"Real life is boring": Why I quit video gaming
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2019
- I've spent a lot of time playing computer games, video games, which, when I look back on those many hours, when I was in those hours, it really seemed like the most fun thing.
I was absorbed, I was dedicated, I was immersed, I was putting all my energies into achieving some task, and then I would be rewarded when I achieved it.
But then, looking back at that time, it's very easy to see that as being mostly a waste of time.
I don't dismiss all entertainment and leisure activities as being entirely a waste.
There's a value.
But when I look at the number of hours, the whole days sometimes, that I spent absorbed in some imaginary project, it really is like clouds.
It's like building dreams on puffs of air that then disappear.
All the worlds I conquered, and the castles I built, and the the stories that I lived, and it's all in this imaginary ether that adds nothing, or a very small amount, relative to the time it takes, it adds a very thin reward to my real life.
And this is one of the big escapist vices which I, thankfully, am no longer engaged in.
But I do sometimes feel this pull to dive back into a game, And I don't rule it out that I will never play again.
I might go into a little dive into a little hole for a day or two, you know, at some point, and just allow myself to have that escape.
But it's a very dangerous hole, because it just consumed so much time.
And looking back, I'm amazed that I had that much time, and now I can't so easily find such time, and wish that, perhaps, I had used some of that time differently.
But what is it about this pull? There's something about it that that's calling me.
And when I think about the call to dive into a game, I think one of the things that was very attractive about the game is the way that it simplifies everything.
A game is a system of challenges and rewards which is very pleasant to engage in.
We work and struggle through the challenges and then receive the rewards.
The challenges are relatively easy, since you don't have to leave the computer or the TV, and the rewards are similarly small.
It's all just blinking lights, and the way the lights line up makes us happy.
But there's something about that that is very appealing, this kind of simple, cartoonish, bright, clear, colourful.
There's something that I find that it calls out to me.
It's like life, real life, is so much the opposite of that, where so much in the real world is awkward, undefined, unclear, the challenges are unclear, rewards are often unclear, and especially delayed.
Whereas in a game, you can have these nice, colourful, clear buttons.
And you press some buttons, you make some choices, you move around in this coloured cartoon world, and then you get the flashing lights and the colourful badges that tell you what you have achieved.
It's very orderly, too.
It's a closed system, where the game is designed with only certain variables.
Only certain factors are included, and everything else is out of the picture, and I can simply focus on this limited set of clearly defined factors.
Whereas in real life, there is really no limit on all the variables that could be involved.
We can learn to focus on the core factors, but there's still so much always noise, and there's imperfections and variations.
And so I find that that call to simplicity and clarity seems to be part of what attracts me to that world.
So sometimes I like to think of how I can possibly apply that to real life.
Of course, real life is always going to be much more difficult to do anything than pushing buttons, and it's never going to be as fun and exciting to do regular mundane things as it is to participate in the high dramatic action of a game, and the rewards are not "Congratulations, you have conquered the world", it's small gains.
But what makes all the difference is that, of course, real world, the rewards are real.
And it's that simple fact alone that makes everything.
The video game world is a world of imaginary rewards that evaporate at the end of the day or as soon as I leave the world of the game.
But the game of the real world is a game that never ends as long as I'm here.
They may be small wins today.
It may be comparable to a very boring video game, where you slowly do mundane tasks and get unclear, delayed rewards.
But what we do get is real.
I’m 18 and getting bored of gaming, I used to play pretty much everyday for at least 2 hours but It just feels like a chore now. Now I just turn my Xbox on but just sit on the Home Screen doing nothing and just end up on my phone and leaving it. I want to go out and experience life But then due to Covid restrictions especially there’s nothing to do and I just feel like life’s passing me by now and I’m just lost with what to do with myself.
I think becoming bored with standard entertainment may be the beginning of doing really interesting things in life.
Same here, about to turn 18 and as much as I want to go outside on the weekend with a group of friends, they just all seem to not being bothered to get out into sunshine as where I live the weather very rarely is good to go spend time outside and they all just sit behind their desk or just binge around doing nothing. I personally am so bored of gaming that it made me get into books more and series, so to be honest it is truly a good thing for me.
@@janushpro3351 Hard to get most people to turn their heads away from screens. It's like we're magnetically drawn to stare at these blinking lights. It's even harder to do anything else during these lockdowns. But the sky and nature are still there ready for us anytime we choose to step outside.
@Zed Love Sounds like the right recipe!
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife You make good points, but anything deconstructed down to its most basic components will lose meaning ie: "rewards is just blinking lights" = "A child is just a lump of molecules" (or flesh as feminists tell me) See? All meaning lost completely.
I can't even agree on lasting rewards because my experience is much different than yours. In my case, I have memories to show off, memories with my friends to talk about for YEARS. Like, everything, most of the time will be wasted, but like real life, the whole goal is to make that time worthwhile. Which many people don't nor KNOW know to do
I also see People all the time doing actions while expecting something, yet end up wasting all their time. This might be familiar in games, but I see it all the time in real life. Not just because they are doing something for a chance to obtain something, but because they don't have the knowledge or get tricked by someone.
I spent many hours in real life pursuing ways to get rich, only to waste my money and time. You might say " oh, but you have a chance" sure, so do people in games. I know people who earn money in games. I have earned money in games. So...
And furthermore, "pursuing your dreams" applies less everyday because not all of us can achieve our dreams in real life. There's too many of us already. It's more like "search where you can succeed" Well, some people don't want to do that. Some people find easier meaning in their life playing games. Games are old in Human history. Animals play games too. Ever wondered why?
There's a deeper meaning on this subject which I didn't see in this video. Well, it is your personal experience. Hope you can find meaning in real life. I also play grind games and have my real life goals. I can manage them, I won't waste my time.
I found I tend to play old console games from the 90s/early 2000s, you can generally pick up play, leave it and come back whenever to play a bit. Not a huge investment of time compared to the way games are now. Now I feel games are too big, they want to keep you there, that along with trophies, achievements, dlc, online scoreboards etc they keep you addicted to playing the game. You have a great message in this video.
I feel the opposite. Games these days just make me NOT want to play them. They have a ton of stuff to do, but for some reason that just makes me not have fun with it.
Same and it’s just not worth the time investment. Went back to play new Vegas for my first time and am loving it
I'm glad that youtube recommended me this video. My theory is that when we're young our brain almost cannot dissociate the real and the fake videogame world, so the achievements that we get there has almost the same impact of a real life achievement, but when we become adults our brain can totally dissociate them so it knows that those fake achievements are fake. And we keep coming back to games and trying to play for hours and hours because we were used to this, is our comfort zone and big changes are always hard, but is not the same feeling because our brain is telling us: Stop doing this, let's conquer real things in the real life. So this is actually a really good thing because we need to grow up, is like our body was programmed to force this change, then we need to focus on other things.
