video games
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WhiteBear
Jedi Master
Cellphones, "Twitch" gamers, and the brain?
I ran into this while reading The Wave: You take the high road and I'll take the low road: Brain chemistry and addiction
The first thing that came to mind was a conversation that I had with a friend of mine the other day about "twitch gamers", young children, between the ages of about 8 and 17 or so, who spend most of their time on their cellphone, texting or talking to friends, and playing FPS (first-person shooter) games. These kids have demonstrated interesting abilities in the virtual arenas of their games, amazing reflexes and feats of dexterity using their controllers that are difficult, if not impossible to duplicate by older, more experienced gamers.
Modern Warfare is an interesting game, to me, in that there are many missions where it's necessary to use tactical maps, pilot drones, all the skills the little nipper is going to need during his mandatory stint in the Army, which will probably be waiving obesity regulations by then for the new cadre of "e-recruits" who are only in for their remote-piloting skills.
I ran into this while reading The Wave: You take the high road and I'll take the low road: Brain chemistry and addiction
The first thing that came to mind was a conversation that I had with a friend of mine the other day about "twitch gamers", young children, between the ages of about 8 and 17 or so, who spend most of their time on their cellphone, texting or talking to friends, and playing FPS (first-person shooter) games. These kids have demonstrated interesting abilities in the virtual arenas of their games, amazing reflexes and feats of dexterity using their controllers that are difficult, if not impossible to duplicate by older, more experienced gamers.
Modern Warfare is an interesting game, to me, in that there are many missions where it's necessary to use tactical maps, pilot drones, all the skills the little nipper is going to need during his mandatory stint in the Army, which will probably be waiving obesity regulations by then for the new cadre of "e-recruits" who are only in for their remote-piloting skills.
melatonin
Jedi Master
This is one of my few remaining addictions. (That i can identify atm anyways).
Just sugar and this.
My game of choice is Call Of Duty 2.
I play Multiplayer, and i have quite the reputation for being good at it - i think its a place that feeds my ego. Although im not an arrogant person, (From what im aware atm) i know inwardly that i like the attention and acceptance online, however shallow it is.
I feel like im full of contradictions. I hate violence and i loath the military, yet im online playing a war game that recreates events from WW2.
Part of me that has tried analysing my behaviour, and thinks im 'going undercover' - and if im good at a game and earn someones respect that way, that possibly i could have a positive influence on them some way, make them see that violence is a bad thing. (Who am i to think this?!) Maybe its a fascination of mine to be in a position of power where i could make teh word a safe place.
On my xfire account it says ive played 3100 hours on it, its prob more like 10000 in the last 6 years since it was released.
(Mainly because ive been off work with extreme PTSD and had spare time)
Ive found it incredibly hard changing my diet. I think quiting this game would be near enough impossible. (From where i sit atm)
Just thought id share this.
Just sugar and this.
My game of choice is Call Of Duty 2.
I play Multiplayer, and i have quite the reputation for being good at it - i think its a place that feeds my ego. Although im not an arrogant person, (From what im aware atm) i know inwardly that i like the attention and acceptance online, however shallow it is.
I feel like im full of contradictions. I hate violence and i loath the military, yet im online playing a war game that recreates events from WW2.
Part of me that has tried analysing my behaviour, and thinks im 'going undercover' - and if im good at a game and earn someones respect that way, that possibly i could have a positive influence on them some way, make them see that violence is a bad thing. (Who am i to think this?!) Maybe its a fascination of mine to be in a position of power where i could make teh word a safe place.
On my xfire account it says ive played 3100 hours on it, its prob more like 10000 in the last 6 years since it was released.
(Mainly because ive been off work with extreme PTSD and had spare time)
Ive found it incredibly hard changing my diet. I think quiting this game would be near enough impossible. (From where i sit atm)
Just thought id share this.
melatonin said:
IMO it would be good to remember in this situation that it is not all about you. Do you read SOTT every day? Are you aware that the world is burning around us? Do you feel the responsibility to do your part to help (which begins with debugging your own mind and abandoning your addictions)?.
Would you let "near enough impossible" stop you from living up to your potential? That is your choice.
I had an interesting experience with gaming addiction last night (which has not surfaced for quite a while).
Last night I was literally just about to buy Starcraft 2 to play with friends online. Then I thought about the sheer amount of time this would take up, learning all the strategies etc. Still, the chemicals were taking over and I was starting to rationalise it, and entering into the kind of tunnel vision that addiction can cause. "This game looks so fun, just a few hours!". Which of course turns to "Just play it non stop for this weekend, get it out of your system.. you can return to the Work on monday!".
