How Do You Quit Gaming?

Lwen87n on 30/09/2018 - 19:08
Last edited 04/10/2018 - 10:51

I spent too much time on PC gaming. i can't concentrate on anything else. My mind just can't get out of gaming. I been playing PC games since i was 8 years old. Now I am 31 years old and yes, definitely got more important stuffs to do.

How do you quit gaming and not to think about it? any experiences to share?

Today I just deleted all my games, well, that's all i know for now.

Cheers

Update:

Guys and Girls, I would like to say BIG THANKS for more than Literally hundreds of suggestions / advices.
I been watching OzB for 3 years and this is my first post. You guys and girls been giving lots of constructive, positive and helpful suggestions / advices! God I love this uplifting OzB community!
I am now also been using an apps called Cold turkey blocker for self time management as suggested. Best 22 AUD ever spent so far lol

BIG THANKS! :D

Gaming

Comments

  • Some Human on 30/09/2018 - 19:13
    +120

    Why would you want to stop gaming? That’s crazy talk.

    • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 19:51
      +16

      1 reason - I spent too much time

      • rompastompa on 30/09/2018 - 21:15
        +2

        Why don't you limit your time? Can't be that hard to set an alarm, save and quit.

        • Some Human on 30/09/2018 - 22:23
          +48

          It's much harder than it sounds. 1 hour of gaming feels like 5 mins.

          • wen87n on 01/10/2018 - 10:59
            +7

            @Some Human: This, is how my weekends like all the time, sat down have a few games, the whole Sunday is gone. It’s 2 am in the morning already.

        • plague69 on 30/09/2018 - 23:14
          +11

          Normally people don't get addicted to single player games, so there is no save button.

          There is also usually a social element to it.

          I don't care what anyone says, but gaming is a real addiction. Just like slots at the casino, there are deeper reasons for not being able to save and quit.

          • SlappersOnly on 01/10/2018 - 09:00
            +2

            @plague69: Gaming is definitely an addiction. Especially games that try to trigger people's addictive personalities. Doesn't mean it's not fun :p nothing wrong with a bit of healthy addiction. Though I play online games with real life friends so it's not my entire life, it's just another group activity like going to the pub or going out on a fishing trip. I get bored real quick if I. play a single player game by myself

          • rompastompa on 01/10/2018 - 10:01

            @plague69:

            don't get addicted to single player games

            I understand. Maybe it's a case of acknowledging that online is always on, and what you 'miss out' on will be duplicated again? (Like Raids etc?)

            I haven't had a lot of experience with online social gaming due to crappy internet.. I guess we can thank the NBN for that? (NBN installation moved further again to mid next year)

        • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 14:30
          +9

          Why don't you limit your time? Can't be that hard to set an alarm, save and quit.

          Who needs an alarm when the birds chirp every morning at 5:30?

          That's a good time to get some sleep.

          • Blitzfx on 01/10/2018 - 14:34

            @Scrooge McDuck: I feel like you speak from experience lol

            • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 15:06
              +5

              @Blitzfx: I'm an insomniac with an obsessive personality.

              In Crysis level editor:

              21:00: What if there was a 200 m stack of barrels in the mine pit?

              .
              .
              .

              I wonder what the time is…

              7:00: Oh dear!

              If I have nothing better to do, I'll play a game for 12 h straight until it's 100 % completed (SP), or I'm at least in the top 0.01 % at it (MP). The latter takes a lot longer.

              When I'm finally satisfied, I'll come back to reality, awake the leg muscles from hibernation, try to get out of the chair and crack open the door. Then it's time to acquire nutrients to recover the 10+ kg I've lost.

              Opening doors was quite unnerving after playing most of the Resident Evil series.

              Thankfully, I also have a lot of willpower. I quit gaming entirely for the HSC and each semester of Uni.