I think growing up shouldn't mean giving up fun and committing to work instead, but rather redirecting that sense of fun into work. Just trading up into higher levels of fun unlocked through real world achievement.
Video games are pretty boring. But real life is even more boring. It's all boring, tbh.
Harder to disagree during these lockdowns. But more interesting moments are certainly on the way.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife I don't recall it being any better pre-lockdown. Normal life is quite dull. Maybe if you have some sort of crazy life, or are a billionaire, or something maybe it isn't so bad, but I cant see my life ever being interesting enough to not feel bored.
I've found travel fixes that feeling up for me. So much new stimulation that it even becomes too much and I look forward to simple quiet again.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife Its cool you found something. I've travelled a lot, and it is indeed enjoyable, but it's not fantastic (to me). But worse, unless you have a huge amount of money and time free it's not something you can do often. Even if travel removes the boredom, that still leaves 95% of the time being bored.
Thanks for sharing. As boring as things can be, I like to remain open to the possibility of new discoveries and surprise twists that can happen on any ordinary day.
i think i just want to escape from the stress and boring feeling in real life, so i addict to the virtual world.
I know the feeling. And the more days I spend escaping from my real life, the worse my real life gets, and the more I want to escape from it.
@ThaPhantomGamer Nothing like fresh air and sunshine to feel connected to "the real world".
Yeah I feel u my life is so depressing and I'm 14 been playing games for months to years makes me feel sad n U know bored of games I just wanna explore go to city's travel do new things not just sit on a damn chair 24/7
If you spend your time gaming to get away from your boring or stressful life. You never do anything to change how your real life is. Hence you will play forever. Much like a drug addict
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife the virtual world will soon be better than the real world in all regards.
I played games for 40 years but I missed my kids growing up if I could only go back and throw all that garbage away listen take time it's gone for me
I have more fun watching movies & tv shows then playing video games nowadays. Gaming just feels like a chore now. I retired from gaming now at age 29
I get that gaming can feel like a chore. You are struggling and battling hard to achieve rewards, of what? Imaginary points? Might as well work for real rewards instead.
Lmfao retired. Like its a career foh
@@gothxm Your like a fart in the wind that smells really bad but doesn’t last long so its easily forgotten
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife for me does’t feel productive, and in the last years I’ve wired my brain in doing things I consider productive/fulfilling. I still enjoy masterpieces like RDR2 occasionally
yes they are more fun and actually helps in reducing stress
24 here
I'm breaking the habit
Once I got a job, my social life died and the only thing left is the gaming as its all I have energy for. reality pushed me into dedicated gaming. Before all that I trained, hung out with friends and was happy with a dash of gaming. Work is the true enemy!
Especially unwanted work, the one that doesn't give you sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Because it's not a job you care about. When I started working, gaming started to feel like a waste of time. Even if I didn't have any work left, my brain would still be like "why are playing instead of working!" Even if I was genuinely enjoying it. If you work in a job like that, your brain will become a working machine, you will automatically start to think of leisure activities as a waste of time. All of this changed when I started working on a startup with my friends. It's starting to earn now and I can't imagine how good it feels. It's so good to be working with people who understand humans. I am still struggling with long story games, like RDR2 but it's getting better now. Gaming is getting perfectly balanced with work.
Working on a startup must give some of that adventure feeling just like in a game. I think even if we're just punching a clock, work can still be an adventure if we see it as raising money to build a dream. I think we need that adventure feeling one way or another.
lol dude, that's just called life. We're made for work and leisure, not just leisure.
@@user-br6ve4lz6nwe are made to die that's just life stupid kid
Yeah gaming has made me miserable I had fun for so many years but when I realize that I don’t really have anyone around me nor any progress in life I realize it’s just not worth it. I watch videos about it or buy peripherals for my systems out of habit but in reality I don’t really have a passion for it, it’s just a bad habit I always go back to. A “friend” I have when there’s no one else. Not anymore rather face myself than drown myself in this false reality
I hear you, there's so much fun to be had in imaginary virtual worlds, but they can never provide the satisfaction of real living.
Exactly man
Good video. I like how simple and straight forward this was too. No jump cuts, dumb intros, etc. Kinda relaxing :)
I've been gaming since I was 5 years old and after 22 years, I just recently got rid of my consoles. It seemed like it wasn't as satisfying as it once was and really began to feel like wasted time. When I was growing up my parents and other people warned me about wasting so much time on video games. I thought they were crazy! After all, time you enjoy wasting in not wasted time, right?
Looking back, I wish I would have put more time into myself, my relationships, or other hobbies instead of video games. Although the call of gaming is tempting sometimes, I feel everyone should give real life a real shot. Video games, social media, and TV can all be forms of escapism with no real value. Try to put more of that time into worthwhile things. Things that don't simply disappear when you unplug them!
I still allow myself to play Pokémon Go on occasion, so as not to feel completely deprived and relapse lol
Nothing like bringing out some of those feelings of immersion, adventure, and excitement from real life. A little bit goes a long way towards real satisfaction.
I agree
That is not the point. I want to ENJOY gaming. I'm still interested in it even though I don't play video games
I don't know who you are , but i feel your message to a very spiritual level . I'm on my early 30's , married and i just don't feel like gaming that much anymore . I need to develop some real world skills like carpentry , DIY projects in my house etc . Anyway , i just want to thank you for your message and i want to encourage you to continue improving .
I believe it's possible to apply some of that "video game feeling" to things that actually make a real and useful difference in the world. Nothing like producing real-world effects instead of watching an on-screen simulation of them.
Nice profile pic. Taoism is a great philosophy.
Sadly some modern day men suffer from 'Peter Pan Syndrome' and don't want to grow up and face real life. I know people in their 40s and 50s still living with their elderly parents and just play video games all evening. It's so sad when life has so much more to offer. I try and tell them but they don't listen.
I feel like that when I play games too much! Have to get out that door into the sunshine
They don't listen because they know and have accepted they aren't getting what they want in life. Not everyone is born equal and you aren't entitled to a meaningful life, even if you work hard it's not guaranteed for you to succeed especially if you come from a poor background.
I still think people should try to experience new things and get the most out of life but I also understand the apathy to it that people feel nowadays. It's harder than ever to have a truly eventful and fun life most people never have that for long it's always fleeting and then the cold reality of real life sets in. With all the bad things going on in the world I really don't blame anyone for shutting down it's understandable.
I love that you touched on the clarity of gaming. I’m not a gamer but lately I’ve made a lot of gamer friends and I’ve noticed how they seem to think everything is so cut and dry. Real life isn’t like that. Humans are complex and unpredictable. You have to be able to consider all possibilities and go with the flow. A video game will never be able to simulate real life. Real life is so much more rewarding.
