It's a double edged sword IMO, you can absolutely make yourself dumber with it, but it's also a massive ressource for learning about pretty much anything. It's all about the intent of the user
Remember playing damn near 50 hours straight in college once. Played all day, pulled an all nighter, played all day, pulled another all nighter, passed out some time the next day with my contact lenses still in. Keep in mind you might be able to revisit this later. I spent several years away from it entirely which I think helped. If you have a problem with it, in that moment moderation probably isn't a good long term solution. I find it much easier to control now, a decade later. In fact, I'll probably listen to this while playing something. It's a fine way to wind down after working all day.
@@01k ha, I knew someone would ask. Mostly old school dungeons and dragons RPGs, baldur's gate, icewind dale, neverwinter nights, planescape torment. Bit of elder scrolls. Main issue was when I got into DDO, the multiplayer and competitive aspect was just too much. Can never pause it or save for later.
In general addiction is a personality trait, some people obsess over certain things. Video games, drinking, Tv, working out, eating. Anything is ok in moderation but if you can’t moderate yourself then you might need to rethink doing it
Agree with the 5 types of good games. Even then I limit myself to just 1 or 2 a year. Elden Ring got two play throughs, and I’m done for now till DLC comes out. Next game will be Final Fantasy 7 whenever that comes out
I feel that. I honestly find that as I continue to age and grow in different areas of life, it is harder for games to hold my attention for any decent amount of time.
I hope the generation after mine can really heed this advice. Not a gamer anymore but I know I could have benefited from this video 4-5 years ago. It’s saddening to ponder what life would be like if we didn’t waste all that time, but all we can do is look forward and try make the right decision today. Again, this video hit the nail on the head
At 18, I hardly play videogames anymore. One of the reasons was that after I would 100% a singleplayer game, there would be a serious feeling of emptiness when there is nothing more to do but walk around the map, and I would reflect on the depressing string of days that had drifted by where I did nothing but play. The same feeling is felt when you reach the highest rank in multiplayer games. If you've ever walked outside after a videogame bender and the thought dawns on you that it hasn't improved your life in any way, it feels like absolute shit. In addition, a lot of multiplayer games, especially in higher ranks, have you surrounded by toxic no-life assholes that consider the game their whole life, and it's pathetic to be interacting with them or arguing with them and stooping to their level. Once you hit that wall of progress when you have the best gear or whatever, and your skill is at least decent, it feels sad knowing that what you've achieved is pretty much capped there. In contrast, real life athletic or weightlifting aspirations will remain captivating to me because there is always progress to be made, and progress made in athletic activities will always have a positive bearing on your life, which videogames can never do.
Shit man. You're right. After Halo Infinite tanked I've been scouting around looking for another game to progress on. I need to do something different with my life.
I think we should absolutely stay away from time-consuming games like Escape from Tarkov or MMOs the most. Especially the former with the undue stress it puts on the body. Those moments of panic against other players adds up over time.
Hell yeah. Free to play timesinks are the big culprits. Many are just gambling dens designed with a video game veneer over it. I much prefer entire whole experiences than the popular live service games offered.
I was going to say Tarkov too. It's the biggest time sink game out there because of the wipes basically forcing you to grind again and again if you want to play. It wouldn't be so bad if the wipes weren't a thing. MMOs are also a huge time waster.
MMOs are probably the worst. I always wondered who these people are that play in the middle of the night on weekdays. Some people are on vacation of course but even then. Also when I saw a character leveling up from level 1 to 120 or so within two or three days (which is a huge number in the game I used to play) it blew my mind, that guy probably pissed in bottles and hasn't slept in 2 days. Still I think pórn and "content consuming" in excess is worse than gaming, especially if you're striving to improve your skills. Watching streams or pointless videos like meme compilations or similar is just empty time that gets you nothing at all because you're certain to go on autopilot mode as you do these things. What always bothers me a lot is that education is so disappointingly far behind. How are we not taught about this after decades of this being an issue? That's like 3 generations at this point that have moved into adult life with the potential of thousands of hours lost to excessive, pointless screen time consumption.
@@doublevision2943 At least Tarkov and MMO's are fun. I have a friend on steam with hundreds of hours in several different idle and clicker games. His current game is Cookie Clicker, and he legit has over 300 hours logged and is still playing it daily. Like go touch grass bro, wtf.
@@g00bers24I've seen some horror profiles on steam when I played Dead By Daylight actively so your buddy certainly isn't the worst, even though that type of game definitely is one of the worst time wasters without real purpose or skill development. I've seen profiles of people that "play" coomer steam games and have thousands of screenshots and coomer "artworks" on their page. It shocked me so much that I feel genuine concern just thinking about the platform lol. That being said I believe there is benefit in censorship to some extend and I really think steam shouldn't allow this, same counts for other platforms but of course that's where some of the biggest money flows and money rules the world.
5 Worst Types of Games: 1. First Person Shooters 2. MMO RPGs 3. MOBAs 4. Sandbox Games 5. Sport Simulations 5 Good Types of Games: 1. Offline RPGs 2. Real Time Strategy 3. Platform Games 4. Puzzle Games 5. Party Games
Laughing my ass off at all the morons taking the title at face value instead of listening to the intro where he explains he is presenting the argument against video games. I have played video games since I was 10. I am now in my twenties. I have spent probably tens of thousands of hours in various games over the years. Minecraft, Siege, League, Battlefield, COD, Planetside, Left for Dead...so many titles, so many thousands of hours. I recently came to the realization that all this time I have spent in video games leaves me with nothing to show for it. Who cares how good I am at an FPS game? Who cares how beautiful my Minecraft house is? Why am I grinding (working) to get my character to the next tier in Lost Ark? This of course left me conflicted and I wanted to ignore this thought, but my conscience would not let it pass. All of this time spent in front of a computer could be spent in the real world, with real people, doing real things, and self improvement. I was the typical competitive gamer. I min maxed, I scimmed, I waged Minecraft faction wars, and all for what? Fun? This fun was great, I won't pretend otherwise, but what lasting effects did this hobby leave on me? I became more angry, frustrated, and unhappy with my performance, my teammates performance, the game, the communities I was in, who really cares? Nobody in my personal life cares, I don't really play vidya with my real life friends. My family doesn't care. So why am I giving it all this time? Of course, past me would have scoffed, but I simply ask you if this habit makes you a better person. Don't post a few paragraphs of cope about how you replaced a social life with this entertainment. I can't say it has for me, and I've experienced the benefits gaming; I know some very accomplished guys that game, but...are YOU accomplished? I have hit the gym for a good three months after off and on training and am currently putting my sights on more higher education. I look around at all these people that game and realize...most of these people are losers. They are fat, pathetic, weak, uneducated, and spineless. None of these people are people that I would aspire to be or emulate in any way. Quite the opposite, these people are exactly the opposite of what I want to be, they are disgusting in their behavior. The passive aggressiveness, the snark, the self assured arrogance of hiding behind a screen...do I want to be like them? I know lots of people are going to cope about this video, but I'll point to The Golden One's philosophy of "post physique" and apply it here. Where are your accomplishments? Are you physically fit? Can you look in the mirror and say, "I am a man?" I watch these young guys my age and younger throw their lives away on video games and being terminally online. They are physically weak and pathetic. They are incapable of hearing a statement they don't like and the concept of behaving in a masculine manner is completely foreign to them. I went with my brother to play some frisbee and throw a football around with some of his friends and only two of them out of ten appeared physically trim. I know guys with broken sleep schedules, lost relationships, bad grades and job performance because they waste too much time on gaming and the cloying clutches of their online communities. They do this to make numbers bigger or smaller, while ignoring the things that really matter. These people that present gaming as a lifestyle are not glorious. They are not heroic. They are not impressive physically or mentally. I want to be the main character in real life, not in a video game. There's something wrong about constant escapism, and I know its hard to quit. I am still trying to moderate my usage and its been going on five years. I realized this when I, similar to some others in this comment section, realized I hated the games I mained. I didn't care to play them. I didn't even want to log on, but I did so anyway because the easiest social interaction I had outside of work was the people I played online with. Should I just succumb to being a weak, fragile coward that so many gamers are? Fuck that noise. I want to improve myself, and so should you.
As a fellow Planetside player I can attest to the fact that a lot of the playerbase are far too obsessed, glad to see you're taking steps to a healthier lifestyle. I was pretty much the same as you, super competitive and wholly obsessed over arbitrary numbers in a "dead" game. I can remember feeling legitimately bad when my KD fell below whatever number I wanted it to be that session, or if I was dying to "bad" players, etc. I would constantly rage and smash my keyboard and mouse like a fucking sped. I also had my own "epiphany" moment, realizing that all the countless hours I spent in game amount to... basically nothing, though I did learn to edit photos/video because of my channel that was based around the game. I still play other games, but now whenever I play Planetside I have a very low tolerance for bullshit, and I'm not tied to it like I was before. People put so many hours into a game that it becomes an integral part of their life, so much so that they're scared of what might happen if they abandon it. Or at the very least, that's what it was like for me. Now I'm grinding in the gym and working on my own website, far more fulfilling and something I can actually look back on and confidently say that those hours didn't go to waste.
After binging Morrowind one summer I decided that I needed to chill. Nevertheless, some of the best stories people are putting out these days are in video game form. I'll never forget reading the Sermons of Vivec for the first time. IMPORTANT POINT: As someone who grew up in a poor neighborhood surrounded by people that weren't educated, RPGs basically gave me a vocabulary. I'm thankful for Pokemon and the RPGs that followed that got me interested in the world. Goodness knows I wouldn't have gotten that curiosity at home
There's a lot of reading in RPGs. I learnt a lot from them as a kid, and as an adult they're good to play when learning another language, but gotta be careful not neglect other responsibilities/areas of development.
I don't think your experience is negative though. The thing about RPGs is they communicate a storyline for you to follow instead of a mindless grind. Not counting mmos Playing Morrowind over the summer is the same as someone reading through the lord of the rings books over the summer in my eyes. Like you can say both are escapism, but if you consumed a really good story that made an impression on you, inspired you or otherwise influenced your life that you can actively reflect on...that is a tangible positive that you have gotten from the experience. A random Call of Duty deathmatch doesn't do that. You forget those as soon as the match ends. There's no substance there.
Thank you for your detailed study. I too am now quitting videogames for good since I no longer want to spend so much time and energy thinking about them. I was never unhealthy or developed any social problems but I feel that I am healthier and a better person overall. Your views and explanations will keep me in the right path. I hope people who sees this video also identifies with your ideas and decide to make a change. Keep up the good work!
I’m grateful that I went through video game addiction in my teens, which eventually led to me quitting at 15/16 and starting working out. I learned a lot about self control and the balance between work/play and effort/reward
I found about your channel through a friend. It's awesome, keep doing what your doing. It's so refreshing to find a smart individual who is also a natural lifter who sells zero bullshit on lifting. Your 3 hour video on NoFap convinced me quit porn for good. Thank you.
It's sad because I avoided this video. Iv struggled on and off with alcohol and still going to take the leap again to stay off it. But video games had a special place in my heart as well for the reasons he explains. Bullying, divorced parents, always struggling growing up. Now at 28 I'm serious about my lifting and not faltering til the day I die. It's just these other addictions in the way that are holding me back. I thank you NH for being the role model I really needed in life. I should note that my favorite games are the ones he's describing. Iv played grinding kind of games and things of that mindless nature but eventually hate them. If it's single playwr and I play out a story it's my favorite but I just leave it after and wait for the new one coming out
Thank you for making this video. I have been lifting for about 4 and a half years now, and though my life is radically different from the way it was before, I feel that I have failed to completely cut the cord from my escapist tendencies and this has held me back. I'm pretty jacked compared to the average human and definitely have developed discipline too but part of me knew deep down it was a matter of time until I had to face this fact of my weakness. I have not hit a physical plateau but a mental one. I was trying to be two people, and exist between the lines dividing where I came from and the person I am becoming and could be. Because of that, I still feel like I am not yet a complete person, I have yet to truly embody one or the other. I am like you and have an addictive personality, I cannot do things in moderation. This makes it all the more painful to leave this part of my life behind completely (probably forever), but I will never deadlift more than 4 plates if I cannot face the music and resolve to become stronger. The world we live in can feel like a nightmare sometimes that wants to suck out all of our will to live by suffocating us in unending waves of hedonism and instant pleasure. The willpower required to not submit to our desires is greater now than it has ever been before. The reality though, is that we all create these waves by adding our own drop of water to them. It requires something akin to faith to step away from these things and live according to one's own purpose. Both mistakes and positive steps forward prove this to me more and more each day. If we want to be the kind of men that a spouse, or child can depend on we must first create true peace and stability in our own lives. The most important words a man can say are "I will be better", and the most important step a man can take is always the next one.
