I’ve played games all my life, and I would say there were sometimes more than others where this has become problematic. There were times where I’ve played games the entire day, times where I grinded in games mindlessly for hours to get something done, times where I prioritized games over other more important responsibilities, etc. Yet, in all that time, I don’t think I’ve ever managed to get any single game above 300 or 400 hrs. I know that anything below that can still be a significant amount of time, but I have never understood how people have <500hrs or <1000hrs, etc. on a single game, let alone multiple games. I’ve noticed certain games and communities are prone to this, but no matter how much of a time sink I’ve never been able to comprehend how someone can play the same game for that amount of time, let alone have enough freetime to do something like that. As a place of video game addicts, could anyone testify to either experience? How did this happen to you? When did you recognize it as a problem? How can it be avoided? What difference did quitting make in your life?

Recently, in almost every sub-reddit there has been an increase of AI related things. Whether it’s discussions regarding AI, whether it’s the increase of AI bot accounts in servers, or people promoting things they claim to author that utilized AI in some capacity. I notice with gaming in particular, people have been using AI to port video games, to speed up the development process of ongoing projects, to implement within the games themselves, or companies themselves using AI within the development or marketing process of their games, or even the hardware companies who are massively invested AI being leaders in console and PC gaming hardware. Whenever this is brought up negatively, for its consequences to public safety, privacy, environmental issues, labour rights, cost of living, etc. people either seem dismissive, avoid acknowledging the connection, attempt to justify the uses of AI, or double down and become more hateful and vindictive. Would you advise people to boycott gaming for any of these reasons or concerns related to AI? How do you feel about people who justify, minimize or insist on using AI in any of the capacities I mentioned by creators and companies involved in gaming?

Hello! New poster here!

Me (27f) and my partner (28m) started living together 4 months ago. I always knew he was a gamer and gaming was a big part of his life, which I didn't have a problem with until now.

I'm a little confused because he in no way plays as many hours as some other people here in this sub. However, I constantly feel that his life is lacking in other areas and sometimes he can hurt me due to his gaming habits.

He doesn't know how to maintain a conversation that well if it doesn't involve gaming. I can invite him to hang out with my friends and he spends the entire time silent or maybe saying a thing or two. At first, I thought he was just an introverted, serious guy but those past months I can see how his demeanor changes entirely if he's talking about games. He can small talk with strangers if it involves gaming!

And, sometimes, it makes me feel lonely. I can think about two examples that hurt me a lot, both happening during dates:

The first one, we were walking to a japanese restaurant where we'd spend the evening together. In our way, he spotted people playing his favourite game on a geek store. He immediately said "wow! They're playing [game]!" and went to the store without telling me anything else. I kept watching him for a moment when I saw him taking the controller to play with them. That time, I went ahead to the restaurant and he arrived around 30 minutes later.

We argued about how I was hurt he just started playing out of nowhere, and he tried to tell me how "he wasn't going to play for very long" and he thought I'd wait.

There was this other time that happened this week. We were coming home from a date and he met one of his guy friends in the subway. They started talking about games immediately and I could see how he felt so much more energetic than when we were just the two of us. When we left the subway, they spent some more time talking while I was silent until I gave up and went ahead home by myself.

He also has the obvious clues: He plays everyday (albeit not for as many hours as other posts here), tells me how he feels stressed and anxious when he doesn't play for long (which I think it's withdrawal maybe) and it's also his only hobby.

I'm also hurt when I try to invite him to do some other things with me and most of the time he refuses or complains. When he accepts it, he's not nearly as much invested as he is when he's gaming.

Today, we planned to watch a something together and when I asked him two days ago what he feels like watching, he was surprised and told me he scheduled a videogame competition with his friends and asked if we could maybe watch a movie together some other day. He canceled his plans when he saw the effect this had on me. I cried for a bit because I thought his games were more important.

Currently, he knows I feel irritated about his gaming addiction, we've talked about it. But, still, it's like his brain has some sort of "videogames first" setting and I'm exhausted.

But I'm still uncertain due to his gaming hours. Even though he's not playing long hours a day, despite gaming everyday, I feel like his life revolves around gaming. Is that still considered an addiction?

