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HOW DO I SERIOUSLY GIVE UP GAMING

Ubermensch

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If you wanted to you would. Next?

Why?

Because he can!

Oh, yes. Nailed it.

It's a GOLD thread and deserves to love as long as the community will let it.

This issue affects a lot of younger guys (mainly) because video games offer an escape, emulating an environment where one is achieving their goals.

Then they look at their real life and realize that they're unhappy with all of the 'real life' stuff they've missed.

THAT'S why this ancient thread, and this discussion, should live on.


1) :rockon:

2) Lol @DialOrStarve aka the uber noob newb asking about resurrecting old threads.


 
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Newpollz

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For me, the way I see video games, it really depends on how you consume them. You can learn a lot about a person by playing a game with them. You can socialize through communities and other "real" events. Heck, half of the fastlaners I know made their money in the video game industry somehow.

I still play sc2 occasionally. Thing is, ever since I know that it is a huge waste of time, I just don't care anymore about playing one more game, I don't care about losing, I don't care about ranking, I don't care about quitting in the middle of the game. In order words... It really sucks man, F*ck you fastlane, every second I play I feel guilty now!
 

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I want to learn how to dance (well), hahaha.
I was laughing when I seen this last week. No worries, no brain washing, no fears, they're just totally into it 100% and just throw themselves into it, and pure happiness and joy. Confidence.
 

luniac

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I <3 this song.

By the way, seeing as this thread is back into the light and sparkling like Edward Cullen, if there's any Planetside 2 players here, feel free to hit me up :)

do u still need a NASA computer to play planetside 2....?
 
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Delmania

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As I have been playing more games recently myself, I can't help but reflect on @MJ DeMarco's comments that spending too much time playing video games represents a lack of purpose in life. I've accepted I probably never will give up playing video games. I enjoy them far too much. As they can eat up time, I have been practicing time management skills with them, setting aside time to play them and forcing myself to stop when I say I will. But I've also been looking for ways to take my gaming habit and do something with it. I'm avoiding streaming to either Twitch or Youtube Gaming because that it oversaturated, so I've decided to write articles about how gaming can teach useful life skills. I've got a few posts "in-flight".

Gaming, like anything, can be turned into a fastlane endeavour. Just think how other people could benefit for your time. Enjoyment? Strategy? Learning to play? It's all about the mindset.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Why did you resurrect this ancient thread?

Gold threads never die, especially when the points remain true.

I can't help but reflect on @MJ DeMarco's comments that spending too much time playing video games represents a lack of purpose in life.

Think about it...

  • You're given a clear, defined purpose.
  • You're awarded points, money, gold, accolades, achievements...
  • You're entertained while doing so versus in real life such things are not pleasant, called work.
  • Failure has ZERO risk except pressing reset and pissing away more of your time.
  • Failure can occur in complete ANONYMITY <--- another huge reason why they are popular with young kids
  • You acquire a false sense of meaning by being immersed in a task with rewards.
Like all addictions, there's a brain chemistry involving reward and euphoria.

There's a marked difference between gaming for entertainment (the same as social drinking) and gaming for life (alcoholism.)

At the end of the day, a hardcore gamer has supplanted a real purpose in their real life with a fake one in a fake life. And yea, if you're sleeping outside a game store for 2 days waiting for the next hot game, you've got a problem.

There's a real psychology here at work and it's very profitable. Addiction is not apart of the Fastlane equation.
 
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MattR82

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I personally gave up my video game addiction at about 12 years old after Alex Kid and Double Dragon haha.

But for most of my early and mid 20's the guys I lived with were addicts. I just wanted to F*cking shake them stupid every Friday night! Video games ruined a large part of my social life and I never even played them :p
 

Contrarian

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I think being addicted to games goes hand in hand with having an obsessive personality, at least it does for me. And it's actually a good thing as long as you can hone those obsessive tendencies towards the right things (how would you ever achieve massive success without that trait?). I've found I tend to be obsessed with one thing for a period of time and it takes a lot of willpower not to just do that one thing to the exclusion of everything else. It might be work...then the gym...then motorbikes...then work...then games (oh the games when I was younger!). Cyclical. Have the same thing where for a few months at a time, I want to go everywhere, meet everyone and do everything, and then for a few months I just want to stay at home and enjoy my own company.

