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Hello everyone,

I’d like some advice on a recent decision. I’ve decided to take a break from gaming. I’m in my mid-30s with two children, and I usually play in the evenings, around 9 p.m. to midnight, once everyone is asleep. Occasionally, I’ll play during work breaks as well, though I rarely game on weekends, as those are typically dedicated to family activities.

Since November 1st, I haven’t played any games. My initial intention was simply to detox for a while—not necessarily to quit entirely, as I still consider it an enjoyable and affordable hobby. However, I’ve been contemplating whether to extend this break beyond a month.

With this in mind, I’d appreciate some guidance on the following:

• Should I consider extending the break for longer than a month?
• Is it worth considering quitting gaming altogether?
• If I choose to continue gaming after this detox, what would be a reasonable amount of time to dedicate to it?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

I am currently on my day 3 of quitting video games, I haven’t noticed many withdrawals besides the mood dip (which is fairly negated because of more social activity) and dreams about gaming.

I take ADHD medication and I don’t know how much effect this has on my cravings; I did find another way of ‘escaping’ which is reading books.

I’m kind of confused about my current withdrawal, as it doesn’t the the stereotypical quit (I had the same with quitting nicotine/quitting soda). Anyone with this type of experience, what should I expect the first two weeks?

I used to play all night. I would eat junk food. Stay up into the early hours of the morning. I wouldn't text or call friends back. I'd just play games. Honestly, my health was at my worst.

For those of you who were CS2 fans, the game been completely destroyed by cheating and a bunch of indifferent developers. For other games, the players are mostly addicts who never get off the game. Not even fun anymore.

I want to format and sell all my consoles and games to finally be free from them (although I haven't even touched them for 54 days), but my fear is to relapse as soon as I turn them on to format them. Should I wait until I complete 90 days free from videogames or should I do it now?

I'm thinking of deleting all my games right now but I'm actually struggling to do that. I can delete everything but I have alot of memories in Rainbow six siege. None of my friends are playing R6 rn, I'm alone in that game. But I spent alot of time in that game, like 6000hrs since 2019. Should I just do it cold turkey or what?

Background, for the last 10 years I keep playing the following games over and over I want to know how to quit games like maybe play roblox like when my friends ask me to (they dont ask often)

GTARP
Fortnite
and WOW

I also dont wanna put filters if possible

How is that even possible that some people can game or stream gaming for 24h or longer? There is no way that this doesn't cause serious health issues.

I can go days without playing video games and almost never play them beyond a moderate amount in a day which imo is around 2hrs, the average length of a movie. With streams, I go beyond 2hrs. When online I always have a stream on, neglecting real life relationships, watching before I go to bed, often staying up later then intended, disrupting my days.

Streams trigger my social and tribal biology of being human, as we all huddle into a stream together, exchanging shallow conversation. Replacing real life conversations with anonymous text. It's something most video games don't trigger or have, especially single player games.

Streams also fragment my attention span, as my eyes constantly flicker from the stream to the chat, over and over again for hours. The Twitch experience being more dynamic, stimulating and easier than playing most video games.

I recommend all people who have replaced gaming with Twitch or are weaning themselves off gaming by watching Twitch to strongly reconsider.

Since I was a teen I've played videogames a lot, and as I'm an adult now I see that this is a problem, but didn't really saw this as an addiction, just that I had a problem with gaming, but not "addiction level".

Then college and work became more demanding and suddenly I'm not playing as much I did before, because if I continue playing I'll fucking fail college, and I'm in my final year, so I just can't mess my studies more that I've already messed up by playing league instead of actually studying.

So I'm into two weeks not playing (I tried to play 6 days before, but the game was a remake so I think it doesn't couldn't), and I've been really rude to my SO for really small stuff, my mood is mostly bad or apathetic, I'm getting annoyed easier, more stressed, getting tired more, watching hours of YouTube to cope, headache, and then I realized: Those are symptoms of withdrawal. I was been like this because I didn't play league for 2 weeks. It's awful.

Just now I realized I am addicted.

I want to continue this "gaming detox", because is think this is the best thing I can do for myself, but I don't want to be rude anymore, making myself and others suffer with my withdrawal.

So, you guys have some advice for coping this withdrawal? What have worked out for your? And did you guys had symptoms like mine?

Sorry if my post was too long, this is my first post on this sub. Also, english is not my first language, sorry for any grammar mistakes.

