How many of you play video games?

[MJ DeMarco]

I play a zombie shooting game on my iPhone a few times per week to unwind.

 

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[ZackerySprague]

I play a zombie shooting game on my iPhone a few times per week to unwind.

Were you a gamer in the past? You know Call of Duty Zombies is the best game I've played So far in the past. I actually sold my gaming Rig to Greg on the forum.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Were you a gamer in the past?

Not really, maybe when I was 13 years old and had 30lbs to lose.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Not really, maybe when I was 13 years old and had 30lbs to lose.

Lol I guess. I was a total shut in when I was growing up. Total introvert to my core. Started playing PC games in 2009.

 

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[Aidan04]

Haven't touched a video game in about a year.

Amazing how much progress you can get done when you throw things like gaming and social media out the window.

In my free time, I spend time with friends/family, read books on all manner of topics, hit the gym, and level up my cooking skills.

 

[Oso]

You led a f*cked up life dude. I relate to 90% of your story, except I was more of a womanizing narcissist than a gang member. Being challenger in LoL actually helped my confidence and success with girls.

But, I also worked out a lot and was supposedly reminiscent of Marlon Brando at the time, so yeah, being attractive helped.

A few years ago, I was broke and owed some money. I did one final push to get challenger in league again so that I can apply to work in a few boosting companies. I had some virtual friends at the time who were making a decent buck, so that's why I did it. I never really played a normal/unranked game as simply I did not have fun from just playing the game, I had to compete.

Like you, I was #1 in the world with multiple champions and played with/defeated esports players regularly.

Unfortunately, I did not get to work as booster, so I quit forever and went on to do other things as I needed money, fast.

Unfortunately I hit the "womanizing" part, too, having hit a triple body count before my mid-20s. Sex addiction is a bitch. I definitely don't look good though, hah.

Yeah, there's still a ton of money to be made in gaming, it's just difficult to get fans to spend money on stuff. Eh, I could talk about this for hours as there are a billion variables, as I'm sure you know. Yo, LoL is something I legit hate though, lmfao, but that's mostly because it's a game that rode Dota to success while Dota got shit on.

Cheers.

 

[Kevin88660]

I am not sure if it counts, I used to play competitive chess (an asian variant) at top national level for non-professionals.

Since chess could be played online, I guess it could be counted as an "online game" too.

But playing competitively is a sure way to kill the joy that most casual players will be it boring and not fun at all.

Just to share with you how tournament prep work. After you know the opponent's name, go look for his past games in the database. Analyze his opening using software and database (played by pros) and try to find any loopholes or prepare obscure gambits against him. Try to obtain a "risk-free" advantage in the opening stage using preparation and use that to grind him in the mid-end. Coffee and good cardio exercise are essential for chess tournament preps.

 

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[Simon Angel]

Unfortunately I hit the "womanizing" part, too, having hit a triple body count before my mid-20s. Sex addiction is a bitch. I definitely don't look good though, hah.

Yeah, there's still a ton of money to be made in gaming, it's just difficult to get fans to spend money on stuff. Eh, I could talk about this for hours as there are a billion variables, as I'm sure you know. Yo, LoL is something I legit hate though, lmfao, but that's mostly because it's a game that rode Dota to success while Dota got shit on.

Cheers.

True. I don't regret any of it though. I also played a lot of MMORPGs as a kid, the elder scrolls game, the Fallouts, and many more.

It was all worth it, and, like I said a year ago in this thread, playing games allowed me to live out hundreds of alternative lives and stories I otherwise wouldn't have. LoL and other competitive games where I reached the top of the field taught me important lessons on how to succeed in anything and everything.

Lastly, they were also amazing for developing my English and, more or less, are the reason I started my journey a few years ago as a copywriter before transitioning to my own email marketing business.

Happy to meet another walking paradox btw. Nerds =/ fat and lazy social retards.

 

[MaxT]

It's an interesting topic.
About my relations with video game, I've been educated to don't play too many hours.
Now I've fixed the limit to 45/min per day, it's hard but I work like this, if I don't fix limitations I'll play too much.

