I'm thinking about quitting video games cold turkey.

[mai72]

I was thinking about quitting because I just play too much. I looked at my game time on State of Decay 2 and it sits at nearly 700 hours. The thing is I don't play much when I have work, but when I'm off work this is all I do. I'll game for hours upon hours. I am also not happy where I am at, and would like to make a drastic change in life. I don't like my current job. Its a very unrewarding low skill job. I live in a decent apartment, but I'm also alone. I drive a crappy old (2005) Hyundai. Its a clean car though. Reliable. I'd like to go back to SE Asia (Thailand, or Vietnam) and live. There are so many things that I want to do but gaming seems to get in t he way. Oh, I also want to hit the gym hard. Get into the best shape possible.

OTOH, I do love gaming. there is something about being immersed in a game with good graphics, and a good story. The Last of Us on PC was an awesome experience. But, I've tried moderation. It kinda works, but I've noticed that whenever I start to feel stressed I will go back to gaming. Its such a great stress reliever, but the consequence is I am just putting important stuff off until it becomes an issue.

Anyway, what should I do? Do you still play video games? How many hours a day, week do you game? Are you able to moderate your game time, or do you play too much. Have you thought about quitting as well? Have you quit for a period in your life, or all together and did your life vastly improve? I'm just looking for suggestions. Thanks...

[potato]

you could just play less instead of flat out qutting

[76561198356019466]

weird person

[Groogo]

That would not be a bad thing Mai, best of luck to you with whatever choice that you may make.

[Gum]

Do it. Maybe not cold turkey though, cuz even I still play league or other game from time to time, and I'm an embodiment of productivity and machine tier work.

[mai72]

Originally posted by Groogo:

That would not be a bad thing Mai, best of luck to you with whatever choice that you may make.

I can always come back to gaming in a few years if I want too. Its always an option.

[mai72]

Originally posted by Gum:

Do it. Maybe not cold turkey though, cuz even I still play league or other game from time to time, and I'm an embodiment of productivity and machine tier work.

If you had to count the hours per day/week how much time do you game? I've thought about giving me an entertainment allotment per week. Say like 10 hours per week. That would be all entertainment. Gaming, YouTube (non educational videos), etc.

[Hobbit XIII]

You have answered it yourself you want more out of life than just games.

Taking some of that game time and put it to study either a productive proven online course or even a physical in person college course / trade course will help your improvement.

your job is not satisfying for you so study and make projects / hobbies in fields you enjoy will help build you as a person into the more productive higher skilled path you belong in.

[Violeta]

You can quit video games, but that won't make this bad world, not a bad world. Theres a reason people try to escape from it, any chance they get with games, movies, tv, music, etc.

Satan knows this place is so bad.

[mai72]

Originally posted by Hobbit XIII:

You have answered it yourself you want more out of life than just games.

Taking some of that game time and put it to study either a productive proven online course or even a physical in person college course / trade course will help your improvement.

your job is not satisfying for you so study and make projects / hobbies in fields you enjoy will help build you as a person into the more productive higher skilled path you belong in.

All good points. Thanks.

[mai72]

Originally posted by ⛧:

You can quit video games, but that won't make this bad world, not a bad world. Theres a reason people try to escape from it, any chance they get with games, movies, tv, music, etc.

True. By quitting gaming, it won't all of a sudden make my life amazing. I know that. I still need to put in the hard work.

[envirovore]

So step back on it and find another hobby you enjoy to fill some of that time.
Mix up game time by playing and engaging in something different to make it feel 'fresh' again, instead of munching on the same old comfort food daily (so to speak).

Really though what's important is recognizing that you're not enjoying it (or at least your particular game of choice) as much as you once had. Burnout is a real thing, and happens in more than just work.

[Gum]

Originally posted by mai72:

Originally posted by Gum:

Do it. Maybe not cold turkey though, cuz even I still play league or other game from time to time, and I'm an embodiment of productivity and machine tier work.

If you had to count the hours per day/week how much time do you game? I've thought about giving me an entertainment allotment per week. Say like 10 hours per week. That would be all entertainment. Gaming, YouTube (non educational videos), etc.

It's hard to give you advice because I live a very particular lifestyle. I work 7 days a week, but everyday is mixed with hanging out with ppl, working, doing other ♥♥♥♥, doing other forms of entertainment, and a fraction of that time is spent gaming, so I never have EXTREME amount of time to game because the day is already so full of activities. That way I don't need allocations or whatever.

In all cases, I think you shouldn't be that rigid with your life, to the extent that you allocate time to activities such as gaming, unless you prefer it that way.

[AlienTestosterone]

Do what you gotta do.

[TGC> The Games Collector]

I don't really see how gaming would get in the way to do anything.

I mean, anything else comes up, just pause the game, quit the game, or simply don't start it in the first place. I guess it's just not that high of a priority for me.

I suppose the whole singleplayer experience is a lot easier to manage.
Being stuck in an MMO clan, for instance, kind of feels like a chore to me, and with all the events and stuff and terminally online members, it's kind of expected to sink too much time into it in comparison.

[xDDD]

Originally posted by mai72:

I was thinking about quitting because I just play too much. I looked at my game time on State of Decay 2 and it sits at nearly 700 hours. The thing is I don't play much when I have work, but when I'm off work this is all I do. I'll game for hours upon hours. I am also not happy where I am at, and would like to make a drastic change in life. I don't like my current job. Its a very unrewarding low skill job. I live in a decent apartment, but I'm also alone. I drive a crappy old (2005) Hyundai. Its a clean car though. Reliable. I'd like to go back to SE Asia (Thailand, or Vietnam) and live. There are so many things that I want to do but gaming seems to get in t he way. Oh, I also want to hit the gym hard. Get into the best shape possible.

OTOH, I do love gaming. there is something about being immersed in a game with good graphics, and a good story. The Last of Us on PC was an awesome experience. But, I've tried moderation. It kinda works, but I've noticed that whenever I start to feel stressed I will go back to gaming. Its such a great stress reliever, but the consequence is I am just putting important stuff off until it becomes an issue.

Anyway, what should I do? Do you still play video games? How many hours a day, week do you game? Are you able to moderate your game time, or do you play too much. Have you thought about quitting as well? Have you quit for a period in your life, or all together and did your life vastly improve? I'm just looking for suggestions. Thanks...

Sounds like you have a lot of improvement that you need to do in life, so quitting video games would be a great idea! Might be a good time to pick up another hobby, like maybe running or hiking or going to the gym.

Or at the very least limit and regulate your time playing. This may be an easier choice but also it would be easy to relapse and want to play all day every day again. You did note that you tried moderation and it didn't quite work, though.

Yeah to reiterate you should find another hobby or interest. Actually it might be a good idea to look for one and once you've decided take the plunge to quit video gaming and dive into that hobby.