Moderation is difficult to quit gaming if you’re addicted to gaming. That’s why you’re having issues in the first place. Because addiction is characterized by an inability to regulate oneself, most people who attempt to transition from obsessive to moderate gaming fail.
Quitting cold turkey for a set length of time is a more successful method. This can help you rethink your gaming connection and disrupt the “free-time = game-time” equation. It must be for at least 30 days, but I’ve found that stopping for 90 or 100 days is usually the most beneficial because it’s long enough to change your life. If 90 days seems too intimidating, try 30 days.
You’ll need a lot of motivation to accomplish this. You’ll also need compelling reasons to embark on this quest. Perhaps you’re dissatisfied with your life when you’re not gaming, or perhaps you’ve realized the negative effects gaming has on your life and have decided to take action. Your argument may be as simple as “if I can’t quit, it indicates I need it.”
Because you play games to avoid something, quitting alone won’t address all of your problems if you’re addicted to gaming. People frequently go from one addiction to the next due to this (from gaming to surfing Reddit and other sites the whole day). This is why you must create a new life centered on more fulfilling pursuits.
To stop playing video games excessively, you must accomplish two things:
- For a specific period, you must refrain from gaming.
- Create a new life that isn’t based on gaming.
We can vow to quit gaming in advance, but more often than not, we become sick of our own lives and decide to purge everything on the spur of the moment.
Step 1: to quit gaming: Stop Gaming
There are more steps to quit gaming than you might think, but you must do the following steps:
- Remove all games from your computer.
- Delete all gaming apps, and we mean all of them. Even the games on your phone aren’t safe.
- Stop subscribing to all gaming-related Youtube channels.
- Delete your Youtube history to avoid receiving gaming-related recommendations.
- Twitch is currently unavailable
- Stop reading all gaming-related news sources
- Delete the history of your browser.
- Determine how long you will refrain from gaming.
- Begin keeping track of the days till your gaming challenge is completed. Make a calendar entry for this date.
Having a deadline can help you stay on track with this task. You can continue to play the games you’re looking forward to when your challenge is completed. The end date is helpful if you think you’ll learn to game in moderation after the challenge is over. It would be far more difficult to stay devoted to the endeavor if you decided to quit for good.
If you want to take things a step further, consider the following:
Delete your characters and accounts for good. The pain of returning to that game if you erase your MMO characters is too great. If you remove your Steam account, you will lose access to your Steam library and cannot purchase games.
If you want to take things a step further, consider the following:
Sell your video game consoles and computers. You will not play if you do not have any devices to play on. This is frequently needless and impractical (especially if you use your gaming laptop for work), but extreme measures are required in extreme instances.
The idea is to eliminate any traces of gaming from your life. The first few days after starting the challenge will be the toughest since withdrawal symptoms will hit you hard.
You may find yourself thinking about gaming all the time and even dreaming about it. In addition, everything else may seem dull compared to your favorite game. You may hear yourself trying to justify why you deserve to game, or you may be fatigued after a long day at work and believe you need to unwind. Don’t surrender. With practice, it will become easier.
Your desires will ebb and flow. Read other people’s tales, such as this one or this one, to inspire. These are usually successful in keeping you focused on the task at hand.
If you’re worried about giving in, inform someone you trust that you’re embarking on this trip. It’s a terrific method to have someone keep track of your progress and keep you on track. It’s even better if you know they’ll always be there for you. Consider /r/StopGaming (we’re not affiliated with them; I just like the helpful community there) if you want to remain anonymous or don’t have a solid support group.
Step 2: to quit gaming: Build a life that isn’t based on gaming
Quitting games gives you the chance to live. However, it does not lead to a happy life. It’s entirely up to you.
The next step in quitting gaming is to start a new life without it. After your challenge, you should discover that life is more rewarding than gaming, that gaming isn’t worth your time, and that gaming can be done informally once in a while. This stage should be completed simultaneously as the first or, if possible, planned out ahead of time. This, too, is highly situational and depends on how deep you were in a rut.
Conclusion
While you can try to stop playing video games all at once or gradually limit the amount of time you spend doing so, adopting a competitive interest is the most efficient strategy to regain control over your gaming habit and your life. How effectively you can clarify and describe your values will determine how well you can determine your competing interests. It would be best to learn to distinguish your values from your desires. Your ideals will instantly elicit an innate sense of motivation, and your behavior will begin to shift. This will, however, be a lengthy procedure, so don’t expect fast results. Concentrate on cultivating a competing passion and bringing about change one day at a time.
