Hey everyone,

The title pretty much says it all. I’ve probably spent around 2–3k hours playing competitive games like CS, R6, LoL, etc.

I’ve always loved the process of getting better, practicing, and constantly trying to improve. But for some reason, I’ve never been able to find that same drive in real life.

I recently promised myself I’d quit these games because I just don’t have the time for them anymore, and honestly, I don’t really get anything out of them. Most of the time, I wasn’t even having fun.

So, do you guys have any advice on how to channel that same motivation and desire to improve into real-life goals? How do I get myself to grind in real life the way I used to in games?

Sometimes I can't help but just think about how much years I have wasted on video games I really could've been good at other things that are super useful like reading, writing, art, etc. but wasted all on god damn video games :/

Anyone else feel this way?

I'm 14 and lately none of my games seem fun anymore. I can sit at my PC, look through my Steam library for ages, and still not want to play anything. Even gaming and game development, which I used to really enjoy, don't excite me like they used to.

I've been feeling sad and low on energy for a long time, and I miss being able to get on my PC and genuinely enjoy myself.

I don't necessarily want a list of new games to play. I just want to feel that excitement again.

Has anyone else experienced this? Did the enjoyment eventually come back for you? I'd really appreciate hearing from people who understand.

I want to quit and I know it’s possible without deleting ur accounts, but I was thinking deleting them accounts would be like a nail on the coffin, like I wouldn’t wanna make another account ever again to spend all that money I’ve burnt on cosmetics and all the hours I put in grinding ranked and that kind of stuff.

I’ve been playing on and off last few weeks. But wherever I give in and start playing I end up wasting the whole day pretty much or stay awake till late. Was deleting/selling account helpful to you. Or did you regret deleting ur gaming profiles that could be kept like a badge of honour for hitting high ranks in the past and that kind of thing. (Even tho it’s meaningless irl)

Thanks.

There are people saying that if you play lot of video games and love video games, you should be able to take advantage of it and become a programmer to make games, or maybe be a youtuber, get into e-sports, or analyze video game mechanics like a scholar, like it doesn't work like that... most of us just simply consume video game not actually be productive.

Hi, like the tittle says I have a LoL addiction problem. It’s not that bad has like i’m not working or skipping sleep just to play it but everytime i have time to play a video game it’s the one that I choose to play.

I can play it like 2-3 hours a day in week day and 5-6 hours a day in the week end, but i have 0 fun playing it… everytime I queue up I know i’m gonna be matched with people going 0-18, inting, flamming my ass because i’m a shit jungle etc etc

But I don’t know why I keep queuing this game even with a positive win rate of 53% i’m not climbing and yet i’m still out there queuing game without having fun at all, i watch shit tons of videos on how to improve knowing perfectly it wont do shit and yet when i have time for a game I hop on league to be mad for 30 minutes

I dont wanna stop playing video games because it’s not really an issue I just want solution on how to quit this trap game, I know I could simply just open another game but my brain is acting like it’s not gonna be as fun, but the games are not fun neither

What can I do, even if I uninstall it’s gonna take 3 minutes to reinstall

So I've been playing LoL for 6 months, like 10 hours a day. A week ago I was finally able to stop, and only played one night Friday. But now I'm having constant brain fog and I'm finding myself unable to work and sleep properly, even though I eat fine, and try my best to exercise everyday. Is that common when quitting gaming?

I really don't want to relapse and go on with my life, and have a purpose like I did before. But now do I even have a life anymore?

I have a few kinda loser friends who have no work or education. I buy every COD but just play it from here and there. I was very addicted to COD when i was younger. But we started playing and it was like crack. We played for 10 hours a day for weeks, months. I only had college but my grades suffered. I stopped working because i wanted to play COD. I played for 12 hours a day, for 2 weeks to get a special camo. I gained weight, my hands and fingers started hurting and we joked around that we entered a sort of psychoses. COD is really dangerous, especially if you’re new to it.

