I seem to have a problem with moderating myself when it comes to playtime on Video Games, How do you keep yourself from just endlessly playing games?
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I don’t like being interrupted while gaming so as a student I study till a certain hour than I do whatever (maybe gaming) till 11PM
@WeLoveCastingSpellz I find if I even tried doing that I wouldn’t stop after 11 lol
Maybe lay off video games for a while till you manage to accumulate a level of willpower that lets you cobtroll yourself easier while gaming. At your situation professional help from someone who knows about this shit might be better help.
@WeLoveCastingSpellz I tried to go full ‘Cold Turkey’ before but it just made me even worse and fell in even harder than I normally am to the point I was staying up for days on end just playing games. I know I need to seek professional help but it costs.
I wish the best of luck to you
My big thing after graduating like others have said we’re other hobbies, I got into painting, 3d printing, sometimes just watching TV. Most of the games I play now are single player I hardly play multiplayer games anymore. I used to be too into destiny and games like that but I just eventually wanted to play games I could pause and go do other shit
@Jaeger86 I have other hobbies in Video Editing and stuff, I just always seem to put them to the side to play games or watch TV. The further I look through the comments the more I feel I might just have an addiction to gaming.
You have to find other outlets.
It’s a long process with therapy etc…
But you have to find something else that’s more important to you. Video games are designed to appeal to your need for quick feedback, and it’s awful
This may require some significant lifestyle changes.
@ArbiterXero Thank you, I can’t afford Therapy sadly, What I know would be a really helpful tool not only for dealing with my possible gaming addiction but other struggles that I use gaming to help ‘mend’.
I know from years of small experience that I am interested in Video Editing and I know that’s one of the things I’d like to make time for instead of gaming. I know it’s going to take time especially as I don’t want to lose gaming fully from my life as it’s a good relaxant.
Finding a hobby does not involve therapy lmao literally just try different activities until something makes you feel like you are playing your favorite game.
That’s basically what a therapist would tell someone anyways. Therapy can’t make you magically find the new hobby you like.
@Mago In another comment I got suggested to Gamify my life a little as that could help with being stuck on games all the time, what I feel might be the best route to go as unless I end up doing E-Sports or something I probably won’t quite get that ‘itch’.
If you want to maybe get into art or something I can provide resources or recommend novels and all if that’s your thing. Would that help?
@WeLoveCastingSpellz I’m more into Video Editing than art, it’s actually want I’m trying to swap my habbits with.
Focussing on that should probs help, good luck overcoming your addiction!
I only really tend to play with a group of mates - the most fun to play with is like four or five hours ahead of me, so when they hop off, the whole group tends to head off at the same time. If we don’t, it’s usually just a smaller game that we have fun with for like an hour before finishing.
Basically, I push being responsible off onto someone who is actually responsible.
@DarkMessiah That’s a good way of doing it, just need to find friends to play with lol
My wife keeps me in check. Not in that she’s telling me when I can play, but that, I’m thinking about her before and while I play, and whether or not I’m being considerate.
@Rhynoplaz It’s one of the reasons I hope to not spend 10+ hours a day on games as I do enjoy my time with my partner but it has turned into you watch things on the TV well I play some games that I’ve already been playing all day.
Nothing wrong with that, but I know what you mean. It’s easy to get stuck in a habit and then you haven’t seen each other in three years.
Don’t forget to snuggle up and watch the things on TV with her once in a while. Keep those connections fresh.
Umm… having a job? Takes care of that problem very easily.
@Raphipod So I can’t really get a normal job but hope to create my own business to fill up my ‘non-gaming time’. It’s just trying to not slowly fill that time up with “You know I’ll play a game” and then loose another 3 days just mindlessly gaming for hours on end.
Less sleep it is!
I make games a fallback activity. If I can go be social, I’ll pick that instead. I date people so I try to spend time with them.
I set timers. Every hour or two the timer goes off, and I have to go do something else. Either something productive like an errand or just something not on the computer.
I have a full time job. I never play games when I’m supposed to be working. I work from home so it would be easy to fire up the other computer and play a little between work stuff, but that’s a horrible idea so I don’t.
I have a self imposed bed time. I had to use an alarm for this for a while but now it’s just habit. Also I’m getting old so I get tired sooner.
@jjjalljs Ok, defiantly sounds like I have a addiction to gaming. I seem to put gaming before my partner (as well as previous partners, when I was with them). Annoyingly my goal is to replace some of my gaming time with other tasks such as Video Editing what I’d like to create my own business about but I keep on making walls to why I should not do it such as the easy my bank has still not sorted my online banking for my business so I can’t edit for people, there’s no point in even editing for myself or even booting the software.
I saw a suggestion from someone else to possibly Gamify my life what sounds like a good thing to do. It’s nice to know some people can just do it, thank you.
Short attention span leading to doing gaming in short bursts. Sometimes I lose interest in games for months and get more into the mood to watch TV shows and movies. Then lose interest in that and move to reading then lose interest in that and going back to gaming. Rinse and repeat. Has helped me avoid the whole not having fun with games anymore threads that I’d see a lot, since my focus just naturally shifts back and forth to keep things feeling fresh.
