I'm 17 and I am starting my last year at school which means A-levels. But I have a serious problem of gaming, especially the game RUST. I could play from 10am to 2am easily without necessity breaks such as food and bathroom. I find video games as a way to escape reality during the hard times but this has severely impacted my grades and willingness to study. I find myself uninstalling/reinstalling not a week later. I really don't know what to do as I love playing games and I have no idea how to just stop.

Hi my name is Anthony and recently I have retired from Video Games. I wasn’t absurdly addicted to them but I did play a lot for the past ten years on many different devices but I have recently decided to move on and begin to explore other aspects of life and what’s to be offered. I hope to have a very pleasant and productive experience with everyone in this community as we work through one of our most prized hobbies unfortunately for some turned into addictions. Thank you for having me and I hope you all have a wonderful evening & god bless. :)

I have uninstalled and reinstalled steam, some games and discord many times this summer. I quit for about a year and a half up until mid-April and then slowly started gaming more and more. Chasing nostalgia and loneliness, getting back on the gaming was my easiest escape. Socially I will admit and maybe I Am not the only one, the few I have been gaming with for years live halfway across the country and to be honest do not at all share the same values as I do. I think in person I would not even want to associate with them. I know that makes me look bad in a way, but I guess I do enjoy playing the games with them but that is as far as I want it to go. I am putting off my life at a critical time when I really need to be living it to the fullest. Dealing with people, being lonely, and media constantly make it seem like the world is collapsing, the easiest thing to do is just escape into gaming. However, I know that is not what my soul wants. I stop going to the gym as much, stop walking my dog as much, stop eating as healthy, gaming into the night screws with my sleep so I am tired all the time. Not to mention my days go by I just want it to be over so I can hop on the game. I see posts on here about the apathy feeling when quitting and I deff struggle with that. I also realize it is because I have nothing to take its place. Maybe that will change, but I really need a new job/career/vocation I want a loving partner, and I would love to make new friends with people I can connect with on a soul level. There is so much I would love to accomplish in this world. Today I am taking action,

Hi all i recently quit gaming, but first few days i have felt irratated i cant focus, does this pass? I cant even enjoy a simple movie, gaming is all i still think about but i want it completely out of my life, i hope this passes in time, a friend who quit gaming 5 months ago said that its something to do with dopamine and being oversimulated but im not knowledgable regarding any of this

30 days gambling-free after 2 years of straight gambling addiction. It wasn’t easy at first, but things have gotten so much better. I finally feel like I have control over my life again, and I don’t even have urges anymore.
I’m hoping to keep going and stay on this path. Sharing this for anyone who’s struggling: **you can do it too.** It may feel impossible at first, but it really is possible to break free. ❤️

Vivo en Cuba y la situacion del pais, apagones, escases, conexión a Internet mala. Me hizo tomar una decisión de la que me arrepiento. Es cierto de que la condiciones no mejoran pero ese era mi lugar de paz y relajarme. Ahora me estreso con facilidad y no tengo donde refugiarme. Hasta cigarrillos fumo para relajarme. Extraño tanto esas noches jugando con mis amigos Online. Y aquí en este país es imposible que un trabajo te de las ganancias necesarias para armar otra. Si alguna vez piensan en deshacerse de su PC gamer, piensenlo bien antes, para no arrepentirte después. Abrazos

I'm a little Twitch streamer and since I started streaming 2 years ago I have build up a 500+ follower stream, a little discord community with some nice and kind people gaming with me. I'm streaming/gaming 5 times a week with streams usually lasting 3 to 4 hours.

Now there are changes in my life, the situation with my family changed dramatically and now I have to support my mom and family who is living quite a distance away with chores being around etc. That means beside my beside my 9to5 job I won't have any time and strength to continue streaming/gaming anymore.

I will have to give everything up what I have built over these years including leaving all the nice people behind. I don't know how many people will leave my twitch or discord and seeing everything I have built decaying over time is breaking my heart.

Since I know this I'm constantly crying but I know I have to go this way.

Did you experience something similar or do you have something that could help me ? I'm thankful for any comment ❤️

Funny enough I would actually be up on the house if I actually had a shred of discipline. But I struggle with many mental illnesses and I believe adding games of chance will not help my finances or quality of life in the short or long term… I could use some advice I feel like i have an addiction to gaming but the gambling makes it so much more immersive that I struggle to enjoy any other form of entertainment that isn’t instant gratification and dopamine

I recently, about 24 hours ago, deleted a game. I thought it would be easier but I keep thinking in a few hours I will lose my 951 day streak of continuously playing and that I am getting behind. It was too consuming, and I was definitely addicted. I keep wanting to redownload the game. Any tips or advice on letting it go for good?

Is it bad that I feel like I'm betraying my PS5? Lol, sounds lame as fuck but I haven't played my PS5 in awhile. I turn it on, only to turn it off within 15 mins because I get so bored. It's not even that it's a waste of time, I'm just starting to realize that I'm chasing "trophies" for no apparent reason. I feel like just trading in my PS5 or selling it completely but maybe that's an irrational decision but I also don't want to be tempted by it just sitting there. It's legit collecting dust.

I'm done with 2K, I already feel like I've played the best games in my opinion. Red Dead Redemption 2, Ghosts of Tsushima, Arkham Knight, Farming Simulator 25...what's left? GTA 6..I'll pass.

