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I've finally quit gaming.

Anything related to matters of the mind

Karam

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Hello lovely people!

I signed up in this forum while playing a minimum of 8 hours of gaming a day, sometimes it would stretch to 15 hours. My grades were good(21 years old, 3rd year - Computer Science ) but, deep down I knew something was wrong. I wasn't functioning properly and I wasn't investing my free time into learning something new/practicing a skill/set-up a goal and follow it.
Every day, I would wake up, do whatever I have to do with my studies as fast as I can, so I could go back and continue gaming. As I finished at night, I would read a couple of chapters of Unscripted and a whole load of self-guilt/blame feelings would strike me. So every day I would feed-off of these feelings and try to focus on the negatives of gaming, the horrible mood swings you encounter, anger, disappointment, etc...

And finally, I have done it. I've quit gaming for 2/3 weeks now. I somehow managed to force myself to stop double-clicking to open the game. My body suddenly didn't want to double click it, as if it had no reason to. Why would you double click it when it brings all these negatives? for just a bit of fake sense of achievement? Nah. (Yes, gamers, it's fake. And this is the hardest part to realize)

I can honestly say, it wasn't easy. But it was worth it. Ever since I quit gaming, I have finished a course on Udemy, started thinking about what my real goals are, and how to achieve them.
I started reading a lot on this forum(as many suggested as a start) and started looking for a path to take in order to achieve the entrepreneur-lifestyle.

But I must say, there are many hardships. The fear of the unknown, "what if this path wouldn't lead to any success? (for example, web design)", "what if this idea doesn't actually work and it doesn't really help people so they wouldn't waste money on it?", etc... Don't get me wrong, I will try things. I will get my hands dirty. But I just need that 1 simple idea that would click, a silver lining that would fill me up with motivation. I guess I will continue working on finding that right path, for me.

All the drama aside, I can at least say that: Even though it was a very small achievement, overcoming that addiction. It proves to me that I'm capable of making these little changes(micro-processes as MJ called them) if I set my mind to it. Hopefully, I will keep on doing that. And for all the gamers/addicts out there, if I could to it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!




And, most importantly, Thank you MJ!
 
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faromic

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Congrats, that's a huge step...you realizing that you had an addiction and changing your habits is huge. I gamed a little bit in the past in spurts and I know what a time suck it can be. Make sure to use that newly found free time productively!
 

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Well done on your initial success on kicking this unproductive habit! Gaming can be fun to relax or to enjoy time in person with friends but once it starts to take over your life it becomes a problem.

I used to game A LOT between the age of 15-18. The only way I managed to make a lasting change was I sold my play station & left my desktop pc at my home place when I moved to the city for college. I picked up a 300 dollar POS laptop for assignmemts etc but one that couldn’t run games.

After about 3 years of this I have since purchased a PS4 & I have the desktop PC with me again but the habit was well and truely broken. I now go weeks/months without switching them on at times and even when I do feel like playing after an hour or two a day for a few days a week I just forget about the game for another few months. I even have Christmas present games from last year still in the packaging hahah.

Winning at the game of life & acquiring currency is WAYYY more fun and rewarding.
 

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Congrats on a big step. I was never caught up in the gaming addiction. I did enjoy playing every once and awhile and can understand how it can become an addiction. Now you're playing for real and man is it a lot of fun.
 
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mtn_baldy

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I did too. Threw my controllers out of the window of my 3 story balcony and put my keyboard over my knee. Now, I just have a MacBook and a TV. I've never been happier.
 

alexkuzmov

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Hello lovely people!

I signed up in this forum while playing a minimum of 8 hours of gaming a day, sometimes it would stretch to 15 hours. My grades were good(21 years old, 3rd year - Computer Science ) but, deep down I knew something was wrong. I wasn't functioning properly and I wasn't investing my free time into learning something new/practicing a skill/set-up a goal and follow it.
Every day, I would wake up, do whatever I have to do with my studies as fast as I can, so I could go back and continue gaming. As I finished at night, I would read a couple of chapters of Unscripted and a whole load of self-guilt/blame feelings would strike me. So every day I would feed-off of these feelings and try to focus on the negatives of gaming, the horrible mood swings you encounter, anger, disappointment, etc...

