Escaping Video Game Addiction: Cam Adair at TEDxBoulder
Escaping video game addiction: Cam Adair at TEDxBoulder
Today, millions of people around the world from all ages struggle with video game addiction. This issue affects all of life including school grades, job rete…
I am about 5 days with out video games. It sucks. I really don’t know what
to do with myself. I am really just doing any thing but video games and it
leads to me doing nothing. Still can not get a job I like or do my school
work. The only thing I have going for me is the hope that things will get
better if i just keep saying no to video games.?
I have been an addict for a while. I am a kid, and I have tried so many
things. I really do not quit cold turkey, would you know any other way than
that? I am considering downloading a program that does not allow me to go
on for a certain amount of time, and i would be unable to change that. If
you have an answer, please answer soon, because my parents have given me an
ultimatum. Do you believe that restricting every other day would help this,
or just increase my want to play more games? I would like to think of
quitting cold turkey as a last result. I am super lost. Please help me!?
I have been playing ever since I was 4-5 years old, and I became an addict
sometime around 8-9. It ruined my elementary school life (well, bullies,
but…) and the people in my middle school are much nicer, but I can’t quit
playing. Since my middle school requires a computer, I can’t put a time
limit on my computer. Another thing is that my parents refuse to
listen/watch anything about video games that I show them. They think that,
well, video games are comparable to hell, it’ll ruin your life (I get good
grades, around A- average), and my dad just compares me to others instead
of just looking at my marks. (I’m Asian, too, so you know the stereotype).
Video games to me are a way to escape my problems, a source of happiness.
The worst part is that my dad gets ferociously mad at me whenever I do
something wrong. Could you please help me??
I aint addicted to shit cam.?
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed with my video game compulsion (I
hesitate to use the term addiction) is the loss of presence in my every day
life. I’ve played video games since I was a small child but it didn’t
become a compulsion until around ten years ago. Originally it began as a
coping mechanism and pure escapism since I had just been forcibly uprooted
and moved to a place where I knew nobody. Video games gave me a sense of
presence and agency in my life, where the real world did not.
Over the two years I lived in that place it was not uncommon for me to
spend 10 to 16 hours a day playing video games. This is behavior pattern
followed me as I moved back to my home town. I would work, then come home
and spend the rest of my time playing video games. This behavior became
further compounded when I loss my job due to an injury and no longer had a
reason to leave the house. I would spend all day, from the moment I woke to
the moment I fell asleep, playing video games.
It has progressed to the point where (pardon the crassness) I can’t even
sit on the toilet without playing a game on my phone because I feel like
it’s a waste of time. Any time I get into a stressful situation I
immediately want to retreat to a virtual world and escape the situation.
Any time I become remotely bored I feel the strong compulsion to run to a
game.
This compulsion hasn’t cost me anything truthfully. I lead a full life. I’m
a loving husband and attentive father, but, even while spending time with
my daughter, i’m thinking about video games, Googleing video games,
watching videos about video games. Looking back, this loss of presence in
my life has felt like it has robbed me of the most important of human
currencies, time. Through my lack of presence in my life I feel that the
last ten years of my life have disappeared in a blink because I just wasn’t
there.?
I am starting up the first Internet and Video game addiction centre in
Australia?
For me I play games for years now. I consider myself addicted and i’m
trying to quit. I found some other activities like working out and cycling.
I try to do those activities atleast once every two days. But in between I
keep playing games. All my friends play games so when I invite them over
they only want to play games or talk about the games. That makes it really
hard you know. It’s not that I can just dump them, they are still close
friends to me. Maybe you guys dealt with this problem and could help me
out. I would really appreciate it.?
after comparing this to my experience , the valid argument to identify
someone as gamer addict that need help are:
1. When we use game as a permanent tool to escape problem, such as family
problem, school problem,love problem, social problem ( people dont want to
hang out with you cause you are ugly ,fat, or a minority) . When someone
say “F$$$K this lets just play” and they do this over and over again ,
their brain become adapt to this and it become habit and their brain only
understand the word “Escape” not “Solving”.
2. When we justify playing mmo overtime because this is social, when we
feel accepted in a community we will say this is my “Social life”. this is
normal and nothing wrong with this , but in virtual community they “care ”
about you cause you are in the same space and time ( game) and your gaming
skill and knowledge but very few actually care about your real life
problem such as food,income,health. In real life community they actually
care about your well being even as simple as taking you to dinner
together, etc,etc. When you turn off your computer you are a lonely man
therefore you refuse to turn it off
3. Progress in game is seen as progrees of your life but have negative
income balance the fact is game is just hobby, it is not a sin to be
good in your hoby from collecting antique car to sea shell, from sport to
computer game, everyone want to be good / up to date in their respective
hobby, but when we think this hobby can become our life we must be pro at
it even people that collect sea shell can sold it in beach tourism. in
South Korea for example many parent see their son sooooo addict to
starcraft ,dota,etc,etc they give them advice to become pro gamer ( gaming
with competitive attitude with official sponsor ). game addict are not pro
gamer, they just playing game as escape and selling gold and toon actually
ilegal and it is not a legit way to use game as way to continue and sustain
life.
How about me ?, i am not better and not worse then any of fellow gamer, i
have expensive computer want to be bad a$$ playing game 3 hour in week days
and 6 hour in weekend, but i have friend to hang out with. good collage
score and some exercise. But when big problem hit my life i begin to use
game as an execuse to escape, making me from game enthusiast to addict ,
but the good news is that my gaming community are people with job and
family so they slowly but surely bring me back up and now game become my
hobby again … not my sole existance?
There we are.
Very good talk here CAM. And thanks for your encouragement on Kingping to
help others to get out of this virtual prison.
