u/c0mp1ex96

It has been more than 2 weeks since I have stopped gaming and now it feels like my brain is trying to trick me. Like yesterday I had this thought to download cod black ops and play...this thought came out of nowhere and a little scary part was that there was no resistance, if I was not aware I would have installed it. After that I was having thoughts about playing some old games like project IGI. I am 27 and no where near where I want to be in life there is this girl I want to mary everything depends on me having a direction in life gaming sucks that away in a snap.

If I start gaming it is never for an hour it always takes me back into the rabbit hole, at this point I have had too many experiences like that and it is awlays the same. I know I can't game, not anymore.

But navigating this is tricky this constant tricks that mind plays on itself....how do I get through this ?

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think one of the biggest things video games train us to do is follow orders.

Think about it.

In an FPS, you're told where to go, who to kill, and what objective to complete. Do it, and you get XP, ranks, skins, achievements, or a victory screen.

In a city-building game, you're given challenges. Complete them and get resources, unlocks, and progression.

In RPGs, you follow quest markers. In strategy games, you complete objectives. In mobile games, you finish tasks for rewards.

Different genre, same structure:

Instruction → Action → Reward

People often say games teach problem-solving, teamwork, or strategy, and they certainly can. But underneath all of that, you're still operating inside a system designed by someone else. The goals are chosen for you. The rewards are chosen for you. The definition of success is chosen for you.

What struck me after quitting gaming was how different real life is.

There are no quest markers.

No NPC telling you where to go next.

No achievement popping up because you went to the gym 100 times or spent 500 hours learning a skill.

You have to decide what's worth pursuing without anyone handing you a mission.

That's much harder than completing objectives inside a game.

I'm not saying games are evil or that everyone who plays them is being programmed. I just think they're highly optimized systems for getting people to pursue goals created by someone else.