So...i've decided to fully cut myself off from video gaming. In fact i'm a month "sober."
Not that there's anything wrong with it. Video Games are frickin' cool. How else does one become a space marine/tiger trainer/mystic wizard?
But...as i've gotten older i've realized that video games, for me, have gone from occasional pastime to full-on passion; something that i'm afraid will consume me if I keep going.
I was diagnosed with ADD as a teenager and thus have an addictive personality. Anything that can, most likely will stimulate me to the point of gaining my full attention. This is known as "hyper-concentration" and though it seems paradoxical to being diagnosed with ADD, it's very common among those diagnosed. If you get distracted by something long enough, it gains your FULL, and I mean FULL attention.
While I consider it a gift, it's also a curse. If I didn't have an addictive personality, I wouldn't be so passionate about writing, uke playing, reading, relationships, and board/card games.
But...it reached a new low in my life last year. I played practically non-stop. I nearly lost the love of my life and I barely saw my family. I gained +20 pounds in the span of a few months. I nearly emptied my bank account buying game-related things.
After lots of talking with my friends and family, careful consideration and introspection, i've sold/given away everything i've ever owned that's video game related. It feels like i've woken up from a decades-long coma and said "what the ****, is this the future?" It's pretty surreal. I've played video games ever since I was 3. I'm 21 now, turning 22 next month.
It sucks at the moment and I literally find myself really really wanting to play again, but i'm on the way to beating something that I believe is real: video game addiction.
Just something I thought I wanted to share with fellow gamers.
Not that there's anything wrong with it. Video Games are frickin' cool. How else does one become a space marine/tiger trainer/mystic wizard?
But...as i've gotten older i've realized that video games, for me, have gone from occasional pastime to full-on passion; something that i'm afraid will consume me if I keep going.
I was diagnosed with ADD as a teenager and thus have an addictive personality. Anything that can, most likely will stimulate me to the point of gaining my full attention. This is known as "hyper-concentration" and though it seems paradoxical to being diagnosed with ADD, it's very common among those diagnosed. If you get distracted by something long enough, it gains your FULL, and I mean FULL attention.
While I consider it a gift, it's also a curse. If I didn't have an addictive personality, I wouldn't be so passionate about writing, uke playing, reading, relationships, and board/card games.
But...it reached a new low in my life last year. I played practically non-stop. I nearly lost the love of my life and I barely saw my family. I gained +20 pounds in the span of a few months. I nearly emptied my bank account buying game-related things.
After lots of talking with my friends and family, careful consideration and introspection, i've sold/given away everything i've ever owned that's video game related. It feels like i've woken up from a decades-long coma and said "what the ****, is this the future?" It's pretty surreal. I've played video games ever since I was 3. I'm 21 now, turning 22 next month.
It sucks at the moment and I literally find myself really really wanting to play again, but i'm on the way to beating something that I believe is real: video game addiction.
Just something I thought I wanted to share with fellow gamers.