And finally, I have done it. I've quit gaming for 2/3 weeks now. I somehow managed to force myself to stop double-clicking to open the game. My body suddenly didn't want to double click it, as if it had no reason to. Why would you double click it when it brings all these negatives? for just a bit of fake sense of achievement? Nah. (Yes, gamers, it's fake. And this is the hardest part to realize)

I can honestly say, it wasn't easy. But it was worth it. Ever since I quit gaming, I have finished a course on Udemy, started thinking about what my real goals are, and how to achieve them.
I started reading a lot on this forum(as many suggested as a start) and started looking for a path to take in order to achieve the entrepreneur-lifestyle.

But I must say, there are many hardships. The fear of the unknown, "what if this path wouldn't lead to any success? (for example, web design)", "what if this idea doesn't actually work and it doesn't really help people so they wouldn't waste money on it?", etc... Don't get me wrong, I will try things. I will get my hands dirty. But I just need that 1 simple idea that would click, a silver lining that would fill me up with motivation. I guess I will continue working on finding that right path, for me.

All the drama aside, I can at least say that: Even though it was a very small achievement, overcoming that addiction. It proves to me that I'm capable of making these little changes(micro-processes as MJ called them) if I set my mind to it. Hopefully, I will keep on doing that. And for all the gamers/addicts out there, if I could to it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!




And, most importantly, Thank you MJ!
Congrats on your new found time and freedom from games!

Games do teach you stuff, so dont be quick to deem the sense of achievement as fake.
They are games though, entertainment, and should be treated as such.

On the "1 simple idea that will click" and the path to success.
Obviously there are many paths to success, but none without obstacles.

Think of the games that you used to play. If you encounter no enemies, you are going the wrong way.
Its the same with the path to success.
Look for the struggle, the hardship and the obstacles.
Thats how you know you`re on A right path.
How big the success at the end of the path is determined by where the path leads.
Make sure to choose the right struggle, MJs methaphor for the "gumball machine" explains this concept the best.
 

Karam

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Congrats on your new found time and freedom from games!

Games do teach you stuff, so dont be quick to deem the sense of achievement as fake.
They are games though, entertainment, and should be treated as such.

On the "1 simple idea that will click" and the path to success.
Obviously there are many paths to success, but none without obstacles.

Think of the games that you used to play. If you encounter no enemies, you are going the wrong way.
Its the same with the path to success.
Look for the struggle, the hardship and the obstacles.
Thats how you know you`re on A right path.
How big the success at the end of the path is determined by where the path leads.
Make sure to choose the right struggle, MJs methaphor for the "gumball machine" explains this concept the best.
Thank you for your words, my friend.
Games did teach me a valuable thing. It is that I'm always pushing myself forward in order to improve and to be one of the best. I always found that quite inspiring, I think this was one of the reasons for my addiction. Hours I put on the game = improve my skill. I hope I can apply this concept to a real-world skill.

As you said, I am looking for the right struggle to go through, this is the thing which is bothering me the most. As for now, I'm putting work to acquire the knowledge/skills(taking courses) to put the odds in my favor in the gumball machine. I will keep looking for the right struggle, hopefully, I'll find the right one and put all my energy into it.
 
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Andreas Thiel

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Careful with chasing for that early sense of accomplishment. That simple idea that keeps you going is really elusive and the sentiment can easily put you on the path of money chasing.

You know the stages of a hype cycle?
Hoping that "getting it" is half the battle and the sentiment that you "just" need those few hundred dollars of passive income ... from my experience those are signs that you are still at the peak of inflated expectations: Hype Cycle Research Methodology

Better pick the "So Good They Can't Ignore You" path and double down on a non-obvious or hard problem (also see: Commandment of Entry) and build up a reserve of intrinsic drive and motivation.
 

Karam

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Careful with chasing for that early sense of accomplishment. That simple idea that keeps you going is really elusive and the sentiment can easily put you on the path of money chasing.

You know the stages of a hype cycle?
Hoping that "getting it" is half the battle and the sentiment that you "just" need those few hundred dollars of passive income ... from my experience those are signs that you are still at the peak of inflated expectations: Hype Cycle Research Methodology

Better pick the "So Good They Can't Ignore You" path and double down on a hard problem (also see: Commandment of Entry) and build up a reserve of intrinsic drive and motivation.
I think I understand what you mean. I might've given the wrong impression or I still am wrong, I will try to explain.