Good point, a game simulates reality with a model based on a handful of clear-cut variables. Your health is a number, each of your skills is a number, even friendship can be modelled with a number. And a human body is a wireframe mesh overlaid with a 2D "skin". All amazingly designed for powerful immersion. But compared to the deep complexity of real life, it's like playing with paper cutouts.
I'm delusional
Thank you for the video. I’ve been struggling with writing video games, but this video helped close up alot of the internal conflict.
I think there's a lot of potential for video games that somehow connect to real life, help train our mindset for real life, maybe bringing a bit of that "video game feeling" of fun and intensity to things that actually help us after playing time is over.
Such a good message that we all need to hear-thank you!
You're welcome. Thank you for saying so.
I play games because they make me happy . I play them to escape the roller-coaster that is my life, gaming has kept me out of so much trouble lol, great video man.
im 16 and just thought to give it up, this video helped me. I dont find it fun anymore, just sitting there doing boring tasks just to halfway realize this is near the end. The end is when you can understand what happens, for most games it means start over or look at what you have done. But gaming doesnt do anything. You just have all these items to look at and say wow, I really di all of this for weeks. I was gaming since I was 3. If anyone sees this just know if you have the same feeling it might just be time.
That perspective helps take away some of the magic of video games for me. Sometimes feels like being led around on a leash doing tricks in exchange for little treats.
I stumbled upon this while the topic has been in my mind a lot. Hearing it from someone else helped
I echo alot of what you said here. I've become completely bored with gaming in general. I can't see myself gaming much when there is a world out there to explore and things that need to be done to make it better. I will cherish my gaming memories from childhood and early adulthood but I don't see gaming being a part of my future.
Good for you man! I wish there was a stronger push against gaming. For men, I truly believe our time should be spent pursuing tangible goals. I don’t believe those goals are arbitrary...
Both gaming and RL are dull.
@@someonesomeone25 Sure, but just don't try serious stimulants, if it isn't too late (seeing your comment)...
@@movement2contact Nah, I keep.away from coke and crack. Did a fair bit of speed, but won't bother with that again.
I actually like this video. 1st video that I found a person isn't crapping all over gaming and telling people to join a gym or better themselves in doing anything but gaming. At the end of the day it's = to people reading novels. Or people watching tv etc. The end of the day they don't give you any value. You just move on to the next day.
@dannie baker True. That's a similar quote from Mortal Kombat. "There is No knowledge, that is not power" (came from a video game)
I'm honestly hitting that wall of where I'm just so bored of playing a games. Like I just get this little high of joy, then the high starts to die down, and im back into a state of mind where I'm feeling like shit again. I've recently picked up reading books, even watching some shows. I think I'm still in love with story telling, I just don't want to grind hours upon hours to get a little bit more of a narrative. Books and shows I can consume at my own leisure, and I never feel stressed out from having to do tedious chores like in games. I work alot, so I don't have much of a free time. I'm just glad I'm not alone in feeling this way.
I have to say, I love your world view as presented in this channel. It's very down to Earth and insightful.
Kind of you to say. Thank you.
Brilliantly put!
As I’m going into my last year of high school I’m starting to not have time anymore but I still really love video games so I’ve decided to put more time into game design and development
I still play games aswell with my friends and that’s a fun time but I still keep my attention on the inner workings of a game and seeing if I could make improvements and the mechanics on the game while I’m playing.
It is extremely important to not get addicted and spend times on things you want to do and time with people and loved ones
Seems like everything changes when we're not just consuming entertainment for ourselves, but creating it for others as well.
The way the lights and achievements lines up make us happy .... so true I just played Borderlands 2 multiplayer after years ....
I'm 32 and have the money to buy an OLED TV and the best gaming hardware, but the last few games I played were either side scrollers or older games on my 11 year old plasma TV. I find myself more interested in compelling stories and thought provoking ideas than the actual gameplay. I rarely play games now, I'm more interested in reading, learning languages, rock climbing, traveling, cooking etc. I'll still play maybe 5 games per year, but I'm done wasting cash and time on them beyond reason.
That list of activities sounds like a real-life adventure game.
Agree with everything you've said. I find myself pulled to video gaming again but pushing myself toward learning piano instead.
Learning a skill produce results that will still be around years in the future. I've found one of the most frustrating things about too much gaming is that I have very little to show for that time spent. But if I build something real, it's there to enjoy for a long time to come.
Playing instruments is a great way to spend your time. Unlike gaming though, it takes effort, and quite a bit of time, *before* you can really get into it. Gaming wastes time very effectively because it's all in front of you--music takes effort because it's a real skill. Not just playing it, but writing it.
Music may be the ultimate gaming system. Has deep visceral effects and is infinitely extensible.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife You don't have to tell me that making music kicks ass :) Plenty of experience with that a long time ago.
When you're actually writing your own songs, music is one the rare things in life that you can STILL enjoy tremendously, even after you've gotten completely bored with it. I'm not sure why that is, but music seems unique in that regard. It's still fulfilling and vitalizing when you've written a new song that you find yourself really liking--even if the whole idea of music bores you to death because you've done it so much for so long. It's something you can always get back into, unlike consumer products & gaming, which are permanently boring once you're really done with them.
@@devilsoffspring5519 Music seems to have no limit to where you can go with it. It's not a specific designed and packaged entertainment product. It's a tool you can build anything with.
You are also forgetting one very VERY important thing - absolutely nothing you do is a waste if it brings you joy and peace of mind.
Just watch out for the tradeoffs of short-term vs long-term joy and peace.
This is a hedonistic view, which can be applied it to using drugs
i disagree on this statement 100%. you re taking it with the wrong mindset to begin with. its not about joy... what even is joy? joy is an electric impulse that happens in your brain. what if you can be tricked and manipulated in a way your brain thinks its joy, when its actually not? imagine from a baby onwards people would teach you that the color blue... is red until your brain assosiates it with red or thinks its red even tho its not. its highly manipulative.
if your statement would be true... just thinking about the movie matrix as an example. if you would be in a static chamber hooked to a machine and your brain is tricked into a different world and you have fun and joy there... would that be okay with you?
its not about joy... but about LIFE and if its REAL or not. your brain might put out dopamine with fake joy in video games but in the end its still all fake. you havent done anything or experienced anything FOR REAL for yourself with your own eyes.
if you re playing video games for years and years and at your deathbed you realize you could now have like a few more years with your family or a few more years to experience the world...but you cant because you wasted those years on some fake imaginary video games that you dont even remember anymore...
a drug addict taking heroine and whatnot will also enjoy himself and whatnot while on it... but its all fake, they are not ACTUALLY happy or enjoying things.