Ok, so I'm addicted to gaming and just sort of coming to terms with it right now. I know it's not healthy for me. I try to not play but every single time I end up getting completely sucked into a new game I play. With this semester of college it's happened 3 times already, I'll find a new game, get absorbed and lose a whole day to it, uninstall it then the cycle repeats. I don't know how to stop it at this point so now this is my last ditch effort.

Part of the reason I keep doing this is because when I do cardio I find if I play a game on the treadmill at a 15 degree incline at 3-3.5 mph I can just get completely absorbed and forget I'm even on the treadmill. So that acts as motivation to reinstall a new game telling myself I'll only play it when doing cardio, but then I don't and it sucks, and even when Im not playing some of these games I'll just think about them all day, especially with strategy games, it just takes up so much or my mind.

Does anyone have any tips on what to do here?

I quit for a long while and only play during vacations where nothing in my life is urgent. What I realised lately is the fact that when I completely quit playing video games, I have a lot more free time to do many things, especially contemplating my current position in life. I admit that the way I spend my time is a lot more healthier rn, but the fact that Im a lot more just to myself now, can lead to some bad feelings. About what I could have done and what should I do and that I'm not doing/did enough.

Is there anybody who had similar feelings?

Hey guys. I’m 28, been playing games since I was 5. I have a very successful business, girlfriend, I’m pretty good shape, and am generally doing well in life. However, I’m quite miserable.

Most of my weeks look like this: M-F working during the day then gaming at night. Saturday and Sunday, occasional social activity or gaming. If I start my Saturday or Sunday with gaming, it’s all I’m going to do all day long. I feel like I have little desire to do other things besides play games. My main game is league of legends. Couple questions:

1. I feel like I can play certain games, like rainbow six siege, and not be addicted. I can play a few rounds then get on with my day. Is it all or nothing for you guys or just certain games you have to avoid?

2. I am unhappy with regular life and avoid doing social activities because it takes away from gaming. Have you seen this feeling change after you quit?

3. How has your general mood changed since quitting? I think I get grumpy if I can’t game and kind of frustrated

I want to say a big thank you to this subreddit. Reading other people’s stories about their partners’ gaming addiction made me realize that I’m not alone, that there’s nothing wrong with me, and that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fix things on my own.

I want to wish everyone who feels lonely in a relationship with someone struggling with gaming addiction the strength to choose their own happiness and find the love and relationship they truly deserve. ❤️

And if anyone needs someone to talk to who understands what you’re going through, please feel free to DM me. Sometimes, just knowing that someone understands can make a huge difference. ❤️

My prev. posts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/comments/1xb5cq0/update_we_broke_up_are_games_really_worth_it/

https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/comments/1qe1dyx/i_dont_understand_my_bf_addiction/

I've been gaming almost my entire life and have racked up 20,000 hours on almost 20 years of being on this planet. I feel so far behind others, mentally I'm just so depressed by everything and nothing feels important anymore. Physically I am underweight, my hygiene is absolute shit, I'm having so many health issues, and even education wise I am facing the fact that I have to repeat my first year at university for a third time, I want to quit and improve my life but every step I take feels like walking through quicksand.

I don't know where else to post this. I used to have a gaming addiction when I was younger but life made it too hard to keep up with that so it hasn't been an issue for a while. The issue is that all of my friends have always played games and it is very very difficult to talk to them about anything besides games. I've been feeling lonely for the past 3 years and I always tried to ignore it because I am not alone, I have plenty of friends. I've started to realize that I probably felt that way because it is very very difficult to talk to anything with them that isn't about games. Has anyone else been through this type of situation and if anyone has can they give me some type of advice

The problem is you!

What helped me: get a notebook (out of paper). And write everything in it. Create your own system of friction. Figure it out by yourself. In the end no one can advise the way you can advise yourself. But for this you need time to think. This will stop addictive behavior.

I still have a gaming pc and ps5 in my room. But it is forgotten and veiled by an evergrowing layer of dust because i find it way less fun then writing, thinking and developing.

This is my last post here as i will leave reddit. Reddit is just too boring and i dont like people and their behavior here.

Be well.

