It seems that the people most offended are the the people that some RPer's used to be, i.e. their lives are centered around gaming. Now, I'm a gamer. Loud and proud, always have been and always will be. I'm studying game design in school but learning so many additional skills along the way. Programming, logic, art, history, music, articulation and verbal/written communication. Granted, I was already cognizant and more than capable in half those fields, but additional knowledge is always appreciated.

Anyway, like all things, you can't let it run your life. I play an hour here, an hour there, some days more than others, and some days less. Usually it's at night after I've accomplished whatever I wanted/needed to do that day. Part of it is a release from the real world; reality is fucked. We all know it, we preach it every day. It's not a bad thing to escape from that for a little while. Playing games doesn't make me forget the kind of world that I exist in. It's no different than reading a book or watching television or cruising reddit.

I've experienced attachment to characters that are well fleshed out, been forced to consider difficult moral questions, learned basic economics, been exposed to some of the most intense visual spectacles ever created by mankind, heard some of the most beautiful music I've ever known, increased my reflex time and found a passion for a subject that speaks to me on a metaphysical level.

Could I have learned all these things from different place? Sure, but why does it matter where the skills are obtained? I'm still an avid reader, a skilled writer, a moderately talented guitarist, and I never developed scoliosis or a neckbeard or what have you. Also, the gaming industry makes more money in a year than movies and music COMBINED, reaching over $60 billion, with a "B". While it will inevitably crash, as it did in the 80's, it will also inevitably recover. That's a piece of pie that's much more beneficial to my life than any amount of pussy ever will be. Games are always there when I need them; women aren't and won't.

Does all this make me less Red Pill? So be it. The entire concept of TRP is exactly what my idol, Bruce Lee, would espouse: "Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless, and add what is uniquely your own". This has been my main gripe with some of the TRP veterans. Many take an "all or nothing, my way or the highway" view of TRP, and that runs completely counter to what I believe TRP to represent. I don't expect people to agree with me and I have no need for it. My life is mine to live, and I'll take what advice works for me and make it my own. My life is not based on the approval of others. When I accomplish my goals, it'll be because I did it on my own terms.

i would but the next FF looks cool. I think the red pill itself unplugs you from games, i cant play anymore, only sometimes a bit a JRPG. but mostly i just study or something else, tnks trp you ruined my happy gaming life.

Good post. I used to be a competitive gamer. So much time and, more importantly, passion spent on my game of choice. I had been reading on TRP for months that I needed to stop. I just kept hating myself more and more every time I played. I "quit" a few times but it was more of an exercise in discipline rather than a fundamental shift.

Now, it's been months since I enjoyed playing a video game. I can feel the manufactured-ness of it all. I can't get immersed like I used to.

Since then I've been getting laid regularly which is nice. I would've never put in the effort necessary before.

I read books now for entertainment. I just finished "Catch Me If You Can".

I o ly play apps on iPad because it helps pass the time at work. Other then doing it while I get paid its not something I devote free time to

This article helped me quit gaming about a year ago. I am a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over 2 years now. Not using any mind altering substances for some time has forced me to take a look at my life and deal with shit instead of checking out. I spent one summer break from high school completely checked out on WoW... It wasnt until I had been sober for a bit that I realized how detrimental my gaming had been on developing coping skills and dealing with my problems.

I think this belongs here. http://www.wired.com/2011/10/mf_hardwickexcerpt/all/

I don't think there's anything wrong with my getting in a game or two of FIFA every so often, especially when it's something my friends and I do after a night at the bar at one of our houses. I think there's something wrong with spending money on in-game items, regularly devoting entire days to playing games, and forgoing sexual opportunities to play them.

I happen to be a 16 year old dude who goes to a private, christian school where nothing "crazy" really goes down. All my close friends live a long ways (20-30 min drive) from me, so we can almost never do social events on a moments notice. It always takes days of planning ahead of time. We end up all playing LoL and skyping most saturday nights, and it's so fun.

Is it normal for someone my age and situation to be addicted to video games? When should I be stop? I've slowly stopped playing all my video games except LoL, and I tend to only play when my friends are on. At what age should I begin to let go of this and move on? Does independence (own car, job, home) grant ease to let go of these habits? I'm concerned because I really don't want to be sitting in front of my computer as my growing into a man takes place.