I also work at home on my gaming PC. Here's what I do. There's a few games a year that I really want to play. The last was the Witcher 3. So I get those and then I play the hell out of them for however long it takes to finish it and then put it away. And only when I've met all my other commitments (work, gym etc.) - then it can be game time. Then it will likely be months before I touch any games again. All or nothing. Works for me and my addictive personality.

Occasionally if something really awesome comes out, it's tempting to just sit there and play all day and night, and skip things like the gym, social commitments etc. I just think to myself, what would the future me think about this and where he would be by now if I had spent my time more wisely today?

Have also found that excess playing of computer games makes me depressed. I don't know why, but it does, and I'm a pretty cheery sort. And it's even worse when you're isolated on the computer working on your business for hours as well.

Your mileage may vary. :)

The 21st century is full of meaningless instant gratifications to make us feel good right now whilst ruining our futures and personal capital in the process. Games are definitely one of the most insiduous. At least they don't rot your brain in quite the same way as watching the idiot box.
 

Alan LT

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I got rid of all my games during the summer, but I stopped playing years ago. I mainly stop because I got bored and I had other things to focus on. I still play when I'm over a friends or family member house, but other than that I don't spend much time on them. The best way to stop that addiction is to get rid of everything and get out of your house. I still get a little urge to buy a gaming console , but I know I won't play it because I know I can spend my time doing something more productive. I suggest finding a new hobby, one that can improve the quality of your life.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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danoodle

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I've struggled with this "problem" my whole life. Starting all the way back on NES as a kid I played every console growing up. I eventually "graduated" to computer games; I played Diablo 2 and Warcraft 3 non-stop in college, going to LAN parties and all that jazz, even had a bot running 24/7 in Diablo and would sell the items I found so I justified it as not a total waste of time. Fortunately for me, I still managed to have a very healthy social life and was very active in various associations as well. I even switched to polyphasic sleeping for a time and getting 3 hours of sleep a night in order to get my fix.

The last couple years I have been playing league very heavily, but have managed to tone it down. Even as recently as earlier this year, I got involved in my first p2w game (these games are pure evil!!!) and dropped a few hundred on it and countless hours. I really didn't think I had a major problem until some people at the fastlane summit talked some sense into me. It still took me a month to quit the game after the summit. I saw no harm in silly games, yet they were consuming my life and taking away from me the things that truly mattered. All the talk of a false sense of accomplishment is so true.

I can happily say that my only gaming fix as of right now is a couple games of league a few times a week. This still might seem a lot to some people, but for me it is quite low. If you can somehow manage your time spent, I don't see it as a bad thing, just another form of entertainment that should be limited. However video game addiction is very real, and falling into that trap can set you way back in achieving your life goals.

I don't regret all the time spent on games, but somehow I managed to eke out a pretty good life and achieve a lot of goals despite my addiction. Just like anything in life, it's all about moderation.

Honestly, I think a big thing that helped me get over playing in excess is having a kid. I'm not saying you should do this solely for the purpose of quitting haha, but the fact that I now need to be more responsible and set a good example is what got me to "quit" for the most part. I think admitting you have a problem is key and always having something productive to work on. Boredom will kill you and cause you to go back to playing. Even if you are just reading a personal development or business book, can help get you on the right track. Games seem so innocent, but just like any vice, take away from getting what you really want in life. Good luck to anyone fighting this battle :)
 

Daniel A

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Why did you resurrect this ancient thread?

It seems to have continued a nice discussion which only adds more value to this GOLD thread.

I <3 this song.

:)

I was laughing when I seen this last week. No worries, no brain washing, no fears, they're just totally into it 100% and just throw themselves into it, and pure happiness and joy. Confidence.

Hahaha, awesome! I can't dance nearly as well as any of them, but if I'm not sober I can dance with no worries, no fears, pure happiness and pure joy. :D I need to get the the point where I can dance well and sober though.

Time to aspire to something greater. Ebay search: Salsa costume.

Hahaha. Next Halloween I'm going to model myself after this:


I grew up with my mom playing that movie and she always said I look a bit like him. If that's the case, I can't wait for Halloween! Also, I saw your other thread. I've experienced / witnessed some interesting behavior with females while dancing. How many guys can dance well? Not much. Rise above!

P.S. I'm not going to spend much time on video games. It'll be a small reward for me which I'll limit my time on. And it's something I'll do after I have completed my important tasks.
 