I am glad you mentioned the Japanese case. We have this problem but people barely care about men. I've been thinking a lot about creating some type of group, when I am done with my post-grad, to help these boys.
Is it just me or am I noticing more East Asians commenting on English videos? I keep seeing Korean, Chinese and Japanese people commenting. Maybe I didn't notice them before idk.
I've played thousands of hours of counter-strike over my teenage years and I'd say it probably helped me in a lot of ways I'm not sure I would have gotten from other things as a teenager, -Made me constantly self reflect so I could always be improving which has helped a lot with life -Made me focus on the gym, sleep and eating healthy so I could always be playing my best and improve as fast as possible. -Made me pick up meditation and mindfulness so I could avoid getting as tilted from bad teammates / being more clutch in close games. -Made me learn communication, conflict resolution and putting myself out there while making teams and competing. -Created the habit of modelling out skills out so I could optimise skill acquisition / improvement. -Developed discipline as I'd force myself to aim train and focus on nothing but that for 1 hour straight at a time building focus. -Helped me model decisions as what "play" would give me the highest expected value which I learnt from demo reviews, which I now apply to 90% of my decisions in life. -Helped me develop an extreme ownership type of mindset where whenever I'd lose I'd blame myself for not being able to hard carry my team. -Helped develop my competitiveness to always want to win and do my best in whatever I did in life. I'm not saying everyone who plays shooters would have a similar experience, I don't think the mast majority would/do. But there's definitely something to be said for the life skills the pursuit of mastery or trying to go pro in video games provides individuals that go about it the right way.
I would say that is did some similar benefits to my life. CS will always have a place in my heart, but I really only dove into it because I hated my life at school and felt like a failure there. Not to mention the crippling effect on my physical health the game had. It makes me torn but it was a learning experience.
Spending thousands of hours is not necessarily the same as being addicted... Even though both are related, the problem falls in more areas that are touched in this video. I'm glad cs helped you but probably you was alright before playing it. I'm sure that someone with issues cannot tell the same story
Same here dude, i absolutely agree . I've always seen my moba expierence both good and bad but overall i'd say it helped me more then it damaged me. After all reaching highest rank in dota made me realise i can do whatever i want when i put my mind to it wich made me stay in fitness industry despite all hatred and judgment by other people. Now i could not imagine myself not working out hahah
I have the same experience. With 1500+ hours on fortnite and like 700 and counting on kovaaks its really been more positive than negative. Competitive fortnite players got royally fucked by the developers every update but it gave you such a good mindset of "just get better" because its really all you can do. I also learned how to take insults and I really relate to all the things you learn when all your life becomes the game. You start being healthy and optimising everything from sleep to spreading out practice in the day and you do all of this not for the sake of health but for the game. All of this is good but I miss having this passion and now that I do things for health's sake and future self it's hard to find that same motivation and drive to be better.
Thinking about 2020 I can see that it completely messed up my relationship with games in general. After two long pandemic years (from 15 to 17), I thankfully don't play videogames anymore. Can't even imagine nowadays waking up and playing from 8:00 till 13:00 during the online classes with my friends just to later keeps playing the entire evening without any physicial activity. Since I started to work, got back to presencial class and started working out, I barely have any free time left (from 20h to 22h) and I choose to do productive things with this little time that I have. It's actually very tough to see my closest friends still on this habit of playing videogames whenever they have free time instead of doing something with their lives. Appreciate for the video, NH. If they could understand english like me I'd send them this video
I didn't start seriously lifting until 2020 at 32yrs old; I wish I had used the thousands of hours in my teens and 20s in videogames on resistance training instead!
I started training (bodyweight with a little bit of lifting) in 2022 at 12 to 13. I kinda have a internet addiction and had a vidya addiction in the past but now it's going away, not overnight but it still is. I'm so glad and I congratulate you for still realizing it at 30 unlike many people i've seen at your age.
Very interesting discussion, thanks for making this one. I've probably played around 30k hrs over the years (from age 4 to 28 current). Most dangerous time for me was around the start of highschool. I was playing online shooters (halo) and MMOs (runescape). Thankfully the highschool running coaches saw potential for me in PE class and kept pulling me aside during several of my classes until I finally gave in and joined the team. If they hadn't done that, who knows how I would have ended up. It helped me in so many ways and I will be forever grateful to them.
@@kemptonbryan Yes when my situation changes, I'm stuck in one of those schools in the middle of nowhere where I can't work to get money to go to work so I just lift, spam the youtube comment section and rot away.
Competetive multiplayer gaming is an endless time sink. When you look at the worst gaming addiction cases they are all to games with a competetive, social aspect and endless progression that takes advantage of our drive to compete. While story based single player games can also be used as a source of escapism and be addictive, at a certain point the game ends and the drive to continue playing goes away as you have finished it. From my experience digital media like RUclips can also be addictive because the endless amount of content takes advantage of our drive to seek knowledge just like games take advantage of our drive to compete.
I find that the best games tend to be a lot like books. The one's with stories, themes, things to think about, and ending. Rather than tools of pure stimulation they act as mechanisms from which meaning can be born. It often teaches me valuable things. And so I disagree that video games are something to be wholly avoided.
@@LeatherNinja after having watched the whole video you are right. I think that the video still puts video games down more than its worth. That the ideal would be not playing any games at all is the feeling I got from the vid. Video games can be like books if you treat them right and so I'd say if you are passionate about them feel free to seek the valuable ones out.
I have an addictive personality when it comes to everything. Both "good" things and "bad" things alike. If I drink, I drink too much. If I start a project, I work on it too much, and so on. I tend to get focused on one activity at a time and get completely consumed by it. Balance, moderation and restraint are very difficult for me to achieve naturally.
Thank you for putting in the time and thought to make such an in depth analysis on such a pervous and underated problem in our society. This really spoke to me as I've struggled with this same issue in the past. I too consider myself a survivor. Wasted my early 20s though using them as an escape/ coping mechanism. It's a hard and deep rabbit hole to escape from, almost like a black hole, especially when it's ingrained from a young age.
As a game artist, a large group of people like me mocked anyone that played League of legends in University. They always proved us right everytime. Even if when we went by numbers, most people played that shitty game. I love games, but I always tell my students that they should live more and play less. An empty mind can only create empty things. And we can only fill our minds by going outside and living. I cringe everytime when I read a love story by someone who's never been in a relationship, must people do and will. Everyone seems to know that in concept but rareley go out and live. Most students projects are souless remakes of anime and games they've consumed. The only ones that seem to create something athentic are the ones that go outside and are not chronically addicted to games. You can make them or consume them. While I believe yoi can play them at times, most people just play the same thing over and over. Not for the benefit of broadening their horizons. And you don't always have to play a game to completion to understand it.
I wanted to get into art because of video games, found out I wasn't really interested and that "motivation" was vain and empty. Found out that programming was more for me and my fun comes from making games. Game artists have it easier then us with our programmer art lol
What happens when you go outside? You learn nothing, you end up spending time with useless humans. Best self improvement moments are when you are alone working on your goals.
I agree that gaming can become very addictive. I used to be super addicted as a kid and in high school, and like you, I was bullied a lot and gaming was an escape for me. Luckily for me I grew out of it as I found myself, started to lift and work, and I now become bored with games pretty easily. After 1 playthrough of elden ring I felt satisfied and honestly feel no desire to keep playing. Gaming for me is more of a treat that I do on my free/leisure time, but even then when life gets busier and I have things to handle, I honestly feel no desire to game at all.
If you like playing video games, and it doesn't take away from something you actually want or need to do more, then by all means continue to play. Don't let others decide how your should spend your free time (unless you're doing something morally problematic). Well-being is subjective. With this said, try different stuff, to make you grow and get to know yourself better. Perhaps there is something that you would find even more satisfying than video games. But video games are not worse than any other hobby in and of itself. Personally, I love spending time in interactive worlds with interesting settings, characters and stories that people have spent thousands of hours to create. Or playing together with friends competiveley, or cooperatively. I always come back to video games, and I really think that non-gamers are missing out.
Really needed to hear this man. I just turned 20 and I’ve been gaming regularly since I was like 7, and now I look back on it, i let it hold me back so much. Thank u for making this video man
@@dwex8596its over man forever, just keep playing video games thats why they exist. Instead of worrying about your genetics you could play f zero for the snes. See how helpful I am?
@@dwex8596 then stop nobody is forcing you too and by the way i wont stop either video game are my passion and i wont let a bunch of robot minded youtube stop me from enjoy what i like.
When I was a kid I used to play video games for hours and hours every day. These days my PS4 isn't even plugged in. I moved house 6 months ago and didn't even bother to connect it. I think video games can be useful for activities like learning another language, and it's nice to occasionally reconnect with a treasured experience from your past, but generally I believe video games should stay in childhood. The same goes for a lot of TV. Whilst it's within a person's rights to be a passive consumer, it is in my opinion less respectable than producing things or self-improvement.
I've spent most of my adolescent years playing video games. I regret spending so much time in front of a screen just to see "numbers go up". It's too bad that as a kid, even if I found a vid like this, I wouldn't have listed. Now as a corporate slave, I'm basically 24/7 on call, and stuck staring at a screen all day. I kinda wish I enjoyed the opportunities I had to experience life, back then.
I agree whole heartedly agree with this. Used to be an addict myself. I've cut down on video games more and more as the years have went on. Now I only play RPG games like Dark Souls, God of War & Final fantasy when they come out. And on rare occasion fuck around games like smash bros & mario cart with friends.
@@pranavs14 anything can be your passion and anything can become addictive. Even gambling is not an addiction in its purest form. Only when applied to an individual can you say something about it being a passion or addiction (not that those are mutually exclusive). Maybe you should get a grip on reality as it looks like your mind is just closed on some concepts that are easily found in real life.
@@kuba37571 not really, I think I have a good grip on life. Not as much as I wish but good enough. In my opinion, No form of Gambling is beneficial for the self and is a form of receiving something through luck outside of your own talent and work. (I'm speaking on Gamble's that purely rely on Luck like Roulette and Slot machines) Both gambling and gaming in my opinion are selfish endeavors that do not result in the betterment of anyone including yourself. Earned money is not the same as the money you got outside of that. Gaming is a practice that occurs outside of reality and does not benefit the way you are in real life, it slowly tries to become your reality the more you indulge in it and you slowly lose grip on what is actually reality. Once you snap back and stop playing your back at the same point you started having learnt nothing about the current reality and instead having a fainter sense of it. Which is why gaming isn't a passion but an addiction, you become mindless to what's happening in the current reality(not to the extent of hard drugs ofc)
@@pranavs14 If you were intelligent enough you would be able to EASILY find counter examples to all of your mentioned examples. If you think there is not even a single video game that allows you to better yourself then that just means you have too narrow of a view on the medium to even understand it. I don't even think you actually believe and are just feigning ignorance for some reason. Especially when you compare the practice of playing games to reading books, which is also a practice outside of reality, can try to become your reality and be a waste of time. Tell me how you better yourself by reading "50 Shades of Grey" or "The Da Vinci Code". By improving imagination? Completely outside of reality. If you get any practical knowledge from these books than there is nothing preventing one to get it from video games as well as there is nothing in the medium itself that allows for this knowledge to be passed on. And now probably you will try to mention actually good and intelligent books that do better the mind of their reader but that's the thing: just as there are good and bad books there are also good and bad video games. I can take the complete script of "Good and Evil" put it in a video game as pieces of dialogue, or in-game books to read and you would still say that game is unable to improve your life in any way because your rotten brain is so closed on new ideas. And stop typing about "it's not a passion" because you seem to not understand what passion is. Taking from Cambridge dictionary: "something that you are strongly interested in and enjoy" and "a very powerful feeling, for example of sexual attraction, love, hate, anger, or other emotion". Even eating feces could very well be somebody's passion (and an addiction if they are actually addicted to it). Pure drivel man, put some thougt into what you write.
@@kuba37571 man took my argument and just compared books to video games and said I am closed minded. Alright last comment, you don't have to agree with me just read through it from a different perspective. You attention span is limited to only so much content. Flashing graphics that changes 10-120 times per second is more enticing and addicting compared to a piece of text. Your trying to compare Weed with Coffee. In most Video Games your more preoccupied with playing the game instead of learning and analyzing motives of different characters. And yes I am generalizing games, there are definitely games out there which can help you better yourself and learn skills in real life but I am talking overall. I have personally played through most Skyrims and I can tell you I didn't learn as much from it as I do with books. It takes a bit of effort to read a book compared to playing a game so your still bettering yourself and improving focus and concentration which can trickle down into other aspects in your life.
