r/StopGaming

My mental health had been spiralling for the last few months mainly due to work stress. My main pass time was spending hours on games like Marvel Rivals and Overwatch. Games that we all know to have extremely toxic communities and lets be honest the ranked system is essentially gambling.

Last few days I decided to take a break and play some singleplayer games for a change of scenery and because I wanted to tackle the dreaded backlog.

Played Portal and Hollow Knight. Within 48 hours my mental health has instantly improved, almost like I am a new person. Even work suddenly feels manageable. I don’t have a compulsion to play singleplayer games endlessly, only for a few hours. I have been quite productive this week, and I’ve even dedicated way more time to my side hustle than usual.

I know this sub is about quitting gaming, but I thought I would share my experience anyway because if gaming addiction is a spectrum, toxic competitive games would be the most severe case, especially given that the time sink does not match the reward.

My 19 year old son is a gamer and flunked his first two semesters of college in large part because of gaming. He probably was spending minimum 50 hrs/week gaming, staying up all night and sleeping half the day. When he came home for the summer and told me he flunked out, I told him he can’t play video games in my house because he has a problem and I can’t condone this behavior and allow him to continue on this self-destructive path while he’s living in my house. I put the gaming computer and game systems in storage. He may go get them, since they are his, but he can’t bring them in my house. He has nowhere else to go and relies on us for everything, so he is following the rules, but he pretty much hates me. It’s like living with a dry drunk and I’m the keeper of the booze. I’m wondering if I made a mistake because now he’s trying to bargain with me, etc. Is there a better way to do this? He shows 100% of the symptoms of gaming addiction.

Once you are in a relationship, just quit gaming. Just do it, just quit. Getting into a relationship means you have to give time not only to the important things in your life but also to your partner.

I'm 42 and quit gaming for nearly a decade and it was a great period of my life. I went got my MBA, lost weight, improved my career. My dating life improved exponentially. You've seen this storyline so many times already.

Gaming effectively led to my first (and only) divorce so I should have known better...

...but I let myself get bored two years ago, and decided on a whim that I'd play an old school multiplayer game. I figured because it was dated, it wouldn't screw anything up with my amazing girlfriend. I couldn't possibly get addicted to a boring old multiplayer game, right?

Well, fast forward 1 year and 10 months, and my girlfriend and I got into an argument and she said, "All you want to do is play that game."

I was shocked.

I'd thought I had things under control. But then when I sat back and thought about it, it was clearly a problem. Even though I was only playing a couple hours a day during the week, I realized my entire schedule revolved around finishing my work so that I could go play the game. I was rushing to finish tasks and exercise, all so that I got time in. Gaming was the most exciting part of each and every day. Which is totally fucked.

I was minimizing my time with her. I was resistant to going to events and social hours with her because, in the back of my mind, I realized this would cut out gaming time.

And perhaps the most damning sign is that now, about five days after quitting, I'm jonesing to play. I catch myself daydreaming and trying to rationalize why it would be OK to go and just play a game or two. I know I can't do that and, because this isn't my first rodeo, also know these thoughts will fade.

But it sucks to have those feelings and it's fucked up that I let it get to this point.

I heard Andrew Huberman say that ~"Addiction is the progressive narrowing of the things that give you pleasure in life." And that perfectly describes what gaming has become.

I got bored of the multiplayer game and started playing a faster paced FPS multiplayer game that made things even worse.

I always felt that huge dopamine rush in the anticipation of playing. Yet the excitement before playing was never matched by any satisfaction at the end of a session. In fact, I can't think of many times where my mood was any better after gaming.

Even after these long gaming sessions, I'd say to myself, "Why exactly am I doing this for hours again..."

I just can't believe I let it get to this point where it would jeopardize the most important things in my life.

I'd encourage those of you thinking back to just avoid it completely. Use that freetime for the better. I immediately went and bought a sketch pad to learn to draw to fill any additional time up that I'm not spending with my S/O.

Wish me luck.

