Has Anybody Here Quit Playing Video Games?

[DarkEco]

This will probably be rambling but i'm interested if anyone has felt similarly. I've realised recently that gaming is a huge problem in my life, which sucks because it's also the thing i love most. I've been playing them since i was about 2 years old. I think my first game was Ghouls n' Ghosts on the Megadrive/Genesis. In childhood i pretty much played games constantly, before and after school and 12 hours a day on weekends. I'm 27 now and have been becoming increasingly unhappier over the years because they've always been such a big part of my life that i feel the need to factor them in somehow. In my free time nothing really compares with the immersion and detachment from life stresses that games can offer, but they've also made everything including my uni work that i'm really passionate about seem dull in comparison. What's more is the sheer amount of games these days and how easy it is to acquire them through Steam or eBay. I've got shelve-loads of games from original Gameboy, Megadrive, PS1, Gamecube and all the in between eras up until now, including rare ones that can go for hundreds online. It's sad and pathetic but this collection is almost like the photo album from my childhood, with all the memories locked in a disc. It makes it incredibly hard to give any of them up, but it's like a constant burden in the back of my mind feeling like they're another thing i have to do. When i play games now i feel more guilty than anything else because i know i'm not being productive. Funnily enough most of the day tends to be taken up by neither playing games or doing work, but instead sitting thinking about what i actually want to do with my time like i am right now.

I discovered a YouTube channel called Game Quitters and i'm thinking of trying out the 90 day detox. I've never been a WoW addict or anything serious. I'm in University, i have a day job and i've been paying my own way for the past 10 years but it's becoming increasingly obvious to me that i need to shift my focus if i want to progess at all from my curent situation. I'm hoping by the end of the 90 days i'll shift the enjoyment i got from games to my studies or other activities i may pick up along the way.

Has anybody else gone through a similar experience who can give some insight into how you did/didn't deal with it?

[Skrypnyk]

I've quit playing video games but it was due to the frustration of needing to learn how to play a game rather than I play games too much and need to stop.  On most fronts my childhood is similar to yours in that I started with an Amiga/C64 and played various games on various systems up to wii/ps3, but now I just don't feel the need to keep up with any of the consoles or series anymore.  Don't have the time nor do I want to spend the cash.  I've never had a steam account so that doesn't effect me either.

I have lots of things that occupy my time that isn't gaming.  Generally speaking if you want to quit gaming completely you're gonna have to find something else to fill that void.

[DarkEco]

4 hours ago, Skrypnyk said:

I've quit playing video games but it was due to the frustration of needing to learn how to play a game rather than I play games too much and need to stop.  On most fronts my childhood is similar to yours in that I started with an Amiga/C64 and played various games on various systems up to wii/ps3, but now I just don't feel the need to keep up with any of the consoles or series anymore.  Don't have the time nor do I want to spend the cash.  I've never had a steam account so that doesn't effect me either.

I have lots of things that occupy my time that isn't gaming.  Generally speaking if you want to quit gaming completely you're gonna have to find something else to fill that void.

Thanks for the response Yes i'm curious to see how i'm going to fill the time where i would usually default to playing games.

[The Nikanoru]

@DarkEco, this is all sounding very familiar to me. Being a fairly long-time gamer myself, I'd like to say from my side of the fence that I haven't quit gaming - my games mean too much to me to give up completely - but over the years I have found myself playing them less and less as my life has become more and more complicated. I average now about 16 hours a month; about 8 hours every other Sunday (when I can get away with it).

When I do game, I find myself going back over those old titles - sometimes it's a track I hear on OCR, or an interesting article, or even an obscure reference that makes me want to play a game again. Did that recently with Super Mario RPG; after hearing some of the amazing songs on the SMRPG album, I HAD to pick up the game again to get a little context to the tracks I was hearing.

That being said, like @Skrypnyk I have a very hard time justifying going to the next generation of console. I've played the console hardware shuffle over eight generations now and it doesn't make sense to me to pay $450+ CAD to upgrade to a PS4 that I want maybe six games for and have very little time to play.

As far as 'cutting back' is concerned, I was trained at a young age to schedule my game time; typically blocks of one to three hours depending on whether my brother was using the games and/or whether my homework was done or not. Once I moved out, blocks of three hours became blocks of eight to twelve. Now that I'm older, I still consider a good day's worth of gaming at eight hours, but the frequency is far less. I don't think a full 'detox' is necessary; I think some scheduling and a little self-discipline should bring a little more balance to your life, so you can pursue other activities AND still enjoy a game form time to time.

But hey, this is just my opinion. If you think you need to do this, then don't let me stop you - I'm just saying there's more than one path.

[DarkEco]

@Nikanoru Great response, thanks! Yeah i've not dropped any money on the current gen and only bought a PS3 after the PS4 had come out to catch up on some Ratchet & Clank plus play the various PS2 remakes they'd released. Like you i often find myself going back instead of looking forward, which sucks because i'd like to get excited about the industry i hope to work in, or at least partially work in. It sounds like you were given the training i sorely lacked. Anytime i try scheduling with anything it quickly falls apart. I think i'll try the 90 days because i'm interested to see how i feel at the end of it.

