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HOW DO I SERIOUSLY GIVE UP GAMING

vxzyx

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Hi guys.. I have a real big problem. I can't do anything or finish anything unless I quit games. I know it's not a serious condition that I have, but it does get in the way with a lot of things that I do on my computer because I get way to distracted. I end up playing 1 game then another then another......again and again. It's really just frustrating at the end of it all. I realize I haven'y gotten anything done at all. And minutes of gaming have become hours and it's really depressing.

I'm not trying to limit myself to a few hours a week/day/month, but I'm trying to quit for good. I know there are those out there that play games and are successful, but I really just want to get gaming out of my life.

If you guys are wondering whether I have a gaming console or a pc, I have a pc. That's why it gets in the way so much because since I'm using my computer to play games, I can't seperate it and I end up gaming because I see it on my desktop.

I want to thank everyone and anyone who helps me overcome this. There are many things that I can do in my life and I don't want it to rot away because I simply couldn't resist my urge. Any ideas and tips would be super helpful.

Thank you again.
 
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Hambone

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If you seriously want to give it up, then just get rid of games. Delete them and throw away the discs.

If it's causing you this much trouble, then you shouldn't be trying to limit their use to a few times a month...you need to get the distraction out of your life.

Anything less would suggest that you aren't in fact serious about making the change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

FastLaner007

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If you are still in your teenage or early 20s, then just accept the fact it's a guy thing to crave extreme gaming. Many of us have been there, done that. So, balance is key. Don't entirely quit gaming depending on your circumstances, nor overdo it. Only you can be the judge of how much of gaming is ok, as you know about your life's situation.
If you have a strong enough why, like you are in poverty or need to support your family, then you would automatically force yourself to resist gaming with ease. This is what MJ has explained under the Passion section, "Discontentment" to be precise.
 
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vxzyx

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Thank you all for your replies. I will delete them and I will do this because of the situation that I'm in. Even though I am still young, I am not in a position where I can be stubborn. I will delete them all. Thank you.
 
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Daniel A

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I saw gaming mentioned here before. The guy (don't remember who) said he quit gaming by deleting his games from his computer. Uninstall the games from your computer, and the problem is solved, right?

I know it might be hard to do that, so maybe back up your saved game data (only for peace of mind and to get passed the hesitation) then uninstall the games. If I were you I would uninstall the games. If you do that then you are really committed to quitting gaming, props to you if you do it.

I pretty much quit gaming years ago. How?

My PS3 broke on me one day...went online to learn how to fix it...fixed it...sold it on eBay...bought a few more broken PS3s from eBay...fixed them...then sold them on eBay until no more people were buying them.

The important part was that when I decided to sell my PS3 (even though I had fixed it), I also decided to stop playing video games.

Decide if you really want to stop. Then do what you need to do. You and I are both 20 y/o man, right now is not the time to be playing video games habitually IMO. I even tell my little brother over and over to stop playing video games.

Another way you can do it is to only allow yourself to play on Sundays and make the rest of the days of the week VERY productive. If you can do that, then you might lose interest in gaming within a few weeks or months.
 

sal

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but I really just want to get gaming out of my life
Decide if you really want to stop.
balance is a key
You don't have to throw games out of your life if you enjoy them, but if you aren't having fun and also feel guilty for spending so much time on them then you could simply:

1. Say your last goodbyes to all your gamer friends, tell them you don't plan on playing again anytime soon and that they can add you on Skype or contact you by e-mail/social media if you're still using that.
2. Use this app ColdTurkey (http://getcoldturkey.com). Block every gaming website you have visited over the last year, maybe add a few other time-killers into it (Youtube, Facebook etc)

One thing I've done to free myself is...

delete all the games that:

1. Take time to enter into the game and get to action
2. Delete the RPG's - RPG's are the most time-consuming in my opinion (Building up characters, items, chit-chat)

keep the games that:

1. Are fast to jump on and off, with no responsibilities or expectations

Good luck.
 

vxzyx

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Thank you all so much. I've deleted all of them every last one. It would be safe to say my laptop is strictly work. :) I need to get a macbook so I don't have the computer to play anything. Also they're really useful. Thank you guys so much but this is what I needed in order to take that step. It feels like a step out of my childish self and into the new me.

Thanks again.
 
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Phones

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More extreme than uninstalling, remove and sell your graphic card and use the motherboard one (most of them have an onboard these days), or just buy a used crappy graphic card.