@NightOwl I seem to go through a similar cycle, that or I end up merging my gaming with also watching the shows / movies I want to watch. I’m more trying to make time for things such as Video Editing as well as other ‘hobbie’ based things that are more likely to earn money.
By staying the fuck away from MMOs. 😂 🙃
@FoundTheVegan I don’t actually play any MMOs, never have really grabbed my attention but still doesn’t stop me from endlessly playing games due to them being Round-Based or never-ending games like Minecraft. Thanks for the advice though.
I recommend having no job and having the feeling that you’re wasting your life and feel like a NEET. That always helps me stop playing games
@Monster96 I have both Autism and Fibromyalgia so I have been registered as never being able to work. My goal is not to go full no Video Games what is the hard part, The Games I play just get in the way of the the possible carer I feel I can create for myself (Video Editing if your wondering) but they also regulate my stress and i’ve tried going full cold turkey with them before and my life got to one of the lowest points due to no stress regulation. Thanks for the comment though.
Do you play games, or do you play a game endlessly. If it’s games then it might be easier to sprinkle other activities into the mix like learning to play a musical instrument, etc. If it’s a game, especially if it’s a live service game, MMO, hatch’s, etc, then they might have successfully tapped into “your formula”, in which case if recommend dropping the game entirely. Games like that are specifically designed to keep you playing indefinitely.
Source: I’m a former Destiny addict.
So true, I have to do this with some predatory mobile game or another every year or two. Sometimes one of them just gets you.
@JoMiran I luckily haven’t got into MMOs as of yet, it seems that I end up playing different games but will play each one endlessly the main problem is that I use gaming as a way to relax from stress but then lose myself inside of it. The more I look at it, the more I feel I need therapy over it as it seems like a addiction I will most likely not get out of without help.
As a lifetime gamer (40s) staying away from ‘service’ games with an endless endgame really does help for self regulation. If there is ‘a game’ that you just zonk out on the gameplay loop thats the blurst. If I get a game I like it to be a game with a conrete ending now, there is a ‘final’ final boss, there is a dungeon meant to be the last challege. If it’s just ‘SUPER HARD AREA X WITH DROPRATE OF THING YOU WANT’ fuck that. Especially if you hear game dev talk about having to design these kind of casino models really turns you off to them.
@FunkyMonk I’m glad I never have really got into MMOs. Thank you, I’ll most likely have to seek help but hopefully with some of the things people have suggested I can at least take the first steps to helping my life.
I tend to hyperfixate. So I got into habit of getting up every 3 hours, going outside, walk around block. I will say to self, get up, right now, out of this chair, outside, now. Been doing this so long now, it’s become habit, part of daily routine. Has helped a lot.
@31415926535 That’s a good way, I saw somewhere sometimes just starting the smallest part of another task especially things like washing up and stuff can set you to do the whole thing in one go sometimes and if not if you come back to it in an hour or so, your mind might just go “Oh, Theres less, let’s slowly finish it through the day” so you keep on coming back to the task. Thank you, I’ll see how I can do this in my life.
If youre adhd try gamifying aspects of your life.
@bonus_crab I have Autism but I suspect that I most likely have ADHD as well, I’ve thought about this before and it really interested me do you have any recommended apps to manage gamifying my life?
I started making one but never finished it lol. otherwise not rlly, tho im sure theres some out there
Depression? Don’t try that at home, would not recommend!
@Scrof Oh don’t worry already went through a lot of Depression, it seems to be one of the reasons I play Video Games. To ‘escape’ from the real world it’s just getting in the way of some of the things that might make me happy such as Video Editing.
Multiplayer games in general are hard to regulate. MMO’s, Mobas, FPS, ARPGs. This games are designed to swallow weeks of your life before you react. When I stopped playing these type of games it didn’t become as much of a problem to regulate my gaming.
Write down what an optimal day for someone your age, in your living area, looks like. Weekly activities. Exercise. Etc. Start implementing the we things into your life at a pace that isn’t to slow but not too fast either.
Set goals what most of your days should consist of. Most days. Don’t set routines that are too nailed down. Don’t go overboard. Excersise three times a week? Two days need to be back to back but the third can be anytime during the week? Things like that.
Work this into your routine. Take one step at a time.
If I regret one thing at the age of 37 it would be not having some kind of exercise in my weekly routine from my early 20s. I would be in sooo much better shape, have more energy, be more alert.
Balance in everything is key.
@hogart Thank you, Even know I don’t have issues with weight (at least not over weight) this is really helpful. I know I can’t go full cold turkey over the games otherwise I fall back into them hard and it’s good to see other people say to slowly get myself off them. Luckily I never have got into the MMO side of things as I’m sure I wouldn’t even be messaging to people online at the point, I mainly play round-based games such as CounterStrike, limiting my play and replacing it with something else slowly is probably the way to go. Thank you.
I’m not overweight either. But I wouldn’t wanna look at the inside of my body. I’m probably an overweight person I skinny body. Mental health is a big thing. As in having a fresh mind, able to focus on semi mundane tasks, keeping a good temper, etc. If you manage to gain just a small amount of muscle every year that’s just a bonus. Glad my post made some sense to you. Tried summerising the things I think matters for everyone regardless of individual situation. Stay good!