I truly don't really care about money at the moment, it's a goal but I'm not money chasing. I'm looking for the path/field that I should put my study into(for example, building websites/marketing, etc...).

I don't believe that a simple idea is half the work, and I try to always not overestimate something and call it an achievement(it was like, "ok I managed to do this, so maybe I can do other things").

I may have still missed your point, but I will for sure follow the links and read more. And the "So Good They Can't Ignore You", I do endorse this mindset and I will focus more on it.

Thank you!
 

Andreas Thiel

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I think I understand what you mean. I might've given the wrong impression or I still am wrong, I will try to explain.

I truly don't really care about money at the moment, it's a goal but I'm not money chasing. I'm looking for the path/field that I should put my study into(for example, building websites/marketing, etc...).

I don't believe that a simple idea is half the work, and I try to always not overestimate something and call it an achievement(it was like, "ok I managed to do this, so maybe I can do other things").

I may have still missed your point, but I will for sure follow the links and read more. And the "So Good They Can't Ignore You", I do endorse this mindset and I will focus more on it.

Thank you!
The article itself is pretty much irrelevant. Just the image that shows the stages of a hype cycle might be interesting.

What I am trying to get across is that you won't be able to tell right away what you should bet on. Probably you should not commit and double down right away. Prepare to experiment, read and look into things for a while.
You should try to get a better idea of how hard certain things are and get used to the idea that you might look into things, put painful amounts of time in only to realize that it was a detour that did not actually help.

For me that was what going through the trough of disillusionment felt like ... and if you don't prepare for that mentally, then you are destined to write a "This is bullshit ... why is this so hard" thread a few months from now.
 
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alexkuzmov

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The article itself is pretty much irrelevant. Just the image that shows the stages of a hype cycle might be interesting.

What I am trying to get across is that you won't be able to tell right away what you should bet on. Probably you should not commit and double down right away. Prepare to experiment, read and look into things for a while.
You should try to get a better idea of how hard certain things are and get used to the idea that you might look into things, put painful amounts of time in only to realize that it was a detour that did not actually help.

For me that was what going through the trough of disillusionment felt like ... and if you don't prepare for that mentally, then you are destined to write a "This is bullshit ... why is this so hard" thread a few months from now.
Thats interesting.
We do sometimes take a detour from our goals unwillingly.
Why do you think the detours dont help though?
What would be an example from your life of something which you put painful amounts of time in only to realize that it didnt actually help?
 

Andreas Thiel

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Thats interesting.
We do sometimes take a detour from our goals unwillingly.
Why do you think the detours dont help though?
What would be an example from your life of something which you put painful amounts of time in only to realize that it didnt actually help?
No, detours do help. But it is a mindset challenge to see that the detour was necessary in that moment.

I think the orignal post shows a mindset issue in one sentence:
But I just need that 1 simple idea that would click, a silver lining that would fill me up with motivation.
Such moments are elusive and you should not rely on them for motivation. The burning desire that keeps you going has to come from within yourself.
 

Harsha Vardhan

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Hello lovely people!

I signed up in this forum while playing a minimum of 8 hours of gaming a day, sometimes it would stretch to 15 hours. My grades were good(21 years old, 3rd year - Computer Science ) but, deep down I knew something was wrong. I wasn't functioning properly and I wasn't investing my free time into learning something new/practicing a skill/set-up a goal and follow it.
Every day, I would wake up, do whatever I have to do with my studies as fast as I can, so I could go back and continue gaming. As I finished at night, I would read a couple of chapters of Unscripted and a whole load of self-guilt/blame feelings would strike me. So every day I would feed-off of these feelings and try to focus on the negatives of gaming, the horrible mood swings you encounter, anger, disappointment, etc...

And finally, I have done it. I've quit gaming for 2/3 weeks now. I somehow managed to force myself to stop double-clicking to open the game. My body suddenly didn't want to double click it, as if it had no reason to. Why would you double click it when it brings all these negatives? for just a bit of fake sense of achievement? Nah. (Yes, gamers, it's fake. And this is the hardest part to realize)

I can honestly say, it wasn't easy. But it was worth it. Ever since I quit gaming, I have finished a course on Udemy, started thinking about what my real goals are, and how to achieve them.
I started reading a lot on this forum(as many suggested as a start) and started looking for a path to take in order to achieve the entrepreneur-lifestyle.