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RHL

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  • You're given a clear, defined purpose.
  • You're awarded points, money, gold, accolades, achievements...
  • You're entertained while doing so versus in real life such things are not pleasant, called work.
  • Failure has ZERO risk except pressing reset and pissing away more of your time.
  • Failure can occur in complete ANONYMITY <--- another huge reason why they are popular with young kids
  • You acquire a false sense of meaning by being immersed in a task with rewards.


I believe you missed one of the biggest ones:

You can experience the simulated rewards of quests for excellence that take decades in just a few minutes. There is no barrier to entry.

Join the navy, it may be 30 years until you command your own ship, under the watchful eye of several Admirals. You may never be an Admiral.

Boot up Mass Effect, and you're in charge of your own ship *Now.*

IRL, it takes years to save up enough to buy a Ferrari.

Boot up Forza, and years becomes minutes.

It takes decades to find a spouse, built a nice home, and have a family. In The Sims it takes a few days.

It's the special forces without BUDS or equivalent, it's racing without the years of karting and practice to get your license, it's propositioning dates without fear of rejection. How many male protagonists (or female protagonists) have perfect bodies (minus a few battle scars)? Now how many times have you played a game that involved any amount of time spent in the gym? Ever notice how the crazy smart scientists in sci fi games never spend any time doing lit reviews or keeping current in their field, they're just experts in everything?

Games are a weapons-grade form of "grind cheating." Just like watching Cribs or Ballers while drooling with your mouth hanging open (or even Shark Tank). That's what they're selling.

AFqesOQ.jpg
 
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Delmania

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You can experience the simulated rewards of quests for excellence that take decades in just a few minutes. There is no barrier to entry.

This realization was a motivating factor for me to control my gaming habit and to focus only on games that I enjoy for recreation.
 
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Mattie

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It really sucks man, F*ck you fastlane, every second I play I feel guilty now!

I used to play Second Life a lot, what for? It was escapism, away out of my pain and suffering, wounds, and having to face what I was going through. Fastlane isn't making you feel guilty. You're making yourself feel guilty, because you know you have to face reality, instead of hiding out in a game.

Take personal responsibility for your life, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and what you choose to create in life. You can't blame Fastlane.

Fastlane is just mirroring what you need to change, or something about yourself you desire, crave, and want to experience in life. Until you change habits, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors it's hard to create this experience.

You simply have to look at why it is bothering you. What is the root of it, and what in the past have you experienced that gives you the negative trigger and reaction.
 

Mattie

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I used to play Second Life a lot, what for? It was escapism, away out of my pain and suffering, wounds, and having to face what I was going through. Fastlane isn't making you feel guilty. You're making yourself feel guilty, because you know you have to face reality, instead of hiding out in a game.

Take personal responsibility for your life, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and what you choose to create in life. You can't blame Fastlane.

Fastlane is just mirroring what you need to change, or something about yourself you desire, crave, and want to experience in life. Until you change habits, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors it's hard to create this experience.

You simply have to look at why it is bothering you. What is the root of it, and what in the past have you experienced that gives you the negative trigger and reaction.
 

Rawr

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Gold threads never die, especially when the points remain true.



Think about it...

  • You're given a clear, defined purpose.
  • You're awarded points, money, gold, accolades, achievements...
  • You're entertained while doing so versus in real life such things are not pleasant, called work.
  • Failure has ZERO risk except pressing reset and pissing away more of your time.
  • Failure can occur in complete ANONYMITY <--- another huge reason why they are popular with young kids
  • You acquire a false sense of meaning by being immersed in a task with rewards.
Like all addictions, there's a brain chemistry involving reward and euphoria.

There's a marked difference between gaming for entertainment (the same as social drinking) and gaming for life (alcoholism.)

At the end of the day, a hardcore gamer has supplanted a real purpose in their real life with a fake one in a fake life. And yea, if you're sleeping outside a game store for 2 days waiting for the next hot game, you've got a problem.

There's a real psychology here at work and it's very profitable. Addiction is not apart of the Fastlane equation.


Great observations MJ, very spot on.