But it's a way to relax and make a pause to your brain, so that's why I suggest to people who like that to don't stop, but just limit yourself. If you've make a great day, reward yourself. You deserve it

 

[BjorniKD]

If so, what games have you been playing lately?

ALSO, I'm acutely aware a lot of people here get weirdly vocal about games and how tHeY jUsT wAsTe tImE and aNy gOoD eNtRePrEnEuR sHoUlD oNlY fOcUs oN wOrK. This thread ain't for you. Please spare me the sigma nonsense.

I only ask because a good friend-turned-client of mine who I met through playing video games together mentioned how great it is to find someone of similar age and interests who also owns their own business so.. we can't be the only two people. And now I'm curious.

I haven't played since march. The last one I played was Minecraft.

 

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[James Klymus]

I was playing Zelda Tears of The Kingdom in my free time. Still have a lot to do, But beat the main story so I haven't played much the past month or 2.

Luckily, I played enough call of duty in middle school that I got it out of my system. Online games have no end, And people get addicted. Single player story games have a defined end, So you can't stay addicted to them, Because you'll get bored once you finish the game.

 

[Spenny]

Cool to see everyone's views on this, I gave up on this hobby about six months ago because it didn't add much, and it ranked F tier for me.

- I was never proud to say I play video games.
- I became a more irritable person
- it didn't translate to anything real (maybe communication and leadership at best)
- I missed meals, sleep and struggled to move forward.
- I regretted the thousands of hours I put into this. I have nothing to show for all the summer holidays. I used to play games. Nothing.
- I had a bunch of knowledge about stuff that just wasn't useful in life.
- I wasn't progressing much in life. I would blink, and eight hours would pass. The whole day was gone.

It was only when I replaced it with chess that I had a bunch of time to free up & began developing fast.

Please do what you will with your life; we're made up of choices. I just saw that the choice of video games wasn't wise for where I am in life.

 

[FreakyThomas]

This will trigger the nerds with skinny wrists, but I find that video games provide a fake sense of achievement, brotherhood, status, and competition without the hardship, confidence, social skills, and respect from women you get from real life sports hobbies and activities.

Maybe I’m biased because I was an addict for so long, but everyone has an innate drive for progress. If you just ‘chill out man and play some call of duty bro’ you’re using up your desire for progress on a fake reality instead of your business.

Why explore the world in a video game when you could work more to earn more money to take a trip to Norway and hike huge snowy mountains and look at a 900 ft waterfall? Why race cars online when you can race cars in real life? Why drive a Ferrari in a game when it’s in real life? Why fly airplanes on a game when you can do it irl? Why improve your fighting skills in a game when you could learn to box? Sure doing adventurous things irl will have a sense of discomfort and bring a chance of dying. But if you’re constantly avoiding the danger that comes with real life, what’s the point of living?

Think of the guy who always had a hobby of video games vs the guy who always had a hobby of outdoor physical and competitive activities. I guarantee you the second guy is better with girls, has better social skills, is more comfortable in his own body, and is better dealing with pain and discipline and rejection. He gets his sense of achievement alongside physical exhaustion and bloody noses, and he’s going to beat the hell out of the video gamer in business.

Another argument is that it’s rest enjoyment and recovery. Garbage. Video games are incredibly stimulating. True rest and recovery comes from being in nature, social connection, and sleep.

If I’m being too serious, why are you not? For every hour you spend gaming away, one of your competitors is doing something to improve themselves and their going to get the client you wanted, the girl you wanted, and the social status you wanted. Literally. They’ll have more energy and time to make more calls, they’ll be outside more and talk to more girls, and will make more friends and have more of an impact on the world.

Sorry for the rant, just despise how much video games castrate people of their manliness and aggression, and you only realize this once you quit. Hope this helps someone.

I think you're confusing stuff, I don't know why women would be involved in this, but I agree with 80% of what you said.

True. I don't regret any of it though. I also played a lot of MMORPGs as a kid, the elder scrolls game, the Fallouts, and many more.

It was all worth it, and, like I said a year ago in this thread, playing games allowed me to live out hundreds of alternative lives and stories I otherwise wouldn't have. LoL and other competitive games where I reached the top of the field taught me important lessons on how to succeed in anything and everything.

