This is an excellent video topic that could be very beneficial to many people! I struggled with videogame addiction for a very long time before finally freeing myself from the desire to keep playing. The best way to overcome it is to find your life purpose or something else you are passionate about and pursue that!
When i decided to commit to my goal of becoming a 3D artist (so i could someday create videogames) i still struggled with my addiction for several years. I relapsed a couple times and binge played videogames for several months straight. But each time i relapsed i felt AWFUL! There was this terrible stress and anxiety because i knew i was wasting time i needed to become a better artist. Each day i spent playing videogames felt like my future was slipping away from me. The stress would build so badly eventually i couldnt allow myself to play videogames anymore and would get back to work improving my art skills.
As i made more art i started to feel much better. I would remember and focus on how terrible i felt playing videogames compared to how amazing i felt when i was creating art. Eventually i no longer felt that need to play videogames and iv reached a point where i trust myself to play videogames because i know i wont get trapped in addiction like i used to. The entire experience made me a much stronger person and taught me a lot of self control and discipline. And now on the rare occasions that i do play a videogame (which is usually only when im with friends) i enjoy the game far more than i used to!
If you are trying to help a friend, find out what they are passionate about (other than videogames) and try to get them as excited about it as possible to give them some motivation to improve their life. If they dont have anything they are passionate about besides videogames then think of ways they could use that passion to do something productive like trying to create videogames. If they dont want to do that and would rather just play videogames then try convincing them to join twitch or create their own youtube channel for videos of their gameplay. If they dont want to do that then you might have to accept the fact they arent ready to change and you cant do it for them so they have to find their own way. Even if they spend the rest of their life working a mediocre job to fuel their videogame habit that isnt your problem and you can still be their friend. I encourage you to continue to be their friend because one day they may reach out to you when they are ready to change. Dont look down on them or shame them either because that will make them less likely to seek your help and in general you shouldnt look down on other people because we are all the same. Were all just products of our biology, life experiences and environment. You are not superior to anyone just more blessed love your life, lead by example and spread the blessings to everyone you meet!!!
some great wisdom i heard somewhere is that you cant force anyone to change, the harder you try the more they will resist. all you can do is plant a seed/idea in their mind that will grow on its own over time. The more true and wise this idea is then, hopefully, the more they will see this truth in their lives so the faster this idea will grow and the stronger it will become.
Videogames can be an extremely useful tool for personal development if used properly and in moderation. When i stopped playing videogames i felt a little despair because i felt like i had wasted many years playing videogames. But one day i had a realization that life is a videogame!(and videogames are just mini-games) That may seem like a simple idea but it is actually deeply profound! Once i realized this i was able to apply many things i learned from videogames into my real life!
In videogames i was always highly competitive and always wanted to optimize myself and be as good at the game as possible. In videogames i had extreme dedication to grind for incredibly long to get what i want. I would amass a large sum of wealth. When i wasnt playing i would obsess over new ways to overcome obstacles and make my character better.
Fast paced FPS games increased my instant/automatic reaction time and has been proven to strengthen different functions of your brain. Honestly i believe this might have saved my life by helping me avoid a near death car accident, if i had hesitated i would have died, there was no time to think all i could to is react instantly.
And the benefits of all that i learned from videogames certainly doesnt just end there.
I started thinking of myself as a character in a game which helped me overcome and detach from emotional pain. This helped me think more strategically and think more in the long term instead of just instant gratification. It made me more resilient to discomfort and the struggles of life. It also made all of life more fun/exciting!! It helps you view yourself differently and makes it easier to cultivate a stronger self image of who you want to become, i like to think of myself as a conjurer because i can turn my 3D art into 3D printed objects! It makes life far more magical and exciting and makes it easier to dissect complex ideas and situations to understand them better! When i hear people talk about enlightenment i see many parallels in the way of thinking and viewing life!
Disclaimer: this doesnt give you the right to be a psychopath! Your actions have consequences! Treating people with kindness and respect is far more fun and beneficial, you need to play well with others because you dont want them turning against you!! If people think of you as an enemy they will treat you like one and life is hard enough without other people attacking you. And in my opinion building relationships is one of the best parts of this entire game <3 Im LOVING being a father, iv learned so much watching my son grow it really teaches you about your development as a human and helps you understand yourself better.
this is an incredibly deep topic and i just glossed over it so this comment doesnt end up becoming a book but i hope this was enough to help and maybe open your eyes to how beneficial videogames can actually be!