          • ozbjunkie on 01/10/2018 - 20:40
            +1

            @Scrooge McDuck: My wake-up call is the planes starting at 6pm - " time to go to bed or you'll ruin yourself for gaming tomorrow night "

          • AusAech on 03/10/2018 - 16:32

            @Scrooge McDuck: too real

      • plague69 on 30/09/2018 - 23:05
        +8

        I spent 12 -> 25 gaming. Multiple games, over 2000h on 4 different games. Joined a hiking group, met new people, changed the habit to another one. Go to Meetup.com and put yourself out there.

        Unplugging and cancelling internet does nothing. Also helped that I did that during downtime. With new games around the corner (Oct/Nov releases), it's now or not for another year or 2.

        Good luck

      • Draxxx on 02/10/2018 - 14:00
        +2

        I've used this in the past;
        https://getcoldturkey.com/
        Works well.

        • fuzcatt on 02/10/2018 - 20:29
          +1

          Wow, I might give this a try~

        • wen87n on 03/10/2018 - 00:00
          +1

          Thanks, I am downloading now

        • wen87n on 03/10/2018 - 16:23
          +1

          This software works really great. Recommended!

      • MrFrugalSpend on 02/10/2018 - 20:02
        +4

        I like that Steam shows how many hours you have spent on particular games in your library… provided you use it to help quit.
        One guy I know has been obsessed with gaming, one in particular, and has almost 10,500 hours on it over some years now… to put that in perspective, someone on full time salary is required to work approx 1,750 hours per year (FTE less leave/holidays), so this is 6 full time equivalent years on the one game….

        Now let's relate it to OzBargain terms - $$$s - Let's suppose he is now an expert in gaming, if it were a job, he could be on a 6 figure salary - that game has just cost him $600,000 in earning time (avg approx $57/hour) - WOW!!

        Alternatively, compare it to say the 2 weeks / year holiday he takes - that's 14 days… if this time gaming were a holiday @ 18 hours / day (ignoring 8 hours sleep time) it would be 583 days straight!

      • supersabroso on 02/10/2018 - 23:44
        +1

        Convert to single player, offline gaming. It'll be much cheaper and it'll save you tons of time knowing that you can save at any point and come back to exactly where you left off.

        I did this after 1st year at uni and never looked back. Now that I have a wife and a kid, single player gaming is the only thing that could possibly work.

      • AyjeofSpades on 04/10/2018 - 16:46

        Is this one of those "I've spent 13 years gaming and what do I have to show for it" moments?
        '2000 hours on Overwatch? I could have mastered an instrument, wrote a book, learnt to draw..!'

        But is it time wasted? It would be the same thing if you swap those 2000 hours with another form of 'entertainment'.

        What is it you actually want to achieve with this time?

    • MauTauAja on 01/10/2018 - 16:30
      -4

      Dude, when you get older (around 40 +) you will have no appetite for playing game

      • rt1111 on 01/10/2018 - 17:14
        +11

        erm

      • Antikythera on 01/10/2018 - 18:14
        +1

        Yeah i got my first NES console in 1984 after having handheld game and watches before that. Still gaming. Just weened myself off Eve Online and currently casually playing WoW for the last couple of months to ease myself out.

        It helps that I dont have family responsibilities. Actually it also causes that. But many guys i played Eve with, had kids doing stuff in the background while they were on voice coms. Average age of Eve player was something like 30.

      • Cheapo Moose on 01/10/2018 - 19:57
        +3

        I just turned 40, have 3 kids that drive me mad and my wife's been whinging the past month that once the kids go to bed, all I want to do is play PUBG with my mates on Xbox.

        Thankfully we're all starting to get a bit bored with PUBG.

        Forza Horizon 4 comes out tomorrow….. I'm in trouble.

        • ozbjunkie on 01/10/2018 - 20:42
          +2

          call her a scrub and tell her to gitgud - "if she'd be willing to try something new she might enjoy then you will have something to do together".

          Then, duck.