But I must say, there are many hardships. The fear of the unknown, "what if this path wouldn't lead to any success? (for example, web design)", "what if this idea doesn't actually work and it doesn't really help people so they wouldn't waste money on it?", etc... Don't get me wrong, I will try things. I will get my hands dirty. But I just need that 1 simple idea that would click, a silver lining that would fill me up with motivation. I guess I will continue working on finding that right path, for me.

All the drama aside, I can at least say that: Even though it was a very small achievement, overcoming that addiction. It proves to me that I'm capable of making these little changes(micro-processes as MJ called them) if I set my mind to it. Hopefully, I will keep on doing that. And for all the gamers/addicts out there, if I could to it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!




And, most importantly, Thank you MJ!
Well great for you mate.
But i have a question I myself also lacking clarity on things can you suggest me anything cause I am being a smartphone addict..!
Any suggestions would be appreciated thank you!
 
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Fastlanenewbie:)

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Hello lovely people!

I signed up in this forum while playing a minimum of 8 hours of gaming a day, sometimes it would stretch to 15 hours. My grades were good(21 years old, 3rd year - Computer Science ) but, deep down I knew something was wrong. I wasn't functioning properly and I wasn't investing my free time into learning something new/practicing a skill/set-up a goal and follow it.
Every day, I would wake up, do whatever I have to do with my studies as fast as I can, so I could go back and continue gaming. As I finished at night, I would read a couple of chapters of Unscripted and a whole load of self-guilt/blame feelings would strike me. So every day I would feed-off of these feelings and try to focus on the negatives of gaming, the horrible mood swings you encounter, anger, disappointment, etc...

And finally, I have done it. I've quit gaming for 2/3 weeks now. I somehow managed to force myself to stop double-clicking to open the game. My body suddenly didn't want to double click it, as if it had no reason to. Why would you double click it when it brings all these negatives? for just a bit of fake sense of achievement? Nah. (Yes, gamers, it's fake. And this is the hardest part to realize)

I can honestly say, it wasn't easy. But it was worth it. Ever since I quit gaming, I have finished a course on Udemy, started thinking about what my real goals are, and how to achieve them.
I started reading a lot on this forum(as many suggested as a start) and started looking for a path to take in order to achieve the entrepreneur-lifestyle.

But I must say, there are many hardships. The fear of the unknown, "what if this path wouldn't lead to any success? (for example, web design)", "what if this idea doesn't actually work and it doesn't really help people so they wouldn't waste money on it?", etc... Don't get me wrong, I will try things. I will get my hands dirty. But I just need that 1 simple idea that would click, a silver lining that would fill me up with motivation. I guess I will continue working on finding that right path, for me.

All the drama aside, I can at least say that: Even though it was a very small achievement, overcoming that addiction. It proves to me that I'm capable of making these little changes(micro-processes as MJ called them) if I set my mind to it. Hopefully, I will keep on doing that. And for all the gamers/addicts out there, if I could to it, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!




And, most importantly, Thank you MJ!
Hello, I am facing the same problem for a long time now, because of the quarantine I am spending more time in my home, thus it is easier to spend the entire day playing instead of studying or exercising. I have tried many things but I always end up failing, do you have any advice for me?
 

Karam

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Well great for you mate.
But i have a question I myself also lacking clarity on things can you suggest me anything cause I am being a smartphone addict..!
Any suggestions would be appreciated thank you!
Hello, I am facing the same problem for a long time now, because of the quarantine I am spending more time in my home, thus it is easier to spend the entire day playing instead of studying or exercising. I have tried many things but I always end up failing, do you have any advice for me?
Hello :)

For me personally, the game that I engaged with was making me angry most of the time. I would end the gaming session with a high temper and sometimes it would affect my real-life routine. So I would force myself to spend time thinking what's the benefit of gaming if this scenario is happening? It's not worth it.

Try to focus on the negatives. Read MJ books and see how much you could do with this free time instead of gaming. Think about what you aspire to be and ask yourself "will spending my time on gaming help me reach this goal or do the opposite?", delete the games from the console.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you find the courage to quit.
 

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Good for you man, I can't stand that so many of my mates prefer to stay at home playing COD on a Friday evening or a nice Sunday rather than checking out a new restaurant or going somewhere and doing something. I find it the most pathetic of addictions.

