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NEW VIDEO: The EASIEST Way to Stop Gaming

An Experiment


JPM_SH5

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Hey all,

I'm a 23 year old guy whose been gaming since a young age. I want to be honest with you guys, I don't plan to quit forever. However, gaming has become a habit in my life and I've yearning for more. I discovered Game Quitters almost a year ago, and I've toyed with the idea of the 90 Day Detox. Recently, I discovered I haven't been having as much fun gaming as I used to. But I continued to do so since it was really all I knew. I'm in school, have a part time job that I actually enjoy, and have other hobbies too, so on the surface I "have it together". I don't consider myself addicted to gaming, yet I think taking a break will put things in perspective. I'm doing the 90 Day Detox as a way to challenge myself, and to explore other facets of life.

What's funny though, is with 6 days behind my belt I do have some cravings. These aren't very strong because every time I feel the urge, they go away after a good amount of time. In my free time I've been going through Respawn and the modules. And I have to say, the material Cam has laid out is excellent. With his suggestions I've started implementing those ideas. One that really stood out to me was the setting up a schedule, among other things. A nice thing that I noticed I immediately benefitted from not gaming is gaining time. I used to think I did not have a lot of free time, but I realize that's simply not true! 

Anyway, I realize this may be a little lengthy for an introduction post, but in order for me to gain the most benefit from this, I feel as though I should put in the effort (like anything in life). If you read this entire post, I appreciate it and hope to get to know some of you guys as we go through this journey together!

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That's a fair point you are making. It's foolish to think that gaming addiction is not real (it certainly is!). Throughout my experiment I've coming to realize that perhaps my attachment to gaming is of nostalgia. Everyone on this forum can attest the fond memories of playing video games without consequence when we were younger. However, as we get older naturally we come upon more responsibilities. At the moment, I've been able to juggle it. Even still, there's always been this yearning for more. So far, I've been reading more, and devoting more time to my school work (which has already paid off since I got the results of an exam back that devoted the time to study for during this month. Suffice to say I got a score I'm proud of). During this I'm committing myself to the challenge. 

I will be honest, I had one "relapse" last weekend. I asked a buddy of mine if he wanted to hang out with some of our other friends while we were both at work. I went over to his place and everyone was playing Mario Party on the Switch. I only played a little bit of Super Smash Bros later on. The reason I decided to play was for a couple reasons. One, in the past I really only enjoyed video games when it was couch co-op titles. Secondly, I remembered listening to Gaming The System (one of two podcasts ran by Game Quitters) and Cam mentioning the fact that asking someone to hang out takes no time out of your day to do. Which I decided to do. Keep in mind, the majority of my friends play video games, with that though, it's not the only reason we connect. I still haven't touched my Nintendo Switch since the start of the month. Despite my relapse, I'm still going through with the challenge. Because honestly, I've been enjoying my life without gaming so far! Do I still have cravings? Of course but that's part of the process. Hopefully my experience helps you out. Also, feel free to message me whenever you want I'm more than happy to speak more with you. 

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During my experiment so far I made a realization: Gaming is small part of my life, not my entire life. 

I read through the entire Respawn e-book and modules. I've implemented some of the ideas presented, and noticed improvements. For one, managing my time has gotten better, among other aspects with my life. All in all, I've looked back at my relationship towards gaming. It's never been an issue for me, do I get sick of it sometimes? Yes of course, just like anything. To be honest, I do not feel as though I need to do a full 90-Day Detox anymore. I'm going to finish November, because I think taking a month to challenge myself is a good thing to do. 

For me, gaming can have a place in my life. A minor part, a supporting role. An extra in the feature film that's my life. I've learned a lot during this time, not only about myself, but about how I can manage my life. I'm not going to say that gaming addiction is not real, it certainly is. I think there are similar people to me in this regard. Those who do game, not to astronomical levels but perhaps "default" to it since it's all they really did. For those people, who felt as though they want to experiment with their life, I think just taking a month off from gaming can be just as beneficial as the 90 Day Detox. At the end of the day, everyone is different. Some people need longer or shorter than others to adjust their lifestyle. I'll continue to update as this month continues, and I wish anyone luck who wants to quit permanently, or only for a bit!

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Good for you, man.  I also don't plan to stop playing video games altogether, I simply want to be intentional about how much and why I play.  I want my habits to help me accomplish my goals, not distract me from them.  I feel that going the full 90 days will give me enough distance to decide what role - if any - I want games to play in my life.  Keep going through November at least.  I'd encourage you to think about extending the challenge to 60 or 90 days, but you do what you think is right for you. 

If you find you can stick to the limits you set for yourself after just 30 days, great.  The point of all this - as I understand it - is to make your habits intentional and conscious rather than compulsive and unconscious.

Edited by Big Adam
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