I'd go through periods where I would wake up, play a game and then go to bed for weeks on end. Whenever I would get myself to stop, I found myself sitting on my phone watching let's plays for the same amount of hours instead. I'm feeling lost on how to end that cycle, but I at least realize that I haven't stopped my game addiction this whole time, I just pushed it to another format

I don’t know whether it’s cloudy weather talking (for 4 consecutive days, by the way) or it’s the change in hormone system, or it’s just the feeling of unhappiness that’s been following me for years. It could be mental issues, cPTSD (if I actually have it), or me being angry, miserable all the time. Or maybe the trigger was that I didn’t like what my mother said to me. It also could be fear for the future, or lack of communication/contact. Or me staying up too late hence bad mood. It could be health issues which I’m sort of used to. Or is it the memories of bad “love experience” and the specific app for dating and chatting which I’m thinking I should either quit for now too, or just take a break for some time, which makes me think “Why use it at all?” since I’m in no state of making new acquaintances and app just drains my energy like video games do. I’ll see if other apps would be as useful when I visit another country for the next month or two since this Sunday. If they would be useless too, then maybe I should quit/take a break from social apps for a while or some time too. Which makes me think “Why bother dating? Maybe love isn’t the main thing in the world and not that important. So I should focus on myself, other things that are of my concern”.

So, yeah, basically I’m thinking about dating/social apps, love relationship and all that other stuff and what I should do about them since quitting, as a thing, helped, changed something (I think) and helped me to move focus within.

I gave myself Sept. 2025 as my definitive deadline to progressively dettach from gaming by finishing every game left, clean my feed off it, stop watching streams and everything related with games until that time comes

Just wanted to set a realistic goal, as I still have plenty of free time to fill with games, it was a nice ride but really messed up w my life

Also chose Sept 2025 as it's rumoured to be GTA 6 release date, which will be challenging to fly over but that's the whole point of starting a new life

I hope everyone is doing well with their goals, feel free to share below.

I want to thank this community for helping me realize that moderation isn't always achievable and that putting down the controller for good can be the best choice to make. I'd like to share my story as well, for my own therapeutical release and perhaps for others who can relate and draw inspiration for their own journey.

I gamed all through childhood.. my phases being Pokémon at 6, NFS at 10, Halo at 13 and Skyrim/other RPGs from 15. As I reflect now, nothing else has hooked me and provided as much of an "escape" as gaming has as I've nearly always sat down and gamed for longer than I originally intended. I realized this while job-searching after graduating college and sold my Xbox right before moving to a new city for work. However.. I re-purchased it a year later after forgetting how big of a problem it was for me. I started playing multiplayer with new friends.. but slowly made my way back to single-player as my escape/relaxation method. With time I again became aware of my inability to put down the controller at a reasonable time. I tried to set boundaries, change genres, shift my Xbox to another physical location away from my TV.. but sadly nothing really worked.

One day last week I wound up playing 6 hours of Snowrunner, a sim truck driving game I supposed wouldn't be addictive for me given there's little in the way of story or any multiplayer to conquer. I ended my night hungry, overly stimulated and full of self-loathing. But still after that I was stuck. Should I really sell my Xbox? I mean, shouldn't I as an adult be able to have the self-control.. and wouldn't selling the machine be akin to giving up on my self-control journey? Shouldn't I at least keep it for the rare occasion I play with a friend or my partner? It's just a harmless tool for relaxation, right?

After finding this sub earlier this week I realized that moderation may not be attainable for me, just as it is for those who suffer from substance addiction, gambling, etc. While I may have been able to moderate my gaming when my mental health was good, the escape was too powerful to overcome on my hard days. Realizing this, I had compassion on myself that it was okay to not be able to moderate my gaming over the long run.. it's okay to admit that it is, in fact, an addiction for me. And so.. I've just sold my Xbox and I'm so looking forward to getting back whatever future time I would've lost to gaming. To those reading this, I wish you the strength and clarity to make the decisions you need for yourself on your mental health and gaming addiction journey.

37 years old man ADHD and Gille tourette symptoms

I won't go into details with my poor English and anyway it would take 4 pages...

WoW and Diablo player for 16 years I finally quit in early 2022.. .2 best years of my life I literally became an athlete doing Muay Thai again, losing weight and had a very nice life hygiene. Mental health was nice. Yes I know it's not in the TOS blizzard but 3 years ago I Sold my wow account almost 3k euro on a random well known site...2 month ago I wake up for work I check my email and I got an email from blizzard telling me need to change my password and recover my account.....Man came on wtf LIFE pls leave me alone... Here I will skip all the details but I will tell you this in 2 months: I have bought 4 Pc 4 Monitor selling or returning everything cause I was trying To get out, but brain was stronger than I... Stoped almost all sports... Not going job to play... Bullshit my wife a lot...Not taking care of my boy and future baby(iam crying right now btw)also no sleeping i look line zombi i eat like shit i took weight...anyway 2 month of PURE madness it absolutely crazy and you know what iam still into it BUT tomorrow night someone supposed to buy me PC and Gaming desk so MAYBE i can put an end to this madness...My brain already dont want to stop game and sell my setup and get back my life...I will try i already gave my adress to the guy.I hope this time is the good one.Thanks for taking time to read me.Gaming is toxic ecen more for ppl with mental health diagnosis be careful!