I'd add games with high modding potential to the list too. They are generally hybrids of rpgs and sandbox games. I'm guilty of this with Bethesda games, Kenshi, total war, and mount and blade. I actually use the barrier of needing a fully modded game as a deterrent to playing it nowadays.
I played so many video games throughout my life. Spend THOUSANDS of hours on them. Spent >3000 hours on Arma (Military sim) Spent ~3000 hours on Ark (social life sim/dinosaur child fantasy stroker) Spent >1500 hours on From The Depths (military weapons creation 'creative outlet') Spent ~1000 hours on GTAV (ideal life sim) Spent ~600 hours on Cities Skylines (ideal environment sim) Spent ~1000 hours on DayZ (social life sim) Ill tell you the games that actually positively impacted me... The games where you actually learn something, have to use your brain, have to find a deeper meaning... All finite. The Bioshock franchise was phenomenal. Questioned morality, didn't promote mindless behavior, let me enjoy the game at MY discretion. The Metro series was AWESOME. Morality, consequences, exploring relevant/significant themes. Red Dead Redemption 2 was sick. The ability to see everything from the lens of late 1800s, kind of reminded me of Dostoyevsky's: 'Crime and Punishment' (So did RDR1) Fallout New Vegas was ridiculously awesome. Choice, choice, choice. Even though I have probably HUNDREDS of games in my steam library with many more hours allocated. Only 4 games really made a huge significant difference which actually formed some positive change in my life.
I see video games as a spiritual experience. They are what we used to hear in old fairy tales. - There is a portal that leads to a different world - Children love this type of fantasies and video games ARE those type of fantasies. They catapult children into a different world which is in my opinion a good thing. It has to be controlled though, so the children doesn’t fall into escapism. Childrens fantasy needs to be supported.
This is probably like the 10th video game quitting vid I watched, but the only one that really broke down why I was so obsessed played these types of games.
Wow, imma stop playing moba games after hearing the effects it could do to your brain. The types of effects NH explain for moba is true lol and its mind blowing. Thx NH for the info. No more playing Smite now for now lol.
I just found this channel and this is the most inspirational thing ever. I wish I knew all of this stuff sooner and you learned it all for yourself way earlier than I did.
Before even watching this video, I already know this is going to be a good one. I struggled with video game addiction for so long. I could’ve been very financially independent right now if I used that “gaming” time to invest in myself. To this day i cannot fully quit gaming even thou my dopamine levels are a mess and it is an uphill battle.. -.-
Even with a 9h/day work, a PPL 6 days/week, a fiancée, I can still manage to play 2hours everyday without problem so yes. And Sunday it’s about 6-7h of pure Halo 😂
@@ChristianGyro yes my man. I work 9h a day, have to kids and a wife. I play when they all are sleeping. No biggie i don't bother anyone more than myself
Some people can pull it off, it sounds like you have a healthy relationship with the medium. However, the big issue is especially for young adolescents with addictive personalities who find video games more appealing than the real world and ignore the real world, leading to poor development (think of NH's cocoon metaphor in this video). It doesn't just apply to young adolescents, but anyone who finds the online world more appealing and have that addictive personality
@@cameronburnard4240 yes i know. Just wanted to put my own idea out here. Me personally refused to be a nerd when i was a teenager. My father has always been well trained and muscular. Which made me wanted to look the same. It always start at home, rolemodels
Fair enough, maybe you've identified another important factor leading to this sort of video game addiction; a directionless life with no template to emulate (i.e. no role adequate role model you aspire to be like). This might be a moot point however.
I was about to comment this same thing. I saw a few other comments writing why video games are bad and how they were waiting for this video but when I went to their channel, it's filled with anime stuff. Hypocrisy can be unreal sometimes. Everything NH said here can also be applied to stuff like youtube as well, so I guess we should stop doing everything.
It's much harder to get addicted to manga/anime to the point where it negatively impacts your life. Video games on the other hand are engineered to keep you addicted. Think, have you heard of anyone who has died because of reading or watching too much manga/anime? Not me. But there are certainly people who died from playing too much video games.
Your point about the difficulty of the games mattering is actually really interesting. I mean the games nowadays are piss easy and cheap. There was this video talking about how the ease of COD and how it keeps trying to satisfy the players with familiar game mechanics and ease can make people more complacent irl, or the type of people who are gravitated towards those games do feel more entitled, less happy, etc. Playing games like doom eternal, unreal tournament, the older more challenging games did get me through some tough times I won't lie and maybe I shouldn't have played 3 hours a day to cope with depression, but after getting ultra nightmare on doom eternal I stopped cos I was happy. Dunno how tf I'd fair if I got addicted to a COD copy or lawd forbid fortnite where it's like junk food and you can't get enough of it Now I'm actually the type of person to play one hour a day, maybe a day or two a week and that's it. As someone who was an ADDICT to it before tho, as a kid, 7 years old cos of bullying playing before school, after school, before dinner, after dinner, every day straight, it's really nice to get away from that hold it had on me. Now exercise is what I'm addicted to lol
I thought this video would have something I didnt know about but unfortunately it wasnt the case, its a good message though, that is not for me. The main problem I always had and tried to cope with videogames wasnt being a loser, it was how boring reality is. I since very young realized the hamster wheel that multiplayer games were so I rarely burned that much time on them but games with good/innovative gameplay and story always made me appreciate being alive more since reality cant compare. I enjoy lifting still but finding something not as good as videogame worlds (since a productive thing probably cant compare to an artificially well craft world) but at least with enough sense of wonder has been very hard, but no one can really tell you what it is besides yourself
I can say that this is so correct. I used to be really into competitive smash bros. And yes, I know that’s lame as fuck. I didn’t realize till now how much my mind would begin to revolve around it. How much it was my main hobby and how it wasn’t contributing to my overall physical health. As if I was as addicted to working out as I am now, I wouldn’t have so little self confidence abs be more fulfilled. Smash was that fulfillment I craved. I was praised by my peers for being the best player at school. I made friends who said I was shockingly good with the low tier character I committed my play too. And I always loved going back to see commentators shocked at how I was able to utilize a limited character while being exciting to watch. However, looking back, I see why it was an issue. I could’ve hung out with my friends or just be more active but instead, I wasted my times in games. I even halted my drawing cause smash was my main objective. I rarely touch the game anymore. It took a wake up call of me hating my looks and wanting to change. Now I mostly play games like Minecraft that helps calm me down and use that creativity I get from art. Or I play Pokémon for a nostalgia boost. Hell, I even play Team Fortress 2 cause it’s a silly game close to my heart. Something that’s hard for me to be mad at. But I try to limit myself to one or two hours of play and even my natural clock will begin to be satisfied at around that time. In conclusion, video games is a hobby. But don’t make it your objective. Just like how you shouldn’t dump all your time into watching TV or reading books. It’s all in moderation that can even be good for you but can easily absorb all of your time
Used to play smite competitively, sunk about 3000-4000 hours into it and reached GM a few times Quit for a few years, immediately became MUCH more productive. Came back, immediately the addiction started kicking in and I had to back away after getting sucked in again. Now I play every so often, maybe a couple games every other day at most. Very important video for the new generation. This stuff is so mind numbingly addictive that it replaces wanting to achieve things in real life.
@@Katalin04 I have been using his 5day split program video and my lifts are skyrocketing I started bulking cause of him I was 60 kilos at 182 cm cause of Greg doucette telling me I’m fat, NH content is helping my mental health too much best channel I’ve found ever .
@@williamelchoufi9193 good job man, you are doing the right thing. For more usefull info you can also check AlphaDestiny,Bald Omni Man, Geffrey Verity Schofield,Jeff Nipperd, imo those are the best naturals out there.
You mentioned ADHD and vidya before im same light. I have ADHD and have recently learned more about it. The cascade of ADHD diagnosises is more due to genetics, mother drinking alcohol while pregnant, parents having child on average 10 years later (mutation damage), and people being screened for it at all. So videogames might be bad, but I think that if the kid didn't have ADHD by the time they start playing video games, the visual and sound stimuli shouldn't trigger a Winter Soldier episode and create a spazztoid. You need to enter the realm of head trauma first. Also other conditions similar to ADHD get caught in the diagnosis crossfire. At least 50% of ADHD should probably be a different diagnosis. You could say it's a big miss but ADHD is seriously dangerous if not treated, so it's more good than bad. Btw ADHD is a bad name for what it is. Naming a condition after symptoms was a bad idea. But due to bills and legal stuff it has to remaind Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Attention gets affected by all kinds of psychological conditions, and hyperactivity can go away entirely. Gotta spread the word of ADHD. Also knowing these things can help protect your sanity when a toddler is screaming everyones ears off.
It should be called hypodopaminergic executive functioning disorder. Normally hypodopaminergic people would fly under the radar (and have for almost all of history) but due to the rigidity of modern life those who can’t cut the hours of focused work get singled out fast.
It’s strange, video games used to be the best thing ever for me as a kid. Now I just can’t get back into them. It doesn’t feel good at al, the sense of wonder and excitement is gone.
Before I get 5 minutes into the video, I got to say that your Natural Hypertrphie (I just started getting back into the gym and fitness again), you have a Brook shirt on (One Piece is my absolute favorite show of all time), and you're discussing quitting games (my channel I just started is gaming and I've been getting nothing but negativity and have been tired of the gaming community and the immaturity of them at large). I'm legitimately glad that this video came on my feed seemingly random as hek
Lmao, I remember when i was addicted to LoL when I was in Highschool. I should have used all that time wasted at the gym tbh. Videogame addiction is real, watch out and take control of your life
Hey NH! Do you have a video on gaining confidence? You mention that you used to be a shy teen before turning into the megachad you are today, and I would be intrigued to learn how (other than becoming a greek god and quitting games ofc). In particular, hobbies that allow you to improve your social skills. Thanks :)
@@spbspb2413 a lot of that stuff especially the NoFap stuff is just a marketing scheme it’s pseudo spirituality at best that targets teenage boys. now this does not mean the practice of NoFap is invalid it just means that the concept has been changed and corrupted by people that do not have your best interest at heart and care more about money than their audience. the people that actually have actually improved themselves are not the same people who constantly take pride in the fact that they no longer jerk their little wiener and comment cringey things like Day Blank of NoFap looking for attention and validation from other men these people have not yet came to terms that the only person that’s gonna save them is themselves and can’t cope with being alone in this world. the truth is those people are no stronger they may delude themselves into believing their mentally tougher but since their mind is still hyper focused on sex 24/7 they are no different. the only difference is friction on their hands against their dick. their mindset of course is still weak this does not make their situation better if anything it makes it worse what I like about NH is that he always addresses the nuances which is more respectable because their is nuance to everything in life. he treats his audience as adults that understand life is not black and white.
I used to play a lot of competitive PVP games in my childhood, but as I grew older, I found myself playing more solo PVE games. In PVP games these days, whenever your skill increases, you get matched with other players of the same skill, so it feels like you haven't even improved at all. You start doubting yourself that you're not good enough at the game, so you keep training in the practice range only to get shit on by even better players. However, for PVE games, the objective is to work on yourself. This is very much so like lifting where you focus on improving yourself vs yourself in comparison to others.
I can relate to getting home and hopping on the game right away. I used to do that daily in junior high. In highschool though I've gotten better at time management and responsibility. Only playing on Saturdays and on breaks has helped a lot in being more productive overall.
Wasn’t expecting to get much out of this video because I don’t play video games despite the fact that I’m a teen, but it still applies to screen addiction in general. Thanks NH.
I agree, in my experience if you quit something cold turkey the void it leaves is likely to be filled with another bad habit, when i quit video games i replaced it with music, i suppose it helps that i deleted my steam account too :)
Ahhh, this video made me remember my obsession with League in 2019 or so. My only goal at that time was to get Diamond at it took a huge toll on me bot mentally and physically.
same here man. and then once you hit diamond… then what? try to hit masters then gm then challenger then hope u go pro hope u do well enough to not get kicked
@@cIiffe yea im on that hole, just wanted diamond but i got that 3 years ago, then just wanted masters and got it this season but now want even more. and its very hard to quit at tihis point
@@MattxFitness just imagine future you in 5 years the compound effects of you continuing and only honing your league skills or the compound effect of you quitting and working on the shit you actually need to care abt
All I’m gonna say and I know so many people who neglect school or working out and take a whole week to a month of just gaming. Yes games are fun and very interesting but like most things it’s good in moderation when you’re bored or have free time. But like anything if it becomes a habit it’ll become an addiction.