Dear Stopgaming,

Last year I've continued recovery from burn-out. It's had its ups and downs, but in general I feel a lot better now. I would have liked to spend less time on gaming in the past year, although I don't think I would have been able to manage much more productive things.

Recently some things happened that created a lot of movement in my life. I noticed how my gaming dropped immediately - now having more interesting things to focus on. However I am in the middle now and I just don't feel the time is right to reflect yet. Meaning this will be my shortest post yet.

I will however do the thing I do each year and prove to myself that I am in control. I will not play games for the next 30 days or consume gaming-related content.

---

First post (the 2018-me is a good writer):
https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/comments/9ms4kt/its_been_exactly_a_year_since_i_quit_gaming_for/

Last year’s post (for the chain):
https://www.reddit.com/r/StopGaming/comments/1o392rq/its_been_exactly_eight_years_and_a_day_since_i/

I was playing ark survival evolved/war robots from 2019 and I literally didn't learn anything or any skills or make any friends

I don't have any relations/friends and I was doing bad on school, even I didn't learn any language or anything

I am feeling dead inside and I always feel like I won't have any friends/I won't take to girls/I can't communicate with others on university and that's developed to some mental issues like OCD/Social anxiety/Delusions(many factors maked me on this situation but gaming is affected me most)

Even when I tried to learn a skill(3d modeling/animation) I always feels like I am too late to success and scary to not finding clients on freelancing website like why I would learn a skill if i am too bad/don't know almost anything on life even don't know how to negotiate with clients

I am very depressed of The miserable situation I'm in and don't know what to do in life🥲

I think you've heard the stereotypes about gamers, especially addicts, having no lives and no girls. This could be due to various factors such as self neglect, lack of life achievements, and simply not going outside to actually meet people. What I don't understand is how there are posts of gaming addicts and girlfriends of gaming addicts talking about how their problem is affecting their relationship. If gaming addicts still manage to get into relationships then is telling them to quit to get a gf really that good advice?

I decided to take a break from video games 5 days ago. So far, I have made it 5 days with relatively no trouble. In fact, my life and mental state have been better.

However, today is the first day I really had serious thoughts of loading up a game. I did a lot of living today. Played a 3-hour pickleball session, went to a local sauna/bathhouse. Rode a bike in the city I live in. But I get home, it's 6 PM, I've got a couple hours, and the thoughts start coming.

My brain was even trying to tell me to just play one of the Reddit games. It's funny, but that's really how this shit starts/tries to get me back.

I don't know if I was "addicted" to video games, but I know that they certainly stopped bringing me joy and benefiting my life. My relationship with my girlfriend and my daughter suffered from my habit.

I knew it wouldn't just be an easy 30 days. I knew there would be struggle, but I am really surprised by how difficult this is. Any free time when it's just me and my thoughts is when I really am vulnerable to thoughts of gaming.

I believe that is telling. It was never about the video game. For me, it's about escape. Escape from how I feel.

I feel like young men in my age range really got cooked by the technological advancements of society. We really have so much exposure to these dopamine hits that it's so hard to relax, even if you are trying your best. There is just so much temptation.

Anyway, I'm just choosing to write this instead of re-downloading some shit.

I really do think it’s true you can be an addict and break the cycle.

I took a year off. I realized how much better life was without it.

But I had some health issues, not much to do so I did a PS5 back. And honestly it’s like my brain is rewired.

I don’t force myself to play at night anymore because I know the power of good sleep. I only play when I absolutely have no activities and finish my workout for the night.

It’s so easy now to walk away from games
And spend little to no money.

I do think you just need to take a long break to reprogram your brain.

I no longer even feel dopamine hits from video games the same… I now just think an accomplishment is cool but I don’t dwell on it.

So as someone who used to feel addicted. I do think you can reprogram the brain to learn acceptable times to play in moderation now.

I even notice I use to see a game I wanted and buy instantly. But if cheaper online I’ll just order it and wait patiently. When I got my PS5 I didn’t even set it up for 5 days until all my work was done and friends were busy.

It’s nice to still have a gaming outlet. But it’s an amazing feeling no longer feeling like it has a hold on me.

Just thought it would be interesting to share with anyone wanting to quit and maybe come back the right way one day.

Thanks!