Ok! If you’re going to cheat (DH) on Rising Stars- I’m out! I’m not judging anyone who plays. That’s not my style. As long as you know the truth about the game- that’s what matters most. I just need a break from this toxic game showing zero concerns or loyalty to those of us who built their empire. I’m tired of the fake accounts. I’m tired of the bots. I’m tired of waiting days for customer service, only to hear they will pass it to someone else. I’m tired of the hideous furniture prizes. What they have reduced this game too is criminal. They still haven’t adjusted competitions so we can remove people who aren’t playing… i was at 209… but; I just can’t make it to the end under this harsh conditions. A few months ago I cared. After cheating with Rising Stars. That’s the END. I HAVE NEVER SCORED 5th PLACE IN 3 YEARS- I AM ALMOST ALWAYS FIRST. Two times I was second. Today, 5th?! No Further Comments …

Been a gamer for as long as I remember, I think I started gaming when I was around 5 years old.

Everyday since then, I just gamed and gamed.

I was prodigy tennis player as a kid, played in competitions and actually had a chance at going amateur/pro. That all stopped when GTA 5 was released.

The sad thing is that I could’ve never picked up that game, and at 25 years old I wouldn’t have missed out on anything.

Gaming ruined everything, my attention span, my grades, I’ve been in and out of qualifications barely passing or just straight up failing. I’d rather spend the time gaming than studying.

Last year I had a lightbulb moment and decided to throw my gaming pc in the bin. I literally just had an impulsive moment and smashed it up. My gaming time went from about 12 hours a day to 5.

A few months ago I decided to sell my ps5 and use the money to buy a longboard (type of surfboard). These last few months have been so fucking exciting and learning to surf has become so addicting and rewarding.

Fuck gta 6, that game will never be as exciting as catching a wave or just getting out in the sun and spending time in reality with friends

I will never go back

Fuck gaming

my gaming addiction started in 2020, first dbd mobile, then dbd, then overwatch. Prior to covid era march 2020 i was in college and was even studying abroad super engaged in life and hadn't had any gaming in my life whatsover since like maybe 2014 of a casual DS game or something. When i came back to my home life i felt like i deserved sth as fulfilling as my life abroad, which is where i started playing dbd mobile, got addicted, and even remembered exhausting myself gaming the day before my graduation ceremony and barely slept. In 2021 i got a new regular personal hp laptop, and to my surprise it could actually run steam games decently well, something completely new i never had access to before as my old laptop couldn't run and i was a console gamer as kid. Then came an even higher addictive environment of social multiplayer, progression and constant new content, and access to playing games always just sitting conveniently on my desk and not a console anymore, and there was no "pay to play online" for pc, everything was just too convenient. I started building a small steam library of my fav games from childhood and it brought me so much comfort to know i could still have access to these games for life kinda (only spent $140 fortunately before i got too deep), but even with having all these "one and done" type childhood games i barely even touched them bc i was addicted to the social aspect and progression of games like DBD and Overwatch.

Fast forward, i literally struggled with game addiction off and on from 2020 up until now May 2026 at a disruptive intensity that i had never experienced before as child gamer. From feeling like i lost the amazing life abroad i just came back from in 2020, and since that foreign countries job opportunities for foreigners is very little and the main market being english teaching which is over saturated and low paid, i felt so much loss, anxiety, and uncertainty about going back in those circumstances, even though i want to go back so bad, that even the thought of it would cause me so much distress that i just wanted something to take my mind away from it. That's where gaming became my pacifier. A small silver lining is that i at least know it really isn't about the games themselves, DBD and Overwatch are very different games, but it literally just felt like trance and was never fullfilling, just stimulating. And there was even SO MUCH negative that came with it: i didn't resonate with more of the incel type rhetoric i was being exposed to from these gaming communities, i would get so upset being trash talked or camped/tbagged bc im so sensitive, and for both games im not even good! Was so average at DBD on both sides, and my FPS aim is so bad that i would mainly only play support in overwatch in silver. I had periods over the years of having friends hold my steam account for sometime so i didn't play, but once i moved onto overwatch from dbd the game was so much more addicting, quick, and more pallet-able to me that my cravings just got even worse, to the point where i would make an overwatch account, binge play more than intended and delete the account, and then in a few days to weeks make a new account. I did this with 3 different phone numbers until i ran out and had to buy a one time use number just to make an account again.