I have probably more than 2000 hours on my Steam account, it's insane, it's like playing for 3 months in a row, 24/7. I haven't gamed for almost 2 years once I started doing my thing. But probably because I started making money gaming (World of Warcraft botting), so gaming started to become less attractive (for enjoyment purposes).
 

HappyFighter

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My unconventional advice. Look at game review sites, find games with very low ratings and play those games. Since those game suck you will associate pain with gaming, and will naturally try to avoid games. Of course, you should resist playing good games.

At the same time try a new hobby, whether it's reading books, learning how to code, or cross-stitching. Find one that you actually enjoy doing. It's alright to stop doing a new hobby when you don't like it. Eventually you'll find something that you like, and the more you do it the more you like it.

I kind of made that up based on what Tony Robbins taught in Awaken the Giant Within, which has something to do with us humans avoiding pain and going with what is pleasurable.
 
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CryptO

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Hi guys.. I have a real big problem. I can't do anything or finish anything unless I quit games. I know it's not a serious condition that I have, but it does get in the way with a lot of things that I do on my computer because I get way to distracted. I end up playing 1 game then another then another......again and again. It's really just frustrating at the end of it all. I realize I haven'y gotten anything done at all. And minutes of gaming have become hours and it's really depressing.

I'm not trying to limit myself to a few hours a week/day/month, but I'm trying to quit for good. I know there are those out there that play games and are successful, but I really just want to get gaming out of my life.

If you guys are wondering whether I have a gaming console or a pc, I have a pc. That's why it gets in the way so much because since I'm using my computer to play games, I can't seperate it and I end up gaming because I see it on my desktop.

I want to thank everyone and anyone who helps me overcome this. There are many things that I can do in my life and I don't want it to rot away because I simply couldn't resist my urge. Any ideas and tips would be super helpful.

Thank you again.

Have some children, that'll mess it up for you :p
 

PDeezy

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Now that the games are gone, use the time you would have spent gaming to work towards your goal, whatever that may be. Read the forum, read books that empower you, spend more time engaged with other (empowering) people. Use your razor sharp critical thinking skills you honed in gaming to solve real-world problems or challenges.

Be aware that as time passes and you face your own challenges, you may be tempted to re-install and have a quick game here or there and then before you know it six months down the track you're back to spending all of your free time getting that gaming quick-fix. Make the decision right now to not allow that to happen, stay vigilant and do future you the biggest favour you ever will! Time goes by quickly, don't waste it.
 

DennisD

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Additionally, you might find it interesting that gamification of my activities help motivate me.

I'm driven by high scores, leveling up, unlocks, perks.
So I apply that to my business activities.

If I do good enough in my latest launch, I can buy a new computer, which will let me then work 3x as fast and do even better on my NEXT product launch.

If I write 5 articles this week, there's a chance that the audience will carry over into NEXT week's audience.. and the next week. The stats are just building up on top of one another making me more and more money.

Once you have a little infrastructure in place (a website with a few products) you can look at money as score in a game.
Once I systemize my entire business, I'll make some room for games in my life.
 
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TheTruth

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Although I like a lot of the suggestions, the truth of the matter is, games are easy to re-install and when you really want to play them, you will go out of your way to do so.

Uninstalling games is a correct step in the process, but it's only 1 step.

@snowbank said it the best, put yourself in a position where you cannot fail.

For me (and for many others i've talked to), putting myself in the correct environment is on the only way to do it. Snowbank has talked a lot about how he moved to a 1 bedroom and all he had was a mattress and his computer. 16 hours a day he would work on business and eat crackers.

Personally, I got out of my toxic environment and moved way down south into an area that motivates me. One of the sticking points has been my roomate @JasonR who will whoop my a$$ if i'm slacking. We work side-by-side and we can always see what the other one is doing.

If you start slacking and look over at the other guy and hes not slacking, you feel bad and go back to work. On top of that, if you take a break and it lasts very long, you get questioned. The standard is high, but honestly unless you put yourself in a position that will push you so far out of your normal routine where it engraves new habits (and makes them stick), going back to gaming will be much easier 7 days from now, when you don't feel motivated.

You may be at a point where you make a big time decision like this, or you may not be. Either one is fine, but as you keep going through life and grabbing new realizations on what it actually takes to run a business, make sure this message keeps creeping back into your head.

Deep down you already know intuitively what action you need to take in order for you to really be focused. Now, that intuition is 100% correct, but it also scares the shit out of you.

Will you do it anyway?