I really appreciate this channel
If I quit gaming I would spend my spare time sleeping, nothing else in the world (not even gaming at this point) peaks my interest. I HATE people , I'm not afraid of confrontation I just don't like anyone.
without gaming I have nothing...
I've been there, so electronically hyperstimulated that nothing else can compare.
People are absolute scum.
feeling that too much right now.
Yeah but isn't that because of age?
Then what you can do is finding activities that increase your knowledge, whether it's linguistic or otherwise, and spend more time on activities such as reading books etc. walking, bicycling or watching a series that allows you to identify with a certain character...you can engage in anything really that is thought provoking and a good source material for discussion.
You just need a different approach towards life. For example calculating the time I spent playing games and compare it how I could have read hundreds of books, accumulating fictional knowledge or otherwise, or even spent more time developing my body, becoming fitter, learning about nutrition or other interesting topics, helped my awareness tone down and almost completely eliminate wasting my time on gaming.
Everytime its more difficult for me to return to playing games because I have become much more aware of how my mood swings are affected after playing games and how those habits don't benefit me in the long run.
The amount of hours and how fast they were passing by, were also leading to dissatisfying conclusion, that were usually accompanied by thoughts such as "I didn't do anything meaningful or I haven't accomplished anything noteworthy during these days, how is that possible, how did the hours pass by so fast?"
Games are comparable with an illusive stick on a carrot...you always chase it, thinking that it would make a difference or give you your next dopamine fix...but the more you are engaged in those activities, the more you find yourself feeling dissatisfied and wasting all those years and time.
Really.... anything has more meaning and your time is better spend doing other activities, whether it's for entertainment purposes or just as a form of relaxation compared to gaming....think about it.
Good for you. Since i was 4 i played video games. I finally quit them one year ago, at 16. I look back and see that I just wasted 12 years of life on nothing. I don't even remember my gameplays. Even though I quit video games, life still seems like a boring waste of time.
Thank You for this video, it has really helped me, everything you said is the same as how i feel about it.
Wow i can relate, i use to game hours on end but now i just find empty rewards when trying to play video games. I wonder with the realistic graphics enhancements and the fun factor depletion has deterred me away along with the notion of wanting more out of real life than some virtual world.
Brother, I have been playing video games ever since i was 6-7 years old in those old computer clubs that kids used to go, fast forward to today, 24 years of age, I finally quit gaming for good, focusing on career growth and finding ways to improve myself.
I’m 16 rn at the time of this comment, I love video games I am a collector and I also collect music and books legos etc. I find myself the same, video games aren’t the same anymore ( talking abt mainstream games) I do enjoy video games still, sometimes I don’t have to to play them because of school and work but I also use my free time (sometimes) to play video games. I know video games aren’t important to life but for me they are. I know I might sound stupid and I know I’m 16 but I also dedicate my time on other things like working out and also trying new things. I love to also fix things like electronics and restore them, but sometimes they aren’t that good ( I don’t really have equipment for it) but I can fix it. Rn I’m learning also how to play an electric guitar, and I’m also going to dedicate time to practice everyday and perfect it, I still have a long way to go but I’ll do it. Video games helped me through tough times, they always cheered me up and made me happy. In the future I hope to grow my collection and keep playing video games because I don’t want to break the cycle of quitting video games one day. I want to keep doing what I love and moving on at the same time, so I don’t have to lose something I love doing. I hope to also graduate high school and work at a job I’ll be interested in. I devote myself to doing things I work hard on, I want to make my family proud. I hope whoever is reading this just know don’t give up on things u used to love keep them forever as a memory and look back at that time and remember where u were and what you were doing . I’ll give u guys life updates and I will never give up on video games 💯
i just turned 30 I feel the same. I will never again spend so much time again as i did in my early 20's. I still do now and then but will never let it control me. My experience made it easier to control and prioritize the real life tasks.
I stay away from time consuming and addicted games. I advice everyone to do the same. Do your real life dreams instead, life achivment is more valuable and will stay forever
Real life problems led me to this level, and i think it's the reason for most of us aswell that got in that addiction
I find that the hardest part to accept, that all the hours of intense work I put into game worlds evaporate into nothing. Whereas little low-key things I do in the real world build up over time and make real life better.
I see a lot of comments that tell me the person wasn’t a gamer but was someone who enjoyed games as a kid because they were games & now that their older they don’t see the point. I think that’s different from the guy in the video, you can tell he really pushed the limit on the amount of gaming he did. Me personally at 24 I’d say I have a great balance. I’m passionate about gaming & will always be attached to the world even if I stop playing games my self. Anyone who comes In my life will have to except that passion. To anyone who feels they play games a lot. It’s easy to stream it or record it. Take a shot at making content because you never know, you can end up making income doing what you love. Rather your here quitting or just from curiosity like me…do what makes you happy.
You got it, I'm speaking as someone who put too much time and focus into gaming for many years. I did push the limit of escapism and I started this channel as part of moving away from that. I'm not completely against gaming, just needed to find that balance.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife more power to you. Hope everything is well brother.
Never played games for achieving something. Its just a way for me to chill. Playing games, watching movies, reading books its all the same. If you have control your good
Yes but the majority nowdays lost control me included ^^
I actually have a passion for computers, and while yes, I tend to play games a bit too much, it’s something I genuinely enjoy. That being said, props to you for making these changes.
It'll get boring one day and you'll regret spending years on nothing
@@Design--om2zx Yep.
@@Design--om2zx well, 19 and still going strong, but I get your point, I have got to find some hobbies.
@@mckay7965 yeah. I played video games for 13 years straight and achieved literally nothing with it. I wish I invested my time into something useful but yeah, I can't go back in time now.
@@Design--om2zx dosent mean it's a bad pastime, though. But hey, you do you.
Great explanation, thank you. You're awesome.
I play like 1 hour a day if i have the time but i would always put music and guitar before that. I can’t seem to play longer than 1 or two hours even if i had the time to do it
What makes you stop?
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife What makes me stop playing the game? I guess it just feels like a chore. Specially huge games. I can play retro games or short games a lot longer. I just don't get that emersed anymore.
I've also found that once I start seeing game tasks as "chores" that I complete to get imaginary "rewards", the whole process feels a bit less engaging.
Really insightful and honest video. I decided to quit a year ago and managed to stay away from gaming for about 9 months. Unfortunately I fell back and went down the rabbit hole once again, but now I'm back on track. I think it became clear to me when I started thinking about doing the same things I did in games in real life, and how much more meaningful they felt. Learning how to ski, make a fire, drive a car, learn the piano, cook etc. They all felt so effortless in a virtual environment but to learn them for real made me feel like I really aquired a profound skill. And since life doesn't end after a couple of hours of grinding I can carry with me that skill. It's like pouring hours into building your strength stat in an RPG but in real life you get actually physically stronger and the skill carries on for as long as you live and entertain it. Playing an instrument for a small virtual crowd in an MMO might feel special but try doing it for real and the feeling of satisfaction and meaningfulness is so much stronger.