Which has finally brought me to today. After COUNTLESS times of repeating the same cycle with overwatch:
intending to play just 2-3 hours with a timer, shutting the timer off and just keep playing as i lose ability to stop and think why bother when i could just keep playing, and then wind up playing 8-12+ hours straight, ruining my sleep schedule, missing responsibilities, having dry red bloodshot eyes, hands cramp, body cramps and feel so exhausted for like 2 days like a hangover, send a steam deletion request, recover after a day or 2 and cancel the deletion just to binge again even though i tried to resist. It has felt so awful. I could never last the 30 days it takes to delete my steam account and i couldn't delete my overwatch account as i couldn't login to delete it. But just now, after just finally looking for some guidance i asked chatgpt how can i stick out the 30 days so i can stop playing for good, it guided me to the solution to create a new random email entirely, generate a crazy long name and password and don't save it, then tie it to my steam account, activate the steam 30 day deletion, then log out of the non saved email, kind of like tieing the account to a rock and throwing it into the ocean. So as of now i have no access the log back into that steam account and my deletion request will finally go through. It has taken up so much of my mental energy everyday wondering if i will play, what if i just reward myself on the weekends? What if i set up a parental control time limit and maybe i could moderate this time? Maybe i'll play after my workout? These thoughts take up so much space 24/7 that even having to willingly abstain from video games while technically having access to them just ate away at me, so it finally feels freeing to know that i don't have to wonder anymore and i've made a permanent decision. I had about 1,000 hours in overwatch, just for this account, in total over the other accounts it would have been even more. Acquired some cool skins but thankfully never spent money on them as i had always knew i would one day have the willpower to quit again. I know that having all the skins/cosmetics/progress deleted will deter me from playing again bc that is a big loss in video game terms and that was a big part of the addiction for me was the collection. it still hurts a lot to see ive fallen behind friends, but realistically i know for myself, and even anyone else who lost some time to their gaming addiction, that we can all bounce back and make a better life for ourselves at any point. And it's really important to just face and process that hurt head on, because avoiding the hurt is exactly what would kick me back into playing video games! It really is just about not reaching for that thing you used to reach for (games), we can find something else. Even among these years of off and on gaming addiction, i still practiced and learned other skills, not as much as i could have, but there was still positive growth through this time of having gaming be a wedge of struggle in my life. It's gonna be a bit hard, but honestly the worst of it really only lasts just about a month or so until my brain rebalances a bit, and ive found this to be true personally and research on dopamine and the brain lends to this as well. There can still be urges after this point, but during this first month it quite literally is meant to feel paintful to not play and feel like playing is the only option, but that is the brain trying to balance out its pain-pleasure balance and the only thing to do is just stick it out and find something else to do. and i do feel a bit of grief knowing i can't hold onto this comforting concept of having a big game library of all my childhood games, but a silver lining to this is that fortunately watching lets players play games doesn't trigger me to want to play much, so i can at least enjoy those games in a responsible vicarious way with some commentary on the side. I also REALLY look forward to making my next near future laptop purchase more wisely now as to make sure to buy one that CANNOT run computer games, because having that boundary in place would literally solve my problem immediately and so solidly as gaming wouldn't even be an option anymore. Don't expect anyone to read this, but it just feels so necessary and relieving to vent and feel like I'm finalizing quitting gaming and I even look forward to getting back into therapy just to process this gaming addiction journey and put it to rest. It always felt so unserious to me to be addicted to gaming because I thought well at least it's not something real like drugs or alcohol, but it has been just as damaging. so I'm glad to be kicking it out and taking it seriously and wish everyone trying to quit the strength do the same.