Side note: No matter what, old habits will want to creep in at times of adversity. Personally for me that has been sweets (chocolate, sugar etc). Since I have an addictive personality, if i start eating that stuff, i don't stop (and I will go to the store to buy more - relate this to re-installing video games). Overall, I exercise everyday and eat very healthy, but this has been my achillies heal for a very long time. So on top of my kick as environment and everything I have in place, I wrote @JasonR a cheque (yes an actual cheque he can cash at any time) of $500 if I eat anything with sugar or sweets until a certain date, where I am allowed to treat myself. These cheques have gone from $20 and grown because i didn't care enough to lose $20 and would sometimes do it because i really just wanted to eat some chocolate.

Massive change takes extreme measures for a while. Don't let anyone convince you it will be easy shaking off the habit. Just know, if it's hard and you are really struggling, it's a good thing because you know you are pushing yourself to new limits.
 

smarty

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I was going to write a longer reply but @TheTruth completely disarmed me :happy: best advice right there!
 
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HarryR

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don't give yourself even an inch. If you're anything like me, if you tell yourself you can download and install a game just to play ones for a few hours could you have a bunch of free time, it will turn into a bad three months for you.
 

Tiago

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I was a hardcore gamer once, playing sometimes 16 hours per day. I remember one day I was playing for 8 hours straight and had no emotions whatsoever, no laughs, no nothing. Then I went out to play with my dog for 10 minutes and I've had the best time ever. After this I deleted all games, threw everything away.

The only way to get over is to get your house rid of the games. It's the same as the concept of buying groceries - If that chocolate bar doesn't even get into your shopping cart, you won't have the temptation to eat it at home.
 
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Rawr

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qutting anything takes time. took me about 1.5 months and now i dont want to play games. i realize its just not as fun as making $ Just thought about getting a game today because my friend and i could play, and realized i dont need to nor do i want to - its such an easy waste of time. something else will try to replace video games, if you want to make money and actually do something with your situation to change it, make sure whatever replaces is has a tangible financial benefit.
 

Jimmyy

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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
 
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Silverhawk851

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There are things that control you. Certain habits, like you walk into your room, then automatically click on the PS3 and don't even remember doing it.
Change those habits, and you will change it all.
 

beatgoezon

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Quitting gaming is going to be rough.

A few years ago I used to play World of Warcraft and Diablo II and the addiction was ruining my well being.

Do what I did, maybe it'll work for you.

Uninstall the game and remove the CDs, installer files, or anything else which defeats the purpose of uninstalling the game in the first place.

Tell your friends you're quitting.

Don't talk about or discuss the games you used to play, this will just trigger memories and you'll end up failing.

The purpose is to make it difficult to go back to your old habits. Create a barrier which prevents you from falling back...

With all the free time you begin to see, evaluate what you can start replacing "game time" with. Read books, learn the skills you need, become knowledgeable, and gain experience in the field you wish to reach your Fastlane in. (you do want to build a Fastlane business, right). It's not enough to just QUIT something, you should replace the old habit with a new one.

Stay away from your computer for a few days, this will be the toughest part, but in this part you should start journalling. Write about your life. Think about your future, your goals, your visions, and the path you have to travel to get there.

Spend a few days overcoming the withdrawal and letting the old lifestyle fade away. Don't worry if you think you'll miss a few days of productivity. This is important to let the old lifestyle out of your system.

I hope that helps you out. I haven't played a computer game/console game in years after doing this. I love games as much as the next guy, but there's no point in playing games if it makes you feel guilty. If you can play your games guilt-free then by all means you should carry on with playing games, I mean heck, games are wonderful...

Sounds to me like the guilt and shame are overwhelming you. Quit for now. Build something. Close the gap from where you are to where you want to be. Once you get there or at least get a bit closer, reward yourself with guilt free gaming.

Hope that helps bud...
 

Erik Heyl

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I've been playing since I was 10 years old (The OLD NES days) and have been in one form or another ever since. I generally stick with Steam games. I always wait until there's a sale and then make sure I limit myself to what's on my want list and budget. During the week if I do an hour's worth that's good. Even on weekends I don't play that much. But it is a way to de-stress (as is my Scuba diving and soon to be shooting), and I never let it get in the way of work or family, so I don't feel guilty. If it's at the point where you're going to lose yourself or your family, then yes, an extreme action is needed. But it doesn't sound to me like you're at that point. Just a different point of view. Another excellent way to stop and re-assess everything is to go camping for a week. That not only resets your biorhythm but resets your natural clock as well.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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If you wanted to you would. Next?

Exactly. What's most important in your life will occupy your time.

When real success is more important to you than fantasy success, that's when you will quit. Until then, you're susceptible to action fakes.
 

Magik

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Get rid of all of your games and systems.
 

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