But being free makes me wonder. And sometimes I go online to see how the
video game crowds are doing. Oh boy.
I just recently (few minutes ago) visited a video review of a certain video
game. And I thought I’m in a circus.
Can you believe what serious talking they come up with because of a video
game character?
Wow. I’m talking about Metroid Other M and how some people think they
turned the main protagonist, Samus, into a princess. Just wow.
I just try to figure if I was the same. Did I go apeshit when someone was
talking bad about my favorite pixel hero, or did I go nuts when the creator
did something unexpected to that character?
Is that still to be called a natural behavior?
Really strange to see all that rubble from the outside, as I’m no longer
part of those video game communities.
So this is how other people thought about me once I got passionated about
my beloved sparetime activity?
I guess.
I figured some time ago that music was a strong factor for me to stay with
video games (though it was not the main reason I got caught in playing
games for more than 20 years), especially the old games of the 8 and 16 bit
era.
Today I know that I just love instrumental music of different genres. Don’t
need video games for that anymore. But I have to admit that I still love
some soundtracks like the OSTs for the two PS2 Castlevania games. Or the
album called “Symphonic Fantasies”. Without all the button activity the
music sounds more intense and I can clearly hear where a soundtrack is well
done when being on its own.
I wish the soundtrack for the first Earthworm Jim game was available,
because the music there is just spaced out and hilarious in a fashion I
like.
And I got myself some chiptune albums. The adventure is all inside my head
though.
Besides my bigger growing love for instrumental music, I read quite some
good books, and my movie collection is growing too, yet altogether is not
as expensive as the bunch of games I was investing my money into. Another
fun fact if you want.
If someone needs another kick for quitting the friendship to the universe
of video games, go see some video game reviews on youtube. Listen very
carefully to the words that are spoken and think about it. Have you been
the same? Commenting and lamenting for nothing but an empty space?
Ah yes. I call video games empty space. Because once you turn off the
system, what is left? Especially for you if you are about to quit?
Greetings.?
Hi Cam, this is a really good talk. i myself also have this games addiction
issue. its been years since i have this addiction and its really difficult
to cure. I can’t finish my university because of this….. any suggestion
or any method that can help me get out from this???
Great talk, I first saw this on PBS Game/Show when they discussed game
addiction. There’s a lot of truth behind what was said, from the difficulty
with socializing and escape from my life to be a hero. I completely agree
that it starts with the parenting, and luckily I was put in martial arts
and learned how to be more social and the merits of actually leaving the
controller behind. Though video games are still a major passion of mine I
channeled this into a career and now work in the video game industry. ?
NOTE: This is my personal reaction to the video, I really enjoyed this talk
and I don’t want to offend anyone.
P.S: Video Games are great, anyone who tells you otherwise hasn’t played
enough.
Video Games are my life and I know I’m addicted to them, because without
them I’m miserable, although I don’t care: Video Games are the best thing
that happened to me, and I couldn’t picture life without them. I know that
all my progress from time and energy in games isn’t real, and can be erased
in an instant and I’m fine with that. Video Games are the ultimate art
form, and give you the opportunity to live life how you want to; I know
this isn’t the easiest thing for you to hear, but maybe some people don’t
want to quit playing games cold turkey. Games can be very helpful in many
aspects! I’m also a game designer, so I enjoy making as well as binging
until passing out playing games. Soaking 100s of hours into a single game
can be a little off setting at first when you look at it, but when I’m on
my deathbed in my old age I wont regret playing videogames for a 1/5th of
my entire life, because I enjoyed that time. Thats what it comes down too,
did you enjoy your time in games.?
GUITAR!!! 12-bar Blues baby!?
I watched this a few months ago, and am now just barely getting around to
quitting. This is day 1 for me, but I’m confident (with help and support
from my family and friends) that I can give it up entirely. I play for a
sports club, and am going to dedicate my spare time to studying and playing
more active, social games.?
At least for me, and probably for a bunch of other people its
procrastination. Games are great for that, pop in something like arma or
wow and boom fours hours are just gone. Its a great excuse to not do
something. Always playing games when I have something better to do and
don’t want to do it.?
thanks for this. you really understand because you’ve been in that place. I
hate when people try to put themselves in your shoes but have no idea how
big of a problem it really is. ?
I am parter with youtube and make10.000$ a month from gaming:)?
I’m a 10th grader from Indonesia and i play games regularly but i can
manage my time. I’ve seen my friends who addicted to competitive game like
DOTA or CS. Their addiction become their life i mean when we hang out
together they only talk about Dota, they spend their time mostly in
computer to play dota, they wont LEARN anything but DOTA. At the first time
i think this is usual, you discover a new game you then play it for weeks
until you bored, but not them they play it like it was their life. I have a
plan to make a blog with them but it just fell down because we never have
the chance to talk about it because when we’re together they’re just going
to talk about Dota and i dont see their seriousness. I have a nice PC
gaming but i dont use it only for games i also learn how to use Premire
Pro, After Effect and photoshop, i also learn a bit about HTML. I also
building a new hobby like photography or blogging. is there any chance you
could help me to tell my friend that what they do is an addiction and needs
to be controlled??
I am addicted?
Thank you so much! I have been wondering why all I would ever want to do on
the weekend or Friday night is to play video games. This talk helped me
understand that and helped me so much. I can relate to wanting to play
games for the challenge and growth that I could see. Now I take that same
want of challenge to golf and other healthier activities thanks to this
talk! I cant thank you enough for helping realize this is a real addiction
and showing me how to stop!?
This is a great TED talk. Well done, Cam. 🙂 I’m going to show this is my
comm theory class for my uses & gratification class. Lots of support to
you! xx?
This helped. I uninstalled my games on my pc. Hopefully, i can stay away
for good or at least less.?