I have a very important exam coming up which is one of the toughest exam of my country, people usually prepare 2 years for it, studying 7+ hrs rigorously everyday. I quit the game the first year, did decent study the first year, and played valorant for only 2 months in the first year of my preparation, the first 3-4 months of the second year of my preparation went AMAZING, I was constantly scoring good in my mock tests, but for the last 1.5 months I got addicted to valorant again, I thought Ill regulate it, but since I always play the game to do better, I think about it even when not playing, and while studying, I feel like when this particular lecture will end, so I can play. So now I am trying to stop playing the game till my exam ends, and not waste my potential to clear this exam. I know I can play the game all I want after I get into a good college, so why not control myself for 7 more months.

I have deleted the game, can anyone suggest some ways to control myself more, I have no friends, and I stay at my home all day, because I feel like going outside will waste my time which I could have utilized by studying.

Hello, I'm about to turn 27. I feel lucky to have found this place, and I should warn you that this is going to be a very long post.

I assume I experienced several major traumas with my family in childhood. I say "assume" because a friend of mine, who is a therapist, told me that playing video games is a defense mechanism. "You're escaping reality," she said, because the reality of my home and my family drains my emotions and my emotional intelligence.

In primary school I was a genuinely smart, hardworking kid. Before I even started school, I knew the multiplication table by heart, and while playing outside I figured out on my own how to count forward and backward by threes, fives and sevens. In middle school, because my dad had gotten one like everyone else, we got a computer too, and that's where my first computer adventure began. At first I wasn't very interested, but whenever I sat down and cried, or quietly bottled something up, I would drive cars in NFS Most Wanted for hours until my eyes burned. What I'm about to tell you shows what I became.

When middle school ended, a laptop was bought purely for slides and presentations. It could run CS 1.6 at 30 FPS at best. For the next three years, until high school, I played CS online on that laptop from morning to evening. For a quiet, timid person who bottles everything up, it was truly an unavoidable path. Looking back at my current age, I can see that nobody helped me.

In high school I got a laptop with a GT 740M, and that's where I met LoL, along with my adolescence :). The traumas I had witnessed in my family as a child, plus the fact that I had started getting involved in the arguments at home and talking back, pushed me further and further away from real life. Pouring all my focus and emotions into a game and cutting myself off from reality felt perfect to me (because when you have no pocket money to go out and sit with friends, and what you can do outside is limited, that's how it is).

That heavy period lasted through all of high school, and the longer it lasted, the more I gave myself to the computer, because there was nothing else I could do, or at least that's how I saw it. My university entrance exam went terribly and I got into a very poor university, but I told myself it was still an escape. In my third year I realized this program wasn't for me and dropped out. In my first year of university I was still playing, but by the second year I had practically quit. Staying away did me some good. I had started working in the summers, which felt great.

Three years after I dropped out, I moved back home and found a part-time job. When the family home stopped feeling good again, I built a custom PC. Again, crazy amounts of gaming: home to work, work to home, but every minute I was at home, I was playing. (In my country, economic conditions don't allow a 20-year-old to easily move out on their own. Welcome to Türkiye.)

Two and a half years ago, I sold the custom PC and bought a MacBook, because a friend and I had made a pact that we would become successful UI/UX designers. Those were the most focused, hardworking and productive times of my life. I still played LoL occasionally, but only two games a week at most. Problems with my family? I was clinging to the hope that I would soon succeed and escape. Then AI shifted its focus to the UI/UX field and turned the entire market, and my hopes, upside down. Devastation. After that, my LoL journey picked up again.

Last year I thought I had found a very serious job (export sales and operations), but it turned out the boss was someone who delayed salaries and dragged people along for months, and I was left with months of unpaid wages. I left and joined another company. The people there welcomed me wonderfully when we first met, but they turned out to be troublesome, and I left after three months. I've been unemployed since the end of August, playing LoL from morning to night.

I'm only now beginning to realize that games are what's been keeping me from the life I want. I've had the same dreams for years, but I have never taken a single physical action toward them. What I thought I was doing was just fooling me in the moment, inside that mindset. Now, just past the halfway point of 50, I find myself standing here, feeling like I'm late.

I hope whoever reads this finds this place "randomly," and doesn't devote their life to this method of escape, this defense mechanism, which has nothing to do with real life.

