In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized the potentially pathological nature of video-game addiction. At what point does a hobby become an addiction? Watch more videos on gaming here: ruclips.net/video/4kKfAY5aJ1s/видео.html&
@Steven Hunt it's impressive considering he was the first among his family and relatives who graduated, if you dont think so, I'd recommend researching social studies about how much social mobility actually happens
When the big guy talked about his fear that his own child would negate his time playing. That really struck home with me... I realize the support structure I have... I have a wonderful and sensible woman that I've been with for seven years. whom accepts my gaming hobby whole heartedly... never lived together.. we are now planning on moving in together in a few months and thoughts like that have crossed my mind... this has opened my eyes... I fear she will see the severity of my addiction and think less of me... or even leave me. This was a great presentation..
This video sums it up very well. In a substantial number of cases, gaming addiction can arise out of a sense of powerlessness in one's real life, and the realization of a measure of power in a fantasy life provides an irresistible draw. Often, the addiction can be removed by having the conditions of one's life change, suddenly acquiring real world power and responsibility. In such cases, the gaming addiction may suddenly decrease or may even evaporate entirely, depending on the circumstances.
It's all part of growing up. Parents wanting to provide well for their children often leads to extended adolescence. When the money runs out, or your siblings and old friends have moved on or partnered up you will have made it very difficult for yourself.
Happened to me, I was a massive addict as a kid because I lived in a remote area with no outside activities and played pretty much all the time, then when I got a girlfriend and went university I was too busy with life for games and I felt much better. I'm living at home again after uni looking for work and starting to slip into old habits, so this video was really eye opening for me
Recent studies have shown the same to be true of drug addiction too. Addiction in general is often more of a social disorder than anything else. Take a rat that's addicted to cocaine and re-introduce him to a world of rats with whom he can play and mate and suddenly he's not interested in the cocaine anymore. There's all kinds of things people can use to "escape" and often what was so liberating becomes a trap.
Yep, definitely my older brother. He's 26 and he just wakes up, get on the game, eats, shower, play game, might go to the store, smoke weed/a cig, play game, then watch tv as he lays down for bed. Do it all again the next day. No job because he's upset that he has to be child support (which isn't even that much). It started when my dad died and my mom's so nice she doesn't really bother him that much or force him to work. It's pretty sad. I just graduated from college and saving money to make a comfortable move to NYC as I work in media and I just see my big brother and it makes me sad sometimes.
@@IBBMS Encourage your brother to get into modding games. Trust me, this is where success can begin for an addict. Now all that "wasted" time will be spent learning a new skill that can be applied to real life. He is now playing "god" in a game he loves, but it requires lots of work and knowledge. It'll expand, because he's an addict, its what we do. Those thousands of hours wasted on a videogame can easily be turned into thousands of hours acquiring knowledge about some very advanced technical applications that people pay BIG money for proper skills in. 1099 himself out to a few indie devs, next thing you know, he's making his own videogame. Thats where it all begins. Your brother is addicted to an industry projected to be #1 in the entertainment industry by 2028. An industry currently 4x more profitable then Hollywood ever was, or ever will be. With games dwarfing total box office sales within 24 hours of their release. This is an addiction that can lead to something positive. Encourage your brother to push his addiction into a passion for game creation. To many shitty devs in it for the money now. Bring the addicts back to the industry. We need nerds, not geeks.
This is incredibly well done and I found it really engaging. I've been really skeptical of 'gaming addiction' for a while, but I can see especially from these videos that there's a difference between those who dedicate their lives to gaming and those who's lives are destroyed by it.
Dogs Sing you obviously don’t know what an addiction is. You can make money from from gambling and yet be a gambling addict. Gaming operates on the same psychological triggers.
@Dogs Sing Really pointless comment, not even appropriate given the context either... The more I read the comment the more I realize how unequivocally sad your life must be if that's how you think. Sucks.
Social media is created to be addictive, its called neuromarketing. For me it really helped learning about neuromarketing to recognize the traps it sets for you to fall into.
Dude after having no job for a year (because I had to wait for another medical residency interview season) I wouldnt be surprised if I was spending +8 hrs a day on youtube. I would watch so many things and I'd feel like there is nothing left for me to watch that interested me yet I would still continue to watch vids :$
I've used videogames as a form of escape due to the that my social skills are bad and I have a hard time understanding emotions since a computer doesn't express it. I gave up videogames (sold my PC/console) and now I'm trying to focus on school and developing my social skills. Going to be a long depressing journey but if I want to succeed in life it must be done.
huh, this is kind of what happened to me. I was a strange kid, asocial kid in school. At about 18 I got a job in a bar/restaurant, at 20 I was trained to bartend. I learned not only to be social, but to be good at it. One problem though was booze. I ended up trading one vice for the another. Now I am back to gaming, but not as much. Maybe 15 hours a week. Winter makes it tough to be social without large amounts of the sauce or games
You can of course get back to gaming later on, but just make sure you spend fewer hours in front of it. Play short narrative driven games like God of War, Last of Us instead of investing your time into something big like MMOs and competitive stuff. Treat gaming as a form of art to appreciate once in a while instead of using it as a means of escape from real life responsibilities. If ever you need to choose between the two, your own life should come priority and not video-games.
Gaming is a habit - like riding a bike - you won't forget it. I'm 28 and never took such drastic measures like selling my gear. I always got back into it anyway. However I cut down a lot (I know, I kept tally on it for the last 3-4 years). Started from an average of over 2.5h of gaming per day, every day, and now I'm down to less than 1h. Previous advice like playing single player games are great. You play until you finish the campaign, maybe get a few achievements here and there and that's it. MMO and multiplayer games in general are a huge black hole for your time. I can confirm it won't be a depressing journey for you, when you're not playing video games. The rules of the 'real world' are a bit harder to grasp, but they're there and it can be done. Especially for a young person. My rule of thumb is to write down all hobbies and interests, all the things I like and try them out each. Something will eventually 'stick'. You won't feel like getting back to video games. Be careful of investing too much money in your rig/a video game. That will make you want to get the most out of your money too ;)
@@sabinteodorfelea3122 it's depressing because I'm not in a relationship and I haven't finished college and I'm 26. I'm getting older and time is merciless. I do miss playing DotA 2 and L4D2 now that I gave up gaming the void that was being filled by the false accomplishments of gaming is tearing me apart. I plan to try out therapy hopefully this week to see if they can aid me some how. Btw I'm being chained down by debt and paying rent now so I won't be able to do much (join a club) until the debt is paid off.
@@InfoBinger Take little measures and you'll eventually get to where you want to be in life. Don't rush it and don't try to follow the crowd either. Keep believing in yourself, that's important.
I hope someday there will be more recognition of internet addiction as well. Not even reading or watching anything you'll remember later, but not being able to stay away from the screen.
I admit that I am addicted to gaming. Its a form of escapism to enjoy when reality hasn't been at its kindest . There's something of a satisfaction that I feel important or worthwhile in a video game. Often playing a support role and something of the backbone of a team; I felt acknowledged and recognized. A satisfaction that is extremely rare in reality. Its hard to match the sense of accomplishment when not nearly as many opportunities are plainly seen in reality as they are in a video game. In my work history; recognition is hardly alive. How quickly people are lost and forgotten about is almost sickening to me when I can remember every single player who've had some form of positive impact to my team, guild, or whatnot. But yet we can forget our co-workers with ease. How its a looming gesture that you're really not important nor crucial to a business in reality... I might sound super depressing; but its something that makes me resonate and recognize my addictions. I could believe if material circumstances and employment environments were differnet. I might've had a totally different outlook.
I was in middle school when I first started playing runescape. I was already addicted to my PlayStation games but then Runescape came out and I was on that days at a time. I had never had a boyfriend in real life but I got into a relationship on there. I was on that for nearly two years before I quit playing. I quit playing everything. And now like Idk 14 years or so later. I look back and I see wow what a fucking waste. But when you’re in that moment you just can’t think of anything else. It’s crazy how simple humans can be.
You realise how much a waste of time most MMORPGs are when you're forced to grind. For me, most games have fallen into two unplayable categories: tedious and reaction-based.
I hit the age of 6, realized this was all my family could do for me and resigned myself to playing games. I figured I couldn't do any of the things I enjoyed or wanted to enjoy in life so I played games instead. I never felt accomplished. I never felt good at anything. I still don't. I remember I just hit a point and I realized there was no escape.
Damn, can’t relate so much, now I feel like I can’t even stop gaming, yet most of the joy I got from games has dried out... I can’t do nothing in my own life.
I was an addicted gamer too, hated school and all that stereotypical stuff, got older and realized that life can be just as fun if not more then a virtual life
was a hardcore wow player for 2 years in my 20 (2005-2007 - so the good times of WoW), 12-16 hours a day was almost the daily norm ... had a weekend evening job so a lot of time free. But, i never saw it as an addiction. I simply enjoy all the content and progress we were doing with the guild while the Irl relations with friends and stuff keep me in check with reality. I always knew it will stop on it`s own at some point or when the situation imposes it. It all depends on how you start looking at it from the beginning ... if you simply enjoy it as a game, it can`t turn into insane addiction. If you substitute it for reality it can become an issue.
The Machine My parents always said I was a little more addictive with video games like my sister is with TV. When I think about it, if I didn't have parents that keep an eye on me and warned me about this, I would've been addicted long ago. Now I try to have fun while watching myself as to not fall down that trap.
It doesn't need to be a replacement for reality at the beginning for it to become an addiction, something just needs to happen where it becomes a dependency. A family member dies, a lay off, an injury. As soon as you become dependant on the games is when you start to have an issue.
@@harrow426 it may not. Depends on the individual ... but for some reason, i never thought it would go sour and it didn't, it stopped on it's own. It was 4 years after my father died, now that you mentioned it, but i guess it was to late for a ptsd type of reaction. Yes, i didn't suggest this is a rule, i simply wanted to point out it doesn't have to be a problem ... it's only reasonable to assume that More hard core players have pass over their period of gaming with no issues then becoming a story like in this docu. Location is also important as i hear this guys/girls are probably nords ... not much else to do over a certain latitude Nord.
@@bombeu addiction is a dependency man. It doesn't have to be a replacement. My addiction was the cigarette. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Do I think I can stop at any time? Also yes. I realized that became dependent on cigarettes when I was literally puking blood due to gastritis due to over smoking and yet I still insist that I want a cigarette. I started to realize that I'm becoming dependent on cigarettes. My hand would shake and my head would spin if I stop smoking for too long. You see brother my addiction is the chemical kind (nicotine) so it is easy to identify it as a dependency. Unlike the non-chemical type of addiction where people are having a hard time to admit that they are dependent on something. But trust me on this one as a former addict... Once you admit that you are dependent on something it would be much easier to stop.
from my experience playing video games all day isn't really fun, its just a way to escape from the responsibilities of real life. Like someone else said "it's when you don't enjoy playing and it feels like a chore but you still do it all day"
*it's when you don't enjoy playing and it feels like a chore but you still do it all day* it's the same for people who nit the same sweater mow the same lawn and yes even drive the same car or fuck the same girl friend don't be fooled... these are normys trying to bring you down to the same emptiness within the dark souls of men no different then how a preacher cons innocence to acquire fallowers the world you live in is a good place ruclips.net/video/XeaFrS_vWt4/видео.html boredom creeps into every ones heart you will find hundreds of games that you can dedicate hundreds of hours to for less than the price of a coffee
Pffft. I wish I could still play games. I am far too depressed and my level of anhedonia is a 10/10. I only play new PoE leagues for a few weeks if I can muster the will to even do that.
