Stop Gaming If You Notice THIS In Your Life

Often there is a debate about gaming, is it good or bad, how much should you play or not? None of that really matters. It's about how gaming is impacting your life, what you ultimately want to achieve in your life... and what you are willing to sacrifice.

00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:35 - The truth about gaming
00:01:05 - How is gaming impacting your life?
00:01:35 - Key areas of your life to monitor
00:02:45 - Are you thriving in your life?
00:03:35 - How my life has improved without games
00:05:15 - How to get gaming under control
00:05:35 - Free resources

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Other Videos:

[wesley]

When I think about who I want to be, a “gamer” doesn’t come to mind.
I’ve spent too much time in virtual worlds.
If I’m honest my “gamer” friends are not doing well for themselves and I don’t want to be that way. I want to excel at life!

[Koozwad]

I still think the problem isn't gaming, but dopamine/instant gratification. Heck I stopped gaming for 90 days and found that nothing changed because I was just filling that void with other stuff like junk food, movies etc.

[richarddevries]

Even though I quit for over a month now, these videos are very helpful for me, to remind myself why I quit and to get another boost of motivation to keep going! Thanks Cam!

[Junokaii]

I haven't quit gaming but constantly watching these videos reminds me to do other things with my life. I do struggle to.. but I've been reading actual books. It's gotten better over the last couple of years and I think these videos help. Because in the end, achievements are just numbers on a screen etc. My mom sent me this initially through email and at first I was insulted but... I really needed to come across this channel because it's helpful.

[speedy_o]

Gaming only became a problem for me when "the sniffles" hit us in Australia. I've always casually gamed since I was young but never had a problem with it. I went to uni, graduated, got a great job, felt overall "successful". I want to say this, not to brag, but to illustrate that this can happen to anyone. When the sniffles hit I lost my job and we went into lockdown. I literally had nothing to do as most of my hobbies were outdoor activities, so I played Apex Legends. I got good, extremely good. 20 bombs, 4k badges, thousands of kills on multiple characters, lvl500 etc, .

I would wake up every morning, stumble over to my computer half asleep, and start playing. Brain fog 24/7. I forgot important events and was late to everything. This is because by the time I was awake enough to plan out my day, I'd be deep in a sweaty Apex match which had my full undivided attention, so no planning was ever done. I'd be almost in a gaming trance and by the time that I'd snap out of it, it'd be 10pm at night.

When lockdowns ended I didn't go back to my outdoor activities, I just stayed indoors and played Apex. When I started to make excuses to not go surfing with my dad, go running/gym with friends, or catch up with my mum I realized I had a problem. I've temporarily uninstalled Apex from my PC and it's helping immensely. Urges only last a short time now and games take hours to download here so I just accept that I'll have to find something else to do.

I've read up about executive function and dopamine pathways and understanding all that is helping a ton. I feel like my brain is a 6 yr old child and my executive function is the adult that needs to take the toys away and remove any distractions so the 6 yr old can do their homework. For anyone else out there struggling, you've got this!!

[mariolemur]

Thank you for your advice.
I played so many games that every minute fills in 10 swimming pools and I express with deep regret. And I'm thinking "What did I do? Why did I play so much because of my friends on Steam or because of my love for a female gamer I've never met?"
I would drastically reduce my gaming time because I felt my emptiness swell and there was a danger of depression and social isolation.
No one is forcing us to stop playing video games with force, with discipline. You will see for yourself the difference between video games and real life. You will understand, things are getting more and more scary.

Scariest thing in my life after reading from a female gamer in steam chat:
"I regret existing in this world" and continuing to play video games while she waits for Death to come.

[Steve]

As much as I want to thrive and take meaningful steps to improve my life, I will probably end up doing what you mentioned at the end of the video. Feeling like things could change right after watching, but going back to business as usual and just watching these kinds of videos again and again without making meaningful changes.

[h]

I successfully quit League of Legends after 11 years of addiction after randomly getting recommended your video a year ago.

[mxddiiee]

I feel like the thing is I’m addicted because I have nothing else to do with my life. It’s currently cold out, so I can’t go outside and do things, also being a kid still I’m still living with my parents it’s hard to go out anywhere, especially when over devices is the only way I can connect with my friends anymore.

[aaaaaaaaaaaaabbbb]

I have always played video games ever since i was a little child. It has never affected me in a bad way, I have never spent too much time on it even though it’s still one of the things i enjoy doing most. I am 18 now and I have naturally started playing less, because games seem less interesting to me? I can’t really point at the reason. Whenever I have free time and I could play, I often start and get bored of it quickly.

[D]

Hi Cam I’m 39 and I wanna quit gaming so bad but I can’t.

[Sascha_Sch]

I would say it is a huge difference which kind of games you play. It is alot easier to loose control over gaming if you play ranked games. You want to get a higher rank and dont just only play for fun but for the points. And if you automaticly click on next game after a (frustrated lost) game, you cant leave the game for the next 30min because you would lose points then.
If you play a story focus Game i would compare it with watching a movie. It depends on the game but its not so dopamine focused and i can stop if i have enough. I would say Assassin's creed is in this category.

[rAnis_illus]

Im Thai! Your vid really motivated me a lot, never expected u to visit this country!, hope u had good time!

[avalongrail]

Hey, I've been watching your videos for a while and I quit gaming(WoW player for years) and I prefer not being a gamer. Although it helped me get out of my shell a bit, now I'm struggling with general internet surfing(videos, forums, ...). Could you do some videos on how to stop that?
Thank you!

[rgairsoftt]

I relapsed on gaming and I kind of feel like quitting again because I’m very unproductive and stressed. But I know some day I will come back. Should I game in moderation? 1 hour maximum only on the weekends? Let me know can thank you so much I love this channel!

[yesisthebest]

Casual Gaming As of 2021/2022 is DEAD. You either play the game for 7-8 hours a day or play it for 1-2 while being unhappy and feeling angry that you get beat by the people playing 7-8. And you play low quality failed titles as thats what has come out in the current day gaming space.

[fefazolin]

Hey Cam! Amazing video as always. I'm trying to find ways of being more productive and it came to my attention that you mentioned DJ'ing which is something that interests me a lot. Any tips to kick-start an amateur DJ course/hobby?

[But_WhatIf]

I quit gaming for 4 days now and I got so bored that I was more productive in those 4 days then I was in the last 2 months, its like a superpower haha

[henflash]

I'm so grateful for your videos, I'm trying to help a loved one, who's gaming a lot & doesn't know what he's doing at all. How can I help him?

[littlemoon]

All the things you listed at 2:45-3 min are the opposite for me.. probably should unplug everything gaming related.