Why I Stopped Playing Video Games — Should You?
Take a moment to evaluate your relationship with gaming — is it more healthy or harmful?
I used to be a complete video game addict. As a 10-year-old, I would wake up and play from 7:30 am to 12 pm, have a quick lunch, then go back and game until 4 pm. Then I would lie to my mother’s face by telling her that I hadn’t played any games all day — so that she would give me the approval to play for another couple of hours.
I give this anecdote just to say that I’m not a stranger to video games. I’m not brutally criticizing them, despite never truly giving them a go, like some people.
But I gave it more than ‘just a go.’ I was seriously addicted.
Now, I’d call myself a video game addict survivor. That might sound a bit melodramatic, but I was definitely pulled way too deep into the video game black hole.
So why did I stop playing video games?
Please note that these are reasons why I personally stopped playing. I’m not saying that you should stop because of these specific reasons.
I’m just here to share some factors that you might want to consider to ensure your relationship with video games is considered more healthy than harmful.
For reference, by ‘video games’ here I’m not talking about the small mini-games on your phone — more so the role-playing (MMORPG) games, or games that take have tons of stuff to do in them and can really suck you in, e.g Pokemon on Nintendo, Minecraft, World of Warcraft.
Too Much Commitment
The time investment for video games now is just too much for me to accept, knowing that I’ve got a plethora of other (arguably) better things to do.
Have you ever considered the fact that nowadays the baseline skill required for most games is insanely higher than it was before? I remember my parents telling me about the good old ‘back in my day’ stories where they would play some basic Super Mario. And I mean VERY basic. You just hit a few buttons, and jumped — that was it.
Nowadays, the most popular games are often the ones that are extremely well-developed and sophisticated. It almost becomes a necessity to spend countless hours trying to master the game. The possibilities are endless with many time-consuming games, e.g World of Warcraft.
And this is part of the problem: a lot of games force you to commit to a lot of hours, before, or so that, they become enjoyable.
As a person that easily becomes obsessed with what I do and like, here was my train of thought that finally put me off these types of video games:
- I have to commit a lot of hours to this thing before it becomes enjoyable
- Even if I kind of enjoy it already, I’m going to put in way more hours down the line to keep the ‘enjoyment momentum’
- But I don’t have that much free time anymore
- That’s because I have a lot of responsibilities and commitments to attend to
- So I don’t think it’s worth playing them anymore
- Since I value spending my time on other activities more
I guess this requires you to dive into the question of “What do you truly value?” and “Where is your time best spent?” As I age and mature, the phrase ‘time is money’ truly begins to have interests in things like video games wanes. I can find enjoyment in other things that don’t involve gaming — like practicing the clarinet, reading, or writing on Medium.
I value my time, and for me, excessive amounts of time spent gaming is not a good use of it.
All Or Nothing
I know there is a very obvious counterargument to the point I’ve just made about video games having too much of a time commitment for the barrier entry and continual enjoyment.
I can already hear some of my friends debating me: “You don’t have to play that much to be decent. You can still enjoy video games by playing less frequently, and for less time.”
But personally, I’m an ‘All or Nothing’ kind of guy. I take things to the extreme, and I used to do the same with video games. It’s not just the nature of video games that’s the problem — it’s in part my flawed extremist tendencies.
You know about the Pomodoro Technique for getting work done, right? 25 minutes on, 5 off. Optional repeat.
Ever tried applying that to video games? Well, here’s what happens to me:
- Booting up my PC and loading up the game might take 2–3 minutes
- Getting my friends online might take up to 5–10 minutes
- Thinking about what exactly I’m going to do in the game might take a few minutes
Voila! I’ve already spent up half of my 25-minute gaming block! And even if none of that ever happened, 25 minutes is seldom enough. I’d almost certainly want to play more. So I would continue playing, and drag myself down the rabbit hole where “just 10 more minutes” becomes another hour, and another, and another…
And that “5 minutes off” thing? Good luck getting me away from the screen when I’m fully immersed in a game.
You might have the self-control to be able to stop. If you do, that’s great.
If you don’t, seriously consider this point. You might be an extremist, like me. Nothing wrong with that inherently — you just have to be conscious of it and make the right choices accordingly.
As for myself, I’d prefer not to test my willpower with regard to gaming now.
Rage and Unhealthy Attachment
When the connection between my unhealthy obsession and attachment to certain video games and my moody temperament hit me, I realised I needed to stop.
I’m sure now I’m older and more mature than I was as an addicted, impulsive 10–12-year-old. But a few years ago, I quit playing after I observed how, because I was so obsessed with them, my mood was being regulated by outcomes in the games.
Sometimes, I would go to bed with the images of the game ingrained into my mind. I would sleep pondering what I did that day in the game, and what I would do the next time I logged on. Even my dreams were filled with some Pokemon or Minecraft content. Hell, I would be in school and be thinking about what I would play when I got back home.
When I became this attached to the game, my happiness and life satisfaction was seriously dictated by the results of what happened in it.
If I hit that new level or got that new item, I’d be happy. I’d literally eat my vegetables and finish my dinner if that was the case (not even joking here).
If I didn’t, then I’d be a grumpy little sod and only finish a quarter of my plate.
I quit because I didn’t want to let my mood fluctuate according to my gaming results, nor let my rage out on my family members (if you’re reading this Mum, Dad, brother, sorry, but thanks for putting up with my gaming fits).
As I said, I’m probably fine now ( I think…), but this has got to be one of the biggest reasons I stopped playing video games years ago.
Should You Keep Playing?
I recognise that video games cannot be categorised simply into black-and-white categories of being solely ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for you. This is merely my perspective, shaped by my personal experiences, on this controversial matter.
For the avid gamers out there, here are some guidelines that I think would give you decent justification to continue playing video games — without it negatively impacting your life:
- If you have self-control to stop whenever, or when you said you were going to
- If you don’t play for excessively long durations
- If you don’t feel bad about playing so much because you think your time could be spent better elsewhere
- If you don’t become unhealthily, obsessively attached to the game so that your mood and emotions fluctuate with it
… Then congrats! You are probably relatively ‘fit to play’!
(Of course, this is not a comprehensive list of guidelines… but it’s a rough one that if you meet, at least proves that you’re better suited to play video games than me!)
What’s Your Relationship With Gaming?
The most important thing is to be honest when you evaluate whether or not you should be playing video games. I get that it might be tough to let go of something you might be addicted to. That’s what I felt at first — denial.
But honest reflection and introspection are necessary. Video games aren’t inherently evil — but they have the potential to have toxic effects on your psyche and life. This may, or may not be, the case with your relationship with video games.
I was honest with you here, so I hope you can be honest with yourself.
What’s your relationship with video games like? Is it more healthy or harmful?
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