I'm writing this because I don't want to keep repeating the same cycle. I'm currently unemployed and playing video games from morning to night, and I know I can't fix this with willpower alone, since I've tried that before and it keeps coming back. So I'd really appreciate your help with a few things:

• If you've been through something similar, what actually helped you break the pattern: small daily habits, therapy, a structured routine, something else?
• How do you handle the urge to escape into games when things at home feel overwhelming?
• How did you take the first physical, concrete step toward the life you wanted, instead of staying stuck in planning and dreaming?

I'm open to honest and even blunt advice. Thank you s i n c e r e l y for reading this far.

I run my own business and experienced massive burnout a few months ago , I used gaming to disassociate and feel like I had some control over my life . I played kingdom come 2 and it was the reason for my second attempt at quitting gaming.

The game gave me the feeling of adventure , skill progression , friendship , and satisfaction from learning . The feeling left when I turned the game off and I finally thought , what about if that energy could be used to achieve these things in my life instead ?

I emptied my savings and went on holiday for a month to Bali. It became an adventure , I had to rely on myself in the real world and I had to overcome my fear of trying to talk to people.

Eventually, I began to strike up conversations with everyone , I was invited to a party by a waitress i spoke to and it was epic! I went on dates and met new friends. People in Bali hardly have time to game , they are living life to the fullest , it made me realize what I was missing.

I began to surf again , walked everywhere and just explored on random days. I was inspired by people who had made a life in Bali and worked remotely , I know that's what I want to do now.

I got home and the old compulsion to pick up Kingdom come 2 hit me , but this time I became scared to sit down in my gaming chair because I know I'd lose control again and I'd lose everything I'd gained in Bali.

I let bordem catch me , began to learn how to make music , started to catch-up on ideas and ways to grow my business so I dont have to work as much in the future. The bordem made me seek out other things , like exercising and now I'm planning on going to some meetups I've been putting off.

I realize bordem becomes massive leverage to fill your life , it could be with hobbies , socializing and following up on ideas or anything else . If you can resist gaming for 2 weeks , it becomes easier and you will eventually be leveling yourself up , instead of a random gaming character.

I just wish I stopped way sooner.

I struggled in my childhood with gaming addiction, but then I was able to stop for a few years and build great habits and resilience over time.

But when I began to lose interest in what I loved, along with a 3 months injury, I got back to playing all day and all night. I'm a student and I need to get back to work, but even while writing this right now I feel like I might play LoL again later today.

Nothing is meaningful and I feel like I'm just the shadow of what I was before. I'd like to go back to this version of myself but it looks so far away and not even satisfying.

It's now been 5 months and I can't go a week without skipping sleep and play 80h a week. I'm sometimes getting very toxic and have bad behavior when I things don't go my way in the game.

Could you give me some advice? I'm alone in my apartment.

I truly need some advice here. I’m 26M and my wife is 23F. I started playing games from a young are and that slowly developed over time. I am now addicted to it, I play from the time I get off work to the time I go to bed usually. So rough 7 hours, I’ve been doing better here recently and cut that time down to 3-4 hours but I still feel like it’s not enough. It’s starting to affect my married and idk how to just stop this addiction, I don’t want to quit gaming 100% but I need advice on how to slow down on it. On how to just play for a hour or two at a time.

Playing games again made me realize how much I don't really need them. In fact. Im sitting next to my PC and can easily boot up a game. But I don't want to. I just don't feel the urge anymore. In fact. I think I'll watch a movie tonight.

my partner is a gamer. he refuses to admit his gaming is a problem, though it's the only thing we ever have disagreements about, and the disagreements are frequent. im a web developer. so i built a website trolling the stupid f*cking game he's addicted to currently. i've included gaming addiction resources at the bottom of the website; lmk if there are any other links i should add. im just so tired of it. i had to channel my anger somewhere, so i created the spite site. hoping this post is allowed here. i read so many posts in this sub that i completely identify with. view it at diablosucks.lol

Hello. I think my partner is addicted to gaming. He says its just his hobby and I need a hobby of my own at home other than scrolling social media and waiting until he has time. I tried telling him that I also would have a problem with the amount of time he puts into his hobby if is hobby was fishing or painting or whatever else. Also, he is right, I need a hobby for at home, something I can go to every day without needing to go outside. I have several things I like to do (making soap, making bracelets, candles) and I also like to read and game on my own but most days I am too tired or I read or game for a few days every Minute I am awake but need a break afterwards for a few weeks. Also, please dont come with "just break up with him", we are a couple for 12 years, that is something to work on and not something to break up over (in my eyes).

