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How To Prevent Gaming From Ruling Your Life

Spacescifi

By Spacescifi
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Spacescifi

Spacescifi

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"Living the good life," wrote Nikolai Berdyaev, "is frequently dull and flat and commonplace." Our greatest problem, he claimed, is to make it fiery and creative and capable of spiritual struggle.

I agree. Life, except for a favored few, like poets and children and athletes and saints, is pretty much of a bore. Given the choice, most of us would give up the reality of today for the memory of yesterday or the fantasy of tomorrow. We desire to live anywhere but in the present.

Dr. George Sheehan

 

Is escapism bad? Ultimately I would say yes ONLY if you prefer the escape over real life. Which is very easy to do based on the former quoted paragraphs.

The key to reducing gaming from being the focus, or even eliminating it entirely is not game deprivation nor merely filling the time slot with other things. But rather gaining the desire to want to do other things besides gaming.

I know for myself gaming was and is often a way to pass spare time.

Yet learning new skills or hobbies will challenge just like any game will, and 'level up' a person in various tangible ways that a game never could.

Besides, what your body does not use you lose. Eventually it is inevitable. It is not as if you will forever have the opportunity to learn new skills or hobbies. You could die, become disabled,  sick, blind or deaf.

So before any of that has the chance to happen, you can 'level up' in real life so that you won't be so level 1 if life throws you a curve ball...and it tends to do that.

Have a good 2021.

If you make your life interesting enough, you create the struggle that pays off. You won't need nor depend on an escape from real life if you spend your time leveling up in real life.

Temporary escape is fine. It is like seeing a movie and returning to reality after, or reading a book of fiction and going about your day, but chronic ongoing escapism is unhealthy.

Games are not bad per se, but using them to escape from real life on a daily basis is.

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Spacescifi

Spacescifi

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56 minutes ago, Astronomer said:

Frankly gaming being escapism is only your opinion.

 

Gaming can be, has been, and is used for escapism by humans, including myself , but it can be used solely for recreation as well.

The choice is up to the user's intent.

It is unhealthy as an ongoing regular escape. That was my point all along.

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Astronomer

Astronomer

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Just now, Spacescifi said:

It is unhealthy as an escape. That was my point all along.

I see. I respectfully disagree.

Way I see it emotional health is subjective and depends on each person. And if gaming is what fulfills emotional wellbeing I think that is more important than other things in life.

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Spacescifi

Spacescifi

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10 minutes ago, Astronomer said:

I see. I respectfully disagree.

Way I see it emotional health is subjective and depends on each person. And if gaming is what fulfills emotional wellbeing I think that is more important than other things in life.

You may disagree.

I personally find that a temporary escape is not bad, but when it has become a form of therapy then it is clearly a symptom of an underlying need that the game can never truly recitify.

Examples?

1. A player is lonely so plays games where he interacts with virtual characters. He feels good doing it, but the more he does it the less and less time he has to make IRL friends.

2. A player is frustrated by IRL failures so plays a game to compensate by winning in game. When the player loses in-game they take it badly, since now they can't even win at unreality. They either throw a bunch of time away to soothe their ego by winning ingame despite challenges, or switch to another game to feel better by beating a challenge. Still no substitute for actually confronting and managing IRL issues.

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Astronomer

Astronomer

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1 minute ago, Spacescifi said:

1. A player is lonely so plays games where he interacts with virtual characters. He feels good doing it, but the more he does it the less and less time he has to make IRL friends.

2. A player is frustrated by IRL failures so plays a game to compensate by winning in game. When the player loses in-game they take it badly, since now they can't even win at unreality. They either throw a bunch of time away to soothe their ego by winning ingame despite challenges, or switch to another game to feel better by beating a challenge. Still no substitute for actually confronting and managing IRL issues.

Yes this can happen and I think that's okay. Would you say "IRL" is fundamentally more important to you? I don't think it is wrong to say that IRL is more important, or to say that IRL is not important at all. Both views are valid.

Personally I do not see IRL is fundamentally more important or meaningful. Or at least I don't see the fundamental reasoning behind it yet. Perhaps it is a more philosophical question about what makes real life real? Is IRL actually real? What makes life worth living?

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Spacescifi

Spacescifi

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2 hours ago, Astronomer said:

Yes this can happen and I think that's okay. Would you say "IRL" is fundamentally more important to you? I don't think it is wrong to say that IRL is more important, or to say that IRL is not important at all. Both views are valid.

Personally I do not see IRL is fundamentally more important or meaningful. Or at least I don't see the fundamental reasoning behind it yet. Perhaps it is a more philosophical question about what makes real life real? Is IRL actually real? What makes life worth living?

 

Good questions you asked. Is the answer worth the time to bother investigating?

If your last day was today, would you not want an answer?

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