      • Some Human on 02/10/2018 - 02:23

        My partner is in his mid 40s and games more than I do.

    • squall3031 on 01/10/2018 - 17:19

      Exactly.
      If anything, I would like to continue gaming.

      But back on OP's question, it's not hard to quit when you have full time job.
      My gaming habit is on and off but basically, I do it while travelling on public transport.

      Nowadays, I just Netflix on my phone.

  • Hybroid on 30/09/2018 - 19:13
    +13

    Find new hobbies to keep you occupied and busy. Harder than it sounds but doable.

    • dearcloud on 01/10/2018 - 02:26
      +10

      Gets addicted to new hobby. Rinse. Repeat.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 16:49
        +7

        Lift weights. Girls don't care about your KDR.

        • Godric on 01/10/2018 - 16:51

          Have not seen your sticky beak for a while

  • follow on 30/09/2018 - 19:18
    +8

    Get rid of the console/gaming pc and accessories. If it's a gaming PC, change it to a normal PC without a graphics card.

  • vinni9284 on 30/09/2018 - 19:19
    +9

    If you are a male then get a nice lady that you can spend time with (or someone you like) .. then some gaming …. in moderation :-)

    • DangerNoodle on 30/09/2018 - 22:43
      +19

      tried this, turns out my other half is better at CS and other FPS games than I am =)

      • plague69 on 30/09/2018 - 23:15
        +5

        I'm glad you solved your gaming problem :D

      • tsunamisurfer on 30/09/2018 - 23:56
        +5

        Mine hates gaming….I'll swap you.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 17:16
        +1

        turns out my other half is better at CS and other FPS games than I am =)

        And I'm an anthropomorphic duck!!

    • montorola on 01/10/2018 - 13:53
      +6

      If you are a male then get a nice lady that you can spend time with

      A few weeks later we'll get another thread from the OP - "Am broke, how do I make more money?"

      • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 17:01
        +5

        "Am broke, how do I make more money?"

        A: Get a boyfriend.

      • rt1111 on 01/10/2018 - 18:41
        +11

        Thank goodness we have SJWs to moderate the comments!

    • Xantar on 01/10/2018 - 17:47

      That does't work. Got a lady and now we're both gaming plus other things while gaming :D

      • montorola on 01/10/2018 - 19:10

        You got the best of both worlds lol

      • ozbjunkie on 01/10/2018 - 20:43

        while gaming - that's quite a feat.

  • John Kimble on 30/09/2018 - 19:25
    +28

    Yep, get and wife/partner and have kids. :/

    • doodo477 on 01/10/2018 - 06:29
      +13

      Now they game, now what?

    • [Deactivated] on 01/10/2018 - 07:45
      +5

      This doesn't solve the Ops problem I can assure that..

      • Robbo14 on 01/10/2018 - 20:46

        Can also vouch with 2 + 1 in then oven.

    • blehgg on 02/10/2018 - 08:31

      this will kill your gaming for sure…

      • Ryballs on 02/10/2018 - 12:02
        +1

        I got my wife into gaming. Now I've stopped and she's addicted..

        • blehgg on 02/10/2018 - 12:03
          +1

          got kids? ~ It's like the final destination curse ~ you gotta pass it on.

          • Ryballs on 02/10/2018 - 18:02

            @blehgg: Yeah I do and my 3yo daughter is already showing an interest.

    • BookerDeWitt on 03/10/2018 - 19:38
      -1

      What a horrible, horrible answer for the modern, educated male. That's the LAST thing any man should be doing in the modern climate. Study hard, earn major bucks. But never. Ever. Give your wealth to women or children.

  • xaykogeki on 30/09/2018 - 19:25
    +4

    I am sort of still in the same position as you, but improving. The problem I encountered when I deleted all the games is that, what now?

    For me, rather than deleting everything in one go, I started slow with finding things to swap the gaming time. I found another hobby (albeit more expensive, but more rewarding) and doing sports. I started watching tournaments (badminton) and at the same time writing blogs. Downgrading my GPU sort of helped as well which limits my games. I don't buy any games anymore as well and not a single console in sight.