Hey all,

I literally never really thought of myself as addicted to gaming. Until I started doing some things that made me question how much I play. Let me start of by saying I literally play like one game which happens to be Call of Duty most people now days are unhappy with the franchise any way but I'm in my 40s and have played it since I was kid on and off but I guess in the past it was never a problem atleast in my eyes.

I started noticing in the last year or two I was playing the game more and more. Just wanting to game with the same people I always game with about 4 to 5 hours a day outside of work and playing on the weekend longer hours outside of family time. I was still doing things with family but still putting in some long hours 6-8 hours sometimes on weekends. It really wasn't stopping me from things I was still doing stuff with people but always thinking about getting back home to start gaming. I realized I turned down a couple bike rides with my daughter which really upset me because I felt like I had just sat down to relax and the thought of getting up and exercising just wasn't it. But it got me reflecting that I didn't have this habit I would have more energy.

My energy is always drained because of all the mental stimulation so it affects me at work too. I use to really enjoy my job and stuff but haven't had the mental space as much any more I get aggravated when anything is requested of me cause it's like I'm trying to save my mental steam for evening gaming.

I also think part of me was using it as a way to self medicate because my wife is always busy wanting to see friends or family or do hobbies like her dance class. I always enjoyed spending my time with her and the kids she is very independent. I don't think there is any issue between us it's just more of she enjoys doing lower stimulating activities that bring her joy and that's how she maintains her mental health and space. To me that's what gaming brought for the last few years an outlet of friends that when I was feeling a bit alone I had people that cared if I showed up. Friends that would shoot me messages to get on a play. So I felt like I had a community. It made times when she was gone a lot easier to manage without feeling depressed.

But recently something changed where even when playing larger amounts it felt like when I wasn't playing my lows were lower. As if I wasn't having as much fun anymore. I started thinking well maybe I'm depressed but this has all started peaking over the last couple months. As I read more and more I learned we can desensitize our reward system and listening to it explained it completely sounded like me. I was worried because the one thing that had been bringing immense joy now wasn't.

I made the decision about 12 days ago to do kind of a reset not really sure where it's headed. I really don't want to be the end of my gaming but not the thought of it not bringing me joy depresses me. I agree I need a healthier relationship cause I am worn out outside of being dad. I'm trying to be a good dad and take my kids to do stuff and everything but I have stopped anything else that would have made me happy like exercise to save my energy for gaming. All my other hobbies kinda stopped I just kept the hobbies I did with my kids.

12 days in I am more depressed then ever. I have all this new free time and I have very little motivation. I am trying to get caught up on all the stuff that I have been avoiding. I have started to walk at the gym alittle bit I am in the worst possible funk. Because it's like I associate my fun game with depression if I slip and play it but at the same time. I get urges everyday multiple times.i think it was the competitiveness about and i was good at it. It's felt so good when all the playing hours paid off when me and the friends beat a team full of absolute demons that were like us. When the communication was on point and we all performed well it was just awesome.

So when I'm sitting in my new found free time I find my mind wander sometimes with an urge to play like this is what your good at it. Also life feels incredibly slow I'm use to making decision so quickly and I liked the mental stimulation so being slowed down is weird like my brain is trying to search for that stimulation again. The only way I can explain it is if you have gone through it. Like I can tell that's what my brain wants to think quickly again.

Anyways I appreciate everyone letting me rant my story a bit. It's just been a lot to take in. I hope it gets better. I hope the depression and motivation lifts. But also I have a hard time with thinking I may need to quit more forever like maybe just a game or two here and there.

This was a hobby I played multiple times a week no different then someone practicing to get good at a sport. I practiced to be good so even if I ever got to where I could play again I know I would was to play enough to keep my skill base good and to me that is still likely too much if I could end up back here.