So you’ve quit video games and now you’re bored as fuck and depressed. Here’s what you need to do.

FILL THE VOID

This is a concept I love from the anime full metal alchemist here it is.

“In Fullmetal Alchemist, alchemy operates under the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which states that something cannot be created from nothing and that in order to create something, something of equal value must be exchanged and lost.”

You cannot take without giving. That is called being unfair.

Therefore if you want to be happy again after removing video games from your life you must replace that thing with something of equal value.

Pick any class, dancing, martial arts, fucking pottery i don’t care. Get out there meet people and do things. Rediscover the life you left behind.

I promise you will feel better.

So I have been playing an MMORPG FFXIV for the past 4 years. I loved getting on, chatting with friends, doing quests, raiding but a couple of years ago I tried PvP and RP and that's when things went south.

I met people, thought they were cool we got in a relationship, it blew up. Then I met someone else in the same circle and... Well drama hasn't stopped since, you might think that highschool drama is over once you are out but no, the backstabbing, the mind games, screenshot wars. There's something about communities like this, so tight that everyone keeps track of what everyone is doing you develope a sense to watch your back all the time.

And I just hate it, I hate that I feel so ashamed I can't talk to my old friends out of fear they might judge me, afraid to log in and being bombarded with dms the minute I enter a zone, I lost any joy I had from playing the game but I keep coming back. I worked my ass for armors, titles, achievements and... I can't even share them with anyone anymore out of fear.

I don't know if it's for all the time or money invested in the game that can't let go, I know I ruined the game to myself by messing around, and everytime I try to quit I keep relapsing in less than a week. If anyone got tips to move on, I am really desperate and want way out.q

I made a test.I stood 1 month without sugar at all.I started to feel a lot better in terms of brain awarness.Brain is way clearer and the dopamine receptors are more sensitive.I cry more often of happiness or sadness.I am more sensitive overall.

I made this test to see if my gaming "passion" is more manageable in terms of side effects.When i was gaming and eating sugar too i was getting pretty bad head pain and brain fog.Very bad desensitization too.After giving up sugar i can game 10 hours a day with little to 0 side effects.I felt like a little kid.Insane though.

I found out that this is called dopamine receptors desensitization.Anyone had the same experience as a sugar addict when giving up sugar?

Quit playing video games just for 2 days and look at your life with a mature eye, is it good enough so you’re just gonna continue playing? Or is it bad enough that you just wanna escape it and go back to that cheap dopamine and serotonin addiction?

Games are designed to make you feel good about yourself so you can fulfil that feeling of accomplishment in your brain and your brain doesn’t know the difference between an actual real experience and the simulation one so when you’re playing a video game the things that keeps you away from closing it are two things 1- feeling of joy and fun 2- feeling of accomplishment, and with that you can be playing call of duty for a whole year and then the next one releases and all of your time spent ( wasted) during the year is gone and it’s meaningless and pointless and depressing, addictive hobbies are not hobbies they are a disease.

I’m done. I don’t how to live this life. I don’t know how to handle anxiety, panic, fears, troublesome relationships, or how to connect with people, etc. Having mental disorders, failed therapists makes things only worse. They are basically the reason why I can’t live. I don’t know how others so happy all the time. The reality is terrifying. And they are either immune/smart or never had bad experiences in life. All the bad stuff, all the fears, not knowing the future make me having suicidal thoughts. It’s like every time I try to walk instead of crawling some thing will come and cut my wings, thus making me feel pain and making me want to suffer. “Lay down” that thing will say. “You pathetic cockroach”.

If only games were not boring to me anymore and I didn’t feel like I outgrew them… Sometimes I feel like I do like gaming. Like games are okay. It’s just that I filled my head with bad thoughts about them.

Quit gaming about 2.5 months ago. My addiction was causing me to lose sleep, neglect family responsibilities, and perform poorly at work.

2.5 months doesn't sound long, but it feels like an eternity!

Today I feel bored, a little down, and life is quite a "grind" at the moment, with 24/7 family responsibilities, work deadlines, and a pretty heavy year ahead with long-term work projects and complex family transitions up ahead (ie. moving!).

Anyway, I'd love just a moment to chill with a game. I promised myself I would abstain completely until I got past all of these big deadlines and transitions next year. But today I'm feeling, man, I'd love a little break!

I don’t believe that video games innately have a role in our lives. Instead, we create roles for them.

For many of us, they become ways to escape, to put off things we know we should do, or to avoid facing something tough. They can act like a form of self-medication, soothing us when better options seem too difficult or inaccessible.

I know for a lot of us, it started young. When you’re a kid, video games are just the easy choice. Let’s face it, trying to teach a child to meditate or work through their emotions? Easier said than done. Games excel at pulling us away from reality, but is that what we want now?