Yes indeed! Nothing like the satisfaction of "levelling up" in the real world. Simulated rewards in game environments just don't have the same depth and lasting power.
the biggest call to a game is when you loved the game and haven’t played it in awhile but you see it somewhere and your like damn i wanna play that again that’s the thing that makes you always come back
I'm kind of the opposite I'd rather do gaming then waste my time binge watching TV. get about two hours a day, I'm always out or busy so Videogames are perfect relaxation for me.
But everyone is different and I appreciate
that.
If it's between gaming or TV, I'd choose gaming, because at least I get some input into what happens, rather than just passively observing something somebody else made.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife Agreed 👍
That is not related to the topic but I feel zoned out and somehow spaced out when I watch the news on my TV for example. I feel disconnected somehow or that I'm in a dream with simulation characters
“They’re just a bunch of blinking lights that line up to make us happy”
=
“A newborn baby is just a worthless pile of human parts”
Going by that ideology, everything in life would be meaningless. I beat something in a video game just earlier today, and i felt pretty good about it. Even if it was just a star coded in to appear after you beat the challenge, it made me feel good just to know i’d done it, and thats basically what real life is, finding things to do, just to say we did them, and then get something for it. There’s really no difference to getting a decently higher paying job in real life, and getting a decently better weapon in a video game, they’re both things that help you do better in the world until you just stop playing the world one day, or, die, in real life. Now i know adults don’t have as much time for things like games, but for kids or teens, they make memories with games, a lot of the time its the only thing they can do for fun, since they can’t drive anywhere and can’t legally have jobs. Gaming is just something people do for fun. Going by the ideology that gaming is a waste of time is, with all due respect, kinda stupid. Sure, it doesn’t get you anything in the real world, but tv doesn’t either. Reading doesn’t either. Any hobby you may have that you like to do for fun in your freetime, doesn’t really get you anything for the real world. Going to college, school, getting a job, working for money, gets you stuff for the real world, it ensures you have a place to sleep and food to eat, but when you’re not working, you do things you like to do, such as gaming or whatever your hobbies may be. Working for money is the only thing that really genuinely helps us in the real world, but that definitely doesn’t mean its all we should do. So, i guess, in a technical sense, gaming is a “waste of time”, because it doesn’t help us in the real world. No one really wants to be productive all the time, so what do they do? They “waste time”, as you say, doing things they like.
Do you known you are fool like me I have these same thought always but I don't know what to do everything is just a kind of meaning less the concept of Life but I don't show these emotions to other that I don't care whatever happens
@@curiousityworld i don’t actually believe that life is meaningless, but this guy is saying it is by his ideology
21 years here. Just deleted, not deactivated but deleted my accounts yesterday(Steam,Origin,Epic). Great video man.
Should've sold it.
SHOUDLVE SOLD IT SND GAIN PROFIT OF IT
@@imnotokanymore7971 I didn’t want to contribute to the cause.
@@realhumanbean46 same rely below.
19 here, I am a hard worker once I am engaged in a work. The problem is that starting video games is like going down a rabbit hole. I'm always like "One last mission". But once I stop, I am able to carry on with other activities. But it is hard to achieve. If I go cold turkey, I'm frustrated. Thoughts?
Video games give us that feeling of challenge and accomplishment that can also come from achieving REAL things. Those just generally aren't quite as entertaining, as they contain a lot of boring stretches. But overall, I've found it's possible to somehow connect that "video game feeling" of being on a mission, an adventure, pursuing a goal, to real life, and go down the rabbit hole of doing things that make life better.
21 here and will reduce my gaming drastically whenever work opens back up. only come back in moderation
Even if you find it hard to stop, I believe just making that decision that you want to move in that direction gets things started.
I'm watching these just so I can have a backup plan when I quit
Your words have a somewhat Buddhist tone to them. So nice. I’ve been thinking almost the same.
You make good points, but anything deconstructed down to its most basic components will lose meaning ie: "rewards is just blinking lights" = "A child is just a lump of molecules" (or flesh as feminists tell me) See? All meaning lost completely.
I can't even agree on lasting rewards because my experience is much different than yours. In my case, I have memories to show off, memories with my friends to talk about for YEARS. Like, everything, most of the time will be wasted, but like real life, the whole goal is to make that time worthwhile. Which many people don't nor KNOW know to do
I also see People all the time doing actions while expecting something, yet end up wasting all their time. This might be familiar in games, but I see it all the time in real life. Not just because they are doing something for a chance to obtain something, but because they don't have the knowledge or get tricked by someone.
I spent many hours in real life pursuing ways to get rich, only to waste my money and time. You might say " oh, but you have a chance" sure, so do people in games. I know people who earn money in games. I have earned money in games. So...
And furthermore, "pursuing your dreams" applies less everyday because not all of us can achieve our dreams in real life. There's too many of us already. It's more like "search where you can succeed" Well, some people don't want to do that. Some people find easier meaning in their life playing games. games are old in Humans. Animals play games too. ever wondered why?
There's a deeper meaning on this subject which you have failed to realize.
The argument can certainly be made that anything in life is as meaningless as a video game. We can certainly fall into wasteful holes that have nothing to do with gaming.
As I see it, we can place our bets on whatever we think gives us the best shot at something good.
Certainly not all real-life dreams are achievable, but I believe everyone has a chance to do something meaningful in life. If you find deep life fulfillment in the world of gaming, power to you!
Do you feel that looking back truly has a place, in comparison to the present moment? Meaning, it's a bit removed for our experience to look at it in retrospect? I do agree about the "simplified" challenges/rewards... that hit home, haha! :P
Full time job so no more time to play games... maybe 1-2 hours a day, nothing like before though. But it was bound to happen, part of growing up
Thanks to games i am able to treat each and every day of mine as a day off. Nothing better than a chill session on my switch with a warm cup of coffee away from yelling customers xD
@@Yannis280 How many hours do you play everyday?
@@Yannis280 The point is I'm in a state where I don't play video games but I'm still interested in them and I think about them pretty often. I feel like I don't have the will to grind for many hours a day and get into the game. I'm 16 btw. Idk if that is temporary or just a normal part of my age. I'm confused
I think the key is moderation. You can find meaning in gaming even if it’s just 1s and 0s. Eg building cool stuff in Minecraft with friends or something. It’s fine to play games but Everyone’s gotta play real life and you might as well try to have fun.