Being raised by adults saying "the world sucks but thats just how it is" is part of the reason kids run to these fantasy worlds. If we could aim to teach kids to be excited and empowered about the future and not scared or resentful of being an adult i think gaming addiction would drop steadily. Also the point that you dont enjoy a game anymore and you stop contacting those close to you is a sure fire way to end up in depression. Finally i noticed in all there stories they had to go through some major change in environment to get out of their addiction. The chicks vacation, the elf dude's step-brother leaving and him getting a GF, and the Larger guy going to a doctor to get medically diagnosed.
Back when I was in college, I'd spend every second of the day that I was out of the house just wanting to go back home and play Skyrim, or some other game that I liked at the time. And once my grades started to slip because of my lack of focus, I quit school, and I never went back either...that was over seven years ago now. Gaming addiction is every bit as destructive to a person's life as an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or sex can be, but we almost never think of it in those terms because gaming doesn't cause a direct negative effect on our bodies like those other three can have. But maybe we SHOULD start viewing it through that lens though....
Yep, can relate. I sunk 1500 hours into Nuclear Throne, in pursuit of the speedrun world record; a record that no one even cared about, in what was considered a dead game by the time I started getting close. It became a joyless compulsion by the end, when I finally gave up somewhat unwillingly (my computer died, and I refused to fix or replace it.) As much as I've enjoyed video games throughout my life, I've never understood the rise of 'gamer culture.' Gaming used to be seen as nothing more than a fun time waster, because it isn't productive in any way. . . But now it's so mainstream that other people act as enablers, and it becomes ever more difficult to enjoy playing in moderation. Some people treat their Steam play hours as a badge of honour. . . I think of those 1500 hours sunk into a single game as a regret and an embarassment.
A very mature approach to the gaming addiction. The video talks about the experience of being addict and the struggle of those that tried to leave it rather than calling all gamers addict. If you are wondering, yes, i'm a gamer. But i know really well how to create a balance on everything i do. I know when i can play a bit, and when i can not.
@@chrissre7935 TLC would love to challenge that notion. :) In all seriousness though Video Game addiction is totally a thing and I've had friends who deal with it to the point of needing medical help. However there is a real misunderstanding of what it is and how prevalent it is among the population. Depending on who you listen to it either exists in a capacity that will steal your children away from existence and simultaneously convert them into violent killers (the Fox news approach in a nutshell. Often used during mass shooting coverage.) or it doesn't exist at all and is all just fear mongering. This video was kinda refreshing in that it depicted a scenario that I personally know real people through right now.
@@Skapo Well you had to challange the ultimate mechanism of nature. Video Game addiction yes. Video games simulate inputs you would get in real life. Victory, Reward, Punishment etc. You get dopamine fix and many get hooked. If you have balanced life and you get positive inputs from different sources you wont get addicted to single thing so easily. But most people that get addicted to particular thing look for escape and thus all the dopamine they can get is from a single source. They dont have other options like sex, work, sports etc.
I grew up playing games. I didn't have a lot of friends and got picked on a lot. I fell in love with SNES and PS JRPGs. They gave me the stories and experiences I was missing in life. I played a lot, but it didn't really cause any problems. When I was in college, I got addicted to Guild Wars. Again, I was still able to function fine most of the time. When I graduated, however, I fell into gaming addiction HARD. I would wake up and log in. I would be there until I was too tired to continue. I ignored all my friends and the girlfriend I was living with. I barely ate. I moved back with my parents and felt like a total loser. It took years to get back to a point where I felt any confidence. Then I got sucked into games again and neglected friends all over again. I've been able to manage it for a while now. I remember how disappointed I felt losing whole days to gaming. I began feeling accomplishment from doing small tasks around my apartment. Fixing things, building things, cleaning. I've actually been able to play games for a few hours here and there again, and not get completely sucked in.
Video games give you an artificial sense of accomplishment. Today large publishers do everything they can to get you more invested. So you spend more time and more money. They even insert gambling like features to hook you in. Makes the mid 2000s seem like easy mode.
I think its a interresting subject though. Imagine you earn 1000 dollars from winning a race, you spent it on a bike and go on with your life. You tell someone and hes like... oh yeah good for you! nice! This guy doesnt get affected by this, you didnt leave a better world. nobody REALLY cares. but its an achievment right? Imagine winning a chess tournament, you win nothing. but you got a trophee from it right. you tell someone and hes like "oh damn, nice going bro. you smart" He doesnt REALLY care, hes impressed maybe... but it doesnt affect him... once again. Now imagine you unlocked a speedrun achievement of some game which you practiced for months, you finally got first spot down and its not going away for a long time dispite the interrest by many others to break it. your damn proud! you tell someone at work and they say "speedrun? i dont know what that is, you must be a fucking nerd for spending so much time with a game. get a life" NOW imagine, you do the same speedrun. You share it on a forum for speedrunners. and they are all amazed, you are the hero Now think to yourself, your hobby. passion. where do you share it? ofc you keep it online. people IRL dont understand, and that is where isolation starts. Thats why SO many 25/30 year olds can find themselves in this. back then it was NOT considered normal to be gaming for long times. internet acces was limited. social media wasnt a actual thing yet. So who in the end makes the difference between "Artificial accomplishment" and the real life version? thats the people who dont understand the world. You get depressed and a problem case because people simply dont understand. and you isolate them because YOU feel its real..... but whos right in the end?
@@hectorrodriguez6843 it is not just multiplayer games though. With some singleplayer games they start with the hype train, then pre-order bonuses, then season passes, then in-game shops, DLCs.
After playing wow, LoL, and TF2 for a solid 10 years of my life (13-23) I finally realized that I had a problem. When I was younger my sister and I took turns playing wow on a single laptop. I played when I got home from school until I slept, and she played from when I went to bed until the early morning like around 6AM. I used to have such a strong addiction I would wake up early and try to convince her to sleep so I could go on before school. There were many instantces where I went through withdrawl symptoms such as on family camping trips. I would bring wow magazines about the upcoming lich king expansion and reread it front to back for the entire trip. If anyone tried to talk to me or make me do something I would be very short with them and try to get the tasks done as soon as possible to get back to the magazine. I didnt do anything creative that I loved to do such as drawing or playing piano anymore because there was no time for it after spending 8-10 hours a day playing games. The best advice this gave was to just quit and see how it feels. I did the same a few years ago and have been enjoying my free time a lot more. I went through an existential crisis and added up my played time I had on all these games and it made me sick. Nearly a year and a half of my life was gone and it didnt seem possible. Creating something with your own hands is very satisfying and moving back into hobbies such as drawing and woodworking has given me a lot of joy. Reading fantasy novels before bed helps with those old desires of getting immersed into a world
Breaks my heart to see all the comments on this video that effectively say "HAHA STUPID F*CKING SNOWFLAKE JUST STOP PLAYING! IN MY DAY [etc etc]" - like, I get it, looking for empathy and humanity in the RUclips comment section is a fool's errand... But it's precisely that demonization and stigma that led to these addictions referenced in the video above - and virtually all other addictions for that matter.
I'm 35 and game addiction still haunts me even I minimized anything that looks or feels like a game. I quit gaming about 3 months ago, but it's like with cigarettes or alcohol - you can only stop, not truly be free, once you got back in the game it will start over again.
@@InfoBinger Should´ve listened to review on steam that said it is black hole for your free time and social life...and so two years passed as if you snapped your fingers.
I've been playing games since the mid 80's on and off and agree that it's a way to escape the harsh reality of life. For me the worst feeling is when you realize what you're doing is making you feel worse. One day I realized this and deleted my Warcraft character's and gave away my bank alt guild and gold, it still took a couple years for the feeling of wanting to play to go away. Everything in moderation
This is pretty Cool! Great job covering a topic old timer's like me should be aware of concerning our Hobby and the warning signs of addiction. Thanks!
Been playing games since I was 6, I am 16 now and I have no social skills and I am now an introvert. I never study for any tests and only do assignment hours before they are due, the only reason why I even watched this video is because while playing a game I got an notification on my iPad and decided to get on RUclips.
It's interesting to see how there were other issues going on for the players. The father was trying to be special and good at something, the wookie was getting an emotional connection from her non emotional boyfriend, the assassin lost his brother and used the game from school to de-stress when hew wasn't playing. I'm glad to hear they started working on those issues.
Not really. Time is limited, a lot of people already struggle with work and family balance. No way you can afford to play lots of videogames without cutting off work or family.
@Axel Drans I think what he's trying to say is if you want to actually live a fulfilling life where you actually are pursuing goals and making things better for yourself while balancing all these things out. I'm sure you do play video games, but if what you said is true you're not playing them A LOT as the guy said in his comment. The balance is only there if you either have a miniscule social/family life and/or you play games less then a few hours a day.
Just remember...you never get time back. It is gone forever. The next moment, you may not be healthy, may not have any money, or not have loved ones around. Nothing is for certain.
i mean... you can be a gamer and have a good life. social is optional .. i've been playing since i'm 3 yo in my grandma computer and never stoped playing. i still have a career and a work as a freelance. but i love videogames and i live for them. is a matter of perspective and intelligence
@Nerglers Stuff its not like that. what i mean is. ok you can be either addicted to videogames or addicted to people. right? but you can have a balanced life if you are smarth enough even if you like videogames. and play a lot
@@lepricon87 not what i mean. addiction by itself is one thing. but if you are inteligent enough to study. have socials. friends and work while you play a lot of videogames. you can do it. but in the video they are so addicted that can only play and nothing else.. i mean you don't need to stop playing but do what you need to do to have a life you would be proud of
I know it is could become problem like any addiction . But what about television? People have watched copious amounts of tv for nearly 75 years now. I don't see much wrong with 20-30 hours a week of video games. Most games are mentally stimulating, help stress, and help individuals learn team building and Co operation. I would argue that is much more beneficial than constant tv programming that is proven to be damaging psychologically.
I remember when I quit League of Legends. At the end there was no joy playing that game. If someone screw up from the team I would yell at him. If I screw up I just yelled or punched the wall next to me. Team building? Mentally stimulating activity? I don't think so.
@@MichalOcilka competitive mobas are definitely not comparable to MMORPGs like WoW described in this vid, as far as feelings go. 20 minute intense matches will obviously be toxic, but in MMO's you could spend 10 hours just chilling like a chat-room.
20 hours is fine, 30 is definitely pushing it, it might be okay depending on how much free time you have. If games are getting more than 50% of your attention of every other pursuit combined (friends, partner, family, going out, learning new skills) then it is a problem. I agree TV is worse though.
Really love how this interview was depicted in a 3D game world evironment! The only part I hate about being addicted to video games is I sometimes procrastinate too much when it comes to finishing college workloads before deadlines. I also recall spending too much of my time playing MMOs during my teen years, hindering my academic studies, but it also helped me a lot in terms of being social. As a French Canadian, it helped improve my English a lot Dialogue-heavy RPGs and Visual Novels helped as well, I'd say it's almost equivalent to reading a novel. These interviews are well done: It shows that some people can be negatively affected by too much by leisure activities, mainly video games, for how much more immersive they are. To help counter that, short single player games like Tetris really helps, or short games that do have an ending or end goal.