I gamed when I was unable to do the things I normally do, because of weather, waiting on parts, need a break, or when I was stuck on base overseas after my workouts. Never played mmorpg shit, found it tedious. I got a kick out of highly accurate ww2 Era flight Sims and first person shooters like CoD. Sometimes GTA San Andreas or IV. I need my mind to be engaged when I'm not busy, it's a hypervigilance thing. Only in winter when there was nothing I could do but wait for parts.

It's been months since I goofed around with something, have cars to build so while the weather is awesome I'm taking advantage. Games are a time waster like TV. I don't watch that shit either and i get a ton of shit done without busting my ass.

'in your post, explain a few positive things that gaming adds to your life.'

I made a side income of around $600 from casual gaming in the last 12 months.

It makes sense to categorize video games and pornography, and recreational drugs in the same category. Video games can be though of as achievement porn, versus sexual porn.

All stimulate masturbate reward centers in the brain and give you a rush of dopamine and other reward neurotransmitters. There's a growing body of evidence that suggests that anything that exposes the neural system to high concentrations of dopamine triggers a change in our gene expression, creating more of the protein Delta FosB. This protein sets off the neurological chain of reactions that result in addictive behavior. The point being, addiction to video games, pornography, sex, food, and drugs are all based upon the same neural processes and should be treated similarly in that context.

Drugs can be dangerous mostly because they're mechanically so good at lighting up our reward pathways.

Porn, sex, food, and video game addictions can be particularly tricky because they ride on our evolved reward circuits that promote reproduction, survival, and productivity.

This post is spot on, but I would like to make a couple adjustments.

I think that the right video games can sharpen and maintain useful skills, like Chess does, simply digitally.

You want to automatize thinking 3 moves ahead? Go get good at X-com: enemy unknown. Predicting enemy actions and factoring them into your plans will become second nature (a skill very useful in game theory, which plays into social engineering, a broad view of the work we do here).

Want to learn how to quickly recognize movement patterns and react to them? Most high speed fighting games (Super street Fighter 4, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom) will develop this skill, which actually translates well to my Wing Chun training, where the ability to react to your opponents movements is called "eye touch".

Video games are just interactive forms of what can be useless or useful mental exercise and maintenance tools.

EVERY TIME YOU GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL, HOT JETS OF REWARD CHEMICAL COAT YOUR BRAIN IN A LATHERY FOAM. Chris Hardwick

[deleted]

everything is good in moderation

Some of the comment sections on this sub are so fucking retarded.

People saying that being "alpha" or "red pill" is about doing whatever you want blah blah blah. Try to defend it all you want, but video games are doing nothing for your life.

I don't care if there are studies conducted about playing Portal or whatever. Working out, reading a non-fiction book, working towards your career goals, developing interesting hobbies (I don't care what you say, video games are not a hobby... Is watching movies a hobby?), going for a hike, learning a new skill that will actually benefit yourself -- such as learning to change your spark plugs or how to cook a gourmet meal. These are just off the top of my head and all are a much better use of your time.

For those who play games like WoW and other time-sink RPGs, YOU are the character in the video game that is your life. Who the fuck cares if you sink 50 hours into a computer game to become an "Archmaester Wizard". You could have sunk 50 hours into perfecting your favourite Metallica song on guitar -- something you can actually be proud of, something that is tangible and real, something you can build upon and carry to your grave that no one can take away. If someone hacks your WoW account, your fucked and have lost everything you've "worked" for.

I understand that video games may have a place in your life, and I understand playing them to unwind at the end of the day might be what you like to do. But don't say that video games are red pill or beneficial to your life in any way.

The fuck is this?

I do whatever the fuck I want.

reaching a high level in SC2 or WoW involves intaking a comparable amount of information that someone might be exposed to in a year of college.

Hits so close to home, WOW stole two years of my life and was the primary reason I dropped out of college.

I seriously got so fucking good at that game it was better than real life.. I was the most popular dude in my guild, shit on people in PVP and even had regular skype sex with a WoW 10 (6.5 IRL)... It was ridiculous..

I've had problems with addiction my whole life and gaming was the worst one of all. Started out so harmless, playing at night with all my friends.. At first it just replaced partying and extracurricular activities but soon I was skipping glass whenever possible and my social, physical, and mental health were devastated (happened in that order).

It took dropping out of college and getting cut off by my parents to wake me up..

I'd like to think I have recovered now, 7 years later.. But I'd be lying if I said that the depression and anxiety that those two years laid on me is completely gone.. Oh well, Cest la vie.

Nothing I can do now but make the most of each day..

Everything in moderation... It's not rocket science. Anything in excess can ruin lives- food, working, drugs, sun exposure, alcohol.