    It's hard at first, but you'll get there :)

  • Ryanek on 30/09/2018 - 19:25
    +33

    Step 1. Get married.

    • o53djz7qTPY4der on 30/09/2018 - 19:46
      +40

      Step 2. Have a child.

      You'll have no time for gaming.

      • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 19:57
        +13

        Got wife, looks like time to have a child. lol

        • John Kimble on 30/09/2018 - 20:11
          +7

          Trying for a kid is only a few minutes a day, a few days a month 😳

        • scrimshaw on 30/09/2018 - 20:17
          +16

          I'm amazed your wife even lets you game. Most of the friends i know either quit or reduce gaming significantly once they're living together with a partner, and probably quit completely when they have kids to take care of.

          My brother still gets roughly 4 hours of gaming a week and that's already pushing past 'addiction quota', according to his wife..

          But to make up for it he's gotten pretty good with a guitar, skateboarding and inline skating.

          • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 20:44
            +1

            @scrimshaw: We had a few arguments about this before, then she kinda get over it.

            Today she surprised I deleted the games.

            • dcep on 30/09/2018 - 20:59
              +6

              @wen87n: she's a keeper

            • John Kimble on 30/09/2018 - 21:05
              +36

              @wen87n:

              We had a few arguments about this before, then she kinda get over it let's it go for the time being so she can use it as ammunition in a completely unrelated argument many moons from now.

              Fixed

              • jace88 on 30/09/2018 - 21:20

                @John Kimble: lol so true.

              • ozbjunkie on 01/10/2018 - 20:44
                +17

                @John Kimble: Lol - my girlfriend said it was either her or the games - not sure where she is now, but I wish her the best.

      • SlappersOnly on 01/10/2018 - 09:05

        Step 3: get addicted to Legos and diy projects

      • Xantar on 01/10/2018 - 17:49
        +1

        Step 3: Divorce

        Now you have things to worry about instead of gaming ;)

      • bugman on 02/10/2018 - 09:17

        Ditto.. since having first kid..1 year old now… gaming hours… maybe 4 hours in the last 12 months…

  • 2jzzzz on 30/09/2018 - 19:44
    +5

    Just stop. Like smoking.

    • SlappersOnly on 01/10/2018 - 09:08
      +7

      Or alcohol. Easy addictions to stop. Not like those deadly killers like stamp collecting

  • qwerty on 30/09/2018 - 19:48

    If you stop gaming your life isnt going to improve magically but if you want to just uninstall all your progams like steam and go from there .

  • Axelstrife on 30/09/2018 - 19:50
    +1

    Are you just addicted to a single game? or just spend a crap load of hours into lots of different games?

    • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 19:52

      currently just 1 single game

      • follow on 30/09/2018 - 20:02
        +1

        Which one?

        • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 20:05

          World of Warships. I like that game so much. only play that one for last 3 years

          • amrdeus on 30/09/2018 - 21:05
            +16

            @wen87n: Last time I was addicted here is what I did: Download mods and mod the game until you have unlimited everything and cheat. Kinda ruins the whole "I've gotten so good/much" thing. Then it gets old real quick.

            Once you've left the game for 2 months you'll no longer care about it and realise what a waste of time it was. Just don't jump onto another game after.

            • decr on 01/10/2018 - 08:27
              +1

              @amrdeus: This is so true, once there is no challenge or nothing more to gain/explore then it gets boring. This reminded me of playing UFO: Enemy Unknown as a kid (it was hard) so I cheated by patching the saves, beat the game easy and… Never played it again until a couple of years ago on medium difficulty and it was fun again. Never cheated since.

            • Antikythera on 01/10/2018 - 18:19
              +5

              @amrdeus: +1 IDKFA runied Doom for me.

