Stop Playing Video Games
Have video games irreversibly damaged your life? Do you find other activities increasingly boring? Video gaming is a very hard habit to break. Get started now! Humans can survive without video gaming. All we need is food, shelter, sleep, and water.
Contents
Steps
Noting your gaming habits
- Assess yourself, your history of gaming and why you want to stop.
- Make a note of how long you play every day. Then cut off an hour everyday. This sort of progressive reduction will help your body adjust.
Forcing yourself to stop
- The golden step to control yourself is to never start playing early in the day. Once you start playing in a day you will continue have that urge to play more. If at weekends, don't play early morning once you woke up from sleep. Some people feel some sort of urge to play once they wake up (typical addiction) but it's very much easier to control yourself before playing than after (even playing 30 minutes affects you). If at weekdays, do the important things that benefits you before playing when you come home. All in all, play late at the day when you are satisfied with your production through your day.
- Think of all the reasons you want to quit gaming for. What are the alternative things you could be doing? This might be improving your studying, learning a new hobby, seeing friends more often, spending more time with your family and/or pets, going out more, taking up a sport, etc.
- When stopping something you love, it will hurt. You should be strict all the same, as cutting down requires removing the desire to play. Play for only a couple of hours on weekends, after you've finished your chores and the other things you want to do.
- If you feel like you have a severe addiction, and you won't be able to survive without gaming, take a deep breath and think to yourself: "I control this body and nobody can make me do what they want, no matter what". That way you will feel like you have more control.
Ways to stop yourself from playing
- Tell your parents to remind you to turn it off at a particular time. Make sure you turn it off at the designated time. No matter what checkpoint you need to reach, even if it's online or if it gets you banned.
- If asking your parents doesn't work, download this simple software that will force your computer to shut down at a designated time: [no trojans/viruses/adware] http://www.konradp.com/products/auto_shutdown/download/autoshutdown.exe
- Set the time with the Force shutdown option to 2 hours lesser that what you did on your previous day. As the computer shuts off, unplug the mouse and keyboard.
- If you are a hardcore gamer who is active on the forums/public chat, then make a thread about you quitting - make it public. This will make your resolve stronger.
- Try asking someone to hide your games from you for a few hours and gradually go up to a few days, weeks, months etc.
- If there are some games that you don't use any more, give them to some of your younger relatives or donate them. You might even be able to sell some; use the money for savings or to buy new sports or hobby gear.
Keeping up your no-games momentum
- Try doing other things to get your mind off gaming. Some examples are reading, sports, helping around the house, etc.
- Never try to sneak onto video games, as this will make you want to play more and more and more. You will inevitably be discovered.
- Think of other things. If you feel like you really really must play, channel your playing energy into a sports activity.
- Don't try to prolong your gaming time. Things you should avoid include "May I please play 5 more minutes", "I need to finish this up or it won't save", and "I'm in the middle of something". Video games are no longer the highlight of the day. You have better things you would rather do, like reading, a sport, or another activity that is healthy for your mind and body.
Tips
- Understand that you can survive without video games.
- Drink water and rest your eyes often.
- Workout and exercise, eat fruits and stay healthy.
- You don't have to give them up completely. Just strictly limit how long you play
- Whenever you feel that urge to play, resist it by occupying your hands with something else.
- Try to study harder and keep a timetable.
- Avoid anything to do with gaming, even something as simple as searching the internet for gaming reviews or forums.
- Get a knack for the more rewarding real life game (getting girls!). Read and practice.
- Organize your stuff.
- Know your limits and don't try do so much in short time.
- Read a book.
- To distract yourself from video games, get some great board games, for example, Monopoly, Scrabble, etc.
- Go out to the mall or a friend's place.
- If you have pets play with them.
Warnings
- If your eyes are starting to hurt, stop playing.
- Don't ever stay on the video games too long without a break. Computer monitors can cause eye strain over long periods, which may damage your eyesight. It can also do very unhealthy things to your metabolism and posture.
- It will work if you show some self-discipline.
- The software may prevent you from doing real work you need to on your computer so it's a good idea to only use it as your last resort.
- Usually, there is no need to stop gaming altogether, just control it.
- The software stops all programs in progress, any unsaved information [important documents, not just games] get closed, including downloads.
- When gaming, follow the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