Hey NH, long time lurker here. I have to say that even as someone who never plays video games, I always get pearls of wisdom from your videos. Keep it up!
Haven't watched this whole video yet, but games are fine as long as they don't consume you. World of difference between playing WOW 20 hours a day every, neglecting your physical and mental health and playing a game for a couple hours after work to blow off some steam and relax. I wish I had parents to moderate my gaming time when I was younger and didn't know any better.
Hey NH , reporting back after 1year of watching this video , i Quit League of legends for i believe 10month now ... (I first played it in Season 4 and Quit by season 12) .. Even tho i was a casual player who mostly played with friends and wasn't a Ranked player , it always brought up the worst in me .. Whether its raging , frustration, anger , feeling of unfairness, self hatred even and feeling i am not worthy or good , feeling injustice about why my champion is always weak .. I also hated myself for not able to grind ranked games and burn out after 2 games max and having anxiety of playing ranked .. thankfully it was blessing in disguise .. I am thankful that i am "League free" (yes bcz its a drug) for almost a year now and i am never coming back .. Yet i still watch League videos as entertainment of sort however the state of most streamers and high challengers players saddens the heart ... Like if the top 0,1% of the game not even happy then why bother .. Thankfully i quit
I think to get the full benefit of the video we should know that the info in the video applies on different things aside from video games such as Novels, Comics,Japanese manga, Anime,Cartoons so we could say its addiction to fiction for the goal of escaping reality ,because it seems safer than getting addicted to the body desires (Sex: normal sex ,kinky and weird sex, porn / Relationships: women, friends / Hunger and thirst: vert tasty food and drinks / Money: to get all types of addictions ) and also safer from biological addiction Like all kinds of drugs and alcoholic drinks.
I'm a few weeks late to the party on this one. But thank you for this. I needed to hear it. I am like you, in the sense that I have an addictive personality when it comes to games. So I need to fully remove them from my life. There are greater challenges and pleasures to be had in real life. Rather than pressing buttons and moving pixels around on a screen. I'll use the time I just got back to do things I enjoy and spend it with the people I love.
I remember when i played 12+ hours a day of World of Warcraft back when i was between 15-20... The good old days. I must admit i had some of my greatest moments in my life playing this game and i don't even regret it a bit to have played this much. In fact, i miss these days (2006-2011).
I haven't even watched the video but I just wanted to jot down my thoughts just based off of reading the title, just to see if and how my perception changes throughout the video. I'm a person who used to be addicted to videogames as a teenager. I remember I basically spent a whole summer grinding destiny and despite making a few friendships online and through gaming that turned out to be quite resilient, going forward i started having less and less time because I was pursuing the hobbies that I cared a lot more about, like playing an instrument or picking up some weights. Adding a job to the mix makes it so that I basically have no time to play videogames, and I will say my life is a lot better now than it ever was when gaming was my only hobby. At the same time I think (in this age it seems to be rarer) there are a few games that actually attempt to be boundary pushing pieces of art, that you can play in small doses without having to binge the living shit out of them to feel satisfied. I would like to have a bit more time to play those. That being said I wonder what NH is going to say about gaming. I think he and I and a lot of the people on this channel share that situation about being the scrawny kid who spends all his time playing games, so I'm wondering what his personal experience was like too.
a big problem is how trash games are today in general. sure certain genres are more addictive and worse for you by default but we have shifted from a generation of passionate nerdy developers creating a "form of art" that others can enjoy to greedy board directors designing this shit to be addictive and to take money from you like you described.
This gives me a lot to think about. I'm 17 and want to be a game developer (mainly in the first-person shooter multiplayer genre) and your points are valid in many areas on why you wouldn't like them. I've been wanting to do this for over a year as I have wanted to put my creativity in art and something I love near and dear to me that I have grown up with since maybe 5 or 4 years old and also because I love playing online with friends, there is just something so great about being able to play/interact in a world that is completely fictional but can be interactive, I have loved that aspect of video games for almost just that reason alone. I write a lot and have always wanted to tell my own stories within the realm of video games, it just makes the realms of fiction feel so real like it feels like your there but it's completely fictional and I feel that is the way I want personally to tell my stories and show off my imagination. One thing I've always hated about games is the microtransactions. I feel it is complete bullshit and malicious manipulation to charge money for some digital cosmetics and in game currency. (Not to mention for a limited time) It just Rips away what makes games so great it just feels like corporations constantly dangling a carrot Infront of you, making you pay them extra for a game you already bought. To me that's a RIP OFF and it only makes the game feel like a pay wall to gain more when to me you should not be paying extra for a game you already buy all over some visual aesthetics that don't even remotely affect the core gameplay at all. Not all games do this of course but a fuck load of shooter games have done this, and I want to strive against that shit. To me when you buy a game you get what you paid for and should not have to pay extra for cosmetics and some random bullshit that doesn't affect the gameplay in anyway at all. I want the game to be fun and as engaging as possible and to be able to customize their own personalities however they like without some bullshit paywall to do so. Now I personally don't think that constantly dying and respawning inherently make you lose meaning in life at all. I think that's a bit hyperbolic and comes a bit of a generalization to an extent, in a way I can see it from your point of view, but I don't think it overall makes a huge portion of people who play shooters just lose meaning in life That may be just me though. Now I want a multiplayer experience that doesn't involve bullshit microtransactions and want it to feel like an experience that doesn't force you to level up some arbitrary ranking system like how you point out on why you don't like shooter games and I'm goanna take that into consideration as I never thought about that and now think about it I don't think my game needs it. Great video man. while I don't maybe 100% agree with some of your opinion they are valid don't get me wrong It did take a long time to regulate my time to video games but thanks to a nice kick in the ass by my own mother I got my shit together to be within a reasonable timeframe and to prioritize school and other things to benefit my physical health as that should be the priority, the video game is entertainment that should not be first priority ever and I thank my mother for that. take care
Hey NH, how's it going? Love your content man. Just a question that's been bugging my mind for a while - and maybe you could do a video about it or reply here : How much importance should be put on sets and reps? Historically speaking these weren't metrics or guidelines to go by when training or working in general. A farmer for example doesn't lift haybales or shovel dirt in sets or reps - yet there are plenty of photos from the early 20th century of insanely jacked farmers... Could there be a different approach to training that follows this sort of mentality - not focusing on reps or sets but just getting insanely strong through constant physical action - perhaps using exhaustion and innate signals for rest as a form of internally organised structure to training and exercising? I'd love to hear your thoughts my man - and keep up the work.
I will definitely never intentionally quit playing video games as I do not play video games very often anymore there is no issue with addiction when it comes to video games for me. If you can balance video games with the rest of your life then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but if it is something you tend to become addicted to then you may want to stay clear of them.
I was addicted for MOBAs for an entire year. I'm not kidding when I say it was the worst year of my life. I would wake up, skip school if possible (even though my friends I played with still went) and play Dota 2. I failed all my exams. I'm now in my second year of sixth form (when exams actually matter) and am predicted top grades in all 4 of my subjects. I honestly have no idea how I broke free, but I am thankful for whatever happened.
you wont be proud of having been a desk jockey office drone either. pro fps players are in an extremely competitive environment (many cs players practice for 12+ hours a day just to be among the best), probably better job for ur mental health than just being a slave never going anywhere but still its top 0.001% of players that get there and not real.
@@user-vv1do1wg1j did i say you need to work as a slave at a office to find meaning. I meant to find a higher purpose in life that is actually worthy. You won't find true happiness being a professional gamer. It's just fake happiness caused by the temporary dopamine release . You will care about GOD , if you lived an ethical life , family when you are in your death bed .
I had the fortune to grow up with retro games, especially RPGs, platformers, and single player FPS like DOOM, so i get used to play finite games. Every time i try a multiplayer or "infinite" game i get bored and empty af because i feel like i'm going nowhere. Retro games teached me to appreciate *finishing* things. I think thats also the reason i fell in love with training and reading so quickly and without too much effort.
This video really hit a nerve as someone who used to play video game a lot. Way too much. I appreciate the in-depth breakdown of the subject. Just out of curiosity, what do you think of fighting games? In some ways they share characteriatics of FPS/TPS, but in other ways, they share characteriatics of party games.
I can't agree with your take on Minecraft. The base game, aka survival and creative are both very low paced and boring, especially creative. Minecraft itself offers very little in terms of reward for your work, which means that you often create challenges for yourself, like for example building something. And building specifically is a really good type of challenge, since the work is not stimulating, the reward is delayed, and the feeling of gradification comes from within, from your appreciation of beauty.
I agree with MOBA being the worst of all. I spent 4 years of my teenage life on league of legends. I deeply regret all the time I spent on it, instead of living life and going out with my friends. The toxic community effected my mental health too.
That's only if your addicted, the thing that stops them isn't the games themselves it's the self control. If they quit gaming they might become addicted to another thing.
Better topic that most won't want to hear:
"Why RUclips is an addiction and poison for a learning mind and body"
Digital media applications have been admittedly made more addictive and easily accessible to be used for long periods of time.
This 100%. Most of the time i used to spend on video games is now just spent on RUclips.
youtube is addictive but I try to spend most of my time on youtube learning and not just wasting time
It's a double edged sword IMO, you can absolutely make yourself dumber with it, but it's also a massive ressource for learning about pretty much anything. It's all about the intent of the user
Day 47 of asking NH to do a livestream for the next fake merc character study to celebrate his comeback.
#ReleaseTheLiveMents
#ReleaseTheMercGameLive
Remember playing damn near 50 hours straight in college once. Played all day, pulled an all nighter, played all day, pulled another all nighter, passed out some time the next day with my contact lenses still in.
Keep in mind you might be able to revisit this later. I spent several years away from it entirely which I think helped. If you have a problem with it, in that moment moderation probably isn't a good long term solution.
I find it much easier to control now, a decade later. In fact, I'll probably listen to this while playing something. It's a fine way to wind down after working all day.
what games do you play?
@@01k ha, I knew someone would ask. Mostly old school dungeons and dragons RPGs, baldur's gate, icewind dale, neverwinter nights, planescape torment. Bit of elder scrolls. Main issue was when I got into DDO, the multiplayer and competitive aspect was just too much. Can never pause it or save for later.
Day 47 of asking NH to do a livestream for the next fake merc character study to celebrate his comeback.
#ReleaseTheLiveMents
#ReleaseTheMercGameLive
@@chrisstanley9477 release the Merc ments
In general addiction is a personality trait, some people obsess over certain things. Video games, drinking, Tv, working out, eating. Anything is ok in moderation but if you can’t moderate yourself then you might need to rethink doing it
Agree with the 5 types of good games. Even then I limit myself to just 1 or 2 a year. Elden Ring got two play throughs, and I’m done for now till DLC comes out. Next game will be Final Fantasy 7 whenever that comes out
I feel that. I honestly find that as I continue to age and grow in different areas of life, it is harder for games to hold my attention for any decent amount of time.
I only play Souls games and cs go occacionally with my friends
same goes for me
@Alessandro Chavez I think he has played them all
@Alessandro Chavez I’ve played all of them
Alternative title: Why you should stop playing World of warcraft 10 hours a day.
I don't have time for 10 hours. "Muh successful business guise"
Stopped 3-4 weeks ago, going strong!
“There’s no judgment in video games”
5 min into Elden Ring “You’re maidenless”
Dark Souls in general operates on the neg theory of PUA. It pretty much manipulates you into needing its approval. Greatest games ever made.
I can imagine NH's iq200 league of legends plays. Dude probably carried 38-0-15 with a stone-cold smirk.
Natural Gaming
That's coach Jason you're talking about. NH quit league because he was stuck in silver
@@amkool6135 yes Coach achieved his supreme lifestyle through sheer 1v9 LOL skill (unlike this french pleb)
@@amkool6135who is coach jason?
I used to play videogames too much, instead now I spend too much time on RUclips
You should make a video on internet/smart phone addiction, always see everyone on their phone including my self (average 13 hour screen time)
Yessss
Using my smartphone right now 😁
Yup even though I deleted most my social media apps and that helped, gotta admit I’m still a smart phone addict
13 hours man that fucking crazy
Day 47 of asking NH to do a livestream for the next fake merc character study to celebrate his comeback.