          • HADOUKEN on 01/10/2018 - 13:37

            @wen87n: Oh wow. Do you play SEA server? It’s a hard game to get rid of. I play and stream it on twitch. Have you considered just setting days to play? Just 3 nights a week? I played it for 3 years. I’m guessing ranked season has you evaluating your life choices. It has that effect on us all.

            • wen87n on 01/10/2018 - 13:58

              @HADOUKEN: Yes, I play on SEA server. My IGN is Szabla. DD main.

              I play 4 days a week when I am home. Sometimes more. I can’t control myself not to play it. So addictive. It’s a great game no doubt :) Royal Navy Destoryer line out soon. So tempting.

              I play 4 seasons of ranked battles and can’t take that gain star lose star stress and decided to play random battles only.

              I wanted to stream but internet is too crappy lol

              Maybe we can add each other in game and I will back if I fail to quit haha

              • HADOUKEN on 01/10/2018 - 14:11

                @wen87n: Definitely. I hope you find you can quit with no regrets or find a healthy balance with life/gaming. My username is UncleDoukey in the game. I’ll add you and if you come on we can okay a few games. I have every ship except a couple.

                • wen87n on 01/10/2018 - 14:26
                  +1

                  @HADOUKEN: Thank you.

                  I have every ship except a couple.

                  Same here, I think we both donated too much money on premium ships lol

                • Scrooge McDuck on 01/10/2018 - 17:14
                  +2

                  @HADOUKEN:  

                  Remember the thread title? You're not helping dude.

                  OP: It's a beautiful day, why not go outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine?

      • Axelstrife on 30/09/2018 - 20:07
        +5

        Don't give up gaming then, just permanently remove that game from your steam library (if it's steam).
        delete anyone who would send invites to that game or if good mates ask them not to invite for that game again.
        if it's a game where stats matter see if your could reset or delete your account.

        I used to be massively addicted to a multiplayer real time strategy web browser game and one day i just deleted all accounts that i put years of playtime into and never returned (takes ALONG time to build accounts back up) but i still game today PC and PS4 so do anything to diminish your need to play.

        Taking a few months away from all gaming might help too.

        • drprox on 30/09/2018 - 21:02
          +1

          Haha I recall my old man saying something similar about drinking. He prefers beer so just remove all beer from the house and drinking is slowed :D

  • subywagon on 30/09/2018 - 19:54
    +5

    I just uninstalled and went from there. Games don't seem to hold much interest for me now as they did when I was young.

    • follow on 30/09/2018 - 20:00

      Need to kick television addiction now

      • Gandalf the Thrifty on 30/09/2018 - 23:05
        +12

        Watch free to air tv, that will kill that addiction

      • SlappersOnly on 01/10/2018 - 09:10
        +1

        That's my real addiction. So many wasted years watching tv shows

  • Fier2 on 30/09/2018 - 20:01
    +5

    Get a wife. And add some kids! Worked for my husband. Now he s back to basic play like legos, dolls and other things… despite having a house full of video games ( wow on pc,ps4 and xbox one) he never got time to play.

    • subywagon on 30/09/2018 - 20:14

      Too true! lol

    • neonlight on 01/10/2018 - 19:57
      +2

      Yup kids and wife, no time after that however I still try to stay up at night to play once they are asleep. Best to do on long weekends.

      I dun care I want my personal gaming time. I'm not really addicted but I need leisure time and that's all I get with two kids

  • Quantumcat on 30/09/2018 - 20:03
    +2

    Get a new hobby that you enjoy more than gaming.

    • John Kimble on 30/09/2018 - 20:10
      +15

      www.ozbargain.com.au

      • Axelstrife on 30/09/2018 - 20:13
        +14

        Don't do it, it's a trap!

        • wen87n on 30/09/2018 - 20:27
          +5

          Not gonna lie, I really like to browse OzBargain when ever i can, although i got nothing need to buy, its like a habit now.

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