Best thing to do for me is to just look at the clock and set a time to get off, depending on the length I want to sit down it’s usually 1-3 hours. Usually when that time comes around I notice what I’m doing in game and realize without that time limiting I would probably stay on for way longer.
@kttnpunk I think it's because I've had a lot of issues in my past and not many people want me around in life so that's a stuggle, So I end up doing the only thing that seems to want me, what is Video Games.
I have a passion in Video Editing that I'm trying to replace some of my Video Game habits with, my first day of attending to do some and then game for a round or so and then back to editing went pretty good, hopefully I can get to the stage I just work on projects instead of gaming all the time.
Video games are experiences. I feel like I live to experience different experiences. It’s all the sources of entertainment media and art all crafted in one experience.
Not learning some skill isn’t a big deal. There’s a number of skills I have developed but then dropped for several years. Only to come back and feel like I have to start from scratch again. You then learn that not all of your time needs to be devoted to a skill that has limited value in return.
Wait 10-20 years. Play games that are way too large and complex for your attention span. Build up such a huge Steam backlog that whenever you try to play a game, you feel guilty about all the ones you’re not playing. Play games that require reflexes better than the ones you have.
Using these tricks, I’ve cut my gaming time down almost to zero!
Yep. If you’re a teen and worrying about enjoying video games too much, just enjoy it while it lasts. There a lot of worse stuff you could be doing, like meth.
When you’re 30, addicted to alcohol, have a shitty job and have a hard time enjoying anything anymore you’ll look back on these times with envy I promise. Being able to play video games all day and experiencing drug-use like fulfillment from it is a superhuman power in and of itself.
Stay away from alcohol and drugs for as long as you can.
@PeterPoopshit Don't worry I have parents that have experienced drugs and alcohol to the fullest so I stay away from them. The problem is that gaming for me is destructive especially for the possible future I could have with a career, worst case I hope I fall back into Video Games and just mindlessly play them, best case I actually do something with my life and make a difference at least from what I feel like I've done.
@lolcatnip That's pretty much how I've gained my gaming addiction, like there's way to many games to play ok back to the same game and for a really long time.
I agree with what others have said about gamifying life. For example, ‘oh it’s 5pm, I need to spend 30 minutes doing some tidying before I can play a game again’. And for games with no clear end point, set yourself goals so you know when to take a break. ‘Once I’ve built this factory, I need to take an hour’s break before I can play again’.
@OmegaMouse It's actually what I've been trying out today, I didn't know that's what people meant by Gamify your life I more thought they were saying to give myself a score for doing tasks and stuff.
Currently doing play a game of CS2, if I win then I have less work to do but if I lose I have to do twice the amount of work and then I can go back on. This is almost like a reward / punishment system for myself to try and not only play the game (or not lol) and then just do the task. Once I have no tasks left I'm free to enjoy what ever game I like without worrying about they I got that thing to do.
Yeah I guess that’s my take on ‘gamifying things’, but there’s probably a few different ways to do it. I’ve heard that in psychology, rewards are a lot more effective than punishments - so maybe frame it slightly differently. Personally I wouldn’t base things on how well you do in the game, because that could get frustrating - in the worst scenario you’ll already be annoyed at doing poorly in the game, and that’s followed by having to do more work. Instead I’d spin it, so if you do all the tidying reward yourself with an hour of gaming. If you get all your chores done, you get 2 hours of gaming etc.
@OmegaMouse I guess that could work, I would really just have to try which method would work for me in the end but I will hopefully get to the point I still get to enjoy the games I like as well as do the things I should / need to do.
Allot yourself a certain time of the day to play them. Basically, schedule your play time and only play during that play time. That’s what I do. I play at a certain time of the evening, for 2 hours maximum. Otherwise I don’t really touch my games. If I’m doing something else at that time that I feel takes priority (such as working on something or doing something else with friends or family) then I’m probably just not going to play that night. That’s basically how my friends and I helped get one of our group out of a gaming addiction: hanging around with his brother at their place doing other stuff. Over the course of a few months he slowly would come out and make his way closer to us or hang around in the doorway of his room watching us for increasingly longer periods of time, until he eventually would actually log off the game and join in our activities. We just consistently got together at the same time every week. Nothing more to it.