This resonates with me a lot, my dad had a gaming addiction to distract himself from being with my mom, which he hated. He would play World of Warcraft every single day after he got home, and on his days off he would be playing it nonstop. If we walked in and tried to talk to him, he would yell, and it would be even worse if he died while we were trying to talk to him. He would play for hours and hours and hours, wouldn't talk to us at all so we all tried to play the game too, to connect with him more. He basically made us into his own little miners, he would go to work and he said we could play the game as long as we would do his mining route in Sholazar Basin for titanium back in WotLK. We would do this for him, it seemed like he didn't even really care about us, and this lasted from late vanilla early tbc to about midway through Mists. He moved onto other games, and it wasn't until I was 16 (he started when I was around 7-8) that he realized he had a problem, and that he had been absent for the majority of our lives. Wouldn't come to any events of ours, no concerts, no sports games, nothing like that. Eventually my mother divorced him, but he cried when he realized it, and he vowed to be a better father. He hasn't gotten back to a normal life, though. He gets home from work and the immediately jumps onto Diablo 3 until he goes to sleep. He recognizes he has a problem but he thinks he's too old to fix it, since he's going into his 60s. He figures he'll be dead soon anyway, so there's no point in fixing it. It's a very sad thing, what this can do to you. It's very much real, and this video is a very nice way to open people's eyes to it.
Nicely made video, felt really objective and personal at the same time. I do play a lot of games, but mostly cus they are the easiest, most enjoyable and most affordable source of entertainment for me. Still, i can stop, and do stop, when IRL stuff is happening. ;)
The addiction behind videogames is complex and in no way simple beyond the roots of what causes it - escapism. While it isn't addictive like a drug, it becomes potentially just as bad if only because it provides you the very same thing that you desire from a drug. In other words, the games themselves aren't any more addictive than an interactive story book would be. Rather, it exacerbates the problems of your life to the point that you paralyze yourself into inaction, resulting in the problems never being fixed, and thus you maintaining a feedback loop of running away from them. The solution? My suggestion would be to focusing on what causes your misery, and triumph over it before you decide to use media as an escape. This can happen with anything - movies, books, comics, anime - anything. The only difference here is that videogames are interactive and have a social element to them, making them provide exponentially more hours of entertainment than any of the above would. As such, you need to develop your character and limit your time spent on it. Work toward solving your problems, and realize that the games ultimately produce nothing after you're done with them. They're fun for a little while, but at the end of the day, you need to realize that they're just as productive as watching paint dry, and every hour spent wasted on it is just one more hour closer to dying alone, in a world that means nothing to you simply because you can't continue playing in the other one forever.
wrong, video games improve hand-eye coordination skills, memory, reflexes, time management skills and helps you to think strategically. Lots of these are not taught in schools at all....games are a valuable training source for human beings.
@@Elite_Gamer_1337 M8 videogames could cure cancer and it still wouldn't change what I'm trying to say. If you use media to escape your problems to the point that you become 'addicted' to its consumption, the problem lays in the fact that you aren't facing up to your problems, resulting in a feedback loop of running from problems that you never solve by playing videogames to hide away. It's a flaw of character more than it is a legitimate addiction, since there are few instances of psychological loops that would resemble gambling - there are no real stakes or wins involved (unless you're buying lootboxes, which have become banned in many regions.) At best, videogames are a new way to create works of art. At worst, they're a way to exacerbate your problems by choosing to live within them, rather than to become strong and face the real issues within your life - banning videogames wouldn't solve the problem anymore than banning a fat man from eating french fries would - they'd just eat something else.
Video game addiction is real and the world is just now realizing how detrimental it can be. I quit playing video games for the most part a few years ago after I became obsessed with playing the same game day in and day out.
Gaming addiction is a serious, serious thing. But it doesn't always lead to "bad" choices in life. I, am a videogame addict. I play, on average, 8-10 hours a day. I am constantly at my PC, and constantly "playing" games. Like many gaming addicts, I have become very good at what I do, completely shattering game mechanics, predicting AIs pathing/scripting down to a fraction of a second, finding bugs, glitches, and exploits, abusing mechanics to my pleasing. This is where most older gamers and addicts lose their "thrill". This normally happens around age 27-32ish for most gaming addicts. It's not "nostalgia" or lack there of, it's lack of challenge. Your skills surpass most games. And if you are not heavily into PvP type games, fighting AI can just become boring and stale. I, personally, have found much more joy in modding/working on videogames in the past 5 years, then I have had playing them through my addiction over my entire life. I turned my addiction, into something that I'm highly passionate about. Games have become TO easy for me personally, but making them better for everyone else, gives me that excitement I'm looking for. My abilities to completely break a game apart, have allowed me to turn my work into very well elaborate detailed packs for people to enjoy. My most famous one, a mod pack called Firearms for the game 7 Days to Die. When a developer fails (not talking about TFP here, just devs in general) modders are there to pick up the slack. Like all things, addiction can cripple you at times. But if you use that addiction towards something productive and educational, it doesn't have to be a plague on your life. You love videogames BECAUSE they're an escape. This industry is now 4x more profitable then Hollywood ever has been in it's Prime. It's the 3rd largest entertainment industry on the globe. And everyone who makes games now a days, is a sellout hack, looking to make millions off of addicts. They butcher our escape, they butcher our entire worlds. They chop it apart, and sell it as DLC. They strip our characters naked, wrap them in a rag, and sell us our clothes back for 20$ a pop. They strip out events, our rewards for loyalty, and dedication, and sell it to us for pennies. It's about time, that the addicts of the industry put their addiction to good use. Can't code? No problem. Artists, concept designers, level designers, lore and script writers, voice actors, 3d modelers, photo editors, you name it, it's all involved in the production of videogames. We need good people BACK in the industry, making the games we all loved and got addicted to. But unlike the plague of praying games out there now, it's about time we return the power to the players. Make it so your mechanics promote logout time. Make it so you encourage others to go out and socialize. Back in the day, every MMORPG had meetups in most major cities. Now, goodluck trying that without looking like a creep. Games, as they are now, are designed entirely to pray on our addictions. To make MORE addicts, the wrong way. We all know that some of the top mobile games are designed by the same companies that make casino games. They are praying on us even harder, and as gaming is set to be #1 in the entertainment industry by 2028, now more then ever, we need to shine an exposing light on these shady practices, and get old school gamer addicts IN the industry, putting their passion to good use for the sake of our loving passion.
I got out of the gaming addiction when i got broke I was in high school i used up all my savings for playing online games, the withdrawal was severe to the point of im willing to polish any shoes at my school dorm's to play games again good thing no one bothered to do so, im very thankful
I was always into computers&video games, I had started at 4 on an Macintosh gifted to me from my Grandfathers friend and by 5 I was playing Age of Empires 1 on PC. Growing up I had friends, played several sports, even spoke to many girls throughout my youth whilst simultaneously being the biggest gamer I've ever met; video games were just a small part of my whole being. I liked to consider myself a "super-gamer," often bridging the gap between "nerdier" kids I played video games with and my "cooler" friends who played sports. The first time those friends&I drank was the summer going into 7th grade Middle School, and I certainly enjoyed drinking more than the rest; this 'enjoyment' would morph into many forms for me over the years. From drinking in the summer entering Middle School, to smoking pot during the first winter recess in Middle School, all the way to finally injecting heroin in Highschool and overdosing 5+ times.. a form of addiction has always followed me. Today, 5 years sober from all drugs, I'm battling an absolute addiction to computers and video games coupled with severe depression that has utterly crippled my world view and hobbies. At this point, I've likely spent over 14,600 hours on both the computer&video games in the last 5 years, every single waking second I am not sleeping or working. This is my life, I have no real life friends due to my previous heroin addiction and I'm afraid to begin any type of social life out of fear of falling into the same type of shady crowd I've always managed to fall in with. At the same time, I feel utterly hopeless with no sense of direction for my future and even less of a will to live... everyday I come closer and closer to never using a computer for leisure ever again.
If you pull the plug on gaming all at once you might have a hard time filling the newly acquired free time (which I believe is a tough side of defeating addictions). Try to pull back the amount with reasonable strategies like choosing 1 of the hours in your gaming time to do another thing and then later once you get into the habit of creating constructive spaces of time in your day; you may like to add additional time. Try to also view gaming through a new lens if possible. Try to see it as a form of art for example. I don't know exactly what time of games you enjoy but try to get acquainted with the style and art of the game and feel the mechanics and don't worry about rising to the top or being the best. Look at it from the perspective of an connoisseur. Hell I bet you understand a lot about what makes a game good or what makes a game addictive. Try to create some content and tell us your opinion about what you learned from different games. I'd love to see a fresh take on what Age of Empires 1 has done for the gaming community. You can do it. Just make a plan.
@@BeeSauced Thank you for the constructive response, I've spent a lot of time contemplating what you said the last 24 hours and decided that it is likely best to transform an hour of freetime/day into something more worthwhile. I'm beginning to look at electronics&consumer technology in general as distractions to keep people from truly being happy, doing what they actually want. Going forward, I'm going to spend an hour of each day writing a philosophical view on the effects constant connectivity&electronics are having on society as well as the individual; hopefully, if I commit to it fully, I will be able to get it published.. maybe, change the view on things for the better.
@@BeeSauced Yes, actually, things seem to be going much better.. I've decided to follow my roots and leave my atheist/agnostic beliefs behind me; partly it feels to be a calling, also 'Pascals' Wager' is influential enough. I'm committing myself to some serious change, learning a new language and likely immigrating to Israel within 2 years which, in and of itself, the goals are a driving force enough to make me feel a bit of joy and excitement for the future I've decided to make for myself. I do appreciate you keeping in touch, if RUclips still has that message feature send me a message, so, we don't have to comment back&fourth!
I had a gaming addiction back in high school, I used to escape the sometimes painful real world by living in a fantasy world, I barely graduated because of that addiction. Real life made me feel lost and broken, it still does from time to time.
I recently got back into Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, and got ridiculously addicted. When you're addicted like this, nothing else in the world seems to matter. Yet after playing for 5 hours straight, you're not exactly happy because you know you shouldn't be spending your time like this. It's tough. I think it's important to have other things going on in life, and step back every once in a while to re-examine priorities.
I've been playing video games everyday after work/school since I was 5. I'm 26 now and I can't stop. If I don't have any games to play I just don't want to do anything. I'm actually pretty miserable... Untill I win a 1v3 in For Honor.
thats a good thing, you wont have any family and soon you will die, due to lack of social aspect (depression, etc, affect your body just as smoking and other things), probably you wont live healthy (diet and excersize) aaaaand thats pretty much it, enjoy it while u can
@@Quitarstudent well I can socialise fine and I have a family so that helps. I don't smoke and I'm 6'4, 83kg so I'm pretty normal in terms of health so you really don't know shit. The video games is what gets me. I just don't feel motivated or rewarded from everday life.
I used To play Video games like battlefield, Counter Strike because I felt lonely, bored and depressed. I liked To Play with people, liked To Talk To Someone on voice chat... But I was addicted. I spent over 12 Hours a day, Even though I couldnt Keep my eyes Open and I felt Even more depressed and lonely in that Virtual World.... Nowadays I just watch letsplays and Game reviews of Games that I have Never played or wont ever play... I Tell You, alcohol addiction Is far worse. That I needed To learn When I came into my 20s...
This sounds like the life of every kid/teen I've known when I was younger. Only the rich kids got to go skiing or travel or whatever. The rest of us had fun online. I didn't consider it to be an addiction. A waste of valuable time? Yes.
"the rich kids" Stop complaining, by owning a gaming computer or a console you're already considered a "rich kid" by at least half of the population of THIS world. Get a life!
@@lulloa47 preach on, brother/sister! tell us more how his life experience is meaningless due to him not being at the extreme depths of poverty! I so await your great wisdom for the ages. We should be so lucky as to be graced by such a divine arbiter of deontology.
Probably the most accurate description of video game addiction I've seen in a while, one that doesn't have crazed newscasters or clickbait parents with "does YOUR child play Fortnite?" articles, and fear-mongering stats about violent video games.