I play games occasionally because in this feminised shot hole it's one of the last places I can blow stuff up and be a man.

If you find yourself passing on real life events to play a game, then you have a problem.

The joy of exploration, the need for adventure, the desperate yearning for competition... When you get that through a game, you reach a point of satiety and don't seek it in real life.

I gotta disagree with this. Participating in competition makes a person more competitive, not less.

The point of "satiety" only lasts a few hours till I get the urge to conquor some more shit.

As for the learning curve. Maybe thats just exclusive to RPGs cuz shooters are more like learning to ride a bike: the initial learning curve is rough, but once youve got it, you have it for life.

As for giving up video games?

Fuck that. I love video games and will play them till I die.

Thanks I needed this. I've been off games for about 4 months now but I'm the kind of person who gets incredibly addicted to video games immediately after playing a bit. A lot of people say, oh, just take it in moderation. Im one of those people who can't. You don't find many of us around because most of us are busy gaming.

I've been watching some of the new warlords of draenor game play videos and have been feeling the itch to get back into it. So this post came at the perfect time for me.

So thanks OP. My favorite line was when you said:

The differentiator between successful men and mediocre men is very simple. Successful men do what they do because the pursuit of their vision, the war with reality to create something, IS their entertainment. Mediocre men enter reality and pursue work so that they can carve out enough finances and stability to access entertainment that others have created. This need to be entertained and the contentment in watching another guy, be it your avatar, a guy in a TV show, or Lexington Steele do the things you want to do... is the hallmark of second-rate men.

I am an avid gamer, and i know that what you're saying is true. Defending videogames is like defending your drug of choice. "But but but, they give you faster reflexes (do they? I doubt that), they are harmless evasions, stress-relieving!"

Yes, and you end up wasting an absurb amount of time in.... virtual smoke.

What have videogames ever given to you? 20 years from now, you won't be saying " Damn, i wish i played more videogames."

You think virtual reality is the shit because you don't believe the real world can be as satisfying. But you can force yourself to do it, too.

Videogames fucks with dopamine levels and productions.

They let you satisfyed for things that never happened.

They are a trick, and tricks your brain making you a Dorito Dew Neckbeard passive amoeba.

Only on one thing i must disagree with you, OP:

"Gaming, however, is more dangerous than TV or porn "

Nope. Nothing beats porn. Porn is WAY more deeply stimulating than videogames could ever be (unless we're talking about porn videogames, then we could have a case).

Quitting porn is way more difficult than quitting videogames or eccessive internet surfing. And porn drawbacks are worse, especially under the motivational/ masculine aspect.

It's true.

I love the fuck out of videogames, I have a billion internet friends that always guilt trip me about quitting, but I just can't anymore. Every second I spend playing games there's a tiny voice in the back of my head telling me that I'm wasting my time. Of course there's another voice providing cognitive dissonance, telling me that anything I do that brings me joy cannot be a waste of time - but even then, I look back at my weights and I see the ebooks I've been studying minimized beneath the games, and the feeling doesn't go away. Even playing a game for 30 or 60 minutes makes me feel like shit. I realized that every second I spend on some shitty freemium MMORPG or DOTA clone is just another second I spend maintaining the status quo and going nowhere, running around inside some game designer's Skinner box.

Speaking of games, there's one game that I'll never forget - and it's somewhat relevant. It's called Planescape: Torment. It's a long story, but the gist of it revolves around one question: What can change the nature of a man? It's one of those old CRPGs from the 90s where the answers were all grey and ambiguous and they let you choose your own ending, but the writer has gone on the books and given his answer, and it shows in the narrative. According to him, the only thing that can change the nature of a man is regret.

I tend to agree. These days, regret is my barometer. I actively regret playing these games, and as much as I try to ignore that feeling it snuggles down inside of me and refuses to leave until I address it. Bluepill thinking will tell you to bargain with it or to ignore it and do whatever makes you most comfortable. Fuck that. Regret is healthy. Regret is the one thing you will never stop feeling because it's the sound inside your soul that your hopes and dreams make as you smother them. Listen to it.

Edit: I should mention however that some games, especially games that have a defined end point and thought-provoking mechanics, can be worth your time. Things like Dwarf Fortress or Kerbal Space Program or certain (rare) RPGs with good writing.

If you are addicted then sure, but treating games like they are crack is ridiculous. If you treat them like movies: playing occasionally to relax a bit, there's nothing wrong with that. The problem is taking them too seriously.