Just a question out of curiosity, i'm assuming you do some form of music composition for a living, but do you ever write for fun in your leisure time?

[Garpocalypse]

My only real attempt to kick video games was the second semester of my sophomore year of college.  Left all my consoles at home,uninstalled the games i had on my pc and went about my studies.  After what was a pretty successful semester I returned home, went to gamestop, and spent upwards of $300 on all the games I missed. The first few weeks of the summer break I was engaged in the deepest, darkest,most unholy gaming binge i've ever had.  Advice? Don't fight it, it always comes back around.  

As long as I have Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2 , Resident Evil 2 and hope for a Freedom Planet 2.  No, I will not stop playing.  

I do need to kick my overwatch addiction in the worst way though. 

[AngelCityOutlaw]

I have quit gaming as a regular hobby, though I have recently played a bit on steam and am back into Overwatch for the new event for a couple weeks. Overwatch is the best gaming investment I have ever made because it's one of the few games these days that's just meant to be a blast with your friends and they always keep doing things to make it feel fresh. It was a $50 dollar purchase and I get continued enjoyment out of it.

However, months often pass where I don't even touch it.

As I get older it just becomes apparent what a waste of time and productivity killer video games really are and I would rather do just about anything else most of the time.

I often see users on Steam who have 300 hours sunk into a game in a short timeframe. I simply cannot fathom my life being so remarkably boring and/or non-existent as to be able to rack up that many hours in a game.

[Red Shadow]

i tend to drift in and out of it

i have a lot of free time at work during the winter months, which is generally when i get back into it

[Tex]

Abandoned regular gaming in 2013 after joining university. Focusing on my cinema career has made me realize playing games was a thing of the past, mostly. I am 27 too, and don't get much enjoyment from it anymore. Reading books have been a more immersive and rewarding experience to me, especially if I can apply what I learn into my works. Also, I could never devote the time and effort to games that requires extensive tutorials for you to master them. I've always been more into quick, "arcade-ish" gaming.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

1 hour ago, Txai said:

Also, I could never devote the time and effort to games that requires extensive tutorials for you to master them. I've always been more into quick, "arcade-ish" gaming.

A year...two years(?) ago, I tried Street Fighter V.

Couldn't do it.

I used to be the SHIT at SFIV back around 2010. I knew every Chun Li combo and could wreck just about everyone with her.

Now I simply don't have the patience and time to learn fighting games like that anymore, so I returned it. That made me feel old.

[DarkEco]

12 hours ago, Garpocalypse said:

My only real attempt to kick video games was the second semester of my sophomore year of college.  Left all my consoles at home,uninstalled the games i had on my pc and went about my studies.  After what was a pretty successful semester I returned home, went to gamestop, and spent upwards of $300 on all the games I missed. The first few weeks of the summer break I was engaged in the deepest, darkest,most unholy gaming binge i've ever had.  Advice? Don't fight it, it always comes back around.  

As long as I have Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2 , Resident Evil 2 and hope for a Freedom Planet 2.  No, I will not stop playing.  

I do need to kick my overwatch addiction in the worst way though. 

Loving all these replies! @Garpocalypse I'm actually in my second college year too haha! I must be on a very similar path. I can vouch for Sonic 2, SoR and Freedom Planet also. They're pretty close to my heart. I can see myself having a similar binge in 3 years time.

[Argle]

I have for times, though I still play them.  I'm 34 but I don't have kids, so I have a lot more free time available to me than a lot of people my age.  Add to that I'm way past college, a sedentary fixture in my job, and have no life dramarama.  Money spent on video games is not an issue for me (although I certainly wait until new games come down in price, ain't paying 60 bucks for a game).  So the only thing competing for video game time are my daily responsibilities and any other hobby I might have.  The way I see it if video games do not interfere with your responsibilities they are perfectly fine.  If you are bored, or find yourself worrying about time spent on them, then by all means give em up for a while.

[Liontamer]

I never quit, I just don't have free time for console gaming. People got kids/work/hobbies. But iPhone games still count, so Pokemanz GO! and Tap My Katamari are my current go-to's.

[Ridiculously Garrett]

I don't play many new games anymore. Usually I'll just play Mario Kart 64 now and then or some Gamecube games.

[JohnStacy]

I used to be a big gamer, but that gradually then suddenly stopped at one point.  The most recent game I played all the way through was Twilight Princess in 2006.  I occasionally played Smash Bros Brawl on the Wii, but I had to borrow my sister's console, and then when I moved away from home I couldn't take it with me.  I occasionally would play my gamecube and earlier games, but even then I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety, so I couldn't play for more than 20-30 minutes a week before I would feel extremely guilty and worthless for not being productive with my time.  I eventually got help for that, and was treated for the depression and counseling for coping mechanisms for the anxiety, so things did get better.  I never really went back to gaming.  Occasionally I would visit my hometown and would play whatever games were more recent on my sister's consoles, but couldn't get into them.  I played Metroid Prime 3 and was like...motion controls?  What is this?  And I couldn't make it past the first 10-15 minutes.  Same with Skyward Sword.