As a Gamer for a long time I found its really something that can't be changed, even with the extreme measure. The fact that it's become part of my life, I life with these virtual characters and I think them as friends for long time and we can't be separated. So in the end Video Games is part of my life and I love them as much as myself.
Yikes, I think I needed to see this. I realise that I have shades of all three of these stories going on with me. Neglecting studies? I have perfect attendance but don't independently study as much as I would like to, because 'this is my weekend, I want to do things I enjoy'. The girl for whom the game replaced her relationship? That was me in my last one. I would be in the same house as my (now ex) boyfriend and we would just be utterly independent of one another. Neglecting my loved ones? Yeah, that was the 'wake up' moment for me. I've started viewing my current girlfriend as something that impedes on my alone-time, even if we're playing together because I want my 'me-time' with my single player stuff. I need to digest this. This shit I'm doing has to change, starting now.
I am in a weird middle ground of not having, but also having a addiction to video games. If I could, I would be doing something else. I love the idea of traveling the world and seeing exotic places. But i cant afford that in real life so i play games, i dont enjoy the games anymore. its bland, boring, i see no purpose in it. I spent 8 hours making numbers go up, what did i accomplish? I used to enjoy it alot, now i cant, but its all i can do.
Hey, I was in the same place as you, and honestly from my experience I would say begin to broaden your horizons. I unfortunately didn't see how much time I wasted until afterwards and then changed my life, but you should go for it because you can see it! Begin doing things you wouldn't normally do. Try making art, writing, reading, taking photos etc etc, to expand your mind and you'll begin to find there are so many beautiful things in life to experience besides games.
When I was a junior in college, I became so addicted to WOW that I literally would skip everything, not shower for days and not eat until extremely hungry just so I can grind on WOW non-stop. After 2 weeks of that I woke up, sat down in front of the pc and uninstalled Battlenet as quickly as I can. It was probably the best decision I made in college. Game addiction for me was an experience of excessively detaching my soul from real life. I still play almost everyday but I would never want to revisit that again.
Had a similar experience to some of this. Had the worst phases of my life being two separate instances where I spent about 6 months playing 12 hours a day and barely socializing with my family, neglecting my college classes, and being over-all broke. I ended up joining the military to give myself some accountability and use basic training as a means to force myself to stop playing for 2 months. I remember a few weeks after training, I had started gaming again, when I realized that I wasn't even enjoying any of the games. I could sit down and be bored within less than an hour. I was mainly playing out of obligation and habit. About a year later and I recently had a week of vacation where I ended up playing Assassins Creed for about 4 straight days. Honestly it felt good, since I don't have sessions like that anymore and rarely have more than an hour a day to game, but I hit a point where I actually just didn't want to play anymore, and that was so strange. I had never not wanted to game, but looking at my laptop and my Ps4 I just couldn't find any desire to use them. I felt anxious, like I was wasting time and had something to do but didn't know what. So yeah I still game now, but more than an hour or two on any given day and I quit out of boredom. With the rare exceptions of every few weekends when friends from work come over and we play league for a few hours. ;)
Where my ex-Diablo 2 junkies at? We were some crazy junkies just repeating the same grind over and over and over. It's like pulling the lever on a slot machine trying to get loot.
I find that gaming addiction hits us as youth more then as adults with families. When I was about 18-20 I was a full blown gaming addict for sure... I played 40-60hrs a week on Dark Age of Camelot. When my work suffered (I was a manager at the time) they cut my hours, and I lost internet access because I couldn't afford it... I had serious gaming withdrawl, panicky feelings of what do I do now. But now looking back I can see how silly I was, how none of that shit matters at all in real life. Im married now, and have two kids.. and im far happier now then I EVER could have been playing video games. I still play games but no where near as long, nor as demandingly... its very easy to drop games to go outside and do stuff with the kids. The addiction is gone.
I returned to a Minecraft server recently, it was an avatar type server and it was really fun in like 2014 or whenever the show was going on. It used to be full of people, but when I returned it was pretty much dead. My old base was there and was raided. There were only around 14 people there, was truly sad. Everything had died 😞
Tbh, I used to be on my pc for several hours a day and did not do anything productive but when you start getting into the real world, you start getting to know people you like etc you'll quickly loose interest in the game and realise how much of a waste of time it really is, at least it was like that for me. The world might be very dark at times but there is still alot of goodness you can get out of it, find friends a partner, enjoy the fruits that life has to offer.
Keep the Atlantic Selects coming, they're all so relatable in their own way. This video made me realize a lot of issues with my own gaming life, and I think I might give my girlfriend my whole attention this evening, instead of immediately hopping in
I met my girlfriend playing videogames and since then weve played every game we could find together. Its a lot less lonely when you have somebody to play with. But it could never replace being together physically, just a way to share our interests and spend time together when we arent there in person. If you still feel like you need to play when you're spending time with the person you love, then its not a relationship with playing videogames, its playing videogames with a relationship on the side.
What game are they talking about ? I used to be addicted to world of warcraft. What saved me was Blizzard them selves changing the game so much that it became a different game. I no longer found the draw or need to play it. And thank god for that. I stopped playing it back in 2012.
World of Warcraft would probably be the best example. The playerbase is tiny compared to the game's peak times (2006-2010 mostly) and even now the playerbase keeps dwindling. If you were to go to Stormwind City (it's a capital in the game and used to be the busiest city) today, even on the highest population servers you'd be lucky to encounter more than 5 players there. It doesn't help that the entire playerbase is spread over many more continents now either.
When you think that having a child is going to affect your playing and not the other way, that's when you're messed up and need help. I'm happy that you've turned you're life around.
I just want to say, that when I was growing up in school life was difficult for me. I hated myself, I hated my life and video games saved me. I was able to experience and learn things, meet incredible people, and look forward to something. I know video game addiction is real, but you know I just remember coming home from school and playing games. People will see that as a problem, like why didn't I get involved? Go out and do things.. Well that was hard because I had depression, anxiety. I was young and felt trapped. and had to deal with school bullies... Escaping into the video games helped me, otherwise I don't know if i'd still be here... I love video games, it stimulates my creativity, and my imagination. it's limitless there. I agree though, that your life should be balanced. I've learned to focus on myself, but never lose the things you enjoy doing. life is too short. if it makes you happy, do it
I find with any addiction you don't realise you're addicted until it's too late, you'll wake up one day and realise most of your friends have forgotten who you are, or you realise you spent more time gaming then you did with your family. You might choose your addiction over your girlfriend or going to a party. You might realise you've spent thousands of dollars on alcohol and that you've been going on nights out every weekend just to get drunk sometimes even on your own. You'll just come to a realization one day that you've made a mess of your life and you'll feel ashamed of yourself for letting your addiction get this far when think about all the progress you could've done it that time wasted, but hey we're all young and stupid once and if you're having a good time doing it more power to you, but when it starts burning away your money, time with family, social life and even work life, it's time to put the pad,bottle or cigarette down.
I really identified with the rouge character, so much of my life has been in front of a screen. I hope that I can find a line between playing and living, but if I cannot then I hope that I can quit.
Soon artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms will make game worlds that are even more engaging. In a data driven way these games will know us personally, perhaps better than our own friends and family. They could well know our current moods, deepest desires and secret fantasies. It’s not hard to imagine future games creating entire, individualized populations of characters who seem to care for us and who we come to care about more than the real, outside world that was not created by, from and for our own minds - games that could become deeply intricate, deeply intimate, gilded mind prisons
Hell I had Nintendo fever back in the 80s and 90s. But somehow I managed to get my life going and quit playing seriously when I went to medical school. After a girlfriend breakup I went back to playing but it was never the same. Thank god. Still have an Xbox one and am still single at 42, but now music production and writing books keeps me going.
This is me to a T. I broke my neck 23 years ago and used to have somewhat of a social life but started to lose it because, when all my other friends lives started moving on I was just continuing playing video games and now that's all I do and I have no GF no wife no kids and NO LIFE. And I'll die ALONE and pathetic. Unless they come out with robots like in the video game Detroit become human.
In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association recognized the potentially pathological nature of video-game addiction. At what point does a hobby become an addiction? Watch more videos on gaming here: ruclips.net/video/4kKfAY5aJ1s/видео.html&
This was a really mature way to talk about this and what it does. I was expecting a 40+ year old newscaster talking about how TV is for the devil.
Seriously it’s always “waaahhh video games are awful, they’re the devil and make them turn violent!” When in reality it’s the person themselves.
same
Me too. Video games addiction is like any other addiction.
"I was the first diagnosed with a gaming addiction, I was a winner."
Damn, well played man.
GOAT
@Steven Hunt it's impressive considering he was the first among his family and relatives who graduated, if you dont think so, I'd recommend researching social studies about how much social mobility actually happens
When the big guy talked about his fear that his own child would negate his time playing. That really struck home with me... I realize the support structure I have... I have a wonderful and sensible woman that I've been with for seven years. whom accepts my gaming hobby whole heartedly... never lived together.. we are now planning on moving in together in a few months and thoughts like that have crossed my mind... this has opened my eyes... I fear she will see the severity of my addiction and think less of me... or even leave me. This was a great presentation..
Hope you're ok!
@@a.t.1241 well if it's any correlation. We are getting married next fall and she games now too so life is good and God provides. Thank you sir!
when the wow player poured the liquor down the drain with his son someone started chopping onions in my living room
That was a strong moment.
This video sums it up very well. In a substantial number of cases, gaming addiction can arise out of a sense of powerlessness in one's real life, and the realization of a measure of power in a fantasy life provides an irresistible draw. Often, the addiction can be removed by having the conditions of one's life change, suddenly acquiring real world power and responsibility. In such cases, the gaming addiction may suddenly decrease or may even evaporate entirely, depending on the circumstances.
It's all part of growing up. Parents wanting to provide well for their children often leads to extended adolescence. When the money runs out, or your siblings and old friends have moved on or partnered up you will have made it very difficult for yourself.
Happened to me, I was a massive addict as a kid because I lived in a remote area with no outside activities and played pretty much all the time, then when I got a girlfriend and went university I was too busy with life for games and I felt much better. I'm living at home again after uni looking for work and starting to slip into old habits, so this video was really eye opening for me
Recent studies have shown the same to be true of drug addiction too. Addiction in general is often more of a social disorder than anything else. Take a rat that's addicted to cocaine and re-introduce him to a world of rats with whom he can play and mate and suddenly he's not interested in the cocaine anymore. There's all kinds of things people can use to "escape" and often what was so liberating becomes a trap.
Yep, definitely my older brother. He's 26 and he just wakes up, get on the game, eats, shower, play game, might go to the store, smoke weed/a cig, play game, then watch tv as he lays down for bed. Do it all again the next day. No job because he's upset that he has to be child support (which isn't even that much). It started when my dad died and my mom's so nice she doesn't really bother him that much or force him to work. It's pretty sad. I just graduated from college and saving money to make a comfortable move to NYC as I work in media and I just see my big brother and it makes me sad sometimes.
@@IBBMS Encourage your brother to get into modding games. Trust me, this is where success can begin for an addict. Now all that "wasted" time will be spent learning a new skill that can be applied to real life. He is now playing "god" in a game he loves, but it requires lots of work and knowledge. It'll expand, because he's an addict, its what we do. Those thousands of hours wasted on a videogame can easily be turned into thousands of hours acquiring knowledge about some very advanced technical applications that people pay BIG money for proper skills in. 1099 himself out to a few indie devs, next thing you know, he's making his own videogame.
