How to stop playing video games?

College Confidential Community
1

<p>So. I have a really, really bad gaming problem, and I should really quit before I enter college lest I be seen as "that freaky kid who spends all his time in his room playing computer games," or end up dropping out of school due to poor grades. How should I go about doing so?</p>

<p>For context, I spend about two-thirds of my spare time playing the game, reading spoilers, reading game forums, looking through the source code, watching people play online, talking about the game on IRC, playing variants of the game, or doing other game-related things. Today and yesterday I literally have not moved from my computer once, except to get food, go to the bathroom, or chase away the dog. I'm out of town and theoretically on vacation right now, but I find the game far more interesting than visiting museums or seeing Broadway shows with my extended family. Basically, I've stayed home while they went out to do "normal" stuff.</p>

<p>My academic performance has declined noticeably since I discovered the game. I failed my independent-study math class last year because I was too busy playing the game to be bothered with completing the assignments on time. I could have easily gotten an A in that class. I still got As in school, which had stricter deadlines, but I would literally wait until the week before the test to read nine weeks' worth of material, then frantically cram it all into my head. The game is the reason that if you asked me to diagonalize a matrix or perform Gram-Schmidt decomposition, I wouldn't be able to do it today.</p>

<p>I don't want to be that person in college. I don't want to be that kid who flunks out from not studying enough, or doesn't have any friends because he prefers video games to human company.</p>

<p>But really, I love the game. Whenever I try to quit, I always end up wondering why I'm depriving myself of the pleasure of experiencing the best game I've ever played. The game has no monthly fee, and playing it in moderation hurts no one. It's a hobby. It's something I do for fun. And it (at least partially) defines my interests. Quitting the game entirely seems like masochism, almost like a "you like this too much, and you're not supposed to be happy, so stop doing it" sort of thing...why should happiness be frowned upon? I always end up talking myself into coming back to the game somehow.</p>

<p>Besides, some of it's been good for me. I bought a copy of K&R and learned C so I could modify the game's source code. (The book cost $50, and was completely worth it.) The game is the reason I plan to major in computer science. I would die happy if I could create something as awesome as this game in my lifetime...Besides, playing excessively has made me realize that not all joys in life come from academic success...winning the game for the first time made me about as happy as qualifying for the USPhO. So how am I supposed to quit, when I don't really want to, but have to anyway?</p>

<p>But anyhow. Thanks for reading this far, if you have. Any suggestions are truly appreciated :)</p>

2

<p>You should have a schedule. Like every Friday you can play at most 2 hours at most of video games/ computer games. You don't have to quit. Portion out your day, so you have hours devoted to going out and meeting people, studying, etc.. And you could probably squeeze in 30-45 mins of video games every day. Its a win-win situation. </p>

<p>Then you will look forward to it and enjoy it.</p>

3

<p>Just curious. What game.
If it is a computer game, delete it from your computer, and break the cd.
If it is a console game, take a hammer and smash it</p>

4

<p>I used to play videogames a lot in high school to evade my responsibilities. Now that I'm in college, I play way less. Today, I forced myself to play San Andreas on PC and I quit after two minutes. I feel guilty when I play videogames; I could study instead.</p>

5

<p>BIGTWIX: The unfortunate part is the game is free and available online, so the two times I've tried to delete it from my harddrive, I just ended up redownloading it. And now I've started playing it online on a public server, and only using the copy on my computer to test out obscure situations.</p>

<p>Oh, and when the game isn't available, I spend large chunks of time reading spoilers or the source code...or playing very similar but inferior games :D</p>

<p>feel<em>the</em>force: Good idea, I should try that :)</p>

6

<p>I did not read your long stupid bs posts or the other ones but im going to through my 2 cents in</p>

<p>Adults play games too you do not need to stop just learn how to balance things. Do your hmwk first before you play. You have social problems? Join a freakin video game club!</p>

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<p>Another option instead of just quiting video games, is to pick up anothe hobby, such as tennis or something that you could spend time at and practice to become good at that you can use for the rest of your life. As others have said its not required to quit video games completely, they are fun, they are entertaining, you shouldn't quit. But you also need to allow yourself to do normal activities such as homework, or exerciseor whatever it is that you may do normally. This can be attained through many different avenues, depending on the type of game, a play schedule is a very good system to use, other games like MMO's (Massively Multiplayer Online) games, have a tendensy to sneak away from a play schedule, with an MMO, the best system is just limit how many hours a week you play, it could be 12 hours one day and only 1 hour a day for the rest of the week, whatever allows you to play your game and do your normal activities and stay happy is the best solution.</p>

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<p>Oh, THOSE games? Hmmm, that's hard to do. My brother played Runescape obsessively, and he ended up screwing up his freshman year of high school (1.8 GPA or something like that) and would've been kicked out of that school had summer school not saved him. </p>

<p>If your grades start plummeting like his did, that should be a wake-up call to really do something about that problem. But we want to prevent that problem in the first place, right?</p>

<p>I second what Jacob456 said. You said you like to look at the game's source code, so why not take up programming and start making your own games for a change? That's definitely something better than sitting around playing the same game for hours and hours.</p>

