Because it’s not against the law, gaming is addictive. Nothing dramatic like a DUI or a near overdose will result from it. Your life will simply be slowly sucked away by it.
Are video games a waste of time? Games are a waste of time. Some games are even specifically designed to be a waste of time. But playing video games isn’t any more wasteful than, say, reading a book or watching a movie. Furthermore, it is not any less.
This article explains why video games are a waste of time and how to overcome it. Keep reading!
Table of Contents
Why Video Games Are A Waste Of Time?
You Don’t Do Anything Interesting With Your Time
‘What did you do this weekend, then?’ This question is frequently posed. Furthermore, you won’t have anything interesting to say if you spent the entire weekend playing Apex Legends. The majority of people lack interesting things to say. And for this reason, the majority of guys are boring to girls.
The typical 20-something male spends his free time watching sports, mindlessly scrolling through social media, jerking off to porn, or playing video games. If you want to be taken seriously among the sea of uninteresting men, you must make an impression.
I’ve done it; there have been times when I devoted 20–30 hours per week to playing video games. The best parts of my life weren’t happening right now. Later, I would come to understand how playing video games had been preventing me from becoming a better man and from leading a more interesting life.
The amount of time spent playing video games is enormous. They will monopolize your free time if you let them.
When played responsibly, video games are not evil. Recognize that gaming is literally made to be addictive. In order to entice you to play just one more round, modern games are increasingly using “Skinner Boxes” or slot machine strategies. In modern games, you receive a random reward for leveling up or playing longer. These loot boxes are random, don’t display the odds or “drop rate,” and frequently offer a “virtual currency” to pay to win.
Here, you need to be completely honest with yourself. Do you have a negative connection to video games?
You’re Not Actively Pursuing Any Meaningful Pursuits
Your mind’s reward center is duped by gaming into thinking it is working hard. In Call of Duty, you level up and feel proud of yourself. However, you feel empty after turning off the PS4. You understand the pointlessness of these digital achievements.
Playing video games can be an enjoyable time pass. However, they’re only enjoyable if you’re succeeding in the real world. Gaming is keeping you from working out, earning a good living, and meeting valuable women.
Refrain from letting escapism ensnare you. Because no matter how skilled you are in a game, you cannot transfer that skill to the real world. You won’t become wealthy in the real world by amassing digital cash. Character advancement will never be as satisfying as building muscle in the weight room.
Due to the similarities between games and weight gain, many gamers develop gym addictions. The more time you spend working out, the more benefits you’ll see.
Your brain will look for more useful ways to feel accomplished if you aren’t experiencing the dopamine highs associated with gaming. Living in the real world will always be more satisfying than in the virtual one. It is more difficult, but it is worthwhile.
You Don’t Have Time To Exercise Or Eat Right
You might have an unhealthy gaming habit if you microwave chicken nuggets for dinner so you can level up your character more quickly. You should reexamine your daily routine if you can’t find time to go to the gym. You’re holding yourself back if you’d prefer to stay home and watch porn than go out and meet people.
Long periods of stationary sitting are just as hazardous as smoking. Heart disease, diabetes, and even some types of cancer are caused by it. Playing video games keeps your butt firmly seated in your seat and your eyes glued to the screen.
Start tracking your steps if you really want to see how inactive you are while playing games. It was a real eye-opener when I did this a few years ago. I purchased this Garmin Instinct after observing that I had prolonged periods of inactivity (you can check the price on Amazon here). I hardly moved during the days when I played video games the most.
Now, I made exercise a priority rather than thinking about playing video games whenever I had free time. And it’s still possible to have fun with this. There are numerous ways to enjoy exercise. You can go hiking nearby, walk your dog, or start learning martial arts.
Pros Of Video Games Pros
Improve Cognitive Functioning
The first time a player enters any significant area in a video game, they are likely to be lost and confused, but after playing the area a few more times, they will have made spatial orientation a routine where knowing the routes and points of interest becomes second nature. Playing video games in a healthy and moderate manner can result in this kind of improvement.
Playing video games can help with memory improvement, particularly for visual and short-term memory. Games like Magicka or Invoker Wars, for instance, necessitate that the player memorizes a number of keystroke combinations and synergies.
Emotional Resilience
We can build emotional resiliency through video game play. Most of us have shed a few tears over one or two games. Even if we have been genuinely stoic and have never cried a single tear over a particular story or the passing of a character in a game we were invested in, we have experienced an unpleasant feeling as a result of a game.