Unbelievable.
So I searched the forum for threads on gaming, and this brought me back to reality, reading about all the negative aspects of it. Anart's experience particularly struck me as I had a similar experience. This brought back memories of the thousands of hours I've spent on games from Call of Duty to World of Warcraft.. Literally thousands of hours that I will never get back. It makes me sick, yet the urge to dissociate in a game still calls strongly sometimes.
I thought of all the sunny days that I missed, all the friends I could have made, all the reading I could have done, all the jobs I could have had and places I could have travelled. I remembered that it was literally only in the past 6 months of my life that I have finally acquired good social skills..
And so I lay down and did the PotS instead, which really helped, the the addictive feelings subsided. Seeing past your brain chemicals generally gets easier the more you practice, but the choice is always there, and it is never easy to make.
melatonin
Jedi Master
Hey Carlise,
You said "IMO it would be good to remember in this situation that it is not all about you. Do you read SOTT every day? Are you aware that the world is burning around us? Do you feel the responsibility to do your part to help (which begins with debugging your own mind and abandoning your addictions)?.
Would you let "near enough impossible" stop you from living up to your potential? That is your choice."
Oh, im gonna do it. Im determined. Im just saying where im at, at the present time. Ive done alot in a couple of months. A lifetime of binge-eating on bread and dairy, and now im cutting the Sugar (Started that this week). Sorry, i didnt mean to phrase it like i wasnt going to combat it. I will, and once i have, ill do more and more work.
I just wanted to share my story, and i feel bloody embrassed tbh. Like you said - thousands of hours! Its mindblowing.
(I do read SOTT, and i like to keep up to date as possible) :)
Edit to add this one line - I was going to buy Diablo 3, but i know how much that could possibly 'suck me in' aswell. They are all dangerous distructive distractions.
You said "IMO it would be good to remember in this situation that it is not all about you. Do you read SOTT every day? Are you aware that the world is burning around us? Do you feel the responsibility to do your part to help (which begins with debugging your own mind and abandoning your addictions)?.
Would you let "near enough impossible" stop you from living up to your potential? That is your choice."
Oh, im gonna do it. Im determined. Im just saying where im at, at the present time. Ive done alot in a couple of months. A lifetime of binge-eating on bread and dairy, and now im cutting the Sugar (Started that this week). Sorry, i didnt mean to phrase it like i wasnt going to combat it. I will, and once i have, ill do more and more work.
I just wanted to share my story, and i feel bloody embrassed tbh. Like you said - thousands of hours! Its mindblowing.
(I do read SOTT, and i like to keep up to date as possible) :)
Edit to add this one line - I was going to buy Diablo 3, but i know how much that could possibly 'suck me in' aswell. They are all dangerous distructive distractions.
Indeed I agree tackling your addictions one at a time is the best way to go about it (sugar was another big one for me!).
One thing I did notice however is that removing one addiction can be a trigger for a (re)manifestation of another if you are not vigilant, as the predator mind always seeks some kind of distraction. An example of mine was that a while back I was using pornography as a dissociative tool. Shortly after removing that habit (which was not easy) was when the desire to lose myself in games once again came to the surface, after a long time of not being interested in playing at all. Also I have never been into sports, but suddenly found myself watching every premier league football game with great interest!
There are so many ways for us to waste our creative energy, and of course there are always different programs for different individuals. Reading SoTT is a good way to remind ourselves that, judging by the state of things, we may soon be facing all out war and revolution, not to mention earth changes. And then we'll be kicking ourselves for every hour we wasted.
Indeed Diablo 3 was on my mind as well, oh the predator is strong in this one :P . Lately I've started learning chess as an alternative to video games. There is no sign of me getting sucked into this (I usually quit out of frustration after 30 minutes!) and I don't come out the other end full of brain fog and the dull feeling of "oh, I have to go back to reality now". It actually makes me feel good and gets my brain working. I think chess could prove to be a great form of brain training for me, as it really involves thinking with a hammer.
One thing I did notice however is that removing one addiction can be a trigger for a (re)manifestation of another if you are not vigilant, as the predator mind always seeks some kind of distraction. An example of mine was that a while back I was using pornography as a dissociative tool. Shortly after removing that habit (which was not easy) was when the desire to lose myself in games once again came to the surface, after a long time of not being interested in playing at all. Also I have never been into sports, but suddenly found myself watching every premier league football game with great interest!
