The Crossroads

[lancer]

Well I've been debating for some time now whether or not to upgrade my machine, new parts etc...

...But at the same time I’ve been given serious thought to going back to collage, and mostly my reason not to has been lack of time.

Why the lack of time, well i am married, have a 3 yr old and work a full 50+ hours a week. But that wasn't really my reason.

My reason was because I wasn't sure where to fit in the time to play my PC Games. Now that’s a sad excuse to not advance ones life.

And I really just didn't get it fully until today, when i was looking around for a new graphics card that I am just wasting my life playing on the computer, it's an addiction as surely as drink or crack is, and whilst I don't think I need help, i do need to give it up.

Previously I’ve thought about this and lowered the game time, but I always go back to doing the same thing, night after night, play DOD source or EQ2 (not for a while) or some other game.

But I am just withering away in the dark; whilst my wife and daughter sleep, playing these games that ultimately do nothing for me.

I don't feel fulfilled, usually I am left feeling like I just wasted 5 hours of my life, when I could have been doing something else, reading, watching a good show on TV (I know not the best substitute, but still better), or playing with my daughter at the park.

Ultimately it makes me feel like a failure, which is what I am, when I waste so much time playing pointless games of any kind.

So I've decided that this is it, from today after what 20 yrs or so of gaming, I am no longer going to play any kind of computer/console game at all for all the reasons above and more.

I can directly correlate the lack of my brain usage to the increase in gaming and it’s scary.

I wanted to share this with you guys as I have been here a while now, and perhaps this will help others out as well, who feel the same as me, it doesn't mean I'm giving up computers, just given up the gaming on computers.

I’ll let you guys know how it is, perhaps an update a week, into the trial of reality that I am setting myself upon.

Feel free to comment.

I've also started a blog, which will esentially have the same stuff.

http://thechangling.blogspot.com/

 

[falconguard]

Well, it is an addiction, just one of the more benign ones. Good luck on your program, and good luck with your education.

 

[muzikool]

Glad to hear it, lancer. I've seen computer games ruin my younger brother's social life in college -- unless you consider talking on a microphone to someone thousands of miles away "social." It also severely impacted his schoolwork, because no matter how much he needed to study, he HAD TO spend X amount of time playing his games each day (and that X was usually multiple hours). Somewhat related, he's also damaged his eyesight playing games for hours at night in the dark.

So, with that being said, I hope that getting off this addiction makes you happier, and that it enables you to spend that time doing other quality activities -- whether it be spending time with your family or challenging your brain in some healthy way. Good luck with this and you have my support!

 

[Grandmaster]

You just needed to add some balance. Continue playing games...just not for 5 hours a day. Otherwise you'll feel like you are working too much.

Good luck.

 

[lancer]

Thanks for the words of encouragement, i hope this post isn't too weird for you all.

 

[kcnychief]

Very touching stuff indeed, good luck with the lifestyle change