[sleepyandlazy]

In increasing digital world, where do you draw the line between a healthy hobby versus an addiction? From the article, it seems like you would like to stop people from video games altogether versus curtailing their addiction to healthier levels. Organizations such as MADD have faced similar problems where they started as a way to rehabilitate people, but turned into organizations with an extremist agenda.

[matwood]

Years ago I stopped all online gaming. I had a huge problem with DAoC (and some WoW, but nothing close to the same level) in particular for quite a few years. I regret the time I wasted in that game, and other personal issues it led to. When I talk to smokers, they remember their last cigarette the way I remember signing off and giving my accounts to a friend.

It helps to turn that energy into something else. I took that drive and turned it towards exercising, reading and working. Best thing I ever did.

[zeta0134]

I played WoW for exactly one month, back when... I think Wrath of the Lich King or something? When that was new, and they'd just revamped all the starter areas. I got my character all the way up to level 60, bought the next expansion, then let my subscription lapse for a week. And... during that one week, it dawned on me just how much free time I had. Free time that, when WoW was available, would have by default been playing WoW.

I stopped immediately, and haven't looked back. I really enjoy single player games, but something about WoW's core loop just... pulled me in. I couldn't do it in moderation.

[matwood]

I still play a single player game here and there. I'm so far behind in games that the free ones that come out on PSPlus are typically new to me. I need to be able to play for 30 minutes and then move on if needed be. Multiplayer/MMOs just do not work that way. And, if people you know play then it becomes this loop of playing together to get better and never really stopping.

[camerondare]

Glad you're doing well! :) Would be happy to share your story on the website if you feel inclined to share: http://gamequitters.com/submit

[blfr]

Unrelated to OP but I ditched computer games and do think that there is no healthy level. It's a lot like marijuana today. We're way past pong and some ditch weed. These are very potent products engineered to flood your senses and highly addictive.

I'm giving the creators here the benefit of the doubt that this is just a side effect of trying to create great experiences for their users. Not so with casual free2play games which are clearly designed to drain your wallet.

Either way, they don't really enrich your life, except for a handful of indie productions they're not art like movies, they're the equivalent of capeshit but designed to make you watch it over and over again. I would like the ten thousand hours spent playing Counter-Strike back now.

[honkycat]

> Unrelated to OP but I ditched computer games and do think that there is no healthy level.

As a person who loves both video games and marijuana, I disagree with you. But, I think there is a lot of wisdom in what you say.

Modern video games put a lot of work into making the same parts of your brain light up that gambling does, and we have discovered that you don't need a real material reward to get people addicted.

Some people are vulnerable to this type of manipulation. I find video games, and gambling, extremely tedious for the same reasons.

I mostly stick to the tiny indie stuff.

> It's a lot like marijuana today. We're way past pong and some ditch weed. These are very potent products engineered to flood your senses and highly addictive.

I live in Oregon where weed is legal and things are regulated. They say how much THC and CBD are contained in the product and you can choose what product you want and how stimulated you want to be. Personally I like a high CBD strain that will mellow me out.

But, I resent the whole "smoking marijuana is a moral failing" narrative. I've got a great life and work hard. I choose to smoke weed. It's not a big deal.

Some people choose to drink alcohol which is possibly responsible for 5% of deaths worldwide, but nobody is calling for the outright banning of alcohol.

Also, not sure where this information is coming from, but I encourage you to do some additional research and re-evaluate your position on weed. It's the same THC and CBD it has always been, but in higher quantities. And people have discovered after a certain point the drug is too intense and aim for a lower THC %, sort of like the difference between spirits and beer.

> I would like the ten thousand hours spent playing Counter-Strike back now.

Yeah that is a LOT of time playing a video game. I consider myself an intense video-game player and I do not think I have ever played a game for that many hours.

[sgarman]

I don't think you can be so black and white about it. Too much of anything is probably bad for you. If you replaced counter-strike with chess or golf or model trains would you feel the same? I think the answer is the same for all of these categories and I'm wondering if you feel differently why.

Obviously some games really are insidious; I don't think it's fair for that to dictate an entire genre of activities.

[blfr]

No, I don't feel the same way about chess, golf, or model trains for the same reason I don't feel the same way about "classic" weed and pong: they haven't been honed on an industrial scale to make them extremely appealing.

Obviously, all activities evolve and change over time but these are more like your grandma's pie recipe versus industrially optimized Lays with a hundred million dollar ad campaign to make sure you'll appreciate all the hard work put in by the chemists. One you can do in moderation, and it's self-moderating, the other you're better off just avoiding.

[ghostly_s]

> It's a lot like marijuana today. We're way past pong and some ditch weed. These are very potent products engineered to flood your senses and highly addictive.

Lol what? Marijuana is not addictive. Also, a variety of low-potency products are now readily available to address your grievance in states where the market has been legalized. ;)

[otachack]

Not all video games have to be a drain of time/money.

I've been playing Subnautica and it's a great way to just escape and dive into a exploratory virtual journey. There are no microtransactions and there's an endgame to work toward.

It has cut into my reading time but I don't mind too much. Before this game, I was playing PubG and that game was just stressful and definitely Counterstrike-like in terms of competitiveness. I only played with a friend and it was fun to have the social interaction but after awhile it just got old. The new map freshened things up but it severely lowered my patience level to the point where it's hard to play a more laid back genre due to the quick turn around.

Anyways, my point is that not all games are the same. If you want to dabble in the hobby you can easily avoid the games that are built to keep you coming back. Or just cut them off completely and pick up another hobby.

[soared]

I think <1 hr per day is healthy. That is no different than the majority of americans who watch a tv show or two every night. Video games can definitely enrich your life by providing a way to unwind (physically or mentally) that is still mildly engaging.

Outside of engaging, I learned invaluable life skills through mmorpgs as a child. I never got addicted, but it instilled the ability to research, plan, and withhold short term gains in favor of long terms gains. Plus I learned how markets function, how to avoid scams, the benefit of teamwork / friend groups, etc.

It also led me to create my first website and forum, which was undoubtedly the first stepping stone for my entire career.

[camerondare]

The difference between a passion and an addiction begins with the negative impact (the thing) is having in your life. The World Health Organization has an official criteria for a "Gaming Disorder" which you can find here: http://who.int/features/qa/gaming-disorder/en

If someone is gaming and their life is fine, then it's no problem, but if they are failing school, dropping out of college, struggling to keep a job, or getting divorced, amongst other negative factors, then it's something they should be able to seek professional help for, and removing gaming for a 90 day period (what I personally recommend) has been shown to help immensely as a 'reset'.