There are so many ways for us to waste our creative energy, and of course there are always different programs for different individuals. Reading SoTT is a good way to remind ourselves that, judging by the state of things, we may soon be facing all out war and revolution, not to mention earth changes. And then we'll be kicking ourselves for every hour we wasted.
Indeed Diablo 3 was on my mind as well, oh the predator is strong in this one :P . Lately I've started learning chess as an alternative to video games. There is no sign of me getting sucked into this (I usually quit out of frustration after 30 minutes!) and I don't come out the other end full of brain fog and the dull feeling of "oh, I have to go back to reality now". It actually makes me feel good and gets my brain working. I think chess could prove to be a great form of brain training for me, as it really involves thinking with a hammer.
melatonin
Jedi Master
Carlise said:
How strange. Only yesterday i was looking for a PC chess game. Then i turned my mind to the card game of Bridge, as its something i havent played before.
Football is another one of mine. Ive always used football as a distraction tool. Im intrested in all the divisions in England, (I live here) , to probabably an obssessive degree.
I have thought of things i could do in preperation, and i dont think i could speed up my cold turkey from addictions anymore than i am.
I agree, quiting addictions does have a habit of brining another one back into my life, in a subtle way.
I think concentrating on the diet seems like a good start, and seems to be what most of the Mod's here recommend.
I guess once the brain chemistry is more under control (From sorting diet out) its easier to see other addictive habits, and to change them. (Thats what im hoping for)
melatonin said:
Yes the diet definitely opens the door for you to progress with debugging your mind. With sugar, I would recommend going cold turkey as soon as you can.
Your experience may be different, but here is mine FWIW
For a month or two, before I knew much about the diet, with exams and coursework to be done, I would just sit there working with a big bar of chocolate and eat more/drink more coffee whenever the stress of work got to me. I thought I would just gradually cut down on the sugar after exam period. It didn't work that way though, and I constantly craved it to the point of distraction when eating a small amount every day.
After cutting it out entirely though, the cravings went away in a few days. Now if I have any noticeable amount sugar I get cravings for not only more sugar, but bread, pizza, crisps etc, so I just avoid it completely.
The diet is hard at first as you have to break old habits, with your health seeming to get worse and not better. However once you go into ketosis and get totally used to preparing and eating high fat/moderate protein meals you start to feel much better. Plus the diet just becomes a habit letting you focus energy on other things. I now eat 2 meals a day (with an extra snack on gym days) and I feel great, it really has worked wonders. When I get the money to make the full switch to organic meat, I expect to feel even better.
Good luck tackling the sugar :D
Aneke
The Force is Strong With This One
Just thought I'd add my .02 to the discussion--
I wouldn't say I was ever really addicted to World of Warcraft--it filled a place in my life where there was a huge void. Back in 2008 I moved across states, and at the same time my identity was stolen. So not only did I find myself in an entirely new environment, desperately looking for work and disappointed with the bad neighborhood I'd ended up in, my finances were in shambles. (I couldn't even get a bank account.) I came down with depression/anxiety, and it seemed like the only thing that made sense was WoW. I could log on, easily earn lots of in-game money, run around and do fun stuff with "friends", complete challenges, you know. The list goes on.
So in 2011, when I moved back to my hometown and went back to college, I stopped playing. Literally. After three years of playing upwards of six hours a day, I just walked away. I simply didn't need it anymore.
Melatonin, when you say that quitting addictions has a way of bringing another one back into your life: maybe it's because you didn't "fill the void" that the addiction left? It's there for a reason. I do agree that changing your diet is hugely important, but you must have some need(s) that the game fulfills. Perhaps, before you quit cold turkey, take some time to think about what you want to fill your time with once the gaming is gone. Make some sort of tentative schedule, even if it's read for 1/2 hour, take a walk, play with dog, wash dishes. This kind of thing really helped me when I was finally trying to recover from the depression itself. The structure was comforting.
I wish you the best of luck.
Moving past these things is so hard, but you'll feel 100% better for it.
I wouldn't say I was ever really addicted to World of Warcraft--it filled a place in my life where there was a huge void. Back in 2008 I moved across states, and at the same time my identity was stolen. So not only did I find myself in an entirely new environment, desperately looking for work and disappointed with the bad neighborhood I'd ended up in, my finances were in shambles. (I couldn't even get a bank account.) I came down with depression/anxiety, and it seemed like the only thing that made sense was WoW. I could log on, easily earn lots of in-game money, run around and do fun stuff with "friends", complete challenges, you know. The list goes on.