#ReleaseTheLiveMents
#ReleaseTheMercGameLive
I hope the generation after mine can really heed this advice. Not a gamer anymore but I know I could have benefited from this video 4-5 years ago. It’s saddening to ponder what life would be like if we didn’t waste all that time, but all we can do is look forward and try make the right decision today.
Again, this video hit the nail on the head
At 18, I hardly play videogames anymore. One of the reasons was that after I would 100% a singleplayer game, there would be a serious feeling of emptiness when there is nothing more to do but walk around the map, and I would reflect on the depressing string of days that had drifted by where I did nothing but play. The same feeling is felt when you reach the highest rank in multiplayer games. If you've ever walked outside after a videogame bender and the thought dawns on you that it hasn't improved your life in any way, it feels like absolute shit. In addition, a lot of multiplayer games, especially in higher ranks, have you surrounded by toxic no-life assholes that consider the game their whole life, and it's pathetic to be interacting with them or arguing with them and stooping to their level.
Once you hit that wall of progress when you have the best gear or whatever, and your skill is at least decent, it feels sad knowing that what you've achieved is pretty much capped there. In contrast, real life athletic or weightlifting aspirations will remain captivating to me because there is always progress to be made, and progress made in athletic activities will always have a positive bearing on your life, which videogames can never do.
I understand brother my lowest would always come after I finished a game
Well said. I think many could relate to what you described.
I have to say I still love to start up GTA and just take a ride around , listening to great music... it's so nice
Shit man. You're right. After Halo Infinite tanked I've been scouting around looking for another game to progress on. I need to do something different with my life.
This was probably the single best comment about the video game experience that I can relate to.
I think we should absolutely stay away from time-consuming games like Escape from Tarkov or MMOs the most. Especially the former with the undue stress it puts on the body. Those moments of panic against other players adds up over time.
Hell yeah. Free to play timesinks are the big culprits. Many are just gambling dens designed with a video game veneer over it. I much prefer entire whole experiences than the popular live service games offered.
I was going to say Tarkov too. It's the biggest time sink game out there because of the wipes basically forcing you to grind again and again if you want to play. It wouldn't be so bad if the wipes weren't a thing.
MMOs are also a huge time waster.
MMOs are probably the worst. I always wondered who these people are that play in the middle of the night on weekdays. Some people are on vacation of course but even then. Also when I saw a character leveling up from level 1 to 120 or so within two or three days (which is a huge number in the game I used to play) it blew my mind, that guy probably pissed in bottles and hasn't slept in 2 days.
Still I think pórn and "content consuming" in excess is worse than gaming, especially if you're striving to improve your skills. Watching streams or pointless videos like meme compilations or similar is just empty time that gets you nothing at all because you're certain to go on autopilot mode as you do these things.
What always bothers me a lot is that education is so disappointingly far behind. How are we not taught about this after decades of this being an issue? That's like 3 generations at this point that have moved into adult life with the potential of thousands of hours lost to excessive, pointless screen time consumption.
@@doublevision2943 At least Tarkov and MMO's are fun.
I have a friend on steam with hundreds of hours in several different idle and clicker games. His current game is Cookie Clicker, and he legit has over 300 hours logged and is still playing it daily. Like go touch grass bro, wtf.
@@g00bers24I've seen some horror profiles on steam when I played Dead By Daylight actively so your buddy certainly isn't the worst, even though that type of game definitely is one of the worst time wasters without real purpose or skill development.
I've seen profiles of people that "play" coomer steam games and have thousands of screenshots and coomer "artworks" on their page. It shocked me so much that I feel genuine concern just thinking about the platform lol. That being said I believe there is benefit in censorship to some extend and I really think steam shouldn't allow this, same counts for other platforms but of course that's where some of the biggest money flows and money rules the world.
5 Worst Types of Games:
1. First Person Shooters
2. MMO RPGs
3. MOBAs
4. Sandbox Games
5. Sport Simulations
5 Good Types of Games:
1. Offline RPGs
2. Real Time Strategy
3. Platform Games
4. Puzzle Games
5. Party Games
I will add fighting games to the good games.Literal real time problem solving,especially when you come across a good player.
Dota 2 is amazing as a moba game I disagree with mobas being bad
that is not the point at all, are you trolling?@@tanura5830
RTS is good but MOBA is bad? They both have the same positive and negative aspects other than MOBAs encouraging teamwork make it make sense
based as fuck in terms of time consuming, i dont think they are bad games but they demands too much time and its not worth it
Laughing my ass off at all the morons taking the title at face value instead of listening to the intro where he explains he is presenting the argument against video games.
I have played video games since I was 10. I am now in my twenties. I have spent probably tens of thousands of hours in various games over the years. Minecraft, Siege, League, Battlefield, COD, Planetside, Left for Dead...so many titles, so many thousands of hours. I recently came to the realization that all this time I have spent in video games leaves me with nothing to show for it. Who cares how good I am at an FPS game? Who cares how beautiful my Minecraft house is? Why am I grinding (working) to get my character to the next tier in Lost Ark? This of course left me conflicted and I wanted to ignore this thought, but my conscience would not let it pass. All of this time spent in front of a computer could be spent in the real world, with real people, doing real things, and self improvement.
I was the typical competitive gamer. I min maxed, I scimmed, I waged Minecraft faction wars, and all for what? Fun? This fun was great, I won't pretend otherwise, but what lasting effects did this hobby leave on me? I became more angry, frustrated, and unhappy with my performance, my teammates performance, the game, the communities I was in, who really cares? Nobody in my personal life cares, I don't really play vidya with my real life friends. My family doesn't care. So why am I giving it all this time? Of course, past me would have scoffed, but I simply ask you if this habit makes you a better person. Don't post a few paragraphs of cope about how you replaced a social life with this entertainment.
I can't say it has for me, and I've experienced the benefits gaming; I know some very accomplished guys that game, but...are YOU accomplished? I have hit the gym for a good three months after off and on training and am currently putting my sights on more higher education. I look around at all these people that game and realize...most of these people are losers. They are fat, pathetic, weak, uneducated, and spineless. None of these people are people that I would aspire to be or emulate in any way. Quite the opposite, these people are exactly the opposite of what I want to be, they are disgusting in their behavior. The passive aggressiveness, the snark, the self assured arrogance of hiding behind a screen...do I want to be like them? I know lots of people are going to cope about this video, but I'll point to The Golden One's philosophy of "post physique" and apply it here. Where are your accomplishments? Are you physically fit? Can you look in the mirror and say, "I am a man?"
I watch these young guys my age and younger throw their lives away on video games and being terminally online. They are physically weak and pathetic. They are incapable of hearing a statement they don't like and the concept of behaving in a masculine manner is completely foreign to them. I went with my brother to play some frisbee and throw a football around with some of his friends and only two of them out of ten appeared physically trim. I know guys with broken sleep schedules, lost relationships, bad grades and job performance because they waste too much time on gaming and the cloying clutches of their online communities. They do this to make numbers bigger or smaller, while ignoring the things that really matter. These people that present gaming as a lifestyle are not glorious. They are not heroic. They are not impressive physically or mentally. I want to be the main character in real life, not in a video game.
There's something wrong about constant escapism, and I know its hard to quit. I am still trying to moderate my usage and its been going on five years. I realized this when I, similar to some others in this comment section, realized I hated the games I mained. I didn't care to play them. I didn't even want to log on, but I did so anyway because the easiest social interaction I had outside of work was the people I played online with. Should I just succumb to being a weak, fragile coward that so many gamers are? Fuck that noise. I want to improve myself, and so should you.
As a fellow Planetside player I can attest to the fact that a lot of the playerbase are far too obsessed, glad to see you're taking steps to a healthier lifestyle.
I was pretty much the same as you, super competitive and wholly obsessed over arbitrary numbers in a "dead" game. I can remember feeling legitimately bad when my KD fell below whatever number I wanted it to be that session, or if I was dying to "bad" players, etc. I would constantly rage and smash my keyboard and mouse like a fucking sped.
I also had my own "epiphany" moment, realizing that all the countless hours I spent in game amount to... basically nothing, though I did learn to edit photos/video because of my channel that was based around the game. I still play other games, but now whenever I play Planetside I have a very low tolerance for bullshit, and I'm not tied to it like I was before.
People put so many hours into a game that it becomes an integral part of their life, so much so that they're scared of what might happen if they abandon it. Or at the very least, that's what it was like for me. Now I'm grinding in the gym and working on my own website, far more fulfilling and something I can actually look back on and confidently say that those hours didn't go to waste.
Amazing comment
Hell yeah, brother. Watch some Andrew Tate videos, you'll like him.
Guy just opened my eyes. Amazing comment man.
@@heardukey get out there and do something with it bro
After binging Morrowind one summer I decided that I needed to chill. Nevertheless, some of the best stories people are putting out these days are in video game form. I'll never forget reading the Sermons of Vivec for the first time.
IMPORTANT POINT: As someone who grew up in a poor neighborhood surrounded by people that weren't educated, RPGs basically gave me a vocabulary. I'm thankful for Pokemon and the RPGs that followed that got me interested in the world. Goodness knows I wouldn't have gotten that curiosity at home
There's a lot of reading in RPGs. I learnt a lot from them as a kid, and as an adult they're good to play when learning another language, but gotta be careful not neglect other responsibilities/areas of development.
I don't think your experience is negative though. The thing about RPGs is they communicate a storyline for you to follow instead of a mindless grind. Not counting mmos
Playing Morrowind over the summer is the same as someone reading through the lord of the rings books over the summer in my eyes.
Like you can say both are escapism, but if you consumed a really good story that made an impression on you, inspired you or otherwise influenced your life that you can actively reflect on...that is a tangible positive that you have gotten from the experience.
A random Call of Duty deathmatch doesn't do that. You forget those as soon as the match ends. There's no substance there.
Thank you for your detailed study. I too am now quitting videogames for good since I no longer want to spend so much time and energy thinking about them.
I was never unhealthy or developed any social problems but I feel that I am healthier and a better person overall.
Your views and explanations will keep me in the right path. I hope people who sees this video also identifies with your ideas and decide to make a change.
Keep up the good work!
I’m grateful that I went through video game addiction in my teens, which eventually led to me quitting at 15/16 and starting working out. I learned a lot about self control and the balance between work/play and effort/reward
Damn same as me 💪. I still see friends and cousins similar age spending way too much time on wasting time
Knowledge is a blessing aye
I found about your channel through a friend. It's awesome, keep doing what your doing. It's so refreshing to find a smart individual who is also a natural lifter who sells zero bullshit on lifting.
Your 3 hour video on NoFap convinced me quit porn for good. Thank you.
It's sad because I avoided this video. Iv struggled on and off with alcohol and still going to take the leap again to stay off it. But video games had a special place in my heart as well for the reasons he explains. Bullying, divorced parents, always struggling growing up. Now at 28 I'm serious about my lifting and not faltering til the day I die. It's just these other addictions in the way that are holding me back. I thank you NH for being the role model I really needed in life.
I should note that my favorite games are the ones he's describing. Iv played grinding kind of games and things of that mindless nature but eventually hate them. If it's single playwr and I play out a story it's my favorite but I just leave it after and wait for the new one coming out
Thank you for making this video. I have been lifting for about 4 and a half years now, and though my life is radically different from the way it was before, I feel that I have failed to completely cut the cord from my escapist tendencies and this has held me back. I'm pretty jacked compared to the average human and definitely have developed discipline too but part of me knew deep down it was a matter of time until I had to face this fact of my weakness. I have not hit a physical plateau but a mental one. I was trying to be two people, and exist between the lines dividing where I came from and the person I am becoming and could be. Because of that, I still feel like I am not yet a complete person, I have yet to truly embody one or the other. I am like you and have an addictive personality, I cannot do things in moderation. This makes it all the more painful to leave this part of my life behind completely (probably forever), but I will never deadlift more than 4 plates if I cannot face the music and resolve to become stronger. The world we live in can feel like a nightmare sometimes that wants to suck out all of our will to live by suffocating us in unending waves of hedonism and instant pleasure. The willpower required to not submit to our desires is greater now than it has ever been before. The reality though, is that we all create these waves by adding our own drop of water to them. It requires something akin to faith to step away from these things and live according to one's own purpose. Both mistakes and positive steps forward prove this to me more and more each day. If we want to be the kind of men that a spouse, or child can depend on we must first create true peace and stability in our own lives. The most important words a man can say are "I will be better", and the most important step a man can take is always the next one.
Beautifully said
I am glad you mentioned the Japanese case. We have this problem but people barely care about men.
I've been thinking a lot about creating some type of group, when I am done with my post-grad, to help these boys.