I’ve noticed that when I got older I started to play games that weren’t as quickly gratifying as they have high skill ceilings and/or steep learning curves like DCS world or Rocket League or no clear cut path to follow like Minecraft.
In the game of real life you might as well try to be well rounded and learn some new skills other than being able to piss your friends off when you play video games with them.
I like that kind of sandbox game the best, where I can freely build imaginary universes. But I like how you said it, real life is a game we have to play regardless, so might as well make it good!
Yeah, you aren't missing much with games nowadays. They are all the same thing and really repetitive. I spend most of my time working out and mountain biking now. I mean, I managed to beat every type of game while still doing everything, so I don't regret it, but games nowadays are just super boring and repetitive. Too many remakes and remasters.
Then you’re obviously not playing enough Genres
@@jonahabenhaim1223 I have played every type of game from every genre except horror. They are all basically the same.
One of the reasons I quit gaming was because I found they can make real life significantly more difficult.
Our brains are highly adaptable and when they adapt to the level of stimulation in video games, a level of stimulation not found in the real world - being constantly on the edge of life and death, highly immersive worlds, totally unrealistic rewards, etc, the real world looks totally dull and boring in comparison.
Whenever I would take a week+ long break from games, I found it was so much easier to workout and work towards my goals. Previously boring stuff suddenly became more stimulating.
Doing everyday tasks is painfully boring, awkward, and unrewarding compared to clicking buttons and getting immediate shiny rewards.
Imagine a monastic retreat where you sit for hours in an empty room. Washing the dishes might start to seem like an entertaining adventure.
I think a lot of 'real world' rewards are in our minds as well. And at the end of the 'day', your 'real world' 'real' gains evaporate just as well.
I think the takeaway is to have priorities, for real world rewards over ones that are 'virtual'. It's sometimes nice to escape and immerse yourself in something outside our daily lives, as an enhancement not as a way to neglect our physical selves.
Instead of comparing "game world" vs "real world", we could think of it all as a game, in which case the question becomes: what kind of games do we want to play?
But I agree about temporary escape being useful, to get a break from "real" life and come back refreshed. Like you say, just a matter of keeping priorities in order.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife life as a game is one interpretation but it has some serious potholes to be wary of!
@@siunegu Curious to think more about where the real life as a game metaphor runs into problems
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife because at the end of the day, you can always restart the game. If you don't like your start, reroll. If you take unchecked risks, you can try all over again. In life, you don't roll your start, you don't get to reroll, sometimes you just gotta play out the hand you are dealt and do what you gotta. In a game, you can always play next time.
@@siunegu Life is like a roguelike with extreme permadeath where you can only play once.
My dad quit smoking and alcohol 30 years ago. He says that psychologically, he's still an addict and feels "the pull" as strongly as ever. The solution? You just gotta learn to live with it. One way or another.
Sounds like he had something to care about more than his addiction.
Ive been gaming since I was 3-5 years old and it was the only thing I liked doing. But when video games get boring, theres no other thing I liked doing, I got depressed and have no desire for whatever the world has to offer, no goals to achieve, no motivation, nothing.
If there is one thing video games have taught me is to never give up and try again. I have the same mentality for real life =) No challenge is impossible for me =)
I really enjoy applying a bit of that video game mindset into real life. Like that feeling of being on a great adventure, full of surprises and dangers, where we can succeed by building our strength and skills step by step. And like you say, failure just means try again.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife I agree =) It sparks creativity. I think games do have health benefits. Certain studies do confirm that. They made me a better person. The issue is if you spend all day gaming while neglecting other aspects of your life. Thank god i do not have that issue. I can stop and do other things whenever with no withdrawal symptoms or agitation.
Maybe it's all about having some kind of bigger picture. If you're working towards something in life, comforts and diversions can be put into context. But without some bigger idea of what to do, they can easily just fill up all available time.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife very true. I treat video games as sort of a reward. Once I am done with my priorities and responsibilities, at the end of the day I play some video games. My conscience does not allow me to game if I still have stuff to do. Finish you grind then relax :)
How do you wind down your gaming to get to sleep and start the grind again the next day? Once I get into a game I've often found it difficult to comfortably stop until I'm tired late in the night.
I’ve had this thought too but real life literally is boring in this day and age. There’s no more more cowboys, pirates, ninjas if you get my drift. Just play games people there’s is nothing fun to do in real life.
Life is boring if we live within certain boundaries where everything is predictable. As soon as we step outside that ordinary, life becomes much more of an adventure. Often in a bad way, but certainly in an interesting way.
True just game and workout.
I have 2 hobbies and I do a few things. the few things I do is eat, sleep, school and work, but on my time off, I'm a rider by day and gamer by night. I dont play games without my friends, and I dont ride without them either, but I still like to have my alone time where I dont do anything and I just sit alone with my thoughts, which is often more fun than most games.
Sound like a good balance to me
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLifeexactly! it doesnt have to take over my life, and I'm just glad that its still a part of my life that i can enjoy, and i would definitely want to keep it that way.
This is some high level analysis :)
We should all STOP PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.
Only issue is the companies who profit solely for designing triple A videogames, as well as the job opportunities in the industry. Video games never going to end, but it definitely needs to change as most people aren't fully appealed
I'm 49 and video games just seem like the highlight of my weekends. I don't have any friends. Evern when I try to have a life it just sucks. When I get out into social settings, I feel like I don't belong. So I go back to playing where I feel like I can escape my meaningless real life.
Good video. I spent a lot of money on a new graphics card in September, excited to play Cyberpunk and other new games at max settings 1440p 144hz etc... the games didnt get more fun, i got bored of them quickly. I went back to playing rimworld and oxygen not included, games that run on toasters that i play for like an hour a day at most. I thought i would get back to the time when i was in my early teens and all the games were immersive and i could spend hundreds of hours exploring them. Wrong. I had more fun at a trackday with my car this week than i had playing games all year.
I think its time to sell my gaming PC and move on. Maybe i'll come back one day.
I hear you. It's hard to ever get back that same depth of immersion that was possible as a young kid staring into those blinking video game lights. The real world is calling!
I spent 3k on my pc and i regret it now, I realized I'm playing too much instead of doing actual things in my life. Gonna sell that shit soon aswell.
Have you sold it? I just got a new gaming pc and i don't think i want to game anymore... its funny how i wanted it so bad but now its here i rather do something else. :/
@@superdarthangel i have it mining crypto) i'm too busy with my new job to play games anyway
I traded alcoholism for gaming so I’m okay with playing a few hours at night vs watching movies and smashing a 12 pack lol but I can totally understand how it can control some people’s lives. I just have ADHD so I can’t stay on for too long so it works for me.
Definitely sounds like an upgrade. How many people who look down on gaming spend their time instead passively absorbing entertainment and social media.