Thats where it all begins. Your brother is addicted to an industry projected to be #1 in the entertainment industry by 2028. An industry currently 4x more profitable then Hollywood ever was, or ever will be. With games dwarfing total box office sales within 24 hours of their release. This is an addiction that can lead to something positive. Encourage your brother to push his addiction into a passion for game creation. To many shitty devs in it for the money now. Bring the addicts back to the industry. We need nerds, not geeks.
This is incredibly well done and I found it really engaging. I've been really skeptical of 'gaming addiction' for a while, but I can see especially from these videos that there's a difference between those who dedicate their lives to gaming and those who's lives are destroyed by it.
“Dedicate their lives to gaming” seems like a description of an addiction to me.
Dogs Sing you obviously don’t know what an addiction is.
You can make money from from gambling and yet be a gambling addict. Gaming operates on the same psychological triggers.
@Dogs Sing and you missed the fucking point.
This still isn't an addiction.
@Dogs Sing Really pointless comment, not even appropriate given the context either... The more I read the comment the more I realize how unequivocally sad your life must be if that's how you think. Sucks.
I'm probably addicted to youtube
Recognition is a very powerful moment. You have the choice to harness it.
I gradually lost interest in gaming and thought that I'd have more time to do important stuff. Hello, Reddit.
Social media is created to be addictive, its called neuromarketing. For me it really helped learning about neuromarketing to recognize the traps it sets for you to fall into.
Dude after having no job for a year (because I had to wait for another medical residency interview season) I wouldnt be surprised if I was spending +8 hrs a day on youtube. I would watch so many things and I'd feel like there is nothing left for me to watch that interested me yet I would still continue to watch vids :$
Welcome to the club.
I've used videogames as a form of escape due to the that my social skills are bad and I have a hard time understanding emotions since a computer doesn't express it. I gave up videogames (sold my PC/console) and now I'm trying to focus on school and developing my social skills. Going to be a long depressing journey but if I want to succeed in life it must be done.
huh, this is kind of what happened to me. I was a strange kid, asocial kid in school. At about 18 I got a job in a bar/restaurant, at 20 I was trained to bartend. I learned not only to be social, but to be good at it. One problem though was booze. I ended up trading one vice for the another. Now I am back to gaming, but not as much. Maybe 15 hours a week. Winter makes it tough to be social without large amounts of the sauce or games
You can of course get back to gaming later on, but just make sure you spend fewer hours in front of it. Play short narrative driven games like God of War, Last of Us instead of investing your time into something big like MMOs and competitive stuff. Treat gaming as a form of art to appreciate once in a while instead of using it as a means of escape from real life responsibilities. If ever you need to choose between the two, your own life should come priority and not video-games.
Gaming is a habit - like riding a bike - you won't forget it.
I'm 28 and never took such drastic measures like selling my gear. I always got back into it anyway.
However I cut down a lot (I know, I kept tally on it for the last 3-4 years). Started from an average of over 2.5h of gaming per day, every day, and now I'm down to less than 1h. Previous advice like playing single player games are great. You play until you finish the campaign, maybe get a few achievements here and there and that's it. MMO and multiplayer games in general are a huge black hole for your time.
I can confirm it won't be a depressing journey for you, when you're not playing video games. The rules of the 'real world' are a bit harder to grasp, but they're there and it can be done. Especially for a young person.
My rule of thumb is to write down all hobbies and interests, all the things I like and try them out each. Something will eventually 'stick'. You won't feel like getting back to video games.
Be careful of investing too much money in your rig/a video game. That will make you want to get the most out of your money too ;)
@@sabinteodorfelea3122 it's depressing because I'm not in a relationship and I haven't finished college and I'm 26. I'm getting older and time is merciless. I do miss playing DotA 2 and L4D2 now that I gave up gaming the void that was being filled by the false accomplishments of gaming is tearing me apart. I plan to try out therapy hopefully this week to see if they can aid me some how. Btw I'm being chained down by debt and paying rent now so I won't be able to do much (join a club) until the debt is paid off.
@@InfoBinger Take little measures and you'll eventually get to where you want to be in life. Don't rush it and don't try to follow the crowd either. Keep believing in yourself, that's important.
I hope someday there will be more recognition of internet addiction as well. Not even reading or watching anything you'll remember later, but not being able to stay away from the screen.
You are spot on there...
I admit that I am addicted to gaming. Its a form of escapism to enjoy when reality hasn't been at its kindest .
There's something of a satisfaction that I feel important or worthwhile in a video game. Often playing a support role and something of the backbone of a team; I felt acknowledged and recognized. A satisfaction that is extremely rare in reality. Its hard to match the sense of accomplishment when not nearly as many opportunities are plainly seen in reality as they are in a video game.
In my work history; recognition is hardly alive. How quickly people are lost and forgotten about is almost sickening to me when I can remember every single player who've had some form of positive impact to my team, guild, or whatnot. But yet we can forget our co-workers with ease. How its a looming gesture that you're really not important nor crucial to a business in reality...
I might sound super depressing; but its something that makes me resonate and recognize my addictions. I could believe if material circumstances and employment environments were differnet. I might've had a totally different outlook.
Thank you Atlantic for sharing this incredibly sensitive piece...
I had a runescape acc. I realized how much of a waste of time it was after I had spent hours hitting a virtual tree.
I was in middle school when I first started playing runescape. I was already addicted to my PlayStation games but then Runescape came out and I was on that days at a time. I had never had a boyfriend in real life but I got into a relationship on there. I was on that for nearly two years before I quit playing. I quit playing everything. And now like Idk 14 years or so later. I look back and I see wow what a fucking waste. But when you’re in that moment you just can’t think of anything else. It’s crazy how simple humans can be.
You realise how much a waste of time most MMORPGs are when you're forced to grind. For me, most games have fallen into two unplayable categories: tedious and reaction-based.
true but do you have a max cape? Didn't think so!
@@DUSAbruddah Max wc here, in retrospect it was a waste of time.
@@nater88dawg true.
who's the art designer? i like it a lot especially the forest and the shop
check the credits.
Boris Nawratil
I hit the age of 6, realized this was all my family could do for me and resigned myself to playing games. I figured I couldn't do any of the things I enjoyed or wanted to enjoy in life so I played games instead. I never felt accomplished. I never felt good at anything. I still don't. I remember I just hit a point and I realized there was no escape.
Damn, can’t relate so much, now I feel like I can’t even stop gaming, yet most of the joy I got from games has dried out... I can’t do nothing in my own life.
I was an addicted gamer too, hated school and all that stereotypical stuff, got older and realized that life can be just as fun if not more then a virtual life
was a hardcore wow player for 2 years in my 20 (2005-2007 - so the good times of WoW), 12-16 hours a day was almost the daily norm ... had a weekend evening job so a lot of time free. But, i never saw it as an addiction. I simply enjoy all the content and progress we were doing with the guild while the Irl relations with friends and stuff keep me in check with reality. I always knew it will stop on it`s own at some point or when the situation imposes it. It all depends on how you start looking at it from the beginning ... if you simply enjoy it as a game, it can`t turn into insane addiction. If you substitute it for reality it can become an issue.
The Machine
My parents always said I was a little more addictive with video games like my sister is with TV. When I think about it, if I didn't have parents that keep an eye on me and warned me about this, I would've been addicted long ago. Now I try to have fun while watching myself as to not fall down that trap.
It doesn't need to be a replacement for reality at the beginning for it to become an addiction, something just needs to happen where it becomes a dependency. A family member dies, a lay off, an injury. As soon as you become dependant on the games is when you start to have an issue.
@@harrow426 it may not. Depends on the individual ... but for some reason, i never thought it would go sour and it didn't, it stopped on it's own. It was 4 years after my father died, now that you mentioned it, but i guess it was to late for a ptsd type of reaction. Yes, i didn't suggest this is a rule, i simply wanted to point out it doesn't have to be a problem ... it's only reasonable to assume that More hard core players have pass over their period of gaming with no issues then becoming a story like in this docu. Location is also important as i hear this guys/girls are probably nords ... not much else to do over a certain latitude Nord.
@@kaheichan6228 good of your parents to be parenting correctly and not ignoring your bringin-up :))
@@bombeu addiction is a dependency man. It doesn't have to be a replacement. My addiction was the cigarette. Do I enjoy it? Yes. Do I think I can stop at any time? Also yes. I realized that became dependent on cigarettes when I was literally puking blood due to gastritis due to over smoking and yet I still insist that I want a cigarette. I started to realize that I'm becoming dependent on cigarettes. My hand would shake and my head would spin if I stop smoking for too long. You see brother my addiction is the chemical kind (nicotine) so it is easy to identify it as a dependency. Unlike the non-chemical type of addiction where people are having a hard time to admit that they are dependent on something. But trust me on this one as a former addict... Once you admit that you are dependent on something it would be much easier to stop.
from my experience playing video games all day isn't really fun, its just a way to escape from the responsibilities of real life. Like someone else said "it's when you don't enjoy playing and it feels like a chore but you still do it all day"
*it's when you don't enjoy playing and it feels like a chore but you still do it all day*
it's the same for people who nit the same sweater
mow the same lawn
and yes even drive the same car or fuck the same girl friend
don't be fooled... these are normys
trying to bring you down to the same emptiness within the dark souls of men
no different then how a preacher cons innocence to acquire fallowers
the world you live in is a good place
ruclips.net/video/XeaFrS_vWt4/видео.html
boredom creeps into every ones heart
you will find hundreds of games that you can dedicate hundreds of hours to
for less than the price of a coffee
Pffft. I wish I could still play games. I am far too depressed and my level of anhedonia is a 10/10. I only play new PoE leagues for a few weeks if I can muster the will to even do that.
Being raised by adults saying "the world sucks but thats just how it is" is part of the reason kids run to these fantasy worlds. If we could aim to teach kids to be excited and empowered about the future and not scared or resentful of being an adult i think gaming addiction would drop steadily.
Also the point that you dont enjoy a game anymore and you stop contacting those close to you is a sure fire way to end up in depression.
Finally i noticed in all there stories they had to go through some major change in environment to get out of their addiction. The chicks vacation, the elf dude's step-brother leaving and him getting a GF, and the Larger guy going to a doctor to get medically diagnosed.
You nailed it.
Back when I was in college, I'd spend every second of the day that I was out of the house just wanting to go back home and play Skyrim, or some other game that I liked at the time. And once my grades started to slip because of my lack of focus, I quit school, and I never went back either...that was over seven years ago now.
Gaming addiction is every bit as destructive to a person's life as an addiction to drugs, alcohol, or sex can be, but we almost never think of it in those terms because gaming doesn't cause a direct negative effect on our bodies like those other three can have. But maybe we SHOULD start viewing it through that lens though....
But how are you now man?
Bob Miller No, we shouldn’t.
What is it?, dragons?
Yep, can relate. I sunk 1500 hours into Nuclear Throne, in pursuit of the speedrun world record; a record that no one even cared about, in what was considered a dead game by the time I started getting close. It became a joyless compulsion by the end, when I finally gave up somewhat unwillingly (my computer died, and I refused to fix or replace it.)
As much as I've enjoyed video games throughout my life, I've never understood the rise of 'gamer culture.' Gaming used to be seen as nothing more than a fun time waster, because it isn't productive in any way. . . But now it's so mainstream that other people act as enablers, and it becomes ever more difficult to enjoy playing in moderation.
Some people treat their Steam play hours as a badge of honour. . . I think of those 1500 hours sunk into a single game as a regret and an embarassment.
you are a quitter, that record would have lasted forever, or at least untill the next guy broke it
@@michaelquinn8064 pretty sure it's been broken a dozen times since then, so my point still stands.
A very mature approach to the gaming addiction. The video talks about the experience of being addict and the struggle of those that tried to leave it rather than calling all gamers addict.
