Todays hobby didnβt really burst into life until I reached my late 20s. Growing up I had access to an old Sega Master System console, but I didnβt really play it that much. Same with computer games. I always liked to watch other people play, but rarely participated myself. I was more fan of table tops and card games around a table. It was always the social aspect with games that drew me to it, I think.Β
Fast forward a few years and I had my eyes opened to open world games. I was a teenager, didnβt attend school much and my social life was barely existing. I discovered open world first/third person games. That became aβ¦. Game changer (ba-dum-tss) for me. I still didnβt play extremely much because I discovered the bass guitar and other instruments that gave me more satisfaction to play. But a seed had definitely been planted. This seed sprouted and became a vast forrest after I stopped playing instruments. I bought myself my first console and started gaming. I still didnβt play much with other people, but we were a few people who met up and played together. It was good fun and enjoyable.Β
As usual I took things a bit too far with this. I started using gaming as a means to escape and avoid. I played games that wasnβt ethically or morally sound, and I spent so much time playing. This became especially bad during the pandemic when all I did for days on end was to game. Work a few hours during the day and then get home and game from the moment I got inside the door and until I went to sleep. I spent weeks like this and only had the occasional break from it. But I was always pulled back to it. This shows that even good things – things that brings joy and peace and a break in your day – can turn into an unhealthy habit and affect. Things in your life negatively. I am having a break from gaming these days, and only have a couple of games on my phone with a time limit on them. I am trying to learn moderation and to find back to the way things used to be. I am trying to use games as a break and a reward when Iβm done with my tasks, to find a moment in the day when I can truly enjoy 20-30-40 minutes of game play and feel satisfied with that. Perhaps even play a bit shorter just to have the feeling of βwanting moreβ who I put it away, but not to give in to the sensation and take the feeling of it instead and look forward to tomorrow when I can play again.Β
(Time started 1056)