<p>Oh wait, I just noticed you are taking up programming. But I still recommend trying to look at making your own games for a change.</p>

9

<p>This reminds me of an alchoholic rationalizing drinking. The story is so "perfect" I want to print it out and share it as a warning. Is it true? Sounds a lot like the concerns of a family memebr. Some can cut back, but most need to avoid alchohol and all the triggers.</p>

10

<p>Locally, Michigan State University (East Lansing) offers a degree in game design: <a href="http://dmat.msu.edu/degrees/gamespecialization.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://dmat.msu.edu/degrees/gamespecialization.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The link gives you a good idea about the program and the kind of coursework it takes to get a job in the pc/console gaming industry. For high school students, it’s recommended that you have a strong background in math, technical, and writing skills.</p>

<p>From the link: </p>

<p>“I tell my students on the first day of my game design class that just because you enjoy playing games, does not mean you will enjoy making them. Game creation is a rigorous, sometimes trying process, which also happens to be very rewarding to most.”</p>

<p>From your post, your poor study habits and grades makes you an unlikely candidate for admittance. </p>

<p>(The link has a couple of names and email addresses that you may want to contact to see if they can guide you…)</p>

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<p>Video games just sorta faded out with me, lost its interest when I entered HS. I still play Guitar Hero from time to time, though.</p>

<p>I mean, if video games give you this much pleasure, then I don't think it's best to deny it. Just find like-minded people and control your time.</p>

<p>If you want to stop, though, the best way is to find a better hobby. Immerse yourself into something different. Play an instrument or have a hobby that deals with your passions in life. If your true passions in life are, really, video games, then that's probably the best route for you. Another good way to stop playing video games, though, is to go binging on something else. Like read a really long book (or series) or watch the entire run of a television series or something. That will get your mind off of the game and onto other something else, something more short-lived.</p>

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<p>I used to play too many games, but that was freshman/sophomore year in high school. Just don't bring them to school. After I played a lot in freshman/sophomore year I just had no interest in playing. It is very self-destructive and if you are in college your life will be miserable if you just sit in all the time and play video games or talk on AIM. Just find other things to spend your time/money on like sports, concerts, girls, music, etc. You will find them much more fulfilling in the long run. It is just so easy and convient to just sit home and play video games on a friday/saturday night, I used to do that, but then you wake up the next morning wondering why exactly you did that.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
that freaky kid who spends all his time in his room playing computer game

[/quote]
</p>

<p>LOL</p>

<p>Um yeah, I discovered something. i'll keep it secret. ^_^</p>

<p>Anyways, I had a similar problem in the past. The key question is - this question - can you reliably exhaust all of the game's material such that all instances of your replaying the game would result in absolutely nothing that you would expect? I kicked my problems with computer games once I realized that (unless I get a really new game - although that hasn't happened in a while, thanks to the fact that the game industry hasn't released anything novel in years). This strategy, of course, does not work with games or things that could result in potential unexpected consequences, and sometimes it can backfire when you find a REALLY novel situation</p>

<p>Personally, I tag "addictions" with stimuli that I find extremely undesirable, which sometimes is able to kick addictions (for me, wasting time on stimuli redundancy with no potential for unexpected consequences is what I find extremely undesirable, so once I hit that point of any game, I can't stand it anymore).</p>

14

<p>Get a job. Preferably one that doesn't involve computers, and involves interacting with a lot of people for sustained periods of time. Anything that'll keep you away from idle time near a computer. Hopefully the job will 1) earn you some work experience 2) earn you some cash 3) increase your people skills 4) use up your energy so when you'll go back to your dorm/apartment you'll want to sleep, not play games. The effect good, honest work has on the physical body is invaluable in comparison to what an idle and sedentary lifestyle costs you. </p>

<p>You might even make some non-gamer friends at work who'll encourage you to see a movie or go out instead of sitting home and playing. </p>

<p>Getting a regular job also makes you accountable to someone with authority: your boss expects you to be on time and to work hard and get your job done. You won't have time to revert back to gaming or even fantasizing about gaming when you've got your manager breathing down your neck. </p>

<p>Also, having job experience looks good on resumes, whether for grad school or a post-college job. What's more impressive on a resume: saying you maintained a good job during college or saying you spent three months getting to level X on so-and-so internet game while making no friends and getting crap grades?</p>

<p>Come on. Wouldn't you rather get a job where you'll interact with a wide variety of people rather than become a pathetic loner game addict? The former even gets you some spending cash.</p>

15

<p>The problem is - the people who tend to get addicted to computer games also tend to be the people who won't find doing things normal people do to be fulfilling enough to distract themselves to such an extent that they'll quit their computer game addiction. </p>

<p>Nick Yee's research is especially interesting - people who tend to get addicted to WoW aren't particularly representative of the general 13-30 year old gamer population (although he tries to show that they are more representative than otherwise expected - there are really weird and interesting findings that seem to show otherwise)</p>

<p>There are a lot of other strategies that such people can try. I tried massive amounts of blogging, which seemed to work, kind of (unless I suddenly torrent a new game that I then happen to lose 2 weeks on - this has happened 3 times in the past 2 years).</p>