If you are wondering, yes, i'm a gamer. But i know really well how to create a balance on everything i do. I know when i can play a bit, and when i can not.
Really you can get addicted to any activity. The general term is process addiction.
Not really. You can't get addiction to things that don't in some way stimulate your brain for example with dopamine.
In this case for these people, it was video games. First step to recover from an addiction is to realize the source.
@@chrissre7935 yea but every person is different.
@@chrissre7935 TLC would love to challenge that notion. :)
In all seriousness though Video Game addiction is totally a thing and I've had friends who deal with it to the point of needing medical help. However there is a real misunderstanding of what it is and how prevalent it is among the population. Depending on who you listen to it either exists in a capacity that will steal your children away from existence and simultaneously convert them into violent killers (the Fox news approach in a nutshell. Often used during mass shooting coverage.) or it doesn't exist at all and is all just fear mongering. This video was kinda refreshing in that it depicted a scenario that I personally know real people through right now.
@@Skapo Well you had to challange the ultimate mechanism of nature. Video Game addiction yes. Video games simulate inputs you would get in real life. Victory, Reward, Punishment etc. You get dopamine fix and many get hooked. If you have balanced life and you get positive inputs from different sources you wont get addicted to single thing so easily. But most people that get addicted to particular thing look for escape and thus all the dopamine they can get is from a single source. They dont have other options like sex, work, sports etc.
I grew up playing games. I didn't have a lot of friends and got picked on a lot. I fell in love with SNES and PS JRPGs. They gave me the stories and experiences I was missing in life. I played a lot, but it didn't really cause any problems. When I was in college, I got addicted to Guild Wars. Again, I was still able to function fine most of the time. When I graduated, however, I fell into gaming addiction HARD. I would wake up and log in. I would be there until I was too tired to continue. I ignored all my friends and the girlfriend I was living with. I barely ate. I moved back with my parents and felt like a total loser. It took years to get back to a point where I felt any confidence. Then I got sucked into games again and neglected friends all over again. I've been able to manage it for a while now. I remember how disappointed I felt losing whole days to gaming. I began feeling accomplishment from doing small tasks around my apartment. Fixing things, building things, cleaning. I've actually been able to play games for a few hours here and there again, and not get completely sucked in.
Great job Atlantic, reminds me a lot of the series of vr chat videos by Syrmor.
The part with the dad and the son pouring the liquor was hella sad but at the same time heart warming
I played games just to escape the madness and misreable reality of our world.
Carl Johnson AYO CJ LET ME GET SOME FRIES
San Andreas is a ruff place
Escapist = looser
@@lulloa47 everyone escapes, in one way or the other
Everyone?
Seriously?
How old are you? 10?!
Video games give you an artificial sense of accomplishment. Today large publishers do everything they can to get you more invested. So you spend more time and more money. They even insert gambling like features to hook you in. Makes the mid 2000s seem like easy mode.
Just play better games
I think its a interresting subject though.
Imagine you earn 1000 dollars from winning a race, you spent it on a bike and go on with your life. You tell someone and hes like... oh yeah good for you! nice!
This guy doesnt get affected by this, you didnt leave a better world. nobody REALLY cares. but its an achievment right?
Imagine winning a chess tournament, you win nothing. but you got a trophee from it right. you tell someone and hes like "oh damn, nice going bro. you smart"
He doesnt REALLY care, hes impressed maybe... but it doesnt affect him... once again.
Now imagine you unlocked a speedrun achievement of some game which you practiced for months, you finally got first spot down and its not going away for a long time dispite the interrest by many others to break it. your damn proud! you tell someone at work and they say "speedrun? i dont know what that is, you must be a fucking nerd for spending so much time with a game. get a life"
NOW imagine, you do the same speedrun. You share it on a forum for speedrunners. and they are all amazed, you are the hero
Now think to yourself, your hobby. passion. where do you share it? ofc you keep it online. people IRL dont understand, and that is where isolation starts. Thats why SO many 25/30 year olds can find themselves in this. back then it was NOT considered normal to be gaming for long times. internet acces was limited. social media wasnt a actual thing yet.
So who in the end makes the difference between "Artificial accomplishment" and the real life version? thats the people who dont understand the world. You get depressed and a problem case because people simply dont understand. and you isolate them because YOU feel its real..... but whos right in the end?
That's why you stick with single player games.
@@hectorrodriguez6843 it is not just multiplayer games though. With some singleplayer games they start with the hype train, then pre-order bonuses, then season passes, then in-game shops, DLCs.
After playing wow, LoL, and TF2 for a solid 10 years of my life (13-23) I finally realized that I had a problem. When I was younger my sister and I took turns playing wow on a single laptop. I played when I got home from school until I slept, and she played from when I went to bed until the early morning like around 6AM. I used to have such a strong addiction I would wake up early and try to convince her to sleep so I could go on before school. There were many instantces where I went through withdrawl symptoms such as on family camping trips. I would bring wow magazines about the upcoming lich king expansion and reread it front to back for the entire trip. If anyone tried to talk to me or make me do something I would be very short with them and try to get the tasks done as soon as possible to get back to the magazine. I didnt do anything creative that I loved to do such as drawing or playing piano anymore because there was no time for it after spending 8-10 hours a day playing games.
The best advice this gave was to just quit and see how it feels. I did the same a few years ago and have been enjoying my free time a lot more. I went through an existential crisis and added up my played time I had on all these games and it made me sick. Nearly a year and a half of my life was gone and it didnt seem possible.
Creating something with your own hands is very satisfying and moving back into hobbies such as drawing and woodworking has given me a lot of joy. Reading fantasy novels before bed helps with those old desires of getting immersed into a world
"you'll realise that life sucks, welcome to reality you'll be too busy to have fun, it's just eat live die"
that's some facts
Beautiful. Just beautiful. Thank you so much for uplading such a heartfelt video on an important topic!
Breaks my heart to see all the comments on this video that effectively say "HAHA STUPID F*CKING SNOWFLAKE JUST STOP PLAYING! IN MY DAY [etc etc]" - like, I get it, looking for empathy and humanity in the RUclips comment section is a fool's errand... But it's precisely that demonization and stigma that led to these addictions referenced in the video above - and virtually all other addictions for that matter.
25 to 30 hours a week? You gotta pump up those numbers bro
ay should be like 15 hrs a day 100 hrs a week lol
23hrs a day
I was thinking the same thing. 25 to 30? Could be worse..
Rookie. I've done 80 these past 2 weeks
I'm 35 and game addiction still haunts me even I minimized anything that looks or feels like a game. I quit gaming about 3 months ago, but it's like with cigarettes or alcohol - you can only stop, not truly be free, once you got back in the game it will start over again.
The 35 year old virgin
@@InfoBinger I'm actually married, I met my wife back in the university.
My story sounds like a combo of all three of these guys. 7 years of WoW nearly ruined my life.
I've played 5 years of MapleStory and 7 years of DotA 2
@@InfoBinger Should´ve listened to review on steam that said it is black hole for your free time and social life...and so two years passed as if you snapped your fingers.
@@jhonnex3338 Yeah well I never read reviews I watched game play and the game play looked fun and as a teen all I cared about was gaming.
@@InfoBinger cant believe you spent so many time on that dota shit. Even cod would be better.
It not waste time if you enjoy it , never listen to anyone that think that good for you
I've been playing games since the mid 80's on and off and agree that it's a way to escape the harsh reality of life. For me the worst feeling is when you realize what you're doing is making you feel worse. One day I realized this and deleted my Warcraft character's and gave away my bank alt guild and gold, it still took a couple years for the feeling of wanting to play to go away. Everything in moderation
But, were they from the Horde or Alliance?
asking the real question
That's what I was wondering.
I don't think the fur girl even played WoW.
@@fahrradmittelfranken8207 Seem'd like star wars galaxies.
@@ThatsOurRobert Look'd a lot more like a wookie on tatooine to me.
Helt fantastik video. Tack för att ni gjort denna och upplyser om dessa människors beroende och deras väg ut ur det.
10/10
This is pretty Cool! Great job covering a topic old timer's like me should be aware of concerning our Hobby and the warning signs of addiction. Thanks!
wow this was actually amazingly done. wow.
Been playing games since I was 6, I am 16 now and I have no social skills and I am now an introvert. I never study for any tests and only do assignment hours before they are due, the only reason why I even watched this video is because while playing a game I got an notification on my iPad and decided to get on RUclips.
It's interesting to see how there were other issues going on for the players. The father was trying to be special and good at something, the wookie was getting an emotional connection from her non emotional boyfriend, the assassin lost his brother and used the game from school to de-stress when hew wasn't playing. I'm glad to hear they started working on those issues.
There's nothing wrong with playing a lot as long as everything else is maintained good job family hygiene etc
Not really. Time is limited, a lot of people already struggle with work and family balance. No way you can afford to play lots of videogames without cutting off work or family.
@@nathonix7072 it's on an individual basis maybe for you but not for others
@Axel Drans I think what he's trying to say is if you want to actually live a fulfilling life where you actually are pursuing goals and making things better for yourself while balancing all these things out. I'm sure you do play video games, but if what you said is true you're not playing them A LOT as the guy said in his comment. The balance is only there if you either have a miniscule social/family life and/or you play games less then a few hours a day.
@@nathonix7072 You have time to balance being on youtube so you have time to balance gaming
Just remember...you never get time back. It is gone forever. The next moment, you may not be healthy, may not have any money, or not have loved ones around. Nothing is for certain.
It horrifies me that these stories seem so vanilla compared to my own game addiction.
Any chance you’d like your share some of your comparisons?
I hope you’re doing well.
Just start programming games instead. Youll hardly ever want to play them :D
Not true for everyone.
ya Tried that... I ended up playing them TWICE AS MUCH b/c the Solo testing process takes so damned long
@@iller3 This is another good reason for modders to be praised.
You have to play it to test and debug
i mean... you can be a gamer and have a good life. social is optional .. i've been playing since i'm 3 yo in my grandma computer and never stoped playing. i still have a career and a work as a freelance. but i love videogames and i live for them. is a matter of perspective and intelligence
i agree, it comes down to the individual and their circumstances!
Why is it a matter of intelligence? Intelligent people can't get sick or addicted?
@@TheLurkerAtTheThreshold i agree. But he said:“is a matter of perspective and intelligence“. That's what my comment was about.
@Nerglers Stuff its not like that. what i mean is. ok you can be either addicted to videogames or addicted to people. right? but you can have a balanced life if you are smarth enough even if you like videogames. and play a lot
@@lepricon87 not what i mean. addiction by itself is one thing. but if you are inteligent enough to study. have socials. friends and work while you play a lot of videogames. you can do it. but in the video they are so addicted that can only play and nothing else.. i mean you don't need to stop playing but do what you need to do to have a life you would be proud of
I know it is could become problem like any addiction . But what about television? People have watched copious amounts of tv for nearly 75 years now. I don't see much wrong with 20-30 hours a week of video games. Most games are mentally stimulating, help stress, and help individuals learn team building and Co operation. I would argue that is much more beneficial than constant tv programming that is proven to be damaging psychologically.
I agree, as long as the 20-30 hours/week doesn't interfere with your love/family/social/work life.
I remember when I quit League of Legends. At the end there was no joy playing that game. If someone screw up from the team I would yell at him. If I screw up I just yelled or punched the wall next to me. Team building? Mentally stimulating activity? I don't think so.
@@MichalOcilka depends on the game. Sounds like it wasn't enjoyable for you.
@@MichalOcilka competitive mobas are definitely not comparable to MMORPGs like WoW described in this vid, as far as feelings go. 20 minute intense matches will obviously be toxic, but in MMO's you could spend 10 hours just chilling like a chat-room.