Find those in your circle who's life doesn't completely revolve around video games.
 
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Congrats. I've also played excessively in my teen years. Haven't played for over 10 years, and still got that itch to return to playing when I look at the eneromous leaps and bounds video games have gone through over the years with unreal graphics, performance, and fine tuned online multiplayers.

But then I think to myself, "you've played enough games"
Somethings in life you just need to bury and move on lol
 

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Be careful with the hangover, when we're talking about videogames it's as much as addictive as tabacco. I've ended my "hardcore gamer" carreer 7 years ago and sometimes I still tell myself "let me just play this android game a bit". Your gaming addiction will be there, always. You have to get rid of you consoles, and your PC is just for work, the smartphone is the same. Now focus on real life games: girls, self improvement, workout, sports, business, etc.
 

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Hello :)

For me personally, the game that I engaged with was making me angry most of the time. I would end the gaming session with a high temper and sometimes it would affect my real-life routine. So I would force myself to spend time thinking what's the benefit of gaming if this scenario is happening? It's not worth it.

Try to focus on the negatives. Read MJ books and see how much you could do with this free time instead of gaming. Think about what you aspire to be and ask yourself "will spending my time on gaming help me reach this goal or do the opposite?", delete the games from the console.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you find the courage to quit.
Sounds like League of Legends lol
 
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Be careful with the hangover, when we're talking about videogames it's as much as addictive as tabacco. I've ended my "hardcore gamer" carreer 7 years ago and sometimes I still tell myself "let me just play this android game a bit". Your gaming addiction will be there, always. You have to get rid of you consoles, and your PC is just for work, the smartphone is the same. Now focus on real life games: girls, self improvement, workout, sports, business, etc.
Exactly.
I suggest avoiding relying on willpower. Especially if you want to pursue ambitious endeavors.
Even if you summon the willpower to refrain from playing video games—after such a level of addiction—you'll be depleted of any energy to do something worthwile.
So make it easier not to play than play. For instance, ditch your windows computer and buy a mac. It's possible, but way harder to play games on a mac. As a bonus, you'll be a lot more productive (because everyone knows you're more productive on a mac than on windows :troll: )

Also, I don't believe focusing on the negative aspects is a viable solution in the long term either.
It's like asking an alcoholic or smoker to focus on the health implications of their addiction.
The brain isn't rational. At least far from what we'd like it to be. Subconsciously (and it's the worst), the "pros" of your addiction will still outweigh the contrived cons you'll come up with.

A better approach is to render what you want to stop doing less attractive by finding other attractive stuff to enjoy instead.
Take a smoker, tell them not to smoke that cigarette and they'll get a $1000 check right away. Let's see if they still want so badly that cigarette. It's a bit exaggerated, but it's to illustrate my point clearly.

There's a ton of info about the idea of replacing a bad habit with another one, check out James Clear's stuff, especially the behavioral psychology and habits sections. It's a treasure trove of potentially life-changing information.

Good luck.
 

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There are literally 0 benefits of gaming anyway, and I am someone who used to game 60+ a week.
There are only negatives. Even the 'benefits' people like to tell themselves, e.g. it is fun to play with friends, you could actually interact with friends in real life instead of through a screen.
It's made to steal your competitive male drive you normally would use for your own life, and puts it in a time sink.
 

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Exactly.
I suggest avoiding relying on willpower. Especially if you want to pursue ambitious endeavors.
Even if you summon the willpower to refrain from playing video games—after such a level of addiction—you'll be depleted of any energy to do something worthwile.
So make it easier not to play than play. For instance, ditch your windows computer and buy a mac. It's possible, but way harder to play games on a mac. As a bonus, you'll be a lot more productive (because everyone knows you're more productive on a mac than on windows :troll: )

Also, I don't believe focusing on the negative aspects is a viable solution in the long term either.
It's like asking an alcoholic or smoker to focus on the health implications of their addiction.
The brain isn't rational. At least far from what we'd like it to be. Subconsciously (and it's the worst), the "pros" of your addiction will still outweigh the contrived cons you'll come up with.

A better approach is to render what you want to stop doing less attractive by finding other attractive stuff to enjoy instead.
Take a smoker, tell them not to smoke that cigarette and they'll get a $1000 check right away. Let's see if they still want so badly that cigarette. It's a bit exaggerated, but it's to illustrate my point clearly.