Lastly, they were also amazing for developing my English and, more or less, are the reason I started my journey a few years ago as a copywriter before transitioning to my own email marketing business.

Happy to meet another walking paradox btw. Nerds =/ fat and lazy social retards.

I'm really curious about the skills you learned on gaming. Do you think you could have learned the same skills with other activities, like playing and instrument at an almost professional level?

Cool to see everyone's views on this, I gave up on this hobby about six months ago because it didn't add much, and it ranked F tier for me.

- I was never proud to say I play video games.
- I became a more irritable person
- it didn't translate to anything real (maybe communication and leadership at best)
- I missed meals, sleep and struggled to move forward.
- I regretted the thousands of hours I put into this. I have nothing to show for all the summer holidays. I used to play games. Nothing.
- I had a bunch of knowledge about stuff that just wasn't useful in life.
- I wasn't progressing much in life. I would blink, and eight hours would pass. The whole day was gone.

It was only when I replaced it with chess that I had a bunch of time to free up & began developing fast.

Please do what you will with your life; we're made up of choices. I just saw that the choice of video games wasn't wise for where I am in life.

Exactly the same here!
Video game would clearly give me a false sense of achievement. While it would give me a great deal of pleasure, sense of progression and skill development, I'd have nothing to show for it apart from the other gaming friends. The dopamine is really strong.
I think videogames, especially competitive ones like CS GO, SC2, LoL,... are really time and attention eaters, and now that I've cut them off completely, I'm much more proactive in other areas of my life and accomplishing so much more!
The amount of time/energy/dedication needed to become a Challenger at LoL or Supreme at CS Go... If you would spend the same resources in Poker, you could have won so much money. But it's so addictive once you've tasted to victory and skill development!

Would be curious of @Simon Angel 's take on it! You seemed to have done well fastlane-wise , while still defending video games, to me that's surprising and I'm sure I would learn a ton from your approach!

 

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[ijack]

The division

 

[Jrjohnny]

I’ve said in the past about what one of my “friends” did to me after I had quit games.

Just remembered when my old friend, (let’s call him Mark) harassed me and then proceeded to say “now we’re even”

Little bit of backstory:

We were good friends for like 5 years, I then told Mark and a bunch of other friends that I quit video games etc.

They got mad at me and ignored me for a week, during that time I’d read MJs books.
They finally apologized, I started playing basketball with them again.

According to Mark, I had become more violent, and he became all weird around me, started siding against me.


Then one day, we were playing kings court; everyones shouting at that Mark, and then he just flips.

He comes up to me, tomato red, shouting at me shaking.

Everyone started laughing and thought he was playing around.

Then he spit in my face, kicked me and punched me.

He also proceeded to call me things such as bas####, pu$$y, b#### and some polish and Portuguese nicknames.

He also made jokes about my family.

I pushed him away and then everyone was making fun of him because he apparently looked like a sweaty tomato??

I blocked him after school and then the next day, all my other friends and like 30 other people asked what happened, asked me if I was okay.

He then came and yelled at me saying I was spreading rumours about him.

From that moment on I knew I had to drop him.
Really goes to show that you need to pick your friends properly.

Basically that explains it.

My opinion is pretty negative on video games.

I always had been kind of been embarrassed about my video games.

 

[Hadrian9]

Ultimately you are correct though: if people spent more time completing goals, being productive, etc. they could have whatever life they want, sure. The thing to remember is those people have to make those decisions for themselves, and you shitting on them because they aren't doing what you want is completely counterproductive to your actual goal of getting people to see video games are unhealthy.
l While I'm happy you're no longer addicted, your entire post feels like projection, tbh. Furthermore, while I fully acknowledge addiction of any/all sort is destructive/unhealthy, video games are one of the few things that are always directly blamed for the user's unhealthy habit, which I've always found fascinating.

Really regret that I made that post cause it was pretty rude and insensitive to people and kinda pointless lol. People live their own lives and have their own paths. While I still regret playing video games so much, calling everyone who does a ‘loser’ is stupid, and you are right, this was entirely projecting. It’s, like every bad habit, not good when you do it too much.