So in 2011, when I moved back to my hometown and went back to college, I stopped playing. Literally. After three years of playing upwards of six hours a day, I just walked away. I simply didn't need it anymore.
Melatonin, when you say that quitting addictions has a way of bringing another one back into your life: maybe it's because you didn't "fill the void" that the addiction left? It's there for a reason. I do agree that changing your diet is hugely important, but you must have some need(s) that the game fulfills. Perhaps, before you quit cold turkey, take some time to think about what you want to fill your time with once the gaming is gone. Make some sort of tentative schedule, even if it's read for 1/2 hour, take a walk, play with dog, wash dishes. This kind of thing really helped me when I was finally trying to recover from the depression itself. The structure was comforting.
I wish you the best of luck.
Moving past these things is so hard, but you'll feel 100% better for it.
melatonin
Jedi Master
Carlise said:
Thanks for sharing Carlise. Im not eating organic meat myself yet. I too cant afford it, but i guess the key is to have a diet that is as good as possible, and thats what im aiming for. Im gradually cutting stuff out - otherwise i couldnt of done it.
I was eating alot of fruit to compensate for the lack of sugar and carbs, and thats down to 2 pieces a day now. :)
melatonin
Jedi Master
Aneke said:Just thought I'd add my .02 to the discussion--
I wouldn't say I was ever really addicted to World of Warcraft--it filled a place in my life where there was a huge void. Back in 2008 I moved across states, and at the same time my identity was stolen. So not only did I find myself in an entirely new environment, desperately looking for work and disappointed with the bad neighborhood I'd ended up in, my finances were in shambles. (I couldn't even get a bank account.) I came down with depression/anxiety, and it seemed like the only thing that made sense was WoW. I could log on, easily earn lots of in-game money, run around and do fun stuff with "friends", complete challenges, you know. The list goes on.
So in 2011, when I moved back to my hometown and went back to college, I stopped playing. Literally. After three years of playing upwards of six hours a day, I just walked away. I simply didn't need it anymore.
Melatonin, when you say that quitting addictions has a way of bringing another one back into your life: maybe it's because you didn't "fill the void" that the addiction left? It's there for a reason. I do agree that changing your diet is hugely important, but you must have some need(s) that the game fulfills. Perhaps, before you quit cold turkey, take some time to think about what you want to fill your time with once the gaming is gone. Make some sort of tentative schedule, even if it's read for 1/2 hour, take a walk, play with dog, wash dishes. This kind of thing really helped me when I was finally trying to recover from the depression itself. The structure was comforting.
I wish you the best of luck.
Hi Aneke,
Thanks for sharing your experience.
My major problem is my current situation. Im dealing with alot of triggers from trauma from childhood - its pretty extreme. For example - i blacked out twice last week and found myself in hospital for 24 hours getting checked out.
My diet has been bad my whole life (37 years) - and has been a coping mech for being dissociated and numb.
(Eat = Feel good) :)
This is all new ground for me.
I havent got a pet = i love Dogs, but i find it hard enough taking care of No1 atm, and i definatley dont want to go into anything like that half-hearted.
Maybe a Cat is a gd idea atm.
I have problems being around people in 3D, huge trust issues. Im working on this in a 1 on 1 enviroment with a few people, and making slow progress. Online i can keep people at a safe distance, and it gives me a way of feeling connected at some level - which is why ive been so drawn to it. The gaming also helps with escapism.
(This is my next challenge, to break out of this cycle)
The diet is something i can change atm, and i guess thats why all my focus is going into it.
A few days ago, after I read Session 20 September 1997, I post on my thought like this,
"So when one is "drawn" to something, have to beware because it might be direct or misdirect from 4th density forces. Thank you Laura for timely information".
And I follow Bear and SeekinTruth's advice about I should network and open to get a better perspective on my drawn feeling. So here I am. It's about video game Fallout-4 is coming out on November. My son live next to my house, told me, and ask me, do I want to play it? He has Xbox-1 and he play lots games.
It was tempting because cold winter is coming and I am retire, so I have plenty of time. First time I start video game was when my daughter ask me to help her to solve puzzle game Adventure of Lolo about 20 years ago. After that I tried few of my children's game but I just like one game, Fallout-3 I played about 7 years ago and Fallout-New Vagas 5 years ago.
This game is about post-apocalyptic world. When I played that, first time I was aware of nuclear dangers that human facing now days. I thought there was no hope for human.
But after I found Laura and joined this Forum I thought I threw away all of worldly desires but I found out I was still drawn by something and I reasoned myself that it is harmless, just few hours per day is nothing.