There's a ton of info about the idea of replacing a bad habit with another one, check out James Clear's stuff, especially the behavioral psychology and habits sections. It's a treasure trove of potentially life-changing information.

Good luck.
I understand what you mean. Thank you for your advice.
I will surely take your advice into account and will work on this mindset.
 

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Hello, I am facing the same problem for a long time now, because of the quarantine I am spending more time in my home, thus it is easier to spend the entire day playing instead of studying or exercising. I have tried many things but I always end up failing, do you have any advice for me?

Spent more than 2000 hours on a game during my teenage years.

$50/hr value means I have burnt away $100,000 worth of cash into ashes.

Was it worth it? Definitely no.

Do you want that to happen to you? Your choice.
 
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BlackLynx

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Whenever I feel the urge to log into my World of Warcrack account again I remember Naval Ravikant's quote: "Play stupid games - win stupid prizes"
 

Equilibrium

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First, congratulations on quitting your gaming addiction.
For a long-term picture of what this can do you, I would like you to examine (with a far away eye, mind you!) the game Runescape an MMORPG.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Wikipedia defines this as ''As in role-playing games, the player assumes the role of a character and takes control over many of that character's actions.''

The problem is that these games are built with money in mind as they are a business. They are not titles from the 1900s that you pay once for and play. They consume your life.

I used to play Runescape as a kid.

I would decline party invites to click a rock for hours.
I once turned down a potential GF to play with pixels, I didn't realize it at the time. I was too focused on some in-game
accomplishment rewarding me for spending my lifetime on their product.

One day I decided this was stupid and used a program to click for me. I was then stuck in a black hole.
The Black Hole

Even being unable to move, I would log in and watch my character stand there, unable to move from the black hole. I didn't realize it when the game itself was the black hole that was consuming my life.

I was banned again, this time unfairly. I believe a player next to me is using a bot. Again I was stuck in the black hole.
This time Jagex (the moderators of the game)
wiped all my stats.

Zip. all the ''progress'' gone in seconds. I didn't log in for a long time after that.

One day years later, on the onions, I found a ''maxed'' player account.
That is: Username and password of someone who was 100% maxed. They had it all. I never intended to cause them any harm; I was merely curious. So I logged in to their account. The login worked.

It turns out the maxed player had listed their account on a training forum. They didn't want to click for hours and were willing to pay someone else to do the work. I guess the forum owner was shady and sold the account instead?

A maxed account. All 99's. Top of the pile king of the game.
Still trying to get some far away items.

I walked around in the skin of that player, visiting all the forbidden places I couldn't go. In every single one of them were players grinding away their lives. ''almost there!''

They were clicking their lives away.

Meanwhile, the quests were all done, but the accomplishments beckoned. And There were still music tracks not unlocked. Almost every level in the game was updated to 120, and they only have two at level 120!

Meaning even if you had all 99's, it would take ... a lot of time. to ''Remax'' your account. Runescape doesn't even try to hide the bullassery. 99 is considered Skill Mastery, but the elusive 120 is ''true skill mastery!''


Getting right into it, first up are the combat skills, which take approximately 150 hours per combat skill to max. That is going off about an 80 000 XP rate per hour from level 1 – 99, which is correct. Obviously, your rate of training for Melee skills is highly dependent on your Strength level. So, it is advised to train that up to 99 first.

I walked up to Hans


A character who tells you how long you have had the account.
Ten years. This person has spent ten straight years playing on this character.

UI went to the ''Max Guild'' the top of the top, a secret place you can only go if you have level 99's in all skills. It was empty. Where is everyone? I typed.

Lul Noob said a maxed account. They are in ''some place.''
''What are you doing?'' ''Leveling for 120 Div''
I didn't know what that meant. I didn't want to know. I logged out and deleted Runescape, shedding the stolen skin and feeling the itch to keep exploring.

Gaming addiction is real and evil.
You made the right choice, friend.
 

Karam

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First, congratulations on quitting your gaming addiction.
For a long-term picture of what this can do you, I would like you to examine (with a far away eye, mind you!) the game Runescape an MMORPG.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Wikipedia defines this as ''As in role-playing games, the player assumes the role of a character and takes control over many of that character's actions.''