The problem is getting involved with competitive gaming and that culture, and getting sucked into that world rather than the real world. Never lose yourself in a game or measure your success through how good you are at games. If you can control yourself, you can cut back time and play casually just to deload your CNS... or get yourself an exercise bike at home and only play when you are doing cardio at the same time.

It's impossible to be focused every second of the day, some times you're more efficient after taking a break. The key is to take breaks in moderation and not just game during every break you take. Go outside and have other hobbies as well.

Now I know I need to cut back recently since I have some extra free time, but I've gone through plenty of times before when I'd not touch any games for months and not even realize it, so I know I don't have an addiction problem. The key is to remind yourself that there are other more important things to do when you start to game too much.

What if you're a part time pro gamer making roughly 500$ every other weekend which is way more than you make at your part time job as a college student. My only problem is balancing gaming with school. My grades are suffering and workouts are missing for the sake of "practice"

Christ, you certainly struck a nerve with a lot of people. Unsurprising, given that there are likely a lot of fledgling TRP'ers in here.

You're spot on, of course. I'll chime in with my experience. A long time ago I used to be a very hardcore gamer. Like, marathon sessions spanning days. I got such immense satisfaction with my gaming 'victories'. It felt good to feel a semblance of success.

But I was a loser beta in every sense of the word, and I knew it. I decided to put down the games for one month while I tried to make some lifestyle improvements, because I wanted more success with women. I was in university at the time, so social activities were readily available. I wasn't going to the gym as often as I wanted to anyway.

To say my experience was night and day is an understatement. Instead of doing the same treadmill activity I was actually learning the beginnings of game and frame. I was learning what behaviours attracted women. I began overcoming my approach anxiety. Women actually found me interesting, and while it didn't happen during that one month, I eventually finally lost my virginity.

A month came and went and I honestly had no desire to play games. They seemed like such a waste of time by comparison.

That was 13 years ago. I play games very lightly now (1-4 hours a week). I have everything now that I wanted then. Would never have done it if I was mindlessly grinding for new gear.

Runescape fucked up my highschool years, i boxed for five years and spent my free time grinding on runescape instead of doing roadwork, showing up on time, i wasted my chance to win the golden gloves.

This is realistic, real world advice that every full grown adult should agree with, but 7/10 top comments on here are chastising the mentality. It really shows that this sub is divided into two subsects: people who read the sidebar material and those who didn't.

VR is going to wreak havoc on so many men's lives. At least there will be more babes for us... NSFW

Oculus Rift OFFICIAL TV SPOT PARODY

I stopped a year ago. I'll never look back.

I like to kill people. The more realistic, the better. I can't do that IRL for legal reasons, and won't for moral ones. You are able to go exploring IRL instead of a game. I cant pursue my objective outside of a game. I don't see how your analogy can apply to me.

"What is real? How do you define real? If you mean what you can see, taste, and touch, 'real' is merely electrical impulses interpreted by your brain." - Morpheus

I have a hypothetical scenario for you to consider. Suppose we launch Von Numan probes to an other corner of the galaxy. They take however long to get there. Let's say we never got AI really solved, but we did figure out FTL communication via some kind of entangled q-bit disambiguation. Ages pass, perhaps thousands of years, and these probes get to their destination, and we can tele-operate them in real time.

You get a job controlling one. It can use local resources to build more equipment, climb a kind of tech tree. Turns out many other countries and private corporations launched probes as well. You can also build more at that end of the journey with local resources. Conflict arises between the probes of different factions.

You will never actually see, physically, any of the equipment you're remote controlling. It really does exist, but it might as well not due to the prohibitive distance involved.

What is the Pragmatic difference between that and playing Eve Online? You invest time in both, and receive output in both. The output of both is forever inaccessible to you, either due to distance, or due to intangibility.

An other scenario to consider. As technology increases, the resolution of our simulation capability too increases. A game version of this probe scenario is released, with accurate local astronomy and distribution of resources, based on telemetry sent back from the probes. Graphics are photo realistic, and actual probe pilots can not differentiate the difference between the game version and the real remote interface in a double blind test. What is the pragmatic difference?

Extrapolating this concept out further is as inevitable as it is direct. As computational capabilities increase, it becomes possible to run simulations of physics at any resolution, even of whole cities, populated by Turring-grade NPCs, and eventually whole worlds and galaxies (beyond which could be a "skybox" until an NPC ventures that far and higher resolution processing becomes necessary)

At this point, when the first indistinguishable simulation is switched on, "real" reality (Reality Zero) to simulated realities is 1:1. That is to say, that when born, there is a 50% chance you exist in a simulated reality.