So much pain here. I think life wouldn’t be boring or maybe just not as much if it wasn’t made out to be such a rat race.
As much as the rat race can easily take over all our attention, I believe there's more to life than the race. After all, the winners of the race end up dead anyway.
I have given up 75% or more of American TV and most video games as well. I mostly watch slice of life and sci fi anime, Japanese cinema, and other east Asian TV. Mostly though, I just read at this point because I just don't feel like I am getting anything out of gaming.
Being bored by gaming sounds like a blessing! If I didn't find gaming so absorbing I would have long ago been forced to spend more time on real life. Or at least other forms of escape that take up less time.
Honestly it’s no different then hanging out with friends or watching videos
One of the methods I use to cope with addiction is to choose only high quality products (not suitable for all addictions though))).
I felt how dull my life is after watching Last Of Us, both series and game walkthroughs. I am not even a gamer, but a video/movie addict and Last Of Us put my addiction at a pause. It's not only because now I just can't find anything at this level of intensity and emotionality, but also because of the ideas and the characters, that gave me something more than just pleasure of watching. A teenager girl inside me found things she was looking for at last. Passions and light addictions can make therapeutic effect, if you are coping with bigger traumas. Now I just need to remember how to live in real life and make something good of those lost years))))
Just got bored of games lately. My bass fishing is my new addiction and having a youtube fishing channel is more fun than games lately.
Fishing is a very useful real world game, you get highly nutritious food out of it!
I know nothing about fishing, I'm curious, what is distinctive about bass fishing compared to just generic fishing?
when I go out on rhe lake fishing there is no updates, aimbots and wall hacks. Nothing is as calming as nature and figuring out how to catch the fish.
@@michaelsbassfishing
Hell yeah brother
What video games you was played before? are you quit gaming forever or just play in moderation?
I especially enjoyed open world sandbox games like the Sim games, Civilization games, and many of the Paradox games. I still enjoy games but my usual thought is "maybe tomorrow" because there's so much to take care of first in the "real life game".
I know what you feel. I loved Minecraft or Skyrim or watch youtubers play but lately im avoiding both my xbox and the popular gamers like Jacksepticeye or Markiplier because both the games and gamers i used to fan over just get stale.
Now i watch people react to movies. I mean its a minor change, and i read a lot more. Gaming isnt fun as it was before but real life is dull just as much. 😞
When the games I used to enjoy lose their fun, I go searching for new entertainment to replace them, but it keeps getting harder to find anything really engaging. I believe it's possible to get this feeling out of real life, but only if I really take control of my life and move it towards what I want. I find travel is the closest thing to real-life gaming.
I've played video games since the 80s. I've got a PS5 & not played in it a few week now. I'm losing interest in gaming & that's rare for me.
Time you spent having fun is not wasted time. People can't be productive 100% of their time. Unless they want to be a billionaire.
Same here I haven't played any games for past 4 years, I played RDR2 2, witcher 3 and Odyssey and completed them over a span of 6 months of each. The games are just boring, with formula based approach and nothing new is there to look forward. VR is pretty cool to chill Indoors.
I've always found a curve with my gaming immersion,. I get really into it when I can really imagine the simulation to be real, with a feeling that anything could happen. But once I learn the limits of the game, the full range of what's possible, so that the rest is predictable, the immersion fades away into boring mechanical repetition.
I really dont understand why people think videogames are supposed to ADD something concrete in your life. It doenst. Games are like books: you dont read LORD OF THE RINGS in order to learn how to kill orcs . You read it because you enjoy the journey, the characters, the story, the adventure. It gives you an emotional reaction like a good painting or movie would. Videogames are not different from art.
Of course, if you're not living your life, it's a problem. But if you're playing for fun and fantasy, its okay.
I think it's really a matter of time investment, and what we choose to do with what remains of our
best way to quit if you re still on it all day:
do a little experiment to look at it more objective. put on a camera in your room and film yourself sitting in front of your computer playing games. then go on play it, get this and that achievment, have your brain have its dopamine rush... and after it, watch the video of you playing...
and you will notice, that you have not achieved anything at all, and all you did in those hours was literally sitting on a chair staring at a screen like a zombie.
and now try to translate this on observing real people actually having fun. can be whatever. look at a some people dancing or watch someone surfing or building something cool in their garden...even tho you only observe and watch them, you can clearly see that those people have fun right now and the activities itself look fun.
what about you visit a doctor and watch another person in the waiting room sit on their chair for an hour? does that look fun to you? no? but thats pretty much exactly what you were doing earlier too. dont believe? rewatch that video, its just a dude sitting on a chair.
Good idea. I think this "zooming out on yourself" thought experiment really puts things in a better perspective.
Alot of everything seems a waste of time tho , I mean it's just a matter of priority, I work to make money but don't enjoy the job so gaming when I'm off I really look forward to it, I still do chores at home but games will happen at some point it's just a nice way to relax and ignore this world of shit, it's only like chillin Ans watching a couple of movies or watching TV etc.. it's all pretty much wasteful but what else would I be doing? Maybe relapse into drink again or whatever, gaming is a life saver to me.
Same here, but apparently it's almost like a forbidden thing to say for some people here. "Better touch some grass" they say.
The art of video game development and original has died in this generation
If you include indie games, I find there are a lot of creative and interesting new games being made. I just find them not as enthralling as I become more hungry for real life.
Video games are different to everyone because we have different emotional makeup but I think we can't discount the effect it's having on our brain and psychologically. Video games give us a lot of dopamine which we can start craving more and more if we don't get it. It also provides instant gratification. Also we enter a state of alexithymia which means our negative emotions are turned off when playing regularly. It also gives us a sense of progression that we wouldn't get at such high rates compared to real life. But once we see through the illusion, the better it is for us. Video game worlds are definitely more exciting because real life can be boring mostly.
I think this captures why video games are both so good and so bad.
Now I like to imagine applying even 1% of that magic to the "game" of real life.
i am 32 and i hate myself when play video games. I must destroy this addiction.Bw what games was your favorite ?
I especially like open world sandbox games. Building and exploring. Now to do more of that in the real world! I believe video games capture a certain wonderful drive to create, compete, and excel. But real life is the ultimate game and the ultimate realm to express this drive.
Life is depressing me the more I think about it I hate how it's just existence with no purpose then dying but then I think if there was a purpose like in movies like a thing to fight it would be even worse cos all the bloodshed would be bad there's no happy between with a purpose in life or no purpose in life
Yes this probably sounds a bit crazy idc
I think movies (and stories in general) just bring things to dramatic extremes. But there's certainly no shortage of things to fight for in the real world, starting with yourself and the people close to you.
Work gets in the way; and a game that will take 200 hours to complete like the Witcher is depressing to me. The other problem is the fact that I would rather go out with the little time I have left.