<p>The problem is that it's often a scenario where few people can help (who really know your situation). But a drastic change in environment could (although in your case, it's not as much of a change as those who don't stay over summer). But given that A LOT of people in that environment do play too many computer games, I'm not quite sure. I had potential/latent/unrealized interest in the social sciences and finally forced myself to be completely aware of lost opps through computer games once I found that interest. You might find such potential/latent/unrealized interest in your college years too.</p>

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<p>If I try to avoid doing something on my computer, I just make it less accessible. For example, I used to check facebook like 10 times a day when I first discovered it, but then I removed it from my bookmarks and now I check it maybe once every few days on average. This may not work out in your case, since you redownloaded the game soon after deleting it.</p>

<p>Another I did with computer games is that I played on private servers. It got boring quickly and I soon quitted the game. The fact that I didn't like making online friends may have helped (most are either idiots or talk about gaming too often). </p>

<p>This may not be too applicable, but if you don't want to play video games too often, don't even get started. My brother and a couple of my friends tried to get me into playing some games, but I just refuse to get started at all. I don't even bother to check it out.</p>

<p>One last thing should help you out. Set some goals and try to achieve them. I'm in a co-op program right now, and I alternate between study and work every four months. By the time I graduate, I will have held 6 jobs (5 more to go right now). This means that I need a freaking awesome resume since I have nothing valuable on it, and I need to get involved in lots of clubs and research projects to make myself stand out. The desire to achieve something REAL will surely help drive you out of your gaming habits.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
If I try to avoid doing something on my computer, I just make it less accessible. For example, I used to check facebook like 10 times a day when I first discovered it, but then I removed it from my bookmarks and now I check it maybe once every few days on average. This may not work out in your case, since you redownloaded the game soon after deleting it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It should be easily made unaccessible, and far more difficult to make accessible than unaccessible.</p>

<p>I once tried modifying the hosts file to block sites I visited too frequently. Unfortunately it failed to work since Mozilla soon came out (I think in my case Mozilla failed to consult the hosts file - this was before Firefox started to become competitive). I then deleted it (that's way too easy).</p>

<p>The thing is, you could try to make the alternate websites to download it off of inaccessible through options like hosts files (or maybe others). I once configured my pop-up killer to kill heavengames.com and talk.collegeconfidential.com. That, again, didn't work once I switched browsers (though there are now some compatible with firefox).</p>

<p>Yeah, one way I evaded my own restrictions was through the use of multiple browsers.</p>

<p>
[quote]

One last thing should help you out. Set some goals and try to achieve them. I'm in a co-op program right now, and I alternate between study and work every four months. By the time I graduate, I will have held 6 jobs (5 more to go right now). This means that I need a freaking awesome resume since I have nothing valuable on it, and I need to get involved in lots of clubs and research projects to make myself stand out. The desire to achieve something REAL will surely help drive you out of your gaming habits.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I tried that. But I then became relativistic and disillusioned with my previous goals (OMG HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE AWESOME!!11 - or so as I thought for several months). It has to be a goal that one can't easily lose track of - that one would receive public scorn if one failed out of that goal. And it would have to contain highly personal significance (sometimes that scorn is of personal significance)</p>

<p>I once started to blame all of my problems on external factors even as people told me to internalize that blame. I only started internalizing the blame after I started making pro-self-studying arguments (not just self-studying APs, which I did in the past, but full out blown college courses), and those self-studying arguments emphasize personal accountability for one's own actions, through which I finally took accountability for my own actions. That doesn't seem to be your case though.</p>

<p>==
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2932471&postcount=109%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showpost.php?p=2932471&postcount=109&lt;/a>
and maybe IM that guy :D</p>

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<p>To the OP --- you should just go 'cold turkey'; stop playing video games entirely right now. They are completely wasting your life. How many hours do you kill every week accomplishing virtually nothing on that godd*mn box? You said so yourself, you can be out doing things: improving your social life, doing something active, developing your mind, creating your own adventure, living life. I mean, imagine reading the biography that is your life. "He spent a good portion of his college years trying to beat the single player on Halo 3 as well as master the option left on Madden 200X for Xbox." Maybe you can live with that. I know I sure as hell can't.</p>

<p>Now, yes, you can play the occasional Guitar hero or what have you if you're in someone else's room, but you should be rarely playing this junk.</p>

<p>And... I hate it when people say "oh, adults play video games too you know, that makes it okay." The defensiveness you show by bringing up that rationalization proves that deep down you know how pathetic it is for a mature person to be playing video games. The better question is, do you know any adults who play video games who are 'successful' -- or who'd you consider having a beer with? Bottom line, life isn't simply 'time to kill' .... go out there and start living it. Opportunities, success, the opposite sex, adventure, FUN, isn't just going to knock on your door, you have to go out and get it yourself.</p>

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<p>And as for Gram-Schmidt Factorization, it's easy to learn in an hour or two. ^_^ Though I certainly understand your example.</p>

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<p>I play a good amount but I know when I have to stop and do my work. Just regulate your time and don't allow yourself to play too much, except for when Halo 3 comes out.</p>