20 hours is fine, 30 is definitely pushing it, it might be okay depending on how much free time you have. If games are getting more than 50% of your attention of every other pursuit combined (friends, partner, family, going out, learning new skills) then it is a problem. I agree TV is worse though.
Really love how this interview was depicted in a 3D game world evironment! The only part I hate about being addicted to video games is I sometimes procrastinate too much when it comes to finishing college workloads before deadlines.
I also recall spending too much of my time playing MMOs during my teen years, hindering my academic studies, but it also helped me a lot in terms of being social. As a French Canadian, it helped improve my English a lot
Dialogue-heavy RPGs and Visual Novels helped as well, I'd say it's almost equivalent to reading a novel.
These interviews are well done: It shows that some people can be negatively affected by too much by leisure activities, mainly video games, for how much more immersive they are. To help counter that, short single player games like Tetris really helps, or short games that do have an ending or end goal.
This resonates with me a lot, my dad had a gaming addiction to distract himself from being with my mom, which he hated. He would play World of Warcraft every single day after he got home, and on his days off he would be playing it nonstop. If we walked in and tried to talk to him, he would yell, and it would be even worse if he died while we were trying to talk to him. He would play for hours and hours and hours, wouldn't talk to us at all so we all tried to play the game too, to connect with him more. He basically made us into his own little miners, he would go to work and he said we could play the game as long as we would do his mining route in Sholazar Basin for titanium back in WotLK. We would do this for him, it seemed like he didn't even really care about us, and this lasted from late vanilla early tbc to about midway through Mists. He moved onto other games, and it wasn't until I was 16 (he started when I was around 7-8) that he realized he had a problem, and that he had been absent for the majority of our lives. Wouldn't come to any events of ours, no concerts, no sports games, nothing like that. Eventually my mother divorced him, but he cried when he realized it, and he vowed to be a better father. He hasn't gotten back to a normal life, though. He gets home from work and the immediately jumps onto Diablo 3 until he goes to sleep. He recognizes he has a problem but he thinks he's too old to fix it, since he's going into his 60s. He figures he'll be dead soon anyway, so there's no point in fixing it. It's a very sad thing, what this can do to you. It's very much real, and this video is a very nice way to open people's eyes to it.
Nicely made video, felt really objective and personal at the same time. I do play a lot of games, but mostly cus they are the easiest, most enjoyable and most affordable source of entertainment for me. Still, i can stop, and do stop, when IRL stuff is happening. ;)
The addiction behind videogames is complex and in no way simple beyond the roots of what causes it - escapism. While it isn't addictive like a drug, it becomes potentially just as bad if only because it provides you the very same thing that you desire from a drug. In other words, the games themselves aren't any more addictive than an interactive story book would be. Rather, it exacerbates the problems of your life to the point that you paralyze yourself into inaction, resulting in the problems never being fixed, and thus you maintaining a feedback loop of running away from them.
The solution? My suggestion would be to focusing on what causes your misery, and triumph over it before you decide to use media as an escape. This can happen with anything - movies, books, comics, anime - anything. The only difference here is that videogames are interactive and have a social element to them, making them provide exponentially more hours of entertainment than any of the above would. As such, you need to develop your character and limit your time spent on it. Work toward solving your problems, and realize that the games ultimately produce nothing after you're done with them.
They're fun for a little while, but at the end of the day, you need to realize that they're just as productive as watching paint dry, and every hour spent wasted on it is just one more hour closer to dying alone, in a world that means nothing to you simply because you can't continue playing in the other one forever.
wrong, video games improve hand-eye coordination skills, memory, reflexes, time management skills and helps you to think strategically. Lots of these are not taught in schools at all....games are a valuable training source for human beings.
@@Elite_Gamer_1337 M8 videogames could cure cancer and it still wouldn't change what I'm trying to say. If you use media to escape your problems to the point that you become 'addicted' to its consumption, the problem lays in the fact that you aren't facing up to your problems, resulting in a feedback loop of running from problems that you never solve by playing videogames to hide away.
It's a flaw of character more than it is a legitimate addiction, since there are few instances of psychological loops that would resemble gambling - there are no real stakes or wins involved (unless you're buying lootboxes, which have become banned in many regions.)
At best, videogames are a new way to create works of art. At worst, they're a way to exacerbate your problems by choosing to live within them, rather than to become strong and face the real issues within your life - banning videogames wouldn't solve the problem anymore than banning a fat man from eating french fries would - they'd just eat something else.
Video game addiction is real and the world is just now realizing how detrimental it can be. I quit playing video games for the most part a few years ago after I became obsessed with playing the same game day in and day out.
Gaming addiction is a serious, serious thing. But it doesn't always lead to "bad" choices in life.
I, am a videogame addict. I play, on average, 8-10 hours a day. I am constantly at my PC, and constantly "playing" games. Like many gaming addicts, I have become very good at what I do, completely shattering game mechanics, predicting AIs pathing/scripting down to a fraction of a second, finding bugs, glitches, and exploits, abusing mechanics to my pleasing. This is where most older gamers and addicts lose their "thrill". This normally happens around age 27-32ish for most gaming addicts. It's not "nostalgia" or lack there of, it's lack of challenge. Your skills surpass most games. And if you are not heavily into PvP type games, fighting AI can just become boring and stale.
I, personally, have found much more joy in modding/working on videogames in the past 5 years, then I have had playing them through my addiction over my entire life. I turned my addiction, into something that I'm highly passionate about. Games have become TO easy for me personally, but making them better for everyone else, gives me that excitement I'm looking for. My abilities to completely break a game apart, have allowed me to turn my work into very well elaborate detailed packs for people to enjoy. My most famous one, a mod pack called Firearms for the game 7 Days to Die. When a developer fails (not talking about TFP here, just devs in general) modders are there to pick up the slack.
Like all things, addiction can cripple you at times. But if you use that addiction towards something productive and educational, it doesn't have to be a plague on your life. You love videogames BECAUSE they're an escape. This industry is now 4x more profitable then Hollywood ever has been in it's Prime. It's the 3rd largest entertainment industry on the globe. And everyone who makes games now a days, is a sellout hack, looking to make millions off of addicts. They butcher our escape, they butcher our entire worlds. They chop it apart, and sell it as DLC. They strip our characters naked, wrap them in a rag, and sell us our clothes back for 20$ a pop. They strip out events, our rewards for loyalty, and dedication, and sell it to us for pennies. It's about time, that the addicts of the industry put their addiction to good use. Can't code? No problem. Artists, concept designers, level designers, lore and script writers, voice actors, 3d modelers, photo editors, you name it, it's all involved in the production of videogames. We need good people BACK in the industry, making the games we all loved and got addicted to. But unlike the plague of praying games out there now, it's about time we return the power to the players. Make it so your mechanics promote logout time. Make it so you encourage others to go out and socialize. Back in the day, every MMORPG had meetups in most major cities. Now, goodluck trying that without looking like a creep.
Games, as they are now, are designed entirely to pray on our addictions. To make MORE addicts, the wrong way. We all know that some of the top mobile games are designed by the same companies that make casino games. They are praying on us even harder, and as gaming is set to be #1 in the entertainment industry by 2028, now more then ever, we need to shine an exposing light on these shady practices, and get old school gamer addicts IN the industry, putting their passion to good use for the sake of our loving passion.
Nice to read an extremely well elaborated comment and constructive criticism on RUclips for once! Thank you.
“Did you do it?”
“Yes”
“And what did it cost”
“All my gold pieces......”
Loved this approach to telling the story and the scenes and animations were spot on, the animations looked very life like.
I got out of the gaming addiction when i got broke I was in high school i used up all my savings for playing online games, the withdrawal was severe to the point of im willing to polish any shoes at my school dorm's to play games again good thing no one bothered to do so, im very thankful
25-30 hours? Those are rookie numbers
I was always into computers&video games, I had started at 4 on an Macintosh gifted to me from my Grandfathers friend and by 5 I was playing Age of Empires 1 on PC. Growing up I had friends, played several sports, even spoke to many girls throughout my youth whilst simultaneously being the biggest gamer I've ever met; video games were just a small part of my whole being. I liked to consider myself a "super-gamer," often bridging the gap between "nerdier" kids I played video games with and my "cooler" friends who played sports.
The first time those friends&I drank was the summer going into 7th grade Middle School, and I certainly enjoyed drinking more than the rest; this 'enjoyment' would morph into many forms for me over the years. From drinking in the summer entering Middle School, to smoking pot during the first winter recess in Middle School, all the way to finally injecting heroin in Highschool and overdosing 5+ times.. a form of addiction has always followed me.
Today, 5 years sober from all drugs, I'm battling an absolute addiction to computers and video games coupled with severe depression that has utterly crippled my world view and hobbies. At this point, I've likely spent over 14,600 hours on both the computer&video games in the last 5 years, every single waking second I am not sleeping or working. This is my life, I have no real life friends due to my previous heroin addiction and I'm afraid to begin any type of social life out of fear of falling into the same type of shady crowd I've always managed to fall in with. At the same time, I feel utterly hopeless with no sense of direction for my future and even less of a will to live... everyday I come closer and closer to never using a computer for leisure ever again.
If you pull the plug on gaming all at once you might have a hard time filling the newly acquired free time (which I believe is a tough side of defeating addictions). Try to pull back the amount with reasonable strategies like choosing 1 of the hours in your gaming time to do another thing and then later once you get into the habit of creating constructive spaces of time in your day; you may like to add additional time. Try to also view gaming through a new lens if possible. Try to see it as a form of art for example. I don't know exactly what time of games you enjoy but try to get acquainted with the style and art of the game and feel the mechanics and don't worry about rising to the top or being the best. Look at it from the perspective of an connoisseur. Hell I bet you understand a lot about what makes a game good or what makes a game addictive. Try to create some content and tell us your opinion about what you learned from different games. I'd love to see a fresh take on what Age of Empires 1 has done for the gaming community. You can do it. Just make a plan.
@@BeeSauced Thank you for the constructive response, I've spent a lot of time contemplating what you said the last 24 hours and decided that it is likely best to transform an hour of freetime/day into something more worthwhile. I'm beginning to look at electronics&consumer technology in general as distractions to keep people from truly being happy, doing what they actually want. Going forward, I'm going to spend an hour of each day writing a philosophical view on the effects constant connectivity&electronics are having on society as well as the individual; hopefully, if I commit to it fully, I will be able to get it published.. maybe, change the view on things for the better.
@@daveice20I've come back to say hey and ask how are things coming along? Are you doing okay?
@@BeeSauced Yes, actually, things seem to be going much better.. I've decided to follow my roots and leave my atheist/agnostic beliefs behind me; partly it feels to be a calling, also 'Pascals' Wager' is influential enough. I'm committing myself to some serious change, learning a new language and likely immigrating to Israel within 2 years which, in and of itself, the goals are a driving force enough to make me feel a bit of joy and excitement for the future I've decided to make for myself. I do appreciate you keeping in touch, if RUclips still has that message feature send me a message, so, we don't have to comment back&fourth!
I had a gaming addiction back in high school, I used to escape the sometimes painful real world by living in a fantasy world, I barely graduated because of that addiction. Real life made me feel lost and broken, it still does from time to time.
Grinding in games, to me personally, feels like im doing a full-time job.
I recently got back into Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, and got ridiculously addicted. When you're addicted like this, nothing else in the world seems to matter. Yet after playing for 5 hours straight, you're not exactly happy because you know you shouldn't be spending your time like this.
It's tough. I think it's important to have other things going on in life, and step back every once in a while to re-examine priorities.