 

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[EngineerThis]

Not as much as I used too...
But.
-Horizon Zero Dawn is AMAZING
-Remastered GTA San Andreas
-Original Max Payne
-Wreckfest (Great racing derby game)

 

[LightHouse]

I can't imagine I am the only one here playing it but...

Fortnite... (Builds)

I occasionally get on to sweat (crush, win, etc) the snotty nosed 10 year olds.... aka my son. It was a great way to connect with my brother who had left town after covid. He is back now and I still play occasionally. Generally after 8 or 9pm on weekend nights. So much fun with friends.

 

[Plushy]

when i am financially free rest assured I'll be devolving into a goo playing 16 hours a day.

 

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[Roli]

But, I also worked out a lot and was supposedly reminiscent of Marlon Brando at the time, so yeah, being attractive helped.

Bit of a weird question but, what was it like? I've always wondered what it must be like to be male and so attractive you have women throwing themselves at you. Are you in a long-term relationship at the moment?

 

[Vasudev Soni]

I don't play now. But used to play some pretty good games like GTA 5, Need for Speed: Payback, Uncharted 4, etc.

 

[Simon Angel]

Bit of a weird question but, what was it like? I've always wondered what it must be like to be male and so attractive you have women throwing themselves at you. Are you in a long-term relationship at the moment?

There are studies out there that a man's self-worth and self-esteem go almost completely hand in hand with how desired they are (or rather, feel they are) by women. Having been on both ends, I'd say that sounds about right.

To answer your question:

I'm in a long-term relationship with what was the most attractive girl at my high school. She's also one of the most sensible ones I've met, too. That's not to say my relationship is perfect by any means, lol.

In high school, it was cool. A lot of girls liked and flirted with me, and a lot didn't because they were intimidated by me (but not necessarily because of my looks).

My "good" features, and this I assume also goes for 90% of people, come at a specific weight, body fat %, hairstyle, etc. It's not like I just hit puberty one day and became an object of desire. I can EASILY look like trash.

In fact, I entered high school as a malnourished late bloomer due to a severe chronic disorder. I really didn't look my age and was skinnier and shorter than 9/10 guys. It took a few years before I started working out, eating more, and reading up on how to regain my confidence after my health misadventures (which involved a lot of gross, traumatic, and emasculating procedures in hospital settings when I was a pre-teen).

I also read books from most of the major pick-up artists at the time, a lot of which was complete BS. Still, I learned that it's important to always be confident, assertive, and direct—especially when communicating with women. I never got "friend zoned" apart from once... and it was from my current girlfriend when I invited her on a date in high school before I learned all of this.

What also helped was that in my social circles, most of the guys were still awkward as hell. Most didn't work out, their clothing style sucked, and they would shit bricks whenever they had to talk to girls they liked.

Or they'd openly talk about what porn video they watched and compare porn stars with each other while our girl friends were standing next to them, lmao.

On the other hand, I treated everyone the same and just went out to have fun and flirt nonchalantly while knowing that girls would always pick me compared to my other friends. And they did.

Funnily enough, most girls who ended up liking me initially thought I was a "dick", "kind of a douche", "arrogant prick", "too self-loving", and "not my type". I.e. their perception of me was that I was a "bad boy" when I'm actually, for the most part, a decent guy.

It was one of the best times of my life so far which I nearly missed out on. Had I just gone about my high school years like everyone else, I would've probably been known as a gamer nerd rather than a hot chad. Behind my "effortless" attractiveness was actually a lot of reading, trying, failing, and, eventually, winning.

 

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[Roli]

There are studies out there that a man's self-worth and self-esteem go almost completely hand in hand with how desired they are (or rather, feel they are) by women. Having been on both ends, I'd say that sounds about right.

To answer your question:

I'm in a long-term relationship with what was the most attractive girl at my high school. She's also one of the most sensible ones I've met, too. That's not to say my relationship is perfect by any means, lol.

In high school, it was cool. A lot of girls liked and flirted with me, and a lot didn't because they were intimidated by me (but not necessarily because of my looks).