As addictions go, gaming is gentle on the body and low-risk for getting into trouble. The only problem seems to be the massive amount of time it takes away from everything else in life.
I don’t wanna tell you how to live your life or anything like that but if I listened and did everything people told me I should do I’d hate my life for sure. I hope you enjoy yours
Agreed. Everyone has opinions and advice but it's up to each of us to find our way.
Am starting to feel this to.... though I feel when i play games with friends through voice microphone I'm being social and competitive etc., I have less guilt about it.
I think that's gaming at its best. Shared gaming can bring friends together, just like watching and discussing sports can.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife yes! I do enjoy solitude a lot though now but I prefer to read instead of gaming when it comes to that.
17 and I'm so bored. back when I was 14 I thought games will never be boring I started to read a lot more some people will call me weird but reading too me is so fun
If reading is weird, it's a good kind of weird.
From what I've seen from alot of these people who felt guilty about being gamers didn't have much going for them to begin with...no talents or other skills or backbone
I was very addicted to video games when I was 5-14 BUT I also was a very athletic & in hella shape (still am)
I crave competition both out in the real world & virtual
I still game to these days & I'm still in hella shape...it's the balance that most of you cant equate
& No
Im not afraid of talking or being around the opposite sex or being around others
It's gamers who are the "shy,introverted,socially scared," who make confident types like me look bad
Is your message to the gamers here that they generally suck and therefore make you look bad by association?
You need to be humbled in some way
@@acest2098 I was & physically might I add
I can't stand all this moping self pity people display because their "lacking" here & there & whatnot
Ive personally known a few young paraplegics who will never what it feels like to walk,run,or achieve a personal goal due to their limitations
But they HAD to compensate & accept themselves as they were or shall they fall into despair
I've known a legit schizophrenic who has "slayed" bombshells AKA "females" because he had game,was farily attractive,& had confidence despite his condition
I'm not sugar coating it
I'm telling it like it is
You either sink or swim in this world
I'm 33 years old and thinking about quitting gaming. Been playing my whole life, but now with two kids and a full time job I'm realizing it's not an activity responsible adults should really be partaking in. The overwhelming majority of games are targeted towards men in their early twenties or younger, and usually younger. I find myself booting up a game and instantly feel like a man-child. On my "responsible" days I only play an hour or two a day, and that still means I'm probably neglecting some chores or other things I want to do. When I'm not playing I'm constantly thinking about the game I'm currently into (always single player games BTW, not the usual hyper addicting stuff people cite). That's the worse part I think, rushing through my day to get to that sliver of time where I can play for a bit.
I'm fairly addicted though and don't believe in moderation, so I'll likely cut them for good when I finally decide to pull the trigger.
Thanks for sharing. I find the ultimate is to be hooked into real life the way it's so easy to be hooked into a video game. Maybe it's more like a slow RPG than an action-packed FPS, but nothing compares to its depth of gameplay.
As an example, a lot of people do puzzles like sudoku or crosswords... but it seems like the reward is non-existent, unless we start evaluating the neuro-plasticity benefits (which, may be impossible to clearly define the parameters of such an evaluation). But doesn't it also just have to do with like, "Did you have fun?!?" haha, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks, as always for the wonderful content! :)
There seems to always be a balance between present vs future benefits. If we live only for now, our situation will likely decay, leading to a future "present" moment full of problems. But if we live only for the future, we're always delaying our moment of enjoyment and never truly appreciating life. But the limitation I found with gaming even beyond that is that even if I'm all about enjoying the present moment, they don't provide a sufficiently deep enjoyment, the way I now find time with friends and nature. If we're not building a better future and we're also not deeply enjoying the moment, then what are we doing?
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife well said! :)
For me games are just not fun anymore. I’m not sure if its cuz im growing up or that games suck nowadays or both. I have work, school, gym, and a social life to balance and just dont have much extra free time. And when i do i just feel that playing games just takes too much energy and i just feel like watching youtube or netflix instead
It's really easy to relapse when you're stuck at home with a broken leg. I should quit video games and my wanking addiction. I'm 20 and this is very helpful.
Thank you for this video
So much power to bend your life direction at that age! I didn't clue in to the hazards of escapism till many years later.
I think videogame still fun but you have to balance between video game and real life, if you play videogame all days ofc you will get bored, burned out and not having fun anymore
I agree
But video games aren't as fun now as they used to be because games have become boring or we are just getting older
have you made much progress?
I've made some progress in bringing a hint of that video game feeling into real life. That feeling of building up your character and having an RPG adventure, or just sandbox building, by doing things that have improve my real-world experience.
Video games are an art form. Not all of them want to "suck you in" & drain your time. The Stanley Parable, Rain World, The Cat lady.. etc. There are a lot of super ARTISTIC games that want you to play them ONCE. It's high art. No other medium can do what games can
It's a shame that a lot of people think the AAA titles are what defines what a videogame is, it's like someone thinking Cinema is just Marvel movies.
I agree that games are art, and can be as valuable as any other art.
No matter how supreme the art, though, my point is to compare them to real life.
I believe that even the greatest art makes a poor substitute.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife AAA titles that have sneaky social engineering tactics implemented into them can be artistic but they as a whole are not art. They aren't created to tell a story or create an experience that enriches the player's understanding of the world & of themselves, like art does.
Pardon me if I sound condescending but, you should look into more indie titles to widen your understanding of what a video game is I recommend the 2017 releases but here's a few to start
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
The Cat Lady
The Stanley Parable
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Rain World
I'm not recommending you play these since you hinted at having addictive tendencies in regards to gaming (like everyone) so, I'm not encouraging taking back the progress you've made so, don't play any of these. You can just read about them if you're interested in fixing your view of video games.
I'm not suggesting that games can't be great art. Only that any art is a poor substitute for life.
@@QuestforaMeaningfulLife Yes & I'm saying that the games you talked about in the video aren't even art in the first place
And art never tried to be a substitute
Have a good one lol
@@Nylon-xj9ml I think it's a question of how we interact with the art (or non-art).
The problem for me is knowing what to replace gaming time with.
That's a big one for me too. I always need some kind of activity or project that I find engaging. When I can't think of anything interesting to do with my time, there's always gaming and entertainment ready to help pass the hours.
Totally agree
Everything dissapears when you die. Nothing is of any value once you die. Perhaps life itself is an iillusion, a journey into imaginary world that you decide what to do or what to spend time with. To me in the grand scheme of things it does not matter where you spend time as long as you are ok with it. You can work and study and become something big in terms of human world which upon death it does not mean anything. Do what you want to do. Keep gaming but also make sure you dont commit too much to a point you lose everything of value to you because you spend so much time in gaming