I’m just going to be listing out the main issues with this game, but will not be naming it.

1. My friends and family have told me I’ve been addicted on many occasions.

2. It is the only game I play, but I will play other games if it’s with a friend/if I’m not feeling like playing my main one.

3. I’ve been playing it for one year, collected around 98% of the cosmetics and play at least once a week.

4. It’s my comfort game, which I believe made my loved ones call me addicted. I have relatively bad anxiety, and this game just takes that feeling away.

5. It does not get in the way of my schoolwork, as I have straight-As, play sports, and currently participating in a school club.

I don’t believe I’m addicted, as I can stop playing when I want to… The only exception is for events, like right now— but I’m just a collector, and enjoy playing the game. Does that make me an addict?

I’m probably overthinking this but I think my quality of life would be much better if I didn’t play or played less video games. I was looking at my bank account and I said to myself “Huh, where did all my money go?” I realized that most of my money went to buying games that I wouldn’t even play. Honestly, it feels like an impulse. I’ll buy a game, play it for a few mins or hours then never touch it again, the cycle repeats.

I see myself as a lazy person. I know what I need to do to get myself to higher pay or better-paying jobs but I don’t follow through on it, I almost never do. But I can park my ass and play through 100 hours of BG3 or grind endlessly in PoE2. I even neglect going to the gym after work because I’m “tried” but I’m never tired enough to boot up deadlock with the boys.

I have to sit here and wonder, would my life be a bit better if I didn’t play as many video games if not at all? I feel grimy thinking about how me, a 25 year old clock in over 20 hours a week playing games but can’t spend an hour studying for certifications.

Reason why I quit in the first place is to give it another chance only to find out I never had a chance in the first place. Reinstalling my multiplayer slop as we speak and bringing back some joy in my life. I know it's fake but at least it feels real enough to get me out of this depression.

For context, I've been with this person for a decade. I would say that games were a common interest when we got together amongst other things but we never actually played something together since our tastes were different.

Anyways, the straw that broke the camel's back was the fact that he would ask me to come over, so I would then get dolled up, drive, take the day off my time just to go to his place... only for me to get ignored while he plays his stupid games and he seethes in rage everytime he loses. I have no idea why he even bothered to ask me over. I've made several callouts on this behavior over years mind you and he would then apologize, "change his ways" for a while, then forget about it the next week.

I got sick of his apologizing at this point, he never really meant it. He never makes any permanent changes to his actions and its been a maddening cycle. So I recently blew up on him about this and now he's ghosting me. Hes literally choosing games over a decade's old relationship. This ruined games completely for me. I swear to god, everytime I play I get reminded of him playing and it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I havent touched any games in over a week now.

I honestly dont know what to do. Is ghosting = breakup? How long of a ghost before I completely give up on this relationship and start over. I'm so so tired at this point.

Hey everyone,

Nothing too crazy or dramatic, but I finally took the moment to delete my two ongoing gacha games (Honkai Star Rail and Wuthering Waves) which I've been playing for the better part of 1.5-2 years.

I've always been a casual gamer; single player RPGs and strategy games being my favourite, but I've always kept it purely as a casual side hobby and never got too invested. An hour or so every other night after work which I genuinely enjoyed. That is until I was introduced to gacha gaming via Reddit...

Lets just say these gacha games utterly took over my life until the beginning of this week.

I had sank upwards of 300 hours per game due to catching up on story, events, daily grinding (etc etc). That alone had worried me, however when I checked my PSN transactions on a whim I had found I spend in total of around £486 between them both, which genuinely sickened me and seemed completely absurd. I looked back throughout my entire history and yep, its all there. The monthly subs, the battle-passes, the currency top ups for whenever I "wanted" a character's limited banner.

And what do I have to show for it? An addiction where I was logging in every single day, often numerous times for grinding or getting currency. Non-stop looking on the social media/Reddit for posts, checking out the music, the artwork & so on. Honestly, the idea that these games had hooked me so much is a bit frightening, so I pretty much deleted them there and then once I realised how stupid the situation had become and how much I had spent.