As the number of simulated realities increases -- included nested simulations -- it becomes statistically infeasible that you exist in Reality 0, due to the fact that there is only one physical reality, and a functionally infinite number of simulations, populated by incalculable simulated persons. As the population density in this scenario is represented by an inverted cone, the odds that you exist at all go up as time progresses and there is more opportunities for you to exist. Therefore, it is statistically most probable, that we exist inside a nested simulation running on exotic computronium in Reality 0 at some point in deep time.

Given that situation, I am already a "video game character", and therefore it seems like special pleading to admonish entertainment from an additional layer of reality abstraction, vis-a-vis, video games.

Civilization for me. I started in 1995, with a multipak game. Then Civ 2 came out, and I begged my dad to get it for me, and later the expansions. I played until I found Alpha Centurai, and that was the main one. I spent thousands of hours playing. I could beat it on deity, leaving competitors magnitudes behind. In 2005, I quit cold turkey, and it was difficult, but it was good. I was "clean" for three years, and then my brother sent me Civ 4 BTS the week before my final term exams at university. Worst decision to install before finishing. I ended up not handing in papers. I was unemployed for about a year afterwards, and playing the game isnt to blame, but it didnt help either. I stopped playing for a bit because of all the frustrating crap within the game. I actually tried to program my own mod (i have no experience doing so). That went on for a bit, but found a mod I liked and started playing again. I don't play anymore, and I mostly regret the time spent. Conservatively, if I played 2hours a day (yeah, right) over those ten years I would have put in 7300 hours. The actual number is probably double. Imagine if I had spent that time doing something, like woodworking, working out, building a canoe, learning a language, researching equities, or whatever.

I completely agree with the OP. Video games aren't constructive in the sense of well spent time. It does improve brain functions depending on the games you play. But I'm not quite sure in what way they do. I keep my video game time to a minimum. Maybe a couple hours a week. I true to have my "fun time" with books. I feel like that source if entertainment is much more constructive, gratifying, and fatigueing. After a couple hours of reading my brain feels likes it's gotten its own work out, then I have an urge to go and train my body. However I have a question for any RPers that would like to answer; is there is a group of females that love gaming, And to be a good gamer is part of their social hierarchy, would the OP change is position of gamers? In asian cultures, being a good MOBA player is ideal for many girls." After watching free" to play documentation, it made me realize that in some areas, mobas are a real life competitive sport with valueble achievements behind them. However I live in the U.S. and the video game culture is not strong. Secondly, if you are in a LTR, or spinning a plate, would you sacrifice bonding time with the girl because you find games a waste of time? Now I firmly believe that I'm going to do what I feel best no matter the her reactions, but this is bonding time with a healthy connection. I've met plenty of women that enjoy video games, and have spent dates and down time enjoying games with them. But in this situation I feel as though she can reflect on your time being spent valuably. Now I feel as though I'm just putting down a couple points for a counter arguement. Bleh, who knows if this will even be read with a post 200+ comments.

I play video games and guess what? I do so in moderation. By the sounds of it, you played in excess and it took over your entire life and your reason for living. Stop projecting, some of us can enjoy a video game and still have the will to leave our bedroom.

Video games for ever!

I used to love playing guitar hero games. I got really good at them and then I realized that if I'd invested the same amount of time learning how to play an actual guitar I'd be pretty decent.

Thank god for Rocksmith.

The only game I play anymore is a soccer simulator. It's competitive as fuck when I play people online because they are hella good. I win sometimes. It's frustrating as fuck win or lose. But I've always been hyper-competitive when it comes to sports. Even in middle school when our team lost it would ruin my Saturday, didn't matter that I played extremely well.

What a load of bull shit. If you have self control its not an issue and if you don't then that's your fucking problem.

Im gonna have to take a back seat in this one and say what everyone else is saying. Its good in moderation If you go cold turkey, a powerful relapse can happen and we dont want that. If it makes you happy an lets u blow off then play the games, just dont get sucked into it and obsess over it.

This just like nofap.... It's only bad for you if you do it way too much. Playing a couple of hours on sundays are not gonna ruing my life.

If you can't handle moderation then maybe you should quit cold turkey.

Unless your like me and instead of quitting smoking cigarettes, you buy about 10 packs per year and can occasionally enjoy one without going off the rails.