If you’re content with staying in the same habits, patterns, and even income, then sure, games will support that. But when you’re someone who’s committed to self-improvement, to becoming your best self, it’s hard to ignore the way games can hold you back.

Of course, gaming in moderation isn’t harmful for everyone. But many of us know that deep down, that familiar feeling of dissatisfaction creeps in — maybe a voice in your head that says, “You could be doing something better with this time.” It’s hard to ignore when you’re trying to make real-life progress.

Games also give us a unique kind of satisfaction. You’re making choices, problem-solving, and interacting in a way that feels powerful. But those decisions play out in a safe environment where mistakes don’t have real-life consequences. If something goes wrong, you reload and try again. Life doesn’t work like that, and maybe part of the struggle we feel outside of games is that real-life decisions come with genuine risk. Games don’t help us practice that.

I’ll be blunt here; video games give zero return on investment. The ranks, the scores, the digital rewards? They stay in the game. Speaking from experience, I’ve had top rankings in multiple games — Legend in Hearthstone, Mythic in Mobile Legends, and more. But ultimately, none of that matters in my life now. Those achievements don’t carry over.

At the end of the day, games can be a distraction — a safe one, but a distraction nonetheless. They’re fantastic when you’re young and free, but for those of us trying to build something meaningful, they just aren’t worth the time anymore.

Now I've been off games (played all my life, I'm 21) cold turkey I've began to realize that I lack some life skills and even some maturity. Feels like I'm lost without it and I have to actually interact with the real world. If this is any reminder to stop, this is!!!

I'm having a big urge to play WOW again after 2 years. I want to shoot green mists and heal dungeons. I got this huge fantasy itch after rewatching LOTR...elves, warriors, dwarves, oh man.. it leads to thinking about Warcraft...sigh. Yes, I even deleted my battle.net account.

Sad thing is I don't think I replaced the void very well these two years. I patched it with some Pokémon Go, Path of Exile, tv shows, and movies.

Positive so far is less screen time, more physical movement, more attention span with family and kids.

If only I can play in moderation. But I don't think it's possible once the hamster wheel starts rolling...

Hey guys!

I've been a gamer for the last 2 decades (started as a 10yo with WoW), and usually played 1 game at a time. The progression was WoW -> LoL -> PoE -> Genshin.

The thing is, I don't spend much time actually playing games, but rather endless time just reading/posting social media about them. Maybe 1 hour max playing games daily, then 6-8 hours a day (at work, at home, on the toilet etc) interacting with game-related content on Reddit, Twitter, Youtube, Twitch, Discord etc. You can check my Reddit post history to see how bad it is. Before Reddit existed, I spent all day just chatting on LoL forums.

I always excused myself thinking "I'm a functional addict" because I had a job (which seems to be a stupid idea after reading posts here) and "It's just 1 hour of gaming a day!".

But another part of me realises there is definitely something off with my life. Job or not, my social life has been left in the dust. I have 0 meaningful hobbies. I have a handful of IRL friends I rarely message over Facebook, but not in person. I feel like a teenager watching time & life pass by as colleagues get married, have children, go hiking or on holidays. My career feels stuck because I can't muster the time to study/work on career progression.

Apologies if this post sounds stupid because the answer is obvious, but... Is gaming the problem? And/or is social media replacing real life relationships the problem? Avoiding responsibilities? Or something else?

I want to make a change. Yet somehow every day ends up being the same as the last, like some kind of groundhog day.

What and How do I go about changing things?

My routine used to involve listening to music while grinding to get me that dopamine hit from seeing the exp number and gems go up. After that, i would study what decks are Meta, how to play and counter them so i could spend those hard-earned gems into building a competitive deck and aim for King of Games (the highest competitive ranking) every season (wich lasts an entire month).

My biggest problem is that after i spend those gems, i feel the need to get the most out of them by playing that deck until it´s either banned or out ranked so i can repeat the whole process

I need something healthier to replace the relaxation of the grind and the competition and status from ranked matches. I found chess to be somewhat similar, like learning an opening instead of a new deck so i can pick one and start playing it.
What else should it try? How can i make the idea of playing this videogame less appealing?

We are still kids. Helpless, scared kids who weren’t prepared for life and don’t know what to do with it. We lost control at some point of our life, so we escaped into games. We don’t know, we don’t understand how life works.

Try to take what happens in video games and put it on real life. We progress in games, because we can’t progress in real life. Games give us instruction how to play and life doesn’t. Enemies unknown and we don’t have tools. You can’t restart just in case. You are afraid of failing, hurting yourself. You don’t have magical healing in your pockets.

Just curious and looking for inspiration. Love 🤞🏽

I can't help it but... even though I haven't done any gaming for nearly a year, the memories still remain.