It's just a lot to take in. Any of you have any similar stories? How your doing now? If you played did you play competitively a rank based game? Did you determine if you can ever have a healthy amount of it again? And the most important question of all how quickly did you start to notice the reward center start to resensitize? I'm I see 30 days 90 days all these different ideas but when you aren't feeling good all that seems far off

This is a relapse story too, honestly all the flair made sense.

My husband and I split up three weeks ago. I don’t think he will ever see what gaming did to our lives and I just need to say this somewhere. I do not understand it at all

Husband 37m is a recovered alcoholic. He has eleven years sober.

He bought himself a PS5 as a gift for getting a certification about 2.5 years ago. It was great for a year. He played for a few hours on sundays and whatever it gave me time to do stuff I enjoy.

Then there were layoffs at his work. He found a new job where he set his own hours. Basically we (I mean I) had to get rid of TVs other than the living room one. he’d be gaming for 9, 11, 13 hours a day just on his PS5.

He was also playing games on his phone. Basically it was an argument every day, I was the only income for the last six or eight months. We got into financial problems. He completely quit on our life. He’s living at his parents’ house across the country now. They’re away for a month. We are still talking sort of and I can see his location. He is not even moving from their living room.

If any of you can help me understand the “why” part of all this, it would help me, a stranger, a lot. He still says gaming was his creative outlet and I just didn’t want him to be happy. I think gaming made him really unhappy.

He failed out of the undergrad program that he had three semesters left on. Lost his job. Completely different person. Idk how gaming was worth all that

Edit to add: by “relapse,” I just mean that he said he used to have a gaming problem before we met

As someone who’s been an addict their whole life, I’ve been told many times you have to replace your addiction with something when you quit. Well, I don’t know what to replace gaming with.

It’s not a detriment on my life. I just don’t really have fun anymore and I don’t know how to spend my free time. I want to have hobbies again that I can get lost in but gaming doesn’t feel like the reward that it once was.

Some people here REALLY need to quit gaming but for me I’m just depressed and want to find a more fulfilling hobby, so what should I do instead that will make me feel happier?

So I’ve wanted to quit gaming for a while now.

I am unfortunately disabled and still undergoing different issues and just got put on another round of antibiotics.

My issue is I keep coming back to gaming because I am just laying around sick and stuck to my house.

But I don’t know how to quit everytime I go to sell I end up backing out or deleting the post because I always think I’ll use it during the weeks I am sick.

I feel as if I was normal I would have ditched it years ago without issue. But I’m stuck at home a lot and when sick it takes my mind of reality of being sick.

Any advice because I thought selling it was best. Or should I just learn to manage to only use it when needed?

Hi,

I’ve been addicted to video games all my life, and I stopped playing them completely 5 days ago. I was able to manage it for a long time, but it was starting to become an obsession, and I was spending way too much time sitting at my computer playing games in my free time. I stopped because I have young kids (2 and 4 years old), and I don’t want them to see their dad wasting so much time on his PC. I don’t believe it sets a good example.

After getting rid of everything gaming-related, I started drawing again (something I hadn’t done in about 15 years), and now I know I’ll also read more. The thing is, I always feel like I need something to do. I spent so much time gaming that I don’t really know how to handle all this free time or how to keep my mind occupied.

Do you guys ever had a similar problem?

I want to start with saying I'm not a gaming addict, I don't even enjoy most video games at all. But there are a few games where I really like the story that made me play them, such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Fallout.

Now let's say instead of playing them I read a book similar to those stories, assuming both take the same amount of time, why would gaming be worse?

This is my first post on reddit and im kinda just at a fork in the road.

I have been gaming pretty much all my life. I am 23 and started on the Game boy and went to the PSP and had consoles from ranging from playstation 1s all the way to the xbox series x. about a year and a half ago I bought my first gaming PC and i loved it. i love the versitillity that came with owing it.

recently i was out of the country for a while and before that i hadnt really touched my pc. gaming just doesnt feel the same anymore. i dont have the urge to play the games i once loved. Im not sure if im burnt out or if i have just reached the age where im growing out of it. I stare at the steam store and nothing seems enjoyable. I could always use the extra cash but im not missing anything if i dont sell it.