The problem is that these games are built with money in mind as they are a business. They are not titles from the 1900s that you pay once for and play. They consume your life.

I used to play Runescape as a kid.

I would decline party invites to click a rock for hours.
I once turned down a potential GF to play with pixels, I didn't realize it at the time. I was too focused on some in-game
accomplishment rewarding me for spending my lifetime on their product.

One day I decided this was stupid and used a program to click for me. I was then stuck in a black hole.
The Black Hole

Even being unable to move, I would log in and watch my character stand there, unable to move from the black hole. I didn't realize it when the game itself was the black hole that was consuming my life.

I was banned again, this time unfairly. I believe a player next to me is using a bot. Again I was stuck in the black hole.
This time Jagex (the moderators of the game)
wiped all my stats.

Zip. all the ''progress'' gone in seconds. I didn't log in for a long time after that.

One day years later, on the onions, I found a ''maxed'' player account.
That is: Username and password of someone who was 100% maxed. They had it all. I never intended to cause them any harm; I was merely curious. So I logged in to their account. The login worked.

It turns out the maxed player had listed their account on a training forum. They didn't want to click for hours and were willing to pay someone else to do the work. I guess the forum owner was shady and sold the account instead?

A maxed account. All 99's. Top of the pile king of the game.
Still trying to get some far away items.

I walked around in the skin of that player, visiting all the forbidden places I couldn't go. In every single one of them were players grinding away their lives. ''almost there!''

They were clicking their lives away.

Meanwhile, the quests were all done, but the accomplishments beckoned. And There were still music tracks not unlocked. Almost every level in the game was updated to 120, and they only have two at level 120!

Meaning even if you had all 99's, it would take ... a lot of time. to ''Remax'' your account. Runescape doesn't even try to hide the bullassery. 99 is considered Skill Mastery, but the elusive 120 is ''true skill mastery!''


Getting right into it, first up are the combat skills, which take approximately 150 hours per combat skill to max. That is going off about an 80 000 XP rate per hour from level 1 – 99, which is correct. Obviously, your rate of training for Melee skills is highly dependent on your Strength level. So, it is advised to train that up to 99 first.

I walked up to Hans


A character who tells you how long you have had the account.
Ten years. This person has spent ten straight years playing on this character.

UI went to the ''Max Guild'' the top of the top, a secret place you can only go if you have level 99's in all skills. It was empty. Where is everyone? I typed.

Lul Noob said a maxed account. They are in ''some place.''
''What are you doing?'' ''Leveling for 120 Div''
I didn't know what that meant. I didn't want to know. I logged out and deleted Runescape, shedding the stolen skin and feeling the itch to keep exploring.

Gaming addiction is real and evil.
You made the right choice, friend.
Hello friend,

Your post has felt familiar. Why? because I played Runescape.

The number of hours that I've spent on that game was crazy. I used to wake up before school especially to activate the bot, as soon as I came back home I would find the bot still working on my stats. I was addicted to the feeling of accomplishment, just as you've mentioned.
I was banned permanently because of botting.

Last year, I got unbanned because I sent an appeal and I was "sorry for what I've done 5 years ago". I logged in once, and this was a mistake. Because all the nostalgia hit me all at once. It was the break between the spring and winter semester and I was stuck playing the game. I still feel ashamed that it sucked me back that easily, the nostalgia feeling that this game cause is too strong.

But if I remember right, I randomly stopped playing because of the lack of time I had and the lack of purpose the game had me feeling.

I once visited Hans. The number that was printed on my screen was 5400-5500 hours of gameplay on 1 account(if we take the others into account it would be even more).
Even though half of these or more were because of botting, I still played a lot.

I don't know but, I somehow don't feel that much regret spending these many hours playing this game when I was a kid. I say to myself "you were a kid, you had fun and you loved it". I wonder if this is dangerous or not. What matters is that I quit.

Thank you again for sharing!
 

PietroG99

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I still struggle a lot with gaming, but I found some tips that may help you in the process. It's a playlist on Youtube called Video Game Addiction, by Dr. K (Healthy Gamer channel). I'm attaching my notes about the playlist on this post if you want to check it out. It talks about the reward circuitry, feeling of directionless, motivation x willpower, close ended x open ended problems, alternatives to video games, outcome vs action orientation and the effects of gaming addiction on relationships. Hope it helps :)
 

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