My "good" features, and this I assume also goes for 90% of people, come at a specific weight, body fat %, hairstyle, etc. It's not like I just hit puberty one day and became an object of desire. I can EASILY look like trash.

In fact, I entered high school as a malnourished late bloomer due to a severe chronic disorder. I really didn't look my age and was skinnier and shorter than 9/10 guys. It took a few years before I started working out, eating more, and reading up on how to regain my confidence after my health misadventures (which involved a lot of gross, traumatic, and emasculating procedures in hospital settings when I was a pre-teen).

I also read books from most of the major pick-up artists at the time, a lot of which was complete BS. Still, I learned that it's important to always be confident, assertive, and direct—especially when communicating with women. I never got "friend zoned" apart from once... and it was from my current girlfriend when I invited her on a date in high school before I learned all of this.

What also helped was that in my social circles, most of the guys were still awkward as hell. Most didn't work out, their clothing style sucked, and they would shit bricks whenever they had to talk to girls they liked.

Or they'd openly talk about what porn video they watched and compare porn stars with each other while our girl friends were standing next to them, lmao.

On the other hand, I treated everyone the same and just went out to have fun and flirt nonchalantly while knowing that girls would always pick me compared to my other friends. And they did.

Funnily enough, most girls who ended up liking me initially thought I was a "dick", "kind of a douche", "arrogant prick", "too self-loving", and "not my type". I.e. their perception of me was that I was a "bad boy" when I'm actually, for the most part, a decent guy.

It was one of the best times of my life so far which I nearly missed out on. Had I just gone about my high school years like everyone else, I would've probably been known as a gamer nerd rather than a hot chad. Behind my "effortless" attractiveness was actually a lot of reading, trying, failing, and, eventually, winning.

Very interesting, I always thought of myself as ugly at school, I still remember overhearing a conversation between two of my female classmates, one of them said, "Imagine kissing Roli." and the other one replied "Ewwww! Disgusting!" So I just got into fights and played sports instead of talking to girls. It wasn't till my 20s that I realised I'm not so bad after all. In my late 30s, I married the girl of my dreams and now have a gorgeous daughter with her.

Thanks for the insight man, I always wondered what it would be like to be one of my good-looking/popular with the ladies friends.... and now I know!

 

[Simon Angel]

Very interesting, I always thought of myself as ugly at school, I still remember overhearing a conversation between two of my female classmates, one of them said, "Imagine kissing Roli." and the other one replied "Ewwww! Disgusting!"

Yeah, that would annihilate your confidence in seconds.

In that situation, you could do what you did OR go up to them and turn it around on them by saying "You don't have to torment yourself by imagining any longer, come and find out." and either have them run away from you while laughing their asses off or be impressed by your confidence despite being labeled "ugly".

Honestly, my brain would've been all "Oh, they said I'm ugly. Damn. But wait, why were they even imagining kissing me in the first place? Ha. Are these girls conflicted that they're attracted to me even though I'm not conventionally good-looking? Let's call them out on it and see what happens."

Obviously, you're a family man now and unlikely to test this out, but for all the kids out here reading... enjoy, dudes.

So I just got into fights and played sports instead of talking to girls. It wasn't till my 20s that I realised I'm not so bad after all. In my late 30s, I married the girl of my dreams and now have a gorgeous daughter with her.

Thanks for the insight man, I always wondered what it would be like to be one of my good-looking/popular with the ladies friends.... and now I know!

You're welcome. Fighting was fun for a while for me too. I wasn't the typical "popular guy" by any means, I was more of an outsider but that helped add to the allure I guess.

 

[Simon Angel]

@Thomas Chauvet Sorry, I missed this.

I think videogames, especially competitive ones like CS GO, SC2, LoL,... are really time and attention eaters, and now that I've cut them off completely, I'm much more proactive in other areas of my life and accomplishing so much more!
The amount of time/energy/dedication needed to become a Challenger at LoL or Supreme at CS Go... If you would spend the same resources in Poker, you could have won so much money. But it's so addictive once you've tasted to victory and skill development!