I've been playing video games everyday after work/school since I was 5. I'm 26 now and I can't stop. If I don't have any games to play I just don't want to do anything.
I'm actually pretty miserable...
Untill I win a 1v3 in For Honor.
thats a good thing, you wont have any family and soon you will die, due to lack of social aspect (depression, etc, affect your body just as smoking and other things), probably you wont live healthy (diet and excersize) aaaaand thats pretty much it, enjoy it while u can
@@Quitarstudent well I can socialise fine and I have a family so that helps. I don't smoke and I'm 6'4, 83kg so I'm pretty normal in terms of health so you really don't know shit. The video games is what gets me. I just don't feel motivated or rewarded from everday life.
just end it dude, think of all the pleasures in afterlife @@alienatedslayer
@@Quitarstudent Don't believe in the afterlife. If its so good you can go first.
nah, im not miserable piece of shit and i do enjoy life @@alienatedslayer
I used To play Video games like battlefield, Counter Strike because I felt lonely, bored and depressed. I liked To Play with people, liked To Talk To Someone on voice chat... But I was addicted. I spent over 12 Hours a day, Even though I couldnt Keep my eyes Open and I felt Even more depressed and lonely in that Virtual World.... Nowadays I just watch letsplays and Game reviews of Games that I have Never played or wont ever play... I Tell You, alcohol addiction Is far worse. That I needed To learn When I came into my 20s...
This sounds like the life of every kid/teen I've known when I was younger. Only the rich kids got to go skiing or travel or whatever. The rest of us had fun online. I didn't consider it to be an addiction. A waste of valuable time? Yes.
"the rich kids"
Stop complaining, by owning a gaming computer or a console you're already considered a "rich kid" by at least half of the population of THIS world. Get a life!
@@lulloa47 preach on, brother/sister! tell us more how his life experience is meaningless due to him not being at the extreme depths of poverty! I so await your great wisdom for the ages. We should be so lucky as to be graced by such a divine arbiter of deontology.
@@lulloa47 except its true. Travelling is a very expensive hobby.
Probably the most accurate description of video game addiction I've seen in a while, one that doesn't have crazed newscasters or clickbait parents with "does YOUR child play Fortnite?" articles, and fear-mongering stats about violent video games.
As a Gamer for a long time I found its really something that can't be changed, even with the extreme measure. The fact that it's become part of my life, I life with these virtual characters and I think them as friends for long time and we can't be separated. So in the end Video Games is part of my life and I love them as much as myself.
Yikes, I think I needed to see this. I realise that I have shades of all three of these stories going on with me. Neglecting studies? I have perfect attendance but don't independently study as much as I would like to, because 'this is my weekend, I want to do things I enjoy'. The girl for whom the game replaced her relationship? That was me in my last one. I would be in the same house as my (now ex) boyfriend and we would just be utterly independent of one another. Neglecting my loved ones? Yeah, that was the 'wake up' moment for me. I've started viewing my current girlfriend as something that impedes on my alone-time, even if we're playing together because I want my 'me-time' with my single player stuff.
I need to digest this. This shit I'm doing has to change, starting now.
I am in a weird middle ground of not having, but also having a addiction to video games. If I could, I would be doing something else. I love the idea of traveling the world and seeing exotic places. But i cant afford that in real life so i play games, i dont enjoy the games anymore. its bland, boring, i see no purpose in it. I spent 8 hours making numbers go up, what did i accomplish? I used to enjoy it alot, now i cant, but its all i can do.
Hey, I was in the same place as you, and honestly from my experience I would say begin to broaden your horizons. I unfortunately didn't see how much time I wasted until afterwards and then changed my life, but you should go for it because you can see it! Begin doing things you wouldn't normally do. Try making art, writing, reading, taking photos etc etc, to expand your mind and you'll begin to find there are so many beautiful things in life to experience besides games.
That was a beautifully creative way of representing gaming addiction. Brava
When I was a junior in college, I became so addicted to WOW that I literally would skip everything, not shower for days and not eat until extremely hungry just so I can grind on WOW non-stop.
After 2 weeks of that I woke up, sat down in front of the pc and uninstalled Battlenet as quickly as I can. It was probably the best decision I made in college.
Game addiction for me was an experience of excessively detaching my soul from real life. I still play almost everyday but I would never want to revisit that again.
Had a similar experience to some of this. Had the worst phases of my life being two separate instances where I spent about 6 months playing 12 hours a day and barely socializing with my family, neglecting my college classes, and being over-all broke. I ended up joining the military to give myself some accountability and use basic training as a means to force myself to stop playing for 2 months. I remember a few weeks after training, I had started gaming again, when I realized that I wasn't even enjoying any of the games. I could sit down and be bored within less than an hour. I was mainly playing out of obligation and habit. About a year later and I recently had a week of vacation where I ended up playing Assassins Creed for about 4 straight days. Honestly it felt good, since I don't have sessions like that anymore and rarely have more than an hour a day to game, but I hit a point where I actually just didn't want to play anymore, and that was so strange. I had never not wanted to game, but looking at my laptop and my Ps4 I just couldn't find any desire to use them. I felt anxious, like I was wasting time and had something to do but didn't know what.
So yeah I still game now, but more than an hour or two on any given day and I quit out of boredom. With the rare exceptions of every few weekends when friends from work come over and we play league for a few hours. ;)
Great video/documentary. Very insightful and extremely well edited/created. 🕹
“It was that year that I realized gaming felt more of an obligation.”
Where my ex-Diablo 2 junkies at? We were some crazy junkies just repeating the same grind over and over and over. It's like pulling the lever on a slot machine trying to get loot.
Made myself a CTA last year. Felt good to be dropping blizzards on big D and mephisto again. What a timeless game.
I find that gaming addiction hits us as youth more then as adults with families. When I was about 18-20 I was a full blown gaming addict for sure... I played 40-60hrs a week on Dark Age of Camelot. When my work suffered (I was a manager at the time) they cut my hours, and I lost internet access because I couldn't afford it... I had serious gaming withdrawl, panicky feelings of what do I do now. But now looking back I can see how silly I was, how none of that shit matters at all in real life. Im married now, and have two kids.. and im far happier now then I EVER could have been playing video games. I still play games but no where near as long, nor as demandingly... its very easy to drop games to go outside and do stuff with the kids. The addiction is gone.
I returned to a Minecraft server recently, it was an avatar type server and it was really fun in like 2014 or whenever the show was going on. It used to be full of people, but when I returned it was pretty much dead. My old base was there and was raided. There were only around 14 people there, was truly sad. Everything had died 😞
Tbh, I used to be on my pc for several hours a day and did not do anything productive but when you start getting into the real world, you start getting to know people you like etc you'll quickly loose interest in the game and realise how much of a waste of time it really is, at least it was like that for me. The world might be very dark at times but there is still alot of goodness you can get out of it, find friends a partner, enjoy the fruits that life has to offer.
“The older u get the less imaginative u are..” that went deep
So well made and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Keep the Atlantic Selects coming, they're all so relatable in their own way. This video made me realize a lot of issues with my own gaming life, and I think I might give my girlfriend my whole attention this evening, instead of immediately hopping in
I met my girlfriend playing videogames and since then weve played every game we could find together. Its a lot less lonely when you have somebody to play with. But it could never replace being together physically, just a way to share our interests and spend time together when we arent there in person. If you still feel like you need to play when you're spending time with the person you love, then its not a relationship with playing videogames, its playing videogames with a relationship on the side.
"That feeling, that's a real Ibrahimovic feeling, I can tell you."
The first guy with the assassin-thief character's avatar here is hot.
if you're addicted to video games your life immediately sucks in general. I would know lol
What game are they talking about ? I used to be addicted to world of warcraft. What saved me was Blizzard them selves changing the game so much that it became a different game. I no longer found the draw or need to play it. And thank god for that. I stopped playing it back in 2012.
Pretty sure she was talking about being a wookie in Star Wars Galaxies. They changed the game to be more like WoW and a lot of people quit then.
I don’t play MMORPGs but I’m curious which Huge games no longer have a following? Which ones have emptied out?
World of Warcraft would probably be the best example. The playerbase is tiny compared to the game's peak times (2006-2010 mostly) and even now the playerbase keeps dwindling. If you were to go to Stormwind City (it's a capital in the game and used to be the busiest city) today, even on the highest population servers you'd be lucky to encounter more than 5 players there. It doesn't help that the entire playerbase is spread over many more continents now either.
@@Mark-xj8bu What is it you think that causes something so huge to de-populate? New games? new trends?
I'm depressed and have poor social skills, and am a drug addict to top it off. I love to hit a bump and play Hearthstone when high.
Don't know whether to laugh or feel bad here.
Actually really well made, I hope the Father has a great relationship with his family now
bro the production level is insane
When you think that having a child is going to affect your playing and not the other way, that's when you're messed up and need help.
I'm happy that you've turned you're life around.
I just want to say, that when I was growing up in school life was difficult for me. I hated myself, I hated my life and video games saved me. I was able to experience and learn things, meet incredible people, and look forward to something. I know video game addiction is real, but you know I just remember coming home from school and playing games. People will see that as a problem, like why didn't I get involved? Go out and do things..
Well that was hard because I had depression, anxiety. I was young and felt trapped. and had to deal with school bullies...
Escaping into the video games helped me, otherwise I don't know if i'd still be here...
I love video games, it stimulates my creativity, and my imagination. it's limitless there.
I agree though, that your life should be balanced. I've learned to focus on myself, but never lose the things you enjoy doing. life is too short. if it makes you happy, do it
People made a big fuss when places like the Atlantic reported that gaming addiction is a real problem, If you think otherwise you are addicted.
Every single Black Desert Online player who plays it for more than 4 hours has this.
I find with any addiction you don't realise you're addicted until it's too late, you'll wake up one day and realise most of your friends have forgotten who you are, or you realise you spent more time gaming then you did with your family. You might choose your addiction over your girlfriend or going to a party. You might realise you've spent thousands of dollars on alcohol and that you've been going on nights out every weekend just to get drunk sometimes even on your own. You'll just come to a realization one day that you've made a mess of your life and you'll feel ashamed of yourself for letting your addiction get this far when think about all the progress you could've done it that time wasted, but hey we're all young and stupid once and if you're having a good time doing it more power to you, but when it starts burning away your money, time with family, social life and even work life, it's time to put the pad,bottle or cigarette down.
I am loving it. Thanks!
when people try to play BFA but turns out no one playing it 13:05
I really identified with the rouge character, so much of my life has been in front of a screen.
I hope that I can find a line between playing and living, but if I cannot then I hope that I can quit.
Timotie Rogue! R-O-G-U-E. For heaven’s sake, why can gamers never spell it right???
Soon artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms will make game worlds that are even more engaging. In a data driven way these games will know us personally, perhaps better than our own friends and family.
They could well know our current moods, deepest desires and secret fantasies.
It’s not hard to imagine future games creating entire, individualized populations of characters who seem to care for us and who we come to care about more than the real, outside world that was not created by, from and for our own minds - games that could become deeply intricate, deeply intimate, gilded mind prisons
Hell I had Nintendo fever back in the 80s and 90s. But somehow I managed to get my life going and quit playing seriously when I went to medical school. After a girlfriend breakup I went back to playing but it was never the same. Thank god. Still have an Xbox one and am still single at 42, but now music production and writing books keeps me going.
This is me to a T. I broke my neck 23 years ago and used to have somewhat of a social life but started to lose it because, when all my other friends lives started moving on I was just continuing playing video games and now that's all I do and I have no GF no wife no kids and NO LIFE. And I'll die ALONE and pathetic. Unless they come out with robots like in the video game Detroit become human.