Is it just me or am I noticing more East Asians commenting on English videos? I keep seeing Korean, Chinese and Japanese people commenting. Maybe I didn't notice them before idk.
I second this. Please make this group.
I would love it if a group like this was made
I would join it (日本に住んでます)
I've played thousands of hours of counter-strike over my teenage years and I'd say it probably helped me in a lot of ways I'm not sure I would have gotten from other things as a teenager,
-Made me constantly self reflect so I could always be improving which has helped a lot with life
-Made me focus on the gym, sleep and eating healthy so I could always be playing my best and improve as fast as possible.
-Made me pick up meditation and mindfulness so I could avoid getting as tilted from bad teammates / being more clutch in close games.
-Made me learn communication, conflict resolution and putting myself out there while making teams and competing.
-Created the habit of modelling out skills out so I could optimise skill acquisition / improvement.
-Developed discipline as I'd force myself to aim train and focus on nothing but that for 1 hour straight at a time building focus.
-Helped me model decisions as what "play" would give me the highest expected value which I learnt from demo reviews, which I now apply to 90% of my decisions in life.
-Helped me develop an extreme ownership type of mindset where whenever I'd lose I'd blame myself for not being able to hard carry my team.
-Helped develop my competitiveness to always want to win and do my best in whatever I did in life.
I'm not saying everyone who plays shooters would have a similar experience, I don't think the mast majority would/do. But there's definitely something to be said for the life skills the pursuit of mastery or trying to go pro in video games provides individuals that go about it the right way.
I would say that is did some similar benefits to my life. CS will always have a place in my heart, but I really only dove into it because I hated my life at school and felt like a failure there. Not to mention the crippling effect on my physical health the game had. It makes me torn but it was a learning experience.
Spending thousands of hours is not necessarily the same as being addicted... Even though both are related, the problem falls in more areas that are touched in this video. I'm glad cs helped you but probably you was alright before playing it. I'm sure that someone with issues cannot tell the same story
Same here dude, i absolutely agree . I've always seen my moba expierence both good and bad but overall i'd say it helped me more then it damaged me. After all reaching highest rank in dota made me realise i can do whatever i want when i put my mind to it wich made me stay in fitness industry despite all hatred and judgment by other people. Now i could not imagine myself not working out hahah
Underrated comment
I have the same experience. With 1500+ hours on fortnite and like 700 and counting on kovaaks its really been more positive than negative. Competitive fortnite players got royally fucked by the developers every update but it gave you such a good mindset of "just get better" because its really all you can do. I also learned how to take insults and I really relate to all the things you learn when all your life becomes the game. You start being healthy and optimising everything from sleep to spreading out practice in the day and you do all of this not for the sake of health but for the game. All of this is good but I miss having this passion and now that I do things for health's sake and future self it's hard to find that same motivation and drive to be better.
Thinking about 2020 I can see that it completely messed up my relationship with games in general. After two long pandemic years (from 15 to 17), I thankfully don't play videogames anymore.
Can't even imagine nowadays waking up and playing from 8:00 till 13:00 during the online classes with my friends just to later keeps playing the entire evening without any physicial activity.
Since I started to work, got back to presencial class and started working out, I barely have any free time left (from 20h to 22h) and I choose to do productive things with this little time that I have.
It's actually very tough to see my closest friends still on this habit of playing videogames whenever they have free time instead of doing something with their lives.
Appreciate for the video, NH. If they could understand english like me I'd send them this video
I didn't start seriously lifting until 2020 at 32yrs old; I wish I had used the thousands of hours in my teens and 20s in videogames on resistance training instead!
I started training (bodyweight with a little bit of lifting) in 2022 at 12 to 13. I kinda have a internet addiction and had a vidya addiction in the past but now it's going away, not overnight but it still is. I'm so glad and I congratulate you for still realizing it at 30 unlike many people i've seen at your age.
it's never too late to start something new man! Keep going!
Very interesting discussion, thanks for making this one. I've probably played around 30k hrs over the years (from age 4 to 28 current). Most dangerous time for me was around the start of highschool. I was playing online shooters (halo) and MMOs (runescape). Thankfully the highschool running coaches saw potential for me in PE class and kept pulling me aside during several of my classes until I finally gave in and joined the team. If they hadn't done that, who knows how I would have ended up. It helped me in so many ways and I will be forever grateful to them.
Listening to this while palying video games, same as your every video….
Do you intend to quit or cut back?
@@kemptonbryan Yes when my situation changes, I'm stuck in one of those schools in the middle of nowhere where I can't work to get money to go to work so I just lift, spam the youtube comment section and rot away.
Competetive multiplayer gaming is an endless time sink. When you look at the worst gaming addiction cases they are all to games with a competetive, social aspect and endless progression that takes advantage of our drive to compete. While story based single player games can also be used as a source of escapism and be addictive, at a certain point the game ends and the drive to continue playing goes away as you have finished it. From my experience digital media like RUclips can also be addictive because the endless amount of content takes advantage of our drive to seek knowledge just like games take advantage of our drive to compete.
This is true, but there are an endless amount of story driven rpg like games. As soon as you finish one there is always another one….
I used to be incredibly addicted to video games during my youth. I am so glad that I quit.
I find that the best games tend to be a lot like books. The one's with stories, themes, things to think about, and ending. Rather than tools of pure stimulation they act as mechanisms from which meaning can be born. It often teaches me valuable things. And so I disagree that video games are something to be wholly avoided.
He didn't really say that you should avoid games at all costs though
@@LeatherNinja after having watched the whole video you are right. I think that the video still puts video games down more than its worth. That the ideal would be not playing any games at all is the feeling I got from the vid.
Video games can be like books if you treat them right and so I'd say if you are passionate about them feel free to seek the valuable ones out.
@@SomeGuy-so3kk I agree
Yep, some games that are a great example of these are Amnesia The Dark Descent and Faith Unholy Trinity.
I have an addictive personality when it comes to everything. Both "good" things and "bad" things alike. If I drink, I drink too much. If I start a project, I work on it too much, and so on. I tend to get focused on one activity at a time and get completely consumed by it. Balance, moderation and restraint are very difficult for me to achieve naturally.
Thank you for putting in the time and thought to make such an in depth analysis on such a pervous and underated problem in our society. This really spoke to me as I've struggled with this same issue in the past. I too consider myself a survivor. Wasted my early 20s though using them as an escape/ coping mechanism. It's a hard and deep rabbit hole to escape from, almost like a black hole, especially when it's ingrained from a young age.
As a game artist, a large group of people like me mocked anyone that played League of legends in University. They always proved us right everytime. Even if when we went by numbers, most people played that shitty game. I love games, but I always tell my students that they should live more and play less. An empty mind can only create empty things. And we can only fill our minds by going outside and living.
I cringe everytime when I read a love story by someone who's never been in a relationship, must people do and will. Everyone seems to know that in concept but rareley go out and live. Most students projects are souless remakes of anime and games they've consumed. The only ones that seem to create something athentic are the ones that go outside and are not chronically addicted to games.
You can make them or consume them. While I believe yoi can play them at times, most people just play the same thing over and over. Not for the benefit of broadening their horizons. And you don't always have to play a game to completion to understand it.
I wanted to get into art because of video games, found out I wasn't really interested and that "motivation" was vain and empty. Found out that programming was more for me and my fun comes from making games. Game artists have it easier then us with our programmer art lol
What happens when you go outside? You learn nothing, you end up spending time with useless humans. Best self improvement moments are when you are alone working on your goals.
@@tanura5830 That highly depends on the kind of people you put yourself with and the activities you do with them.
I needed to hear this, your channel has been a massive force for good in my life. Thank you.
Fully expecting this to be a massively triggering wake up call and I cant wait for it.
I agree that gaming can become very addictive. I used to be super addicted as a kid and in high school, and like you, I was bullied a lot and gaming was an escape for me. Luckily for me I grew out of it as I found myself, started to lift and work, and I now become bored with games pretty easily. After 1 playthrough of elden ring I felt satisfied and honestly feel no desire to keep playing. Gaming for me is more of a treat that I do on my free/leisure time, but even then when life gets busier and I have things to handle, I honestly feel no desire to game at all.
If you like playing video games, and it doesn't take away from something you actually want or need to do more, then by all means continue to play. Don't let others decide how your should spend your free time (unless you're doing something morally problematic). Well-being is subjective. With this said, try different stuff, to make you grow and get to know yourself better. Perhaps there is something that you would find even more satisfying than video games. But video games are not worse than any other hobby in and of itself. Personally, I love spending time in interactive worlds with interesting settings, characters and stories that people have spent thousands of hours to create. Or playing together with friends competiveley, or cooperatively. I always come back to video games, and I really think that non-gamers are missing out.
I will stand by this forever.
elloutube..
😂😂😂😂
This dudes voice makes me want to eat a full jar of peanut butter
Really needed to hear this man. I just turned 20 and I’ve been gaming regularly since I was like 7, and now I look back on it, i let it hold me back so much. Thank u for making this video man
Why you must learn self control.
i dont have anythinging else to life other than video games its hard to stop. I dont find joy in life im a short male
@@dwex8596its over man forever, just keep playing video games thats why they exist. Instead of worrying about your genetics you could play f zero for the snes. See how helpful I am?
@@dwex8596 then stop nobody is forcing you too and by the way i wont stop either video game are my passion and i wont let a bunch of robot minded youtube stop me from enjoy what i like.
When I was a kid I used to play video games for hours and hours every day. These days my PS4 isn't even plugged in. I moved house 6 months ago and didn't even bother to connect it.
I think video games can be useful for activities like learning another language, and it's nice to occasionally reconnect with a treasured experience from your past, but generally I believe video games should stay in childhood. The same goes for a lot of TV.
Whilst it's within a person's rights to be a passive consumer, it is in my opinion less respectable than producing things or self-improvement.
I've spent most of my adolescent years playing video games. I regret spending so much time in front of a screen just to see "numbers go up". It's too bad that as a kid, even if I found a vid like this, I wouldn't have listed. Now as a corporate slave, I'm basically 24/7 on call, and stuck staring at a screen all day. I kinda wish I enjoyed the opportunities I had to experience life, back then.
It's not too late
I feel freedom a lot of times I got or gave resignation from work. :D
I agree whole heartedly agree with this. Used to be an addict myself. I've cut down on video games more and more as the years have went on. Now I only play RPG games like Dark Souls, God of War & Final fantasy when they come out. And on rare occasion fuck around games like smash bros & mario cart with friends.
Never going to stop, it’s my first passion way more than fitness, without it I’d be dead. It helped me so much in my life
Get a grip with life...gaming is an addiction not a passion
@@pranavs14 anything can be your passion and anything can become addictive. Even gambling is not an addiction in its purest form. Only when applied to an individual can you say something about it being a passion or addiction (not that those are mutually exclusive). Maybe you should get a grip on reality as it looks like your mind is just closed on some concepts that are easily found in real life.
@@kuba37571 not really, I think I have a good grip on life. Not as much as I wish but good enough.
In my opinion, No form of Gambling is beneficial for the self and is a form of receiving something through luck outside of your own talent and work.
(I'm speaking on Gamble's that purely rely on Luck like Roulette and Slot machines)
Both gambling and gaming in my opinion are selfish endeavors that do not result in the betterment of anyone including yourself.
Earned money is not the same as the money you got outside of that.
Gaming is a practice that occurs outside of reality and does not benefit the way you are in real life, it slowly tries to become your reality the more you indulge in it and you slowly lose grip on what is actually reality.
Once you snap back and stop playing your back at the same point you started having learnt nothing about the current reality and instead having a fainter sense of it.
Which is why gaming isn't a passion but an addiction, you become mindless to what's happening in the current reality(not to the extent of hard drugs ofc)
@@pranavs14 If you were intelligent enough you would be able to EASILY find counter examples to all of your mentioned examples. If you think there is not even a single video game that allows you to better yourself then that just means you have too narrow of a view on the medium to even understand it.
I don't even think you actually believe and are just feigning ignorance for some reason. Especially when you compare the practice of playing games to reading books, which is also a practice outside of reality, can try to become your reality and be a waste of time. Tell me how you better yourself by reading "50 Shades of Grey" or "The Da Vinci Code". By improving imagination? Completely outside of reality. If you get any practical knowledge from these books than there is nothing preventing one to get it from video games as well as there is nothing in the medium itself that allows for this knowledge to be passed on. And now probably you will try to mention actually good and intelligent books that do better the mind of their reader but that's the thing: just as there are good and bad books there are also good and bad video games. I can take the complete script of "Good and Evil" put it in a video game as pieces of dialogue, or in-game books to read and you would still say that game is unable to improve your life in any way because your rotten brain is so closed on new ideas.
