Hi

[Anonymousgamer]

Hi, I'm Anonymousgamer, I recently turned 25 years old and I would like to share my personal take on videogames and what they've meant to me for the past 10 years.

I was always a very curious kid reading up books about biology, astronomy, science, law or any enciclopedia lying around in the house. I've always liked to try new things and there are many I enjoy: Listening to music, reading books, playing/watching sports, going to the gym, watching movies and series...and unavoidably...gaming.

I started gaming at a very young age, around 14 yo, some friends introduced me to World of Warcraft and we created all of our characters in the same server...I didn't even have a computer, so everyday I would save up the money I was given for breaks at school and instead go to a cyber cafe in the afternoons, which allowed me 4 or 5 hours of playing (Be it Call of duty 2 with a LAN connection and several friends playing irl in the same cafe, or warcraft 3, and WoW ofc). This cafe was located at about 5 long blocks from home but I walked them every day happily. Even on days where I didn't have to go school, I made up going out to a friend's or having a very important homework to do so that I would be given money to go and play...Needless to say, when the cafe was closed I experimented HUGE despair and anger and sadness. Now this cafe closed after 3 years, and there wasn't any other nearby where I could play WoW, except for one at around 14 blocks away from home, but then again, I walked there every day, so that I could spend hours playing.

Now mix this increasing addiction with my dad's committing suicide back in November 2008. I had a very shitty HP pavillion laptop back then, but still I gamed for entire days so that I wouldn't have to think about how much I disliked the life I was given to live. I also underwent severe depression episodes and failed college from 2011 to 2014 for unattendance to classes because...you guessed it...I was gaming. I also took antidepressants during that time, and I still do.

To shorten up the story, I've stolen money from my mom, both directly and via credit cards (charging her around 500 dollars (x3 cause of my national currency)), I've neglected personal relationships, friendships, parties, travelling, putting up my 20s to good use learning something new like languages (I'd love to learn french) or exploring my musical skills (I play pretty decent piano and drums) and I just put away everything else for GAMING. There is NOTHING I love more than waking up and inmediatly playing World of Warcraft, getting up, eating something and back to playing...I can do that all day every day. Now imagine if I could put that same focus and time and energy into something that would change my life.

I've had the recurring thought in my mind about quitting games for good but it scares me a great deal, do I REALLY need to? I enjoy it, isn't there a way to balance it with every day stuff? But then I also think that it's about time I call it quits and start living up to my potential, which I know is HUGE, but I can't quite grasp it.

Say for example I need to finish my engineering thesis (For real)...I have to read some scientific articles, as I read I get SO BORED that I could fall asleep and I have to abuse coffee, and all I can think about is how unbored I would be were I playing. And I want and need that to stop. I haven't read a good book in months, haven't watched a good movie, all the time I would have to put in those activies, I'd rather game, and so I've been thinking I am addicted to it, like someone would be to drugs. Also I can't quite be sure if I could play games locally (which I'm addicted to in a lesser degree than multiplayer online ones), say the Batman Arkham series which I've wanted to play for years, or Witcher 3 or some others that maybe wouldn't take as much time away from me.

I am not to make a decission just yet, cause I'm not sure if I can stop turkey cold just like that, but I wanted to share these thoughts, and I would love feedback.

TYVM.

 

[Ikar]

If you are already having doubts about gaming affecting you literally everywhere else, then go for it and try the detox and see how you do. What's there to lose?

[choijiah]

Hello,

 

My friend. You will thank yourself in next 1 year for giving up this addiction... lets do it together. this is my first day.