progress / a scaling system with lvl ups etc.

- turn-based games, where it is easy to play multiple rounds in a row = games with no end point (mainly online games)

- being social / games that create a feeling of togetherness / where you feel that you belong

[KroberS 0]

I was addicted to WoW for a very long time. It's a MMORPG. After work I came home and started playing right away. I neglected my girlfriend, my health and my friends. The whole thing went on for over 5 years until I made the decision to finally quit. Now I can finally enjoy the beautiful things in life. But the road to that point was not easy. I wish you the best and stay strong 👊

[Yuze 0]

things don't work as we want. I lov eminecraft because you build things and like dimonds.(I'm not a prefetional gamer) You can't do things like mincraft doing in the real life. But you can make it better than mincraft. Things are changing. Just caume down and read books. It's the bestway.(or mabe skiing for me)or even do good things to the conmmunite. Kind people will let you feel better.

[Jackery 0]

Pokemon Unite has really gotten me pretty badly : P. It's very satisfying when you're doing well but really gear grinding to be CC'd to death, have the game flipped, or things being locked behind paywalls.  I really want to kick it so I can spend that time elsewhere

[GrainSiloEnthusiast 313]

I was into games like Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, The Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon, House Flipper..... And many more.

Management simulators and life simulators were my drug of choice. Probably because so much of my life felt out of my control... Such as the fact that I'll probably never own my own home because of my disabilities. I also desperately wanted to express myself in artistic ways.

Nowadays I seek the same things I sought out in those games, but the real life equivalents. I explore real nature. I draw and paint. I decluttered, clean, and decorate my living space. I'm getting back into riding a bike. I even go out of my way to make sure I can ride real roller coasters once a year!

I apply the few things I learned through video games, like the extreme perseverance needed to be a completionist, and I apply them to my real endeavour now too. That's how I was able to become a mandala artist... I taught myself patience through repetitive actions that build on each other to become something beautiful. (Like when I built my ACNH island, for example.)

It helps that I have a daughter now, and our relationship is the most important thing in my life. Nothing compares to the real thing! Fake kids in The Sims could never replace my amazing, hilarious, creative, smart, beautiful little girl. I lost a lot of time with my dad to his video game addiction, and when my daughter was 8 Months old I made the decision that I wouldn't make the same mistakes.

Nearly 10 months later, quitting games is one of the best decisions I have ever made! Not even my first rodeo, I've done 3 detoxes before this. But this is the longest I've ever gone and this time I'm in it to kick games for good.