I've been gaming heavily for the last 2 months. I have some passive income so I didn't need to work if i didn't want to, and I downloaded a few games to see if my macbook would even handle them, and it did. But it was obvious i was gaming more than was reasonable - I could distact myself all day, but in the end I had to be honest with myself - there was a reason why I was doing it this much. All the points above are why. For me it was a way to feel like i achieved something..like i did something, and it was FAR EASIER than making myself do real work. Like, in a soccer game similar to fifa, i would spend hours agonizing over creating good starting lineups, looking for special young players, making good teams to play with in the season. I was literally obsessed and it took over my thinking. Same with any other game - I would think about it and analyze it in my head all day. Which is really the rub, aint it'? If I did the same for my biz (as I have before), it really works well for you - you are advancing, finding new ways, etc.. yet here you are not really advancing in real life at all...you're actually sliding away - and that difference, that gap, is what I couldn't ignore, and why i deleted everything a week ago. I almost relapsed two days later, but kept off it, and now as of a week I am finding myself gravitating towards things that bring value into my life (that i neglected) and also looking forward. Some people say 'just play when you earn it, or when you did everything, like an hour every couple of days." I know i don't play like that - I get lost/obsessed - which means for me that I want that escape. When your life is bubbling with things to do, you can put a perspective on this. But you must manage time and understand you can't afford to put 20 hours into this game in a week, especially when you can.
 
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fastattack03

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Think about it...

  • You're given a clear, defined purpose.
  • You're awarded points, money, gold, accolades, achievements...
  • You're entertained while doing so versus in real life such things are not pleasant, called work.
  • Failure has ZERO risk except pressing reset and pissing away more of your time.
  • Failure can occur in complete ANONYMITY <--- another huge reason why they are popular with young kids
  • You acquire a false sense of meaning by being immersed in a task with rewards.
Like all addictions, there's a brain chemistry involving reward and euphoria.

There's a marked difference between gamingfor entertainment (the same as social drinking) and gamingfor life (alcoholism.)

At the end of the day, a hardcore gamer has supplanted a real purpose in their real life with a fake one in a fake life. And yea, if you're sleeping outside a game store for 2 days waiting for the next hot game, you've got a problem.

There's a real psychology here at work and it's very profitable. Addiction is not apart of the Fastlane equation.

Great point, MJ.

I just want to chime in because this year I got back into gaming. I think I wasted another 500-700 hours playing LOL, CS and Dying light this year? Damn.

I got back because there are multiple times I get depressed and lonely. Gaming just distracts me from negative emotions. And after playing, I feel a lot better. The downside is I waste so much time.

The good thing is I'm not in that place anymore. I'm just kinda worried what will happen when I feel down again. My plan is to just get out and hang out with friends, go to the gym, or spend time with the family.

What do you guys do when you feel down?

P.S. I don't have any addicting games on my PC anymore. :)

P.P.S. Also, thinking about working at a co-working space to set myself up with a better environment.
 
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Newpollz

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I used to play Second Life a lot, what for? It was escapism, away out of my pain and suffering, wounds, and having to face what I was going through. Fastlane isn't making you feel guilty. You're making yourself feel guilty, because you know you have to face reality, instead of hiding out in a game.

Take personal responsibility for your life, emotions, feelings, thoughts, and what you choose to create in life. You can't blame Fastlane.

Fastlane is just mirroring what you need to change, or something about yourself you desire, crave, and want to experience in life. Until you change habits, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors it's hard to create this experience.

You simply have to look at why it is bothering you. What is the root of it, and what in the past have you experienced that gives you the negative trigger and reaction.


I was being sarcastic lol
 

1brickatatime

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I used to play video games. I wasted most of my time and teenage years that I'll never get back, not too mention failing my uni exams.

My social skills decreased and gave me a false sense of reality and accomplishment.

If I could go back I would've avoided gaming totally. I would have started a business when I was 18, rather than now when I'm 29.


an article written by a former gamer, pretty much nails why guys play video games.

http://kingpinlifestyle.com/how-to-quit-playing-video-games/

he also has a youtube channel called 'game quitters' its linked in the comments near the bottom of his article.
 
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Here is how I did quit games after 10 years of playing daily 5 hours minimum:

I spent a year of university playing 14 hours daily in my room without going to class and without talking with anybody, just playing league of legends and watching tv + youtube. That year I became sick of playing, I lost 20kg because I was eating a lot of shit. I was living to play games. In that time I was feeling extremely guilty because I knew that I was spending the money of my parents and lying to them telling that everything was good.

