If you're a gamer like me, you probably play video games every day.
For all gamer's, video games are extremely influential in making us the people we are today.
Video games are fun and de-stressing!
Video games are social!
And
Video games are ADDICTIVE
Some people are lucky enough to be able to play once or twice a week, and stop whenever they please.
For them, video games have little negative impacts on their lives.
But for those of us who play daily, the negatives impact gaming has on our lives is undeniable.
This is the unfortunate reality of what gaming addiction does to Everyone
Even more unfortunate is
You Probably Wouldn't Be Able To Stop Gaming If You Tried
If you're like me, you probably think,
" Fuck yeah I can stop whenever I want!"
"Piece of cake!"
You see, I used to think I really LOVED playing video games, and it was my own free will which kept me playing everyday.
Besides! I couldn't see how bad gaming really was for me, I was too busy thinking about getting that next rank on CSGO.
But, it wasn't until I started college where I started to realize.... Hey, I think my gaming hobby is really getting in the way of the things I have to do...
What Happened Next Made Me See That I Had A REAL Problem
The constant procrastination caused by playing video games was an issue, so I took one night to take a deep look at my life.
My grades were poor, and I was in panic mode. I knew this decision had to be made.
So I decided I would QUIT playing video games for good!
I've tried slowing down my gaming a couple of times, but that never worked. I couldn't control myself and would end up gaming for hours on end.
So in order to help make sure I quit cold turkey, I had to try new tactics.
I joined a sub-Reddit called StopGaming, in order to learn more about how people made the switch to quit, and so I can be part of this community that can maybe give me encouragement to stop.
I also told a few of my close friends that I was quitting, so I could have some form of accountability I would have to hold up to.
Then came the hard part...
The First Day
Easiest thing I've ever done.
Not once did I sit down at my computer or even think about getting on there to play.
I went back to the gym and hung out with of few of my friends that day.
After coming home, I took care of some household duties and spent some time with my family.
That night, I was EXTREMELY confident that I could hold this quitting streak forever.
Until reality set in....
If you think gaming is just a hobby, you are so very wrong.
People are social creatures. We NEED and Desire physical social interaction and movement. We are not built for the gaming lifestyle.
But we are fooled into thinking so.
You see, video games are designed to trigger the brains reward system.
Whenever you complete a task or an objective in a game, you are always rewarded some how be it by points, score, exp, etc.
This then causes your brain to release Dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that control the brain's reward and pleasure centers.
Dopamine makes us feel good. It effects our mood and our way of life. Activities that cause a dopamine release can become extremely addictive; activities like eating, kissing, listening to music, all cause a dopamine release.
Drugs like cocaine and heroin also cause a huge dopamine release. The “reward” associated with that release can lead to drug abuse and addiction.
Once you cut off that high dopamine releasing source, which in my case was video games, the low levels of dopamine which your brain is not used to getting causes a wide range of symptoms...
Soon after the initial quitting stage, I started experiencing symptoms EXTREMELY similar to those experienced by drug users who relapse.
And worst of all, I felt sorrow.... sorrow because I realized how much of my life had been wasted doing nothing.
Achieving meaningless goals online that had no value.
Sorrow because I had wasted so much precious time of my life that I could have been spending with family, spent in front of a computer monitor like a zombie.
I realized how many friendships I pushed away because of my gaming addiction.
I realized how many opportunities I've missed because of my gaming addiction.
But most importantly, I realized I did not love gaming like I thought I did.
I realized I Was Addicted.
I now know that I was using video games as a way to hide from issues that I never wanted to confront.
Video Games was my drug.
I didn't need Weed or Cocaine or Alcohol
because I had video games
and in the eyes of the public, video games are no-where comparable to these drugs.
So I could play my entire life away and nobody would see it as a real issue.
But let me tell you something.
It is a very REAL issue.
Unfortunately, even after my realizations, it wasn't enough to change my ways.
After about 2 weeks into quitting, the temptations became too much and the only way I could make myself feel better was to keep playing.
I think it's because the problems I was hiding from all along never truly went away, and when I didn't have video games to distract me from them, I fell back into my old ways.
I'm not sure if I will ever quit.
But, I really hope this post can help shed some light on the issue of gaming.
Maybe you can relate to this. If you think you really love playing video games, take a moment to ask yourself.
Do you really love gaming?
Or are you a victim of video game addiction too...
I didn't really speak about this in my introduction post because I wasn't sure if I would stay on steemit for long.
But, I felt it was time to share a little more about myself.
Here's some links if you want to learn more about video game addiction, or if you think you might be addicted and want to look for help:
My Original Post On The StopGaming SubReddit 1 Month Ago:https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/comments/67hph5/today_ive_decided_to_quit_gaming_for_good/
StopGaming SubReddit:https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/
Some Info About Gaming Addiction:http://www.addictionrecov.org/Addictions/?AID=45
Info About How Your Brain Responds To Drug Use And Dopamine Release:https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/drugs-brain
I do not own any of the images used in this post
Here's links to the images used:
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Sorry about this more personal post, they aren't very well received, I know.
But, if this post makes anyone realize that they might have a gaming addiction too, then it was 100% worth it.
THANKS FOR READING
Stay Awesome
-Zey