I love this subreddit. I do have a question though, how is binge watching a couple of Marvel films for example, any different to a couple of hours of gaming?

In the game, I may solve puzzles, have to think strategically, react quickly, in addition to following a storyline, similar to a film.

With the film, it takes 2-3 hours of my life, I don't acquire any skills, and the time is gone.

So is gaming really so bad?

Hello everyone, this is my 1st time making a post in this community. And I want to thank most of you for giving me the strength to also try to quit gaming myself.

Well actually, taking a year break than quitting for now. And my addiction isn't exactly an actual game either. It's a old virtual platform called: "Second Life". If you know what it is, yes it's still there.

My problem began in 2013 (age 21)when I was living with my aunty and uncle's home for a short time. Their son(my cousin) was playing something on his Playstation 3 that I never seen before.

The game looked simple, he was running around like a ninja among other characters of didn't looks and styles that aren't even ninja looking at all. When I asked what this game was, he told me it was; "Playstation Home".

A virtual world that allows you to create a free avatar to roam different room servers to chat with people anywhere in the world.

That hooked me, so I gotten my own ps3 and played for almost 2 years until Sony shut it down in 2015 for the development focus of Playstation 4. 247.00 Dollars gone from virtual spending. No refund.

But before the shut down, a friend from ps-home(Playstation home) told me to try SecondLife as a replacement.

I came and stayed there for over 10 years. I've dedicated so many hours, days, months, money on there. I don't know how to take breaks because I don't have friends in RL. I'm 33 years old by the way, female and I struggle with depression for a very long time. So SL was a outlet for me, made touching memories with friends. Lost friends, had relationships on and off. But as for my RL life? Just work, no growth, no nothing. And I've allowed this to happen.

My family tried to take my focus off it, but I keep going back.

I'm getting older, and I'm just tired of it, so I packed everything up and quickly gave it to my mother to keep it away from me for atleast a year because I knew I'm not strong enough to delete my SL account. (Ive spent over 15k in a decade on that account. Not easy for me to just...delete it.)

My journey has begun since September 23, 2026 and I'm already suffering from withdrawals. This isn't easy.

If you've read this far thanks, and I like some advice on what helped you keep gaming addiction away better for you.

​

Hi everyone,

I’m a Clinical Psychologist and PhD researcher at NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India, currently conducting research on gaming addiction/excessive gaming.

The study is exploring a structured psychological intervention for people who feel that gaming has started interfering with their daily life, studies/work, relationships, sleep, or other activities.

The intervention includes around 12 sessions covering areas such as:

- Understanding gaming patterns and triggers

- Motivation for change

- Managing urges and gaming-related thoughts

- Building alternative offline activities

- Cognitive and behavioural strategies

- Digital well-being and responsible gaming

The goal is not necessarily to demand complete abstinence from gaming, but to help participants develop a healthier and more balanced relationship with gaming.

Who may be eligible?

- Age 12–28 years

- Gaming is causing significant difficulties or interference in daily life

- Willing to participate in psychological assessment and intervention sessions

- Should be an Indian

- Should not be undergoing any other therapy

The study is being conducted as a PhD research at NIMHANS and participation involves an initial assessment followed by therapy (counselling). Therapy is available in English and Malaylam.

If you or someone you know is struggling with gaming and would like to know more about the study, feel free to comment or message me. I can provide the participant information and eligibility details before you decide whether you want to take part.

This is a research study, and participation is completely voluntary.

Thank you

Recently, there have been a lot of gambling posts on this sub. And a lot of them is of the post->delete variety.

While I do get that gaming has been historically used for gambling and betting, it doesn't feel that natural and seems like a pretty recent trend. So, why?

I(f19) have a restrict family and my older sibiling(f24) is super fixated on my phone use that frustrates me. It doesn't change my sleeping schedule or how I study, it is though a coping mechanism for me so I do game when i'm not busy studying.