This last winter break I didn't have anything to do, started to feel burnt out of music, had just graduated college, and was unemployed waiting for places to call me back, so I decided to play through the N64 Zelda games.  I played through Ocarina but didn't get through Majora before things started again and I couldn't continue.  I'm almost one semester into graduate school and am not going to continue that degree.  I'm feeling very burnt out of music and things at the moment, so I'm going in a different direction.  I'm going to study japanese, and will play games in that language as I progress.  However, I probably won't really try to play catch up with games I missed.  I'll do some older ones, maybe some 2010 era ones, but not really many new ones.  When it comes down it it, I see everybody playing Undertale and Overwatch and I just am not interested.  I used to be a gamer...but not anymore.  Not even close.

[MindWanderer]

I have a job and a kid and you'll pry my video games out of my cold dead hands.  It might just be an hour or two a week, sometimes not even that, and a few minutes of Sentinels of the Multiverse or ALttP Randomizer on my phone, but if that's what I get, then I'll take it.  My backlog of games I want to play before I die is probably long enough to last the rest of my life, even though I get more and more judicious about what I add to it.

[DarkEco]

1 hour ago, JohnStacy said:

I occasionally would play my gamecube and earlier games, but even then I was suffering from severe depression and anxiety, so I couldn't play for more than 20-30 minutes a week before I would feel extremely guilty and worthless for not being productive with my time.  I eventually got help for that, and was treated for the depression and counseling for coping mechanisms for the anxiety, so things did get better.

In a very similar situation myself. I've started to put it down to anxiety as well, it's especially awful first thing when i wake up. I'm glad to hear they got better for you. I find if i just push myself to get up, eat breakfast, have a coffee and throw on a production tutorial of some kind on Youtube i start to get more buzzed about the day.

[Argle]

53 minutes ago, MindWanderer said:

I have a job and a kid and you'll pry my video games out of my cold dead hands.  It might just be an hour or two a week, sometimes not even that, and a few minutes of Sentinels of the Multiverse or ALttP Randomizer on my phone, but if that's what I get, then I'll take it.  My backlog of games I want to play before I die is probably long enough to last the rest of my life, even though I get more and more judicious about what I add to it.

Sentinels is awesome!

[zircon]

After early high school, I fell out of console gaming for the most part. With a few rare exceptions like couch games and stuff I play with my wife, I just have a hard time going over to the TV and playing games there by myself. I can't get into it as much anymore, and I don't know why! I also play way fewer games than I used to. Usually one or two at a time at most, and if it's a PC game, it's usually something I can play pretty casually on and off. I also always play a handheld game before bed, usually only for 15-20 mins or so, to help unwind a the very end of the day.

My gaming habits have definitely changed. But I still enjoy a really good game.

[Meteo Xavier]

So does that mean you guys have things for sale? >:D

[AngelCityOutlaw]

24 minutes ago, Meteo Xavier said:

So does that mean you guys have things for sale? >:D

Depends what you're looking to buy

[DarkEco]

4 hours ago, AngelCityOutlaw said:

Depends what you're looking to buy

+1

[TheChargingRhino]

Speaking of things to sell-want to sell a working PS1 (using cords for PS2)

Comes with Spryo 3 (just disc)

Been playing Okami the past week, LOVE IT.

Stopped playing every other system I have though, which is sad...Haven't played my Wii U since...around new years?

Going to buy Yooka-Laylee this weekend, hopefully, for Steam.

Hoping to get Zelda before the 13th for a 12 hour gaming marathon at my high school, but we'll see.

Anybody want Pokemon Silver?

[DarkeSword]

1 hour ago, TheChargingRhino said:

Speaking of things to sell-want to sell a working PS1 (using cords for PS2)

Comes with Spryo 3 (just disc)

Been playing Okami the past week, LOVE IT.

Stopped playing every other system I have though, which is sad...Haven't played my Wii U since...around new years?

Going to buy Yooka-Laylee this weekend, hopefully, for Steam.

Hoping to get Zelda before the 13th for a 12 hour gaming marathon at my high school, but we'll see.

Anybody want Pokemon Silver?

 

This isn't a selling thread. Please try to stay on topic. If people want to make arrangements to sell/buy things, do it via PM or use the sale/want thread.

[Modus]

I have, due to my career. I probably play 2 or 3 hours in a month.

You gotta ask yourself.. is it realistic that video games are a 'main course' in my life. If your daily activities look like a food pyramid, where should gaming be? (Hint: Dessert) We're restricted by reality, and we gotta play life by its terms.