I was as hardcore into WoW as anybody for 4-5 years and the junkie lifestyle is way behind me. Just because now I want to play a few games of Super Smash Bros or Marvel vs Capcom 3 is not going to hurt me or slow me down.

While I agree that gaming can have a negative influence on personal growth, playing in moderation can actually help relieve stress and escape real world problems. I play video games moderately, here and there, and it is a good stress reliever. After a long day of work, turning on the playstation and playing some madden helps alleviates stress just for that little bit as all your concentration is focused on the game. While it doesn't make you a better man, there is nothing wrong with having a bit of fun.

Any addiction is bad. An addiction to cocaine can lead to you OD'ing. An addiction to chasing women can lead to you being broke. An addiction to being on the internet or playing video games can lead to you not developing well socially.

All addictions have consequences.

Alright I can tell this will be a touchy subject so I am going to go ahead and say to all the game players here that this article is for those that have a serious addiction. If you haven't lost your job, quit school, or locked yourself in a room for 16 hours straight because of a video game this message is not for you.

I get it, less time playing games is more time doing whatever. That is fantastic but the same can be said about everything else people do out of habit. When it comes to me personally I gave up television, a friend of mine stopped hanging out at the club, some chick I used to know stopped smoking weed.

The point I am trying to make is there is a difference in cutting out things you enjoy and things you do out of routine. Everyone's definition of cool is different. For you it may be climbing a big ass hill, for me it could be earning a million bucks for playing a game. Just make sure you do what you do because you want to do it and not for some else that doesn't like how you spend your downtime.

Without addiction being a problem gaming is as good a brainless relaxation tool as any.

Ideally you only spend time building value but sometime some chill time is good. For an introvert like me a few hours gaming a week is great once I've achieved my goals for the week.

If it's getting in the way of your goals gaming isn't your problem. Your lack of willpower however is.

You get a lot of negative responses because you hurt egos, and they know you're right. They still have a lot of blue to wash away.

Just one thing I noticed last year when I played assassin creed, IT was much harder to old frame in real life. Once I realized it, I stop playing.

Ill enjoy in modration but thanks for the advise

I just came home from an afternoon of work with a few guys from my college.

I went by one guy's place and it so happened it is the place of my ex (the girl who caused me to search for TRP).

I feel bad right now. Angry, sad, desperate. I feel all the emotions I used to feel in this relationship and even if they are much less stronger, I must avow I would gladly kill some nazis on call of duty 2 right now. If I had a video game at home. Duh.

Also, video games saved my life. I was bullied and beat every day at school and failing high school. No friends, toxic family, nothing. At one point I got injured. Because of this major health issue, I couldn't get out of my bed. My parents bought me a mmorpg. Online, I met my first friends and even my first girlfriend. I know it sounds pathetic but this game helped me to become social enough to go talk to people in real life and it helped taking the pain of my injuries away. This daily escape was pleasurable and that's one of the things that allowed me to go through sickness.

Now I've stopped gaming for more than 5 years with the occasional play with my brothers (a few hours a year, but it's more to do something with my brothers than to play a game). I've improved, got hobby and real life experiences, I'm striving to graduate from college with an engineering degree but video games helped me to take the first step.

And also, I have great memories of some things I "lived" in game. I sometime listen to the soundtrack of the game and I feel great melancolia (in a positive way).

The guy who wrote this article is right : I used to explore mmorpg's worlds rather than fight or do PvP. That's because I love adventure and I love finding new places. So I've decided to do that IRL.

My motto : become the bad ass I was in game.

[deleted]

I think PC gaming is much more detrimental to someone than console gaming. been there done that with wasting hours on various PC games.

I'll repost from below since it got lost in a sea of defaults.

If you believe this then you haven't thought about your subject material hard enough.

:Start

Seek pleasure is something all humans do, desiring to fuck some young pussy is no different then desiring to watch some fantasy movie, or interact in a fantasy world. You may personally attribute more value to one or the other but that value is not global, you are not the center of the universe. A life lived without pleasure is a life wasted as you might as well of been dead.

Entering into competitive environments, developing and testing skillsets is something all human males are born to do. And this I feel is where you might not have fully grasped your material. All games, virtual or not, represent skillsets. Your standard RTS for example requires the ability to analyze a dynamic situation, discern patterns in your enemies strategy and develop a counter strategy while simultaneously employing your own offensive strategy with the central goal being victory. The actual mechanics of this differ from game to game but the skillsets themselves do not. This is why a highly skilled competitive gamer can change games and, after a phase of mechanical adjustment, attain a high ranking with comparatively little learning curve. You focused too much on the mechanics and missed the macro mental skillsets that are required.

