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Originally Posted by Remiel  Let me ask you this DayInTheLife. What do you do for fun? When video games are simply a way to have fun then there is no difference between them, TV, movies, books, football, or any other form of fun. Even those things can control our lives. |
When it is an addiction it is not simply a way to have fun. It is a way to escape and defer responsibility. It's a way to avoid improving yourself and your life. There are distinct differences between various forms of 'fun.' These days if I am looking to entertain myself I will read, play guitar, study French, visit a friend, play sports, work out, maybe get a movie, if there is one I have been wanting to see. I like to pick leisure activities that make me better at something. If it's something that is done purely for gratification (with no education or health benefits) I try to limit the amount of time I spend on it. A movie only takes two hours, and I don't watch TV anymore. I just flatly refuse to burn my short life away with activities that give me nothing back that I can use.
See, responsibility brings me the things I want in life. So if I feel bored, I do something on my to do list. I used to look for something easy and fun, but that's just running
away from the things I want in life, because it's running away from my responsibilities.
If I get all my to-do list done, I feel free to do whatever I want, but I no longer
want to do something sedentary like video games. There are better rewards.
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The reason I don't is I ask myself if I do this here and now with games (i.e. let them play me instead of me playing them) what else in life will be the same type of problem?
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You just have to be aware when a behavior becomes addictive. When it is something you think of every time you meet adversity, it may be an addiction. So if you quit video games, decide what you will do instead when you have the urge to play. Pick a healthy activity and make it your new habit.
My issue with video games in particular was that they took huge amounts of time I could have spent on something more productive, and I had trouble stopping at a reasonable time. There were no skills to gain, no insight to achieve, nothing rewarding about it. It's just safe, easy and gratifying, and I deserve better. It's all about developing the sense of responsibility to care for yourself, instead of escaping yourself.
Take care.