I don't tend to regret things most days, but I'll admit that if I'd spent that time (approx. 7 years) playing chess or racing, I would've actually had a career doing this stuff.

I've noticed I'm very good at anything I pick up, mostly owing to my ability to analyze and compare my performance to those on top and make minor improvements over time until I'm part of the 0,0001% as well.

Yes, being one of the best in a game with 100M active monthly competitors was certainly something else. I miss the competition.

Would be curious of @Simon Angel 's take on it! You seemed to have done well fastlane-wise , while still defending video games, to me that's surprising and I'm sure I would learn a ton from your approach!

I've done well in the sense that I've managed to decouple my time from my income to the extent that I usually only have to put in 30 minutes of effort per day on average, if not less.

It's not like I earn "F*ck you money", but it's good enough to match top exec salaries in my country.

Regarding "defending" video games:

People will point their fingers and blame all sorts of things for their lack of success. Nothing could ever stop me when I have a goal in mind, and, although I've experimented with it, depriving myself of the few pleasures I have in my life doesn't help me to get more done.

Lastly, I do not regret video games. As I stated in the past, they've allowed me to learn and experience a lot of stories and live out hundreds of epic & dramatic lives that I otherwise wouldn't have. I guarantee that they've shaped me as a person as well.

And you bet I'd absolutely hate to have those memories and experiences taken away from me.

 

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[marble]

Star Citizen anyone? After years of video game addiction as a teenager, it's the only game I even find fun anymore. Until me and buddies can chip in to buy a Firefly, and cruise around the galaxy doing odd-jobs, this is the best we've got. It's great.

 

[Guest06194gh]

If so, what games have you been playing lately?

ALSO, I'm acutely aware a lot of people here get weirdly vocal about games and how tHeY jUsT wAsTe tImE and aNy gOoD eNtRePrEnEuR sHoUlD oNlY fOcUs oN wOrK. This thread ain't for you. Please spare me the sigma nonsense.

I only ask because a good friend-turned-client of mine who I met through playing video games together mentioned how great it is to find someone of similar age and interests who also owns their own business so.. we can't be the only two people. And now I'm curious.

I've just been playing dead rising 1 getting achievements. I only do 1 hour of vidja gaming a day, self control and discipline.

 

[MrRiaos]

I have been playing plenty of PS5 games through the last 2 years and only stopped this early year after reading TMFL.

Some of my favourite games in the past 2 years were:

• Returnal
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Spiderman
• FF7 remake

Having the PS5 in my living room truly require me some self-control to not turn it on and start browsing the titles. I would have sold or kept it away if not for my wife who like to play some party games at times.

Reading the replies here motivates me to reduce game time to zero hrs as much as I can so that I can spend the time to finish Unscripted and also to start on a business idea.

Wish me luck!

 

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[EngineerThis]

I have been playing plenty of PS5 games through the last 2 years and only stopped this early year after reading TMFL.

Some of my favourite games in the past 2 years were:

• Returnal
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Spiderman
• FF7 remake

Having the PS5 in my living room truly require me some self-control to not turn it on and start browsing the titles. I would have sold or kept it away if not for my wife who like to play some party games at times.

Reading the replies here motivates me to reduce game time to zero hrs as much as I can so that I can spend the time to finish Unscripted and also to start on a business idea.

Wish me luck!

Horizon is kickass on my PS4 pro. Can’t imagine on the PS5. I love Spider-Man too. Something I’ve been doing. Is shutting it off fully… instead of just stand by. Because it takes awhile to load and install updates, then I don’t even feel like playing anymore aha.

 

[MrRiaos]

Horizon is kickass on my PS4 pro. Can’t imagine on the PS5. I love Spider-Man too. Something I’ve been doing. Is shutting it off fully… instead of just stand by. Because it takes awhile to load and install updates, then I don’t even feel like playing anymore aha.

It was awesome on the PS5. Forbidden West is on my to play list next and I am always telling myself, I will have all the time in the world to play that, as long as I fulfil my dream of getting onto the fastlane (priority) first. Good idea on turning it off too, just 1 small step and it can aid me in my self control.