Remember our greatest victory over the animals of this world wasn't our being faster, stronger or tougher because quite frankly compared to a natural predictor we're weak as fuck. It was the development of our minds, specifically pattern analysis, prediction and discernment and eventually counter strategy development that enabled us to conquer the entire animal kingdom and become the Apex Predator of this planet. Those skill sets are incredibly valuable when appropriately applied.

:End

I am directly refuting your assumption that every component of your life must be about "self improvement". I'm also calling you a hypocrite because you have professed to do something that itself has no value in "self improvement" and that's fuck good pussy. Think of all the things you could accomplish, all the check box's you could put onto your list if you stopped fucking women. So until your willing to advocate removing non-procreational sex entirely from your life, your just preaching from soapbox while stroking your mental penis. That and you haven't the slightest clue on what being masculine means.

Now my point is this, not all activities in our lives must be about masturbatory "self improvement". The very purpose of our lives should be to enjoy them and live them for ourselves, to maximize our own self enjoyment. The entire purpose of TRP's existence was brought in because a group of men decided they were not happy with their lives, that they were not getting the enjoyment they wanted out of those lives and they sought a way to remedy that. Each and every human has a right to seek maximize happiness for themselves, they may not always get it but they can not be faulted for trying. Enjoyment is a goal, doing something for the sake of enjoyment is not wasting your time. Doing something and not acquiring any enjoyment out of it would be the very definition of wasting your time. I know you think you've tripped upon some great knowledge but I'm here to tell you that you haven't. You are no better then the feminists demanding men "man up" or some other nonsense.

the problem is your using WoW as an example. That's like using meth as an example for all drugs.

And no, I'm not going to give up my games, shit like this is just as annoying as the anti-masturbation rhetoric.

Just because it worked for you, don't mean it will work for all of us. Sometimes the problems are underlying and the games/porn are a symptom not a cause.

This is an interesting post. I think OP has many good points. Playing video games tends to be an escape to something else (most of the time, sure some games are played just for the fun of it). In my case i've realized I've done it to escape the many truths that were given to tme that didn't add up in my life: gods, love, perfect parents and most importantly NOT BEING WHO I WANTED TO BE. I'm not fully RP yet but i'm working on it.

I found the red pill many years ago but didn't really want to finish swallowing it. It is extremely hard to accept that the world we're living in is basically a social construct to keep us enslaved to a way of thinking that doesn't really allow us to achieve our maximum potential and video games provide a good way to "calm down" or "relax".

Coming back to the main theme: I spent a full year playing LoL with friends and this is something I regret (not the good friends I made, some even from other countries) but the time I could have spent improving myself. To sum it up, in my particular case, I almost never play now unless it is to keep in touch with my brother who lives in another country, but even that I'm started to cut almost to 0 since it interferes a lot with my reading the suggested RP books, my meditation and my routines to keep me at my best conditions.

Good post. It can help people who face a disorder or simply want to keep improving themselves.

If you're yelling about how this isn't you in the comments, be scared. If you casually thought "nah, I play madden once a week with buddies when there's no game on", you're probably fine. If you thought "No! That's bullshit, I'm just fine, it's just those Korean SC addicts who have a problem!", then you talk like an alcoholic. I know, cause I do too. Take a hard look at yourself.

I remember being at Best Buy just killing time, browsing, picking up some movies or new music when I saw it: a guy in his mid 30s looking at the game aisle. By the way he was dressed it was obvious he was not only unmarried, but also without a girlfriend...and probably had been for a long time. What his appearance communicated was social awkwardness and lack of positive female-attracting qualities. To summarize his appearance: jeans, running shoes, flannel shirt, baseball hat and glasses. Not exactly hip, and quite unaware of what image he was presenting being dressed like that AND in the video game aisle at his age looking for the new thing to occupy his time...which could be better spent improving himself.

Now I mention that because I was probably the same age or maybe even a little older...and I still played video games. I did dress better and was on the self-improvement track and realized how important spending time in the right areas is.

Seeing him was a shock because I realized I did not want to be seen as that guy. Was that how people thought of me when they saw me at the checkout line with a new video game at my age? Hell no. I decided then and there that I would quit video games for good.

That has been several years ago and I haven't looked back. I spend my time either improving myself by lifting or reading as much as I can in, or pursuing my passions of playing guitar, writing songs and recording them. Basically fueling my creative outlet.

