A discussion with my coworker

[SerinaGold]

I’ve been trying to quit gaming off and on for years now. I am 26 this year. The first time I really wanted to quit was 2020 when the world changed and I was stuck online with everyone I knew waiting for the PS5. I said I was quitting gaming when the ps5 came out, only to last until a game on switch released in 2021 that made me go back. (I never convinced myself to sell the Nintendo switch) When I quit gaming during that time I couldn’t stop watching streamers. Somehow me quitting gaming turned into watching others play. It’s absolutely insane and the goal today is no gaming news, streamers, playing, nothing video game related. Now, 3 years after getting sucked back into the switch……… and I’m still here but worse, I bought 5 or so games that were new to me, so I just blew $200 or so, digital games. For years I would say tomorrow I’m quitting, but sunk cost has hit me hard. I have to accept the loss and move on.

After battling this for years now having watched a gaming stream this morning, I was at work today and before closing somehow my coworker and I were talking about life and she mentioned her son and how he used to do jiu-jitsu and boxing. And now she says his main hobby is sitting on his games, talking to his friends he has never met. And hearing that crushed me, because I know what he has been sucked into. I found it fascinating how he got into all these, what seem to me very athletic and challenging hobbies. I’ve never considered jiu-jitsu in my life, I did try karate however. Only to now have dropped it all because of how gaming ruins lives. I talked to her a little bit but of course I don’t have the power to tell her kid to knock it off please for your own good. It really broke me and I hear about him and I reflect on my dropped hobbies, ruined by the gaming addiction.

I officially am going to get rid of my Nintendo switch. I already deleted the games off my smartphone and PC months ago. I have been stuck watching streamers and playing Nintendo. I need the computer so I can’t just throw it away. The gaming news, videos, streamers needs to end.

TL;DR I’ve tried quitting gaming permanently since 2020. What I heard tonight was an in person wake up call to hear about a coworker whose son is stuck in the addiction just like me. (Read paragraph 2) I am selling my switch, the gaming news, videos and streamers needs to end. I will continue to work on my language learning hobby and I want to start working out even if it’s 15min of weights at home.