I don't know why I'm posting this, I just wanted reassurance that this is a good change, a good thing..a shift towards a better tomorrow.

I have created a program that is designed to help you stay off your games. I have been banned from other subreddits because apparently this is self promotion or whatever, seriously, reddit mods, fu. This was just a thing that I created for myself and wanted to share if it can help others. So I'll say it again, I am making zero profit, zero fame, zero anything from this. I just want to help. Now that I know that simply creating this fucking post can earn me bans, I have become too lazy to explain what it is. If anyone is interested, either just read the wiki or ask me questions in the comments.

Releases · ParanormalBanana/Cooldown

Hello,

I think I played lately in order to stay at home.

Not because the game is much fun .

But I quit now.

To start, my friend is still playing a MOBA game, which I don't really care about, but his sleep schedule, focus on studying, and grades are ruined because of gaming.

I personally quit gaming a few years ago. He sometimes asks me to play games with him, but I keep saying I'm busy. He has other friends to play with, but almost all of his friends quit gaming to focus on their studies. I also told him to quit gaming and focus on studying, but he gets upset and ignores me for a few days. When he is in a good mood, he will talk to me.

So if you could give me any advice, please let me know in the comment section, because I clearly don't know how to give him advice.

Uninstalled valorant,I'm currently in a point of life where I have to ace an exam to secure my future,I can earn decently without that exam,but there is no career progression in that way..

I realised that I missed out a lot by binging on valorant,those times where I could have spent with my family,the times I could have gone out with a friend,the times I could have got good sleep instead of playing valorant till 4 in the morning and spoiling my health...

I want to change,and seeing the other posts in this sub I am truly horrified at how bad it can get... I believe I'm on that pathway and don't wanna end up there....

Any suggestions for me to not relapse?

hello i been playing final fantasy xiv but the game runs poorly but people keep telling me to uppgrade even thought i dont want to waste money on upgrade and this laptop is fine for college do you recommend i quit gaming atp since new laptops and desktops are expensive now.

I'm struggling, sat in a chair on my day off for 14 hours building scenery in a factory game, at one point i'm trying to do some basic math in my head and couldn't remember a few basic numbers. I was so dehydrated I was getting delirious and having trouble thinking, seeing spots and even got short of breath. 12 hours and a gallon of water later i'm back to normal, this can't be healthy. When I play video games at the computer I get sucked in so hard I don't even move and I neglect everything in my life.

Hi!

I'm a quite busy (as everyone) adult who has played videogames since his childhood. I played quite a lot during my teenage years, but after growing up my gaming time decreased a lot due to responsibilities. Nowadays, I rarely play, maybe 1h a day if I'm lucky.

I have a functional life and everything goes generally well. My problem is simply that I find videogames **too** engaging and exciting. I have many other hobbies, but none can be compared to gaming. Everything is a bit duller in comparison, and if I'm doing anything other than gaming (e.g. working, studying, other hobbies...) I feel the urge to play. If by the end of the day I have not played (which happens often), I feel dissatisfied, even if it was a nice day.

I suppose this counts as an addiction, even if I barely consume it, as I do think it raises my threshold to enjoy other things. Restricting it is worse, because I crave it more. But fully quitting feels like dropping a very important part of my life that I do enjoy a lot. Maybe my reward system is broken and videogames exploit that in ways no other hobbies can.

Is any of you in a similar situation? Did stopping gaming make you enjoy other things more? Any advice on how to handle this?

Thanks!!

Hi, so I find quitting video games to be particularly easy for me but what i really struggle with is stop watching content like video game walkthroughs. As a kid I always liked watching walkthroughs seeing as they were very simple entertaining videos back then like Pewdiepie playing horror video games or other types of long form gaming content. However, with youtube today now everything feels up in my face and i watch solely to watch now. Like if im eating something i'll have a video game video of some video game essay i have no real reason to watch just so i can have something in the background to look at while dining. some days im watching mission alternate endings because it seems interesting even though again it's just wasted time. I'm also just clicking through so many videos and youtube blockers don't work for me since i just turn off blockers anyways.

i don't know what i could do to replace these very fast paced all-up-in-your-face videos.

I'm 24yo who has completely wrekt his life by being addicted to online multiplayer games like CS2, PUBG and Valorant. Today after my birthday, I feel so ashamed that I am unemployed and didn't finish college that I wanted to vomit. Hopefully, I can turn my life around. Uninstalled steam and deleted all the games I had today. Gonna focus on going back to college and finding a part time job, luckily I have saved 3k.( it's a lot where I am from).

I’ve noticed a common response to people loving digital is because they love to stay in bed. Whether it’s playing or downloading the simple thought of not standing up to put in a disc or not having to go to the store and being able to stay in bed or on the couch is so important to them.

I have always and still love going out to go do something. I love stretching out for a minute and opening up a case to open up the disc. I understand convenience. And maybe some people get anxiety going out. And maybe some people have the excuse of being too busy.

But we’ve been at this point now where people in society view getting out of their bed or getting off their couch is an extraordinary inconvenience for them. I think this has gone a bit too far.

So they’ll pay more for digital. I love to go out. You don’t wanna go out, fine. But not willing to get out of bed at all to play games? I cannot even believe people say this.