Now its a week later and I've completely lost all interest in both games. I'm not bothered about returning, the idea of even installing again seems a waste of time and not having the games feed on my Reddit is great.

I've always heard how taking some time away from a game will make you realise whether you enjoy it, or were just going through the motions. I think for myself by day 3 I had forgotten about the daily logins & thinking about which characters I should be saving for.

I'm annoyed with myself for letting it get as bad, but lessons learned (albeit an expensive one!).

Hey everyone, this is my first time on this subreddit so sorry if I’m not formal enough or something, but I really need some advice. I (18m) have some goals that I’m really passionate about but not working hard enough (I feel) to attain them. I believe this is because of some old habits I’ve had my entire life are eating up all my time. The biggest one of these being video games. I just can’t find it possible in my mind to fully drop the thing that’s kept me going this whole time. One of my biggest goals is making a successful video game, which playing video games brought me to, so how could I stop? Not only that but it’s so engraved in my mind that I seriously do think I’d go sick if I tried to go a few days without playing (which I know is sad, so please don’t overly criticize me for it, I recognize it’s a problem). Can anyone help me? Thank you for reading, I appreciate every bit of advice seriously it means the world to me.

This is a repost from another subreddit, which this one seems better tailored to my issue so I’m putting it here as well.

I have over 1200 hrs on the game since this time of last year.

This game is an absolute demon. It strangely fits perfectly into something i do to occupy my time ever since i was a kid: day dreaming. It allows me to visualize the daydream playing this fantasy battle with magic casting characters. The fighting between different factions and the grand campaign to build the empire or destroy the world

This game since the beginning of this year where my addiction kicks in has been behind a lot of my downfall looking back. I won't blame everything on it but it sure haa been an enabler. Due to a lot of stress from college, i hid away to play this game. I neglected my studies. I neglected the gym. I almost got an F, and I gained over 15kg since january

I uninstalled the game on July and figured the holiday would be the break the seprates me from the game. However. When the term starts, as I have no social life, experiences a lot of failures and social rejections, and stress piles on, my life started feeling empty and heavy. I redownload the game again in September and got addicted again. Same pattern. Instead of studying for the finals of the previous 2 subjects a week ago, the day before the exam i played this game like a fucked up addict since i couldn't cope with the feeling of inferiority that no matter how hard i try, my results will be terrible since I'm dumber than other people. It's some malignant perfectionism and the chronic feeling that I don't belong in this degree that induces self destructive procrastination

I got 2 more subjects left and 1 week to study with no class. I already uninstalled the game and try to get myself into a physical hobby to distract myself like Gunpla. I already have equipments from warhammer age of sigmar I bought back in july to try to build and paint (and to fix the addiction to the game, which you may have guess failed since i haven't touch the thing since september). It's gunpla this time since I found I enjoy the assembly wayy more than painting. Painting is the chore part

I need to feel like Im capable and like Im building something tangible in order to keep studying my degree

But Im afraid I will relapse and reinstall the game again. There's no gurantee that I won't in the future. It doesn't help that I made some good memories of the game and played some fun campaigns that I could write an entire essay about

For context I used to be a daily streamer on twitch to the point i actually became affiliated once I got 92 followers.

Felt so much pressure and forced myself to livestream for hours daily, all while playing the same toxic game dead by daylight.

At one point I just reflected on my life, realized the game was making me more toxic, taking time from my other real life commitments and relationships, and also dealing with toxic viewers saying the craziest things. Not to mention the game just wasn't fun.

So I fully deleted my twitch account and haven't felt better.

I first started SHing back when modern warfare three came out on the 360. I was so bad at it that I started c***ing my arm. To this day, I still have a long row of ugly scars that run down the length of my forearm. Recently, I started playing Black Ops 2 again. And those old feelings have started coming back. I’m so bad at this game that I wanna start back SHing again. I’m trying to stay strong for my wife and daughters. But it’s getting harder every day that passes. I know I need to quit, but it’s just become an even bigger addiction than MW3 was back in the day. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.