And stop typing about "it's not a passion" because you seem to not understand what passion is. Taking from Cambridge dictionary: "something that you are strongly interested in and enjoy" and "a very powerful feeling, for example of sexual attraction, love, hate, anger, or other emotion". Even eating feces could very well be somebody's passion (and an addiction if they are actually addicted to it).
Pure drivel man, put some thougt into what you write.
@@kuba37571 man took my argument and just compared books to video games and said I am closed minded.
Alright last comment, you don't have to agree with me just read through it from a different perspective.
You attention span is limited to only so much content.
Flashing graphics that changes 10-120 times per second is more enticing and addicting compared to a piece of text.
Your trying to compare Weed with Coffee.
In most Video Games your more preoccupied with playing the game instead of learning and analyzing motives of different characters.
And yes I am generalizing games, there are definitely games out there which can help you better yourself and learn skills in real life but I am talking overall.
I have personally played through most Skyrims and I can tell you I didn't learn as much from it as I do with books.
It takes a bit of effort to read a book compared to playing a game so your still bettering yourself and improving focus and concentration which can trickle down into other aspects in your life.
Weightlifting+video games = da best
I'd add games with high modding potential to the list too. They are generally hybrids of rpgs and sandbox games. I'm guilty of this with Bethesda games, Kenshi, total war, and mount and blade. I actually use the barrier of needing a fully modded game as a deterrent to playing it nowadays.
I played so many video games throughout my life. Spend THOUSANDS of hours on them.
Spent >3000 hours on Arma (Military sim)
Spent ~3000 hours on Ark (social life sim/dinosaur child fantasy stroker)
Spent >1500 hours on From The Depths (military weapons creation 'creative outlet')
Spent ~1000 hours on GTAV (ideal life sim)
Spent ~600 hours on Cities Skylines (ideal environment sim)
Spent ~1000 hours on DayZ (social life sim)
Ill tell you the games that actually positively impacted me... The games where you actually learn something, have to use your brain, have to find a deeper meaning... All finite.
The Bioshock franchise was phenomenal. Questioned morality, didn't promote mindless behavior, let me enjoy the game at MY discretion.
The Metro series was AWESOME. Morality, consequences, exploring relevant/significant themes.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was sick. The ability to see everything from the lens of late 1800s, kind of reminded me of Dostoyevsky's: 'Crime and Punishment' (So did RDR1)
Fallout New Vegas was ridiculously awesome. Choice, choice, choice.
Even though I have probably HUNDREDS of games in my steam library with many more hours allocated.
Only 4 games really made a huge significant difference which actually formed some positive change in my life.
This one hits home it's the last thing I keep lying to myself about
This video made me quit League of Legends Wildrift totally. This day is a real big deal for me for my life. Thank you.
Good going. Also love the username: very funny but also quite profound.
I see video games as a spiritual experience. They are what we used to hear in old fairy tales. - There is a portal that leads to a different world -
Children love this type of fantasies and video games ARE those type of fantasies. They catapult children into a different world which is in my opinion a good thing. It has to be controlled though, so the children doesn’t fall into escapism. Childrens fantasy needs to be supported.
Amazing content. More topics with long in-depth commentary would be awesome. Just like this but different idea/topics/opinions
If you're new to the channel, I recommend browsing the playlists: there are many long format contents waiting for you
This is probably like the 10th video game quitting vid I watched, but the only one that really broke down why I was so obsessed played these types of games.
Wow, imma stop playing moba games after hearing the effects it could do to your brain. The types of effects NH explain for moba is true lol and its mind blowing. Thx NH for the info. No more playing Smite now for now lol.
I just found this channel and this is the most inspirational thing ever. I wish I knew all of this stuff sooner and you learned it all for yourself way earlier than I did.
Before even watching this video, I already know this is going to be a good one. I struggled with video game addiction for so long. I could’ve been very financially independent right now if I used that “gaming” time to invest in myself. To this day i cannot fully quit gaming even thou my dopamine levels are a mess and it is an uphill battle.. -.-
One can actually train five times a week, eat healthy, have sex aaaaand play video/computergames. Don't be extreme guys
Even with a 9h/day work, a PPL 6 days/week, a fiancée, I can still manage to play 2hours everyday without problem so yes. And Sunday it’s about 6-7h of pure Halo 😂
@@ChristianGyro yes my man. I work 9h a day, have to kids and a wife. I play when they all are sleeping. No biggie i don't bother anyone more than myself
Some people can pull it off, it sounds like you have a healthy relationship with the medium. However, the big issue is especially for young adolescents with addictive personalities who find video games more appealing than the real world and ignore the real world, leading to poor development (think of NH's cocoon metaphor in this video). It doesn't just apply to young adolescents, but anyone who finds the online world more appealing and have that addictive personality
@@cameronburnard4240 yes i know. Just wanted to put my own idea out here. Me personally refused to be a nerd when i was a teenager. My father has always been well trained and muscular. Which made me wanted to look the same. It always start at home, rolemodels
Fair enough, maybe you've identified another important factor leading to this sort of video game addiction; a directionless life with no template to emulate (i.e. no role adequate role model you aspire to be like). This might be a moot point however.
Great video with persuasive reasoning.
Do one on reading manga/watching anime then. Looking at the video's highlights most of your arguments apply to those mediums as well.
I was about to comment this same thing. I saw a few other comments writing why video games are bad and how they were waiting for this video but when I went to their channel, it's filled with anime stuff. Hypocrisy can be unreal sometimes. Everything NH said here can also be applied to stuff like youtube as well, so I guess we should stop doing everything.
It's much harder to get addicted to manga/anime to the point where it negatively impacts your life. Video games on the other hand are engineered to keep you addicted.
Think, have you heard of anyone who has died because of reading or watching too much manga/anime? Not me. But there are certainly people who died from playing too much video games.
You need to watch the entire video. It's quite a balanced view on the argument.
*Pretty soon, we'll be waiting two years for the MENTS.*
Your point about the difficulty of the games mattering is actually really interesting. I mean the games nowadays are piss easy and cheap. There was this video talking about how the ease of COD and how it keeps trying to satisfy the players with familiar game mechanics and ease can make people more complacent irl, or the type of people who are gravitated towards those games do feel more entitled, less happy, etc.
Playing games like doom eternal, unreal tournament, the older more challenging games did get me through some tough times I won't lie and maybe I shouldn't have played 3 hours a day to cope with depression, but after getting ultra nightmare on doom eternal I stopped cos I was happy. Dunno how tf I'd fair if I got addicted to a COD copy or lawd forbid fortnite where it's like junk food and you can't get enough of it
Now I'm actually the type of person to play one hour a day, maybe a day or two a week and that's it. As someone who was an ADDICT to it before tho, as a kid, 7 years old cos of bullying playing before school, after school, before dinner, after dinner, every day straight, it's really nice to get away from that hold it had on me. Now exercise is what I'm addicted to lol
I thought this video would have something I didnt know about but unfortunately it wasnt the case, its a good message though, that is not for me.
The main problem I always had and tried to cope with videogames wasnt being a loser, it was how boring reality is. I since very young realized the hamster wheel that multiplayer games were so I rarely burned that much time on them but games with good/innovative gameplay and story always made me appreciate being alive more since reality cant compare.
I enjoy lifting still but finding something not as good as videogame worlds (since a productive thing probably cant compare to an artificially well craft world) but at least with enough sense of wonder has been very hard, but no one can really tell you what it is besides yourself
I can say that this is so correct. I used to be really into competitive smash bros. And yes, I know that’s lame as fuck.
I didn’t realize till now how much my mind would begin to revolve around it. How much it was my main hobby and how it wasn’t contributing to my overall physical health. As if I was as addicted to working out as I am now, I wouldn’t have so little self confidence abs be more fulfilled.
Smash was that fulfillment I craved. I was praised by my peers for being the best player at school. I made friends who said I was shockingly good with the low tier character I committed my play too. And I always loved going back to see commentators shocked at how I was able to utilize a limited character while being exciting to watch. However, looking back, I see why it was an issue. I could’ve hung out with my friends or just be more active but instead, I wasted my times in games. I even halted my drawing cause smash was my main objective.
I rarely touch the game anymore. It took a wake up call of me hating my looks and wanting to change. Now I mostly play games like Minecraft that helps calm me down and use that creativity I get from art. Or I play Pokémon for a nostalgia boost. Hell, I even play Team Fortress 2 cause it’s a silly game close to my heart. Something that’s hard for me to be mad at. But I try to limit myself to one or two hours of play and even my natural clock will begin to be satisfied at around that time.
In conclusion, video games is a hobby. But don’t make it your objective. Just like how you shouldn’t dump all your time into watching TV or reading books. It’s all in moderation that can even be good for you but can easily absorb all of your time
Used to play smite competitively, sunk about 3000-4000 hours into it and reached GM a few times
Quit for a few years, immediately became MUCH more productive. Came back, immediately the addiction started kicking in and I had to back away after getting sucked in again. Now I play every so often, maybe a couple games every other day at most.
Very important video for the new generation. This stuff is so mind numbingly addictive that it replaces wanting to achieve things in real life.
can relate
Jumped from the zyzz video to this one ☝️ New subscriber here love your content mon ami 🙏🏻 🇱🇧🇫🇷
Welcome fellow natty,you'll find great content here ranging from training advice to life philosophy.
@@Katalin04 I have been using his 5day split program video and my lifts are skyrocketing I started bulking cause of him I was 60 kilos at 182 cm cause of Greg doucette telling me I’m fat, NH content is helping my mental health too much best channel I’ve found ever .
@@williamelchoufi9193 good job man, you are doing the right thing. For more usefull info you can also check AlphaDestiny,Bald Omni Man, Geffrey Verity Schofield,Jeff Nipperd, imo those are the best naturals out there.
This was truly a great piece of content. Very insightful and informative. Subbed!
The solution: board games, in person, with friends.
I love me some Risk with some friends, drinks, and marijuana :)
You mentioned ADHD and vidya before im same light.
I have ADHD and have recently learned more about it.
The cascade of ADHD diagnosises is more due to genetics, mother drinking alcohol while pregnant, parents having child on average 10 years later (mutation damage), and people being screened for it at all. So videogames might be bad, but I think that if the kid didn't have ADHD by the time they start playing video games, the visual and sound stimuli shouldn't trigger a Winter Soldier episode and create a spazztoid. You need to enter the realm of head trauma first.
Also other conditions similar to ADHD get caught in the diagnosis crossfire.
At least 50% of ADHD should probably be a different diagnosis. You could say it's a big miss but ADHD is seriously dangerous if not treated, so it's more good than bad.
Btw ADHD is a bad name for what it is. Naming a condition after symptoms was a bad idea. But due to bills and legal stuff it has to remaind Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. Attention gets affected by all kinds of psychological conditions, and hyperactivity can go away entirely.
Gotta spread the word of ADHD. Also knowing these things can help protect your sanity when a toddler is screaming everyones ears off.
ADHD is not nessesarily a condition but rather an evolution of a brain to function a certain way( for instance to be a hunter).
It should be called hypodopaminergic executive functioning disorder. Normally hypodopaminergic people would fly under the radar (and have for almost all of history) but due to the rigidity of modern life those who can’t cut the hours of focused work get singled out fast.
It’s strange, video games used to be the best thing ever for me as a kid. Now I just can’t get back into them. It doesn’t feel good at al, the sense of wonder and excitement is gone.
This is by far the best video about this topic I've seen. Thank you!
