u/Stepdadskeletor

It's funny how when you have stopped gaming for sometime - closing in on a month for me. You notice just how much time you have, it feels so abundant. The days feel longer, you almost don't feel pressed for time or anxious, it really is an amazing feeling.

So naturally it makes me look back, when I used to play Multiplayer games like Overwatch. Man, I used to love playing that game so much. You could drop 6 hours in one go and not feel it. And it got me realizing just what a time killer your choice of game poison can be. I remember so many weekends thrown away. They would come and easily go and I wouldn't feel them at all, it was because I allowed myself to kill time instead of embrace it. But then you stop and wonder, what was I killing the time for? Time is my friend if I use it wisely, so why do I put myself in an almost hypnotic state to allow it to pass as fast as possible.

It's amazing just how short time felt when you wanted to game, 2 hours would never feel enough. But try to use those two hours for something else, maybe to draw, or any other hobby you may have and you will realize that those two hours feel abundant, but with gaming, they are nothing, they pass so quickly.

So yeah, wanted to throw some of my perspective out there. I'm sure many here who have quit have realized just how much longer the days now feel, that is a good thing!

So I have not played Videogames for 3 weeks now, this is probably the longest I have gone without playing for years and years. At 45, and unsatisfied with how my life currently is, I decided I was going to stop videogames until I have reached where I wanna reach in life, from financial status, to friends, to possibly marrying again after a failed 10 year marriage.

What I have noticed in these 3 weeks is that mentally, I don't feel anxious since I quit. There is this calm almost indifferent feeling that I have most of the time. I've also noticed that I enjoy other things more now which I didn't care much about when I gamed. I enjoy watching movies and shows more, I enjoy reading books and comics, I enjoy going for walks, drawing, boardgames etc.

I have found that I am more open to achieving goals in my life now, there is this small fire in me I can feel getting stronger, I find myself slowly moving towards wanting to write that novel I have wanted to write for 25 years now and never have, that flame that makes me wanted to be a damn great artist. I remember that flame was more focused on completing videogames than any of those other things. Easy, cheap goals.

The funny thing is, in 3 weeks, I could care less about all those single player games. But what has remained so powerful, is wanting badly to play Fortnite, Call of Duty and especially my two favourite games Overwatch and DBD and I wanna play those games badly.

Overwatch recently got an update on the Switch 2 and I have been fighting with myself internally not to try it.

This shows me just how powerful these multiplayer games are. Just what a hold they have on you and how much dopamine they release in your brain, they also make you feel that you are sociable and part of a community even when you are alone mostly in life, they make you feel like there is people around you. This is how powerful they are.

I'm still struggling to take it day by day, but just wanted to put this on here. Not sure why, maybe to let my thoughts out and to see if there's someone else out there that feels the same way but they continue to fight.