So, I want to make sure what other Forum member feel about video game and I found here and one other is- video game system that reads your mind and emotions, start by SAO. There are some quotes from C's
"Crystalline structures gaining a life and intelligence of their own and came to life and destroyed Atlantis"
"It overpowered them the same way your computers will over power you"
Quote from SAO
"C's gave, compute seem to play a very important part in our present and especially future.....dose crystals did to Atlanteans is certainly something to consider....
Yes, I realized that definitely have to consider computer game or video game very carefully. And my conclusion was not worth to play Fallout. Once I decided my mind, the urging feeling was gone.
And also I think nobody is on 4th density play video games anyway.
Probably there will be so many new things to learn. Haha
"So when one is "drawn" to something, have to beware because it might be direct or misdirect from 4th density forces. Thank you Laura for timely information".
And I follow Bear and SeekinTruth's advice about I should network and open to get a better perspective on my drawn feeling. So here I am. It's about video game Fallout-4 is coming out on November. My son live next to my house, told me, and ask me, do I want to play it? He has Xbox-1 and he play lots games.
It was tempting because cold winter is coming and I am retire, so I have plenty of time. First time I start video game was when my daughter ask me to help her to solve puzzle game Adventure of Lolo about 20 years ago. After that I tried few of my children's game but I just like one game, Fallout-3 I played about 7 years ago and Fallout-New Vagas 5 years ago.
This game is about post-apocalyptic world. When I played that, first time I was aware of nuclear dangers that human facing now days. I thought there was no hope for human.
But after I found Laura and joined this Forum I thought I threw away all of worldly desires but I found out I was still drawn by something and I reasoned myself that it is harmless, just few hours per day is nothing.
So, I want to make sure what other Forum member feel about video game and I found here and one other is- video game system that reads your mind and emotions, start by SAO. There are some quotes from C's
"Crystalline structures gaining a life and intelligence of their own and came to life and destroyed Atlantis"
"It overpowered them the same way your computers will over power you"
Quote from SAO
"C's gave, compute seem to play a very important part in our present and especially future.....dose crystals did to Atlanteans is certainly something to consider....
Yes, I realized that definitely have to consider computer game or video game very carefully. And my conclusion was not worth to play Fallout. Once I decided my mind, the urging feeling was gone.
And also I think nobody is on 4th density play video games anyway.
Probably there will be so many new things to learn. Haha
Hi Kay Kim. I was an addicted gamer from about ages 4 to 22. I weaned off of them when I found the forum and sold my consoles. I've had some relapses with PC games and phone apps. Every time I go back it is not worth it and I've been down that road before. And I know where it leads and there is nothing new or really anything there for me.
Games are just a subset of reality. And they lack creativity, as there are limits on what you can do. Once you see through that, and that they are basically all the same mindless time wasters, then they have less of a pull.
The recent Health and Wellness show is about addiction, and mentions video games. The word passion was mentioned, which I used to use to explain my gaming usage, "It's my passion." But it was just an excuse to cover a harmful behavior. And there's the escalation of that next level, unlock, or reward. But you eventually see the pointlessness of it, and where it is going. You realize that you're just a hamster on a wheel, and the rewards fade away.
I had a slip up about two months ago, and it was just for one weekend for several hours. And it was like, "Ok just dipping my toe in the pool. Nope, I still hate video games. Never again!" So I'd recommend against video games. They're so ponerized like anything else, and there are more productive things to do.
Here's a great old article about the addictive and other effects of games:
http://www.sott.net/article/207268-5-Creepy-Ways-Video-Games-Are-Trying-to-Get-You-Addicted
Games are just a subset of reality. And they lack creativity, as there are limits on what you can do. Once you see through that, and that they are basically all the same mindless time wasters, then they have less of a pull.
The recent Health and Wellness show is about addiction, and mentions video games. The word passion was mentioned, which I used to use to explain my gaming usage, "It's my passion." But it was just an excuse to cover a harmful behavior. And there's the escalation of that next level, unlock, or reward. But you eventually see the pointlessness of it, and where it is going. You realize that you're just a hamster on a wheel, and the rewards fade away.
I had a slip up about two months ago, and it was just for one weekend for several hours. And it was like, "Ok just dipping my toe in the pool. Nope, I still hate video games. Never again!" So I'd recommend against video games. They're so ponerized like anything else, and there are more productive things to do.
Here's a great old article about the addictive and other effects of games:
http://www.sott.net/article/207268-5-Creepy-Ways-Video-Games-Are-Trying-to-Get-You-Addicted