We are tested and pushed by some games. We are given a compelling narrative with high-stakes gameplay and likable or relatable characters, and then that one thing occurs, making us feel temporarily horrible. But what do we do? Do we simply default to quitting the game and turning off our consoles? We continue playing, though, in an effort to win. This is what emotional and mental resilience looks like. When we make the deliberate decision to move forward after being faced with an emotionally trying or stressful experience, we are demonstrating emotional resilience.
We don’t usually immediately stop playing the game and never play it again to escape the stress or unpleasant experience; instead, we roll with it, accept it, and carry on with our journeys because we have goals to achieve in the game that we must now complete.
Forming of Friendship
Nowadays, a lot of video games can be played online with players from around the globe. You may develop friendships as a result that you never would have imagined (Clare, 2019). Finding companionship is the first step to identifying shared interests, and gaming can hasten this process. It’s a simple way to avoid the formalities and stumbling blocks that face-to-face interactions usually entail.
The interpersonal nature of gaming, like any other activity that two people engage in together out of shared interest, helps to strengthen the bonds between people in a time of dissidence over politics, religion, and competing value systems (Pascal, 2019). Additionally, some games require teamwork from the players to complete objectives that can only be completed when people work together, so you’ll need to get along and communicate in order to play. In such games, one needs to work faster than usual to avoid dragging the whole team to the losing end
Cons Of Video Games
Addictive
The fact that they are made to be addictive is one of the main causes for this. Like anyone trying to turn a profit, video game developers are constantly looking for ways to increase the number of players. To do this, they provide players with an opportunity to escape reality and leave behind the problems of the real world by offering an endless adventure within a fantasy world where players can essentially live a different life as a new person.
Additionally, there are huge communities in video games where a lot of people feel like they belong, are valued, and have something to contribute, which they might not always feel in the real world. The game becomes the player’s social life and a foundation for their self-esteem as they can also join clans, aid others, make friends, and develop a status (Bezrutczyk, 2020). As a result, one of the other factors that contribute to game addiction is the need for escapism and social acceptance.
Video game addiction makes a person more likely to struggle with daily schedule maintenance and has a significant negative impact on their day-to-day tasks (Kakarala, 2020).
Behavioral Backlash
In online settings, teenagers in particular seem to employ a wide variety of retaliation tactics (Pascal, 2019). The fundamental problem here is that competitive games prey on young players’ emotions in a way that could make them aggressive when there are stakes involved. It might cause them to use foul language more frequently. The amygdala, which controls emotional response, how we feel certain emotions, and how we perceive them, takes over when the pre-frontal cortex, which oversees our planning skills, consequential thinking, emotion management, and impulse control, is still underdeveloped in adolescence. This can help provide some explanation as to why teens are largely unable to control their spontaneous reactions and emotions in online video games
How To Overcome Gaming Addiction?
Consider a 90-day game detox. You don’t have to give up forever, but you must abstain entirely for 90 days in order to gain some perspective. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Your attitude will start to lift. Since you now have time for the gym, you’ll get stronger. You might even find new hobbies you enjoy.
Better habits should take their place if you play too much! This might entail engaging in an exciting activity like martial arts training or kayaking. You might learn a musical instrument or enroll in an online course. Check to see if there are any paintball fields close by if you like first-person shooters. That is considered exercise!
Several years ago, I gave the 90-day gaming detox a shot. I ended up going 500 days without gaming and saw all sorts of benefits to my life. It left a void in my life, so I started writing, which is how this website came to be. And right now, I want to play that game. It has helped me achieve my best physical health, make money, and make wonderful friends.
Nowadays, I still enjoy playing games, albeit much less frequently. I put most of my effort into finishing my runs and going to the gym. I train in Tae Kwon Do and spend time with my family. And every now and then, I’ll play a game, but it’s no longer my go-to pastime.
I’ve also found that online gaming is too much of a time-sink for me. And I usually just get angry about it. I therefore hardly ever play online games. But I have kids, and they enjoy playing games with me. Uncertain if it is quality time, we enjoy ourselves. Although I prefer to play catch or go outside, spending time with your children is always worthwhile.
Let me know in the comments below if this thread touched you in any way. In the event that you require assistance, you can also get in touch with me. I aid in shaping men into high-value individuals. That could entail quitting gaming and forming better routines. If you want one on one help, click here for more info. Although expensive, becoming a top-tier man is worthwhile.
Final Thoughts
The truth is that games have the power to alter lives both positively and negatively.
Games are exceptional in their interactivity because they give us the chance to interact with people and perspectives that are very different from our own. They also help us develop a wide range of skills, including short-term memory, dexterity, reaction times, and even physical fitness.
Gaming in general is not a bad habit, but it turns into one when it interferes with a person’s ability to function in their personal, social, academic, and familial spheres.
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