Addiction, amusement, compulsion, distraction, pastime, habit, hobby, hook, infatuation, fad, fixation, obsession, passion… Is playing computer games a habit, a hook, an addiction, or something else? I remember when I lived in the UK in my 20s, it was common to class smoking as a habit, but that really downplayed
This happened just over ten years ago, when I was making a serious attempt at losing weight. I’d decided that once the clock struck midnight, I would go cold turkey and stop eating any and all junk food. It seemed like a logical enough plan. It got to about
“But in the end, it doesn't even matter” I knew someone, let’s call him ‘Al’, who was caught in a negative spiral of questioning the meaning of his own life. He never laughed with joy, and rarely even smiled. I think I finally decided to just avoid
Over the last two weeks or so, I’ve had cravings to play more games again. I think I know why, so let’s get into it. I mentioned before how I’d restricted my gaming to couch co-op games, and over the last two weeks, the gf and I
Another chain which tied me to excessive gaming was my reluctance to leave behind that which had been built up over many years. Not just online RPG characters and rare digital items, but friendships. Friendships which had lasted years. I never met most of my online gaming friends in person,
I was never successful in controlling my excessive gaming by going cold turkey. The strategy which worked best for me, was to make gradual changes. I took small steps away from gaming, as I took small steps towards RL. For example, when I was focussed on reducing my interaction with
I used to have a real problem with perceiving problems as problems. You see, the problem with seeing problems as problems is that then problems can’t be challenges. If we agree that challenges are things which can yield fun, satisfaction, and growth on completion, then what are problems? Are
When I use the term “bump in the road”, I don’t mean a relapse into excessive gaming, but rather a difficulty along a new path, which if left undealt with, could lead to a relapse. For example, a number of times when I was trying to focus more fully
Finding direction in life can be frustrating. The trouble is that every time I didn’t choose my own path, someone else chose it for me: An employer, a family member, or even my “lesser self”. By that I mean the part of me which thought it was best to
I relapsed by breaking my own rules for gaming more times than I remember. It wasn’t just once or twice, I’m talking about years of cycling in and out of excessive gaming. For example, after I finished my studies and got busy with a demanding day job, I
The first few times I tried to stop gaming, I made the classic mistake of going cold turkey, feeling miserable, and then falling back into my old habits within days. After more failed attempts, it became apparent that my goal had to be deeper. I didn’t just have to
The important word is “You”. There are computer games which can help educate and inspire. They can supply experiences which are simply out of reach for many of us in the real world, like piloting a spaceship or managing a world-class football team. Gaming can also provide invaluable mastery experience