Before I get 5 minutes into the video, I got to say that your Natural Hypertrphie (I just started getting back into the gym and fitness again), you have a Brook shirt on (One Piece is my absolute favorite show of all time), and you're discussing quitting games (my channel I just started is gaming and I've been getting nothing but negativity and have been tired of the gaming community and the immaturity of them at large). I'm legitimately glad that this video came on my feed seemingly random as hek
Lmao, I remember when i was addicted to LoL when I was in Highschool. I should have used all that time wasted at the gym tbh. Videogame addiction is real, watch out and take control of your life
You can't afford a gym subscription at that age
@@ggplayer1170 any normal parent would support their children going to the gym
Hey NH! Do you have a video on gaining confidence? You mention that you used to be a shy teen before turning into the megachad you are today, and I would be intrigued to learn how (other than becoming a greek god and quitting games ofc). In particular, hobbies that allow you to improve your social skills. Thanks :)
looksmaxing, nofap, how to get a girlfriend videos might be good in that regard
@@spbspb2413 a lot of that stuff especially the NoFap stuff is just a marketing scheme it’s pseudo spirituality at best that targets teenage boys. now this does not mean the practice of NoFap is invalid it just means that the concept has been changed and corrupted by people that do not have your best interest at heart and care more about money than their audience. the people that actually have actually improved themselves are not the same people who constantly take pride in the fact that they no longer jerk their little wiener and comment cringey things like Day Blank of NoFap looking for attention and validation from other men these people have not yet came to terms that the only person that’s gonna save them is themselves and can’t cope with being alone in this world. the truth is those people are no stronger they may delude themselves into believing their mentally tougher but since their mind is still hyper focused on sex 24/7 they are no different. the only difference is friction on their hands against their dick. their mindset of course is still weak this does not make their situation better if anything it makes it worse what I like about NH is that he always addresses the nuances which is more respectable because their is nuance to everything in life. he treats his audience as adults that understand life is not black and white.
@@Robert_Daniel i'm aware, i was talking about the noifap video on this channel, which exactly points out the fact that it's stupid.
I used to play a lot of competitive PVP games in my childhood, but as I grew older, I found myself playing more solo PVE games. In PVP games these days, whenever your skill increases, you get matched with other players of the same skill, so it feels like you haven't even improved at all. You start doubting yourself that you're not good enough at the game, so you keep training in the practice range only to get shit on by even better players. However, for PVE games, the objective is to work on yourself. This is very much so like lifting where you focus on improving yourself vs yourself in comparison to others.
This is gonna be better than the NoFap one
I can relate to getting home and hopping on the game right away. I used to do that daily in junior high. In highschool though I've gotten better at time management and responsibility. Only playing on Saturdays and on breaks has helped a lot in being more productive overall.
Wasn’t expecting to get much out of this video because I don’t play video games despite the fact that I’m a teen, but it still applies to screen addiction in general. Thanks NH.
Can you make video about apply good habit every day, like "why read books ?"...
It helps to replace bad habit by new good ones.
I agree, in my experience if you quit something cold turkey the void it leaves is likely to be filled with another bad habit, when i quit video games i replaced it with music, i suppose it helps that i deleted my steam account too :)
Ahhh, this video made me remember my obsession with League in 2019 or so. My only goal at that time was to get Diamond at it took a huge toll on me bot mentally and physically.
same here man. and then once you hit diamond… then what?
try to hit masters
then gm
then challenger
then hope u go pro
hope u do well enough to not get kicked
@@cIiffe yea you can never be satisfied lol. Gym is like that too but lifting is a positive whilst vidya addiction is very bad.
@@cIiffe yea im on that hole, just wanted diamond but i got that 3 years ago, then just wanted masters and got it this season but now want even more. and its very hard to quit at tihis point
@@MattxFitness just imagine future you in 5 years
the compound effects of you continuing and only honing your league skills
or the compound effect of you quitting and working on the shit you actually need to care abt
All I’m gonna say and I know so many people who neglect school or working out and take a whole week to a month of just gaming. Yes games are fun and very interesting but like most things it’s good in moderation when you’re bored or have free time. But like anything if it becomes a habit it’ll become an addiction.
Hey NH, long time lurker here. I have to say that even as someone who never plays video games, I always get pearls of wisdom from your videos. Keep it up!
Haven't watched this whole video yet, but games are fine as long as they don't consume you. World of difference between playing WOW 20 hours a day every, neglecting your physical and mental health and playing a game for a couple hours after work to blow off some steam and relax. I wish I had parents to moderate my gaming time when I was younger and didn't know any better.
Hey NH , reporting back after 1year of watching this video , i Quit League of legends for i believe 10month now ... (I first played it in Season 4 and Quit by season 12) ..
Even tho i was a casual player who mostly played with friends and wasn't a Ranked player , it always brought up the worst in me ..
Whether its raging , frustration, anger , feeling of unfairness, self hatred even and feeling i am not worthy or good , feeling injustice about why my champion is always weak ..
I also hated myself for not able to grind ranked games and burn out after 2 games max and having anxiety of playing ranked .. thankfully it was blessing in disguise ..
I am thankful that i am "League free" (yes bcz its a drug) for almost a year now and i am never coming back ..
Yet i still watch League videos as entertainment of sort however the state of most streamers and high challengers players saddens the heart ... Like if the top 0,1% of the game not even happy then why bother ..
Thankfully i quit
I think to get the full benefit of the video we should know that the info in the video applies on different things aside from video games such as Novels, Comics,Japanese manga, Anime,Cartoons so we could say its addiction to fiction for the goal of escaping reality ,because it seems safer than getting addicted to the body desires (Sex: normal sex ,kinky and weird sex, porn / Relationships: women, friends / Hunger and thirst: vert tasty food and drinks / Money: to get all types of addictions ) and also safer from biological addiction Like all kinds of drugs and alcoholic drinks.
I'm a few weeks late to the party on this one. But thank you for this. I needed to hear it. I am like you, in the sense that I have an addictive personality when it comes to games. So I need to fully remove them from my life. There are greater challenges and pleasures to be had in real life. Rather than pressing buttons and moving pixels around on a screen. I'll use the time I just got back to do things I enjoy and spend it with the people I love.
This is going to be a good one
I remember when i played 12+ hours a day of World of Warcraft back when i was between 15-20... The good old days. I must admit i had some of my greatest moments in my life playing this game and i don't even regret it a bit to have played this much. In fact, i miss these days (2006-2011).
I haven't even watched the video but I just wanted to jot down my thoughts just based off of reading the title, just to see if and how my perception changes throughout the video. I'm a person who used to be addicted to videogames as a teenager. I remember I basically spent a whole summer grinding destiny and despite making a few friendships online and through gaming that turned out to be quite resilient, going forward i started having less and less time because I was pursuing the hobbies that I cared a lot more about, like playing an instrument or picking up some weights. Adding a job to the mix makes it so that I basically have no time to play videogames, and I will say my life is a lot better now than it ever was when gaming was my only hobby. At the same time I think (in this age it seems to be rarer) there are a few games that actually attempt to be boundary pushing pieces of art, that you can play in small doses without having to binge the living shit out of them to feel satisfied. I would like to have a bit more time to play those. That being said I wonder what NH is going to say about gaming. I think he and I and a lot of the people on this channel share that situation about being the scrawny kid who spends all his time playing games, so I'm wondering what his personal experience was like too.
a big problem is how trash games are today in general. sure certain genres are more addictive and worse for you by default but we have shifted from a generation of passionate nerdy developers creating a "form of art" that others can enjoy to greedy board directors designing this shit to be addictive and to take money from you like you described.
This gives me a lot to think about. I'm 17 and want to be a game developer (mainly in the first-person shooter multiplayer genre) and your points are valid in many areas on why you wouldn't like them.
I've been wanting to do this for over a year as I have wanted to put my creativity in art and something I love near and dear to me that I have grown up with since maybe 5 or 4 years old and also because I love playing online with friends, there is just something so great about being able to play/interact in a world that is completely fictional but can be interactive, I have loved that aspect of video games for almost just that reason alone. I write a lot and have always wanted to tell my own stories within the realm of video games, it just makes the realms of fiction feel so real like it feels like your there but it's completely fictional and I feel that is the way I want personally to tell my stories and show off my imagination.
One thing I've always hated about games is the microtransactions. I feel it is complete bullshit and malicious manipulation to charge money for some digital cosmetics and in game currency.
(Not to mention for a limited time) It just Rips away what makes games so great it just feels like corporations constantly dangling a carrot Infront of you, making you pay them extra for a game you already bought. To me that's a RIP OFF and it only makes the game feel like a pay wall to gain more when to me you should not be paying extra for a game you already buy all over some visual aesthetics that don't even remotely affect the core gameplay at all. Not all games do this of course but a fuck load of shooter games have done this, and I want to strive against that shit.
To me when you buy a game you get what you paid for and should not have to pay extra for cosmetics and some random bullshit that doesn't affect the gameplay in anyway at all.
I want the game to be fun and as engaging as possible and to be able to customize their own personalities however they like without some bullshit paywall to do so. Now I personally don't think that constantly dying and respawning inherently make you lose meaning in life at all. I think that's a bit hyperbolic and comes a bit of a generalization to an extent, in a way I can see it from your point of view, but I don't think it overall makes a huge portion of people who play shooters just lose meaning in life That may be just me though.
Now I want a multiplayer experience that doesn't involve bullshit microtransactions and want it to feel like an experience that doesn't force you to level up some arbitrary ranking system like how you point out on why you don't like shooter games and I'm goanna take that into consideration as I never thought about that and now think about it I don't think my game needs it.
Great video man. while I don't maybe 100% agree with some of your opinion they are valid don't get me wrong It did take a long time to regulate my time to video games but thanks to a nice kick in the ass by my own mother I got my shit together to be within a reasonable timeframe and to prioritize school and other things to benefit my physical health as that should be the priority, the video game is entertainment that should not be first priority ever and I thank my mother for that. take care
Hey NH, how's it going? Love your content man. Just a question that's been bugging my mind for a while - and maybe you could do a video about it or reply here :
How much importance should be put on sets and reps? Historically speaking these weren't metrics or guidelines to go by when training or working in general. A farmer for example doesn't lift haybales or shovel dirt in sets or reps - yet there are plenty of photos from the early 20th century of insanely jacked farmers...
Could there be a different approach to training that follows this sort of mentality - not focusing on reps or sets but just getting insanely strong through constant physical action - perhaps using exhaustion and innate signals for rest as a form of internally organised structure to training and exercising?
I'd love to hear your thoughts my man - and keep up the work.
I will definitely never intentionally quit playing video games as I do not play video games very often anymore there is no issue with addiction when it comes to video games for me. If you can balance video games with the rest of your life then there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but if it is something you tend to become addicted to then you may want to stay clear of them.
I was addicted for MOBAs for an entire year. I'm not kidding when I say it was the worst year of my life. I would wake up, skip school if possible (even though my friends I played with still went) and play Dota 2. I failed all my exams. I'm now in my second year of sixth form (when exams actually matter) and am predicted top grades in all 4 of my subjects. I honestly have no idea how I broke free, but I am thankful for whatever happened.
Even if you become a professional gamer and make money its still worthless. At the end of your lifetime you wont be proud of being a gamer
you wont be proud of having been a desk jockey office drone either.
pro fps players are in an extremely competitive environment (many cs players practice for 12+ hours a day just to be among the best), probably better job for ur mental health than just being a slave never going anywhere
but still its top 0.001% of players that get there and not real.
@@user-vv1do1wg1j did i say you need to work as a slave at a office to find meaning. I meant to find a higher purpose in life that is actually worthy. You won't find true happiness being a professional gamer. It's just fake happiness caused by the temporary dopamine release . You will care about GOD , if you lived an ethical life , family when you are in your death bed .
I had the fortune to grow up with retro games, especially RPGs, platformers, and single player FPS like DOOM, so i get used to play finite games. Every time i try a multiplayer or "infinite" game i get bored and empty af because i feel like i'm going nowhere. Retro games teached me to appreciate *finishing* things. I think thats also the reason i fell in love with training and reading so quickly and without too much effort.
This video really hit a nerve as someone who used to play video game a lot. Way too much. I appreciate the in-depth breakdown of the subject.
Just out of curiosity, what do you think of fighting games? In some ways they share characteriatics of FPS/TPS, but in other ways, they share characteriatics of party games.
I can't agree with your take on Minecraft. The base game, aka survival and creative are both very low paced and boring, especially creative. Minecraft itself offers very little in terms of reward for your work, which means that you often create challenges for yourself, like for example building something. And building specifically is a really good type of challenge, since the work is not stimulating, the reward is delayed, and the feeling of gradification comes from within, from your appreciation of beauty.
I agree with MOBA being the worst of all. I spent 4 years of my teenage life on league of legends. I deeply regret all the time I spent on it, instead of living life and going out with my friends. The toxic community effected my mental health too.
Important topic that needs to be discussed. Honestly, imo video games and other similar vices is what stops boys from becoming men.
That's only if your addicted, the thing that stops them isn't the games themselves it's the self control. If they quit gaming they might become addicted to another thing.
Fantastic video as a previous video game addict. Well thought out and reasoned too
Next video: why you stop watching RUclips videos.
🗿
@@MonkeyBarsEveryday stop watching RUclips videos put the phone down
I'll save you 2 hours and say it's because he doesn't think games are healthy.
😆
I related so much to this video. Thank you, means a lot!