During the summer, I decided that that wasn't the life that I wanted, I said to myself "no more, this won't happen again". So I decided the life that I wanted to have, I decided that I would work wathever it takes to become a millionaire to have a healthy life and finally happy life full of choices.

So the next year, I started a new career even tho I wanted to go to work but I wasn't completely ready. This year everything started perfectly, I forced myself to go everyday to class and to meet new people.

That year went good, I stopped playing because I decided to do so, I changed my habits to learn programming instead of playing videogames. Every morning, I was learning to program during an hour, that was the first thing in the morning I did before anything else. I started to eat healthy and to feel better.

Even tho this year is different, I will start my importing business with the money that I made working in passive income websites and I feel that there is a new step in my life, everyday is closer to the million.

I stopped playing because:
- first I changed my habits from playing to watching tv or youtube
- when I lost the necessity to play, I started to force myself to learn programming and now I'm working 10+ hours daily to reach my big goals.
 

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If all else fails a great way to clear computer related addictions/dependency is to clear off travelling for a while. I used to waste hours and hours dicking around on sites like Reddit and Facebook everyday. Took a month out to go interrailing around Europe where the only internet available was the iffy hostel wifi you could use on your phone and any desire for the net just evaporated. I remember walking in to a new hostel in Barcelona and being excited because they had some nice computers I could use to check my fb or whatever. 10 seconds after logging in I'd already turned the thing off realising I no longer cared about the random shit online that has nothing to do with my life.

Give your brain a whole month at least without that stimulus and it will really start to change
I experienced something similar when I was living by my own. That is a pretty powerful feeling.
 

luniac

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It was easy for me to quit gaming once my 40 hour/week office career began.

I was hardcore gamer in my teens and college years.

I think when a ur ready to take ur life seriously, ull make the necessary sacrifices.



P.S.
I don't think games are bad, they're great entertainment. When i get my real life affairs in order I'll happily go back to playing awesome games more often with my super computer purchased with fastlane money!

U don't have to quit forever o_O
 
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smarty

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Most probably you are gaming in order to avoid something else. So find out what that something else is, and do more of it. If you want the guilt to ever go away, you must do the thing you resist the most.
Until you have done it and faced it, that life pattern will keep repeating and most probably become worse to the point that you feel completely lost & hopeless.
Playing games to avoid what you really want, is a game you're playing on yourself which will come back & hit you hard now & again in the form of guilt.

In more practical terms, if you want to change that pattern of gaming, an effective method could be to simple take the game discs that you have and brutally destroy them with a hammer or spectacularly burn them. Also uninstall the games & delete any backups or achievements data. The very act & experience of brutal destruction will help you to get over the attachment & actually realize that you can still exist without them.

Joy and a feeling of freedom are guaranteed ;)
 
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Greyson F

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IRL, it takes years to save up enough to buy a Ferrari.

I've recently quit video games in the past 1.5 years, and that still hit me VERY hard. It makes sense. No barrier to entry + success + glory = Why live the other life?

I used to be morbidly addicted to games. It was pathetic. If I could have gone back in time to when I was a teenager (like 3-4 years ago lol) I would break every electronic I own.
 

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I played games for 20 years, I also worked at a major video game publisher where I played 12 hours a day. I played competitevly online and was in top3 in mw2, company of heroes, and L4D. Steam tells me that I clocked 800 hours in L4D.

Two years a go I went through some life changing events, and I didnt have my gaming rig with me for three months. During this time I had a forced break, coupled with personal challanges I had to go throught. One of the decisions I made to improve my life was to quit video games. So I did, its been two years and I hardly play anymore, sometimes I would do scrabble on my phone, or a mario carts on wii with a friend.

Looking back I cant belive how much time I wasted in last 20 years playing games. One thing for sure when I got older the games were a great break from reality, however escaping from problems doesnt make them go away, and the longer you play and ignore real life the harder it hits you at the end.

LEF
 
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Delmania

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As an alternative point of view to the "give up gaming" mentality, the other option is to put gaming to work for you. You can applies the principles of gaming to your life to gamify it. The founder of Nerd Fitness released a book call Level Up Your Life which talks about this. The other option is to study the games you play, and ask yourself, what can I do better or different? As a salient example, I've been musing over creating a mobile fighting game (think Marvel's Contest of Champions) using a class I designed that is similar to FFXI's summoner class.

One thing this forums has taught me is that literally anything can be Fastlane.
 

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