@Grangle1 Glad that worked for them, I sadly don't really have any friends online or not so it's not really an option. I've been trying a play one day, do some work approach today as almost a reward for doing the task, this seemed to have worked so far but there's probably a better way for it in the future but it's a step.
I think the best way to moderate gaming addiction is to be deliberate and disciplined about your goals. I love gaming and don’t want to be interrupted, so I try to deal with responsibilities first, to get more enjoyment out of an uninterrupted gaming session. Make hard rules for yourself. You want to be fit? Work out before gaming. You don’t even need a great workout routine; consistency will get you there. Use your drive for gaming to reach your goals. That’s my opinion
@Curdie Today I've been trying something where I can play a CS2 (One of the main games I've been playing lately) but I can only play one game (One Round what ever you want to call it). If I lose the game I have to edit my video I've been holding off on for quite a while down by another 30 minutes of footage, If I win I have to still edit but I can edit anywhere between 10 minutes to 20 minutes of footage down. So far this seemed to have helped a little bit and I hope it will get easier as I have less of a backlog of videos to edit through.
Nice! That approach would be terrible for me but I’m stoked you’re finding things that work for you. What kind of video are you editing that contains so much footage? If you don’t mind me asking.
@Curdie I don't mind at all, I've done little vlogs and stuff in the past my last recording session for about 3-4 months ago for Trans Pride Brighton where I was in the march and got lots of footage, I also had a slight holiday for another day or so in Brighton so got a lot of recordings well I was there.
Be careful with games without stopping points. Also be aware of the games that engross you in a way that you just lose track of time, play them only when you can get lost like that.
I can maybe squeeze in an hour of gaming every third day if I am efficient (work and household stuff) and lucky. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just there are many games I want to experience so I have to be very selective.
@kandoh That's what I'm normally like for bigger games but then I always find some game that can just fill up my time to the point I've paid twice the amount of time the 'Big' game would have.
That’s nothing to feel guilty about as long as you’re not neglecting trying to find a job and self improvement. Your 20s are rough, all opportunities available are pretty shitty and exploit your energy and inexperience. Videogames are a great way to stay sane during this.
@kandoh I know my career path is right there with Video Editing I just seem to end up doing games over editing and it's something that I will most likely have to seek professional help in the future for.
Listen, if you are neglecting your household chores or other important duties, then it doesn’t really matter how much time you spend playing games. Time you enjoyed spending is never wasted, and if you enjoy playing games on your downtime, then do it.
@Kit Exercise isn't the problem as I'm actually really underweight and can't put it on. It's more the case of making sure to take showers, eating and getting fresh air, stuff like that.
@Kit I understand therapy will help me in the long run it's just unaffordable as of the moment, as soon as I can afford it I will be getting regular therapy sessions as I really do need them.
@Kit I know about one a charity in the local area that does have 'counselling' but I have had a LOT of feedback about how they are and they are really not equipped for things such as Addiction, Autism or being Trans so it seems like they are not an option, I will see if I can make an appointment for my doctor to go through a many things I need help with.
The way my morning routine around showers work is that I bring the clothes I will be wearing that day to the bathroom with me when I go to the toilet in the morning, and then after the toilet I undress my pjamas and immediately take a shower and then I get dressed for the day.
This can also be done if I decide to shower in the evening then I go to the bathroom have a shower, brush my teeth and then but on my pjamas that was on a shelf in the bathroom already.
Could something like that work for hygiene, you have to go to the toilet so take the shower while your in there. And have a change of clothes on a shelf or drawer in there so you can just put the new stuff on afterwards.
@SgtAStrawberry That could help, I think one of the key things I need to look in getting is a shower cap as I know my hair doesn't need cleaning everyday and there's a lot of it to dry every day.
If you need a shower cap to shower more and comfortable then definitely get one. I never really got the point of them.
In my country we have hand showers or have a hand shower together with a fixed one in newer places. The only exceptions are public places like gym. So we don’t have as much of a need for shower caps, we can just not aim the water towards the hair. The only one I have actually seen in real life was one that came free with some magazine.
@SgtAStrawberry That's fair enough, I know it's something that I will most likely need as my fair is quite long (As you can probably see in my PFP) and it's quite bad to clean your hair everyday but thank you for all the suggestions.
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