I havent played anything in a little over a month, and i have a laptop if i have things i need to complete on the computer side of things. Im just looking for advice on what others think or the if they shared similliar experiences. do you reget it or have you not looked back since.

any adivce or thoughts are greatly appreciated!

thank you.

Im addicted to valorant. I failed my semester exams and realize i have to quit now else ill be in severe trouble. However i cant go for than a week or two, any advice?

I’ve been playing League of Legends for 13 years now. I still remember those first matches with the friends who introduced me to the game.

Like many other LoL players, over the years the “casual” side of the game gradually gave way to tryharding in ranked. I was never especially talented, but I enjoyed my small victories along the way. From Silver to Gold, then Emerald... and I missed Diamond by just two wins (peak E1 70 LP)

Sometimes I stepped away from the game for several months, but I always came back whenever other games started to bore me and I needed something more “adrenaline-fueled.” In that sense, League has always been my gaming “comfort zone.”

But during those stretches of weeks or months when I play, I always end up falling into self-destructive cycles. I can have fun for a few weeks, I can enjoy improving and winning... but eventually I always spiral into tilt and “autopilot” grinding that feels dangerously similar to addiction.

This is not the first time it’s happened. It’s 4 in the morning, I’ve wasted the entire day chasing wins that I felt I “deserved” after being trolled, only to keep losing over and over. I blink once, it’s a beautiful midday full of possibilities; I blink again, it’s 4 a.m., -300 LP, and a disgusting feeling of emptiness and helplessness.

I don’t know whether this game is inherently more problematic than others, or whether the problem is me. I know many people share this feeling. Either way, this is where I stop. It’s been a journey with many good and bad moments; undoubtedly unforgettable. But there’s nothing left here for me that justifies my time anymore.

Take care, and gl.

Title says it all I held off screens as long as possible started letting my kid play Roblox in fifth grade genuinely all the kids just wanna go home and play Roblox well now it is a up at 3 AM thing a hacking into my phone logon and their friends are on at 3 AM at 5 AM and a lot of other parents just don’t care but we were like museum and library people before and now it’s hard to get my kid to go to the library and they get really bored in a museum and I I just want my kid back.

Yeah... So this is quite a low moment for me. I have had a gaming addiction ever since I got my first console, but now that I am older, I have been able to wean off of gaming, going months sometimes years without gaming once, and I have a pretty good life trajectory currently, but this is definitely a blow to my self-esteem.

I don't even like gaming anymore, but as soon as it grabs me in just the right way, a creative challenge I need to overcome. I am hooked, and once I am in, I can't get out till I tire myself out.

It came right out of left field as well, slow weekend, friends asked if I wanted to play Minecraft. Great! I haven't played that in a couple of years, seems pretty casual/social. Yeah, sure, I'll hop on to see what's new. Then, we decided we wanted to build a castle and all of a sudden, I felt my inner kid again, on his laptop, making castles and bridges, and that was it.

I am proud of the cool structures I made, but in reality, it is;
14 hours each day, morning to night, Weekend gone.

I hate that when I get into a state like that, I just can't control myself AT ALL. I am already pretty good at staying away from games, but when it comes to a situation like this, I am helpless. In need of some advice!

Hello, i am 1 month free of league of legends, i hate that game. It ruined my life, j would play for hours, forget my life and treated everyone like absolute garbage. I quit gaming forever as a hobby, i might once in a while hop on roblox more for the social aspect, but the addiction is over.
Been addicted since 2009 to league, but ever since i was 4.. at first it was the NES, then the PSX, then the PS2, the PSP, the DS, PS3, switch and PC.. now i am free. And i pray i never relapse, because honestly? Gaming is a shitty hobby and can ruin your life.

I registered to volunteer at the Civil Defense of the Ministry of Interior and boy is it better then gaming.

Fingers crossed that I get assigned to firefighting!