Don't be that guy who is too old to be playing video games.

The positive elements of gaming are very similar to those of television and cinema. It is a method of conveying a story or experience, in the case of games the experience is interactive (to a greater or lesser extent) and you have some control over the experience.

some games are very competitive and can improve your ability to plan and think on your feet, I would say RTS in general but I feel the need to eliminate games like starcraft and COD as too deterministic and limited in scope to really allow for the experience I'm talking about. Older FPS games (halo 2/3 come to mind) were slightly better than COD about giving you more freedom, but bigger scale games like planetside 2 (MMOFPS) and Supreme Commander (Giant scale RTS) give you true freedom to maneuver and out-think your opponents rather than simply grinding them down.

I will say that most (if not all) MMORPGs and RPGs are stuck in fantasy land and have little value outside of anesthetizing and addicting their players. If the word "grind" is used, its best to avoid.

I get the same thing out of gaming that I get out of watching football or any other form of television.

That is to say, nothing but hedonistic entertainment. And maybe some socializing topics and cultural awareness if you want to be generous.

You make some great points, but the simple fact of the matter is most of us aren't going to go out there and be ultimate alpha warriors conquering pussy left and right.

Most of us will just not put up with some bitchy bullshit from our girlfriend, and get extra blowjobs by not being a pussy, or not chase after a girl like a chump.

And that's okay

Not only is he right , but the rabbit hole goes much deeper and darker with video games....

So this is my first post here. I generally read this sub out of a bit of horrified fascination, and at first I was honestly pretty disgruntled by this post. I felt angry that you were clearly so against something I really value (playing video games.)

But I think you're right. I felt sick when I was reading what you said about wandering around in the games trying to live out some boyhood exploration urge that should have been lived out in the real world. Gaming has thrashed a good bit of my life and still I basically will leap to defend it and get angry when people insult it.

Anyway, just saying, this convinced me to sub. I felt like a fat guy defending Wendys - like why do I feel so butthurt that something I know has contributed to spinal issues and antisocial behavior in me and many of my friends?

What do you recommend substituting gaming with? I'm 26, financially solid, and I work out and eat healthy. I work a ton, but I still have this free time and I don't really feel curious about anything else, like learning an instrument or painting or whatever. If I were to try out an "RP" outlook in this regard, what the hell would I do with my gaming time? I was looking around here and it seems like the answer is monkmode?

Video games are a huge waste of time. Nothing good or positive comes out of them. They are actually an effective waste of time, nothing kills it better than them. I really can't imagine a guy who can get women spending his weekends playing them.

A guy calling himself a `gamer´ is not complimenting himself. I'll be honest I look down on gamers.

explain to me what is your gaming helping you achieve, what function does it play in your RP journey

Happiness.

What else is the RP journey about for you?

For the older gents among you that may not resonate with video games making you complacent with not improving yourself, you may have the same problem with a much more innocuous grind: your lawn. For me, mowing my lawn sated my desire to protect and improve my property. Being the master of your castle is an alpha trait, your desire to do this will go up to tell you to make your castle better. Pay someone to do your yardwork, and go out and make meaningful improvements to your living situation with that drive.

If yard work makes you feel less depressed, your body is making you depressed for a reason - it is telling you that you need to improve your living situation and you are using mowing the lawn as an escape mechanism as surely as those millennials playing video games are.

Everything in moderation, right?

I play video games, but not very much. Once or twice a year, I may buy a new video game and play for a straight week. Then I'm pretty much done unless I hang out with some friends and we play some video games. And even then, that takes a back seat to everything else (money, food, women, billards, etc).

But I might add that I play mostly fighting games and 1-player games like Assassin's Creed, Prototype, Batman, etc. Once I beat it, I'm done for a while. I realize the ladies don't like that shit at all.

Nice timing I just quitted LoL, best advice to you guys from me is give away your account, or ruin everything you have, just so you won't come back to it after a while

RedPilling is for me not about being "sucessfull" (defined by what? Being a slave to the system?), but being happy while seeking truth. To find meaning in what you do and have fun with it. Having a career is only for people that like that. Video games are for people that like them. But what can i say, im not a RedPiller but a MGTOW because of mindsets like this.

If you consider games being a wastefull hobby for yourself, thats fine. But its not for others.

Philip Zimbardo (of the Stanford Prison Experiment fame) did studies into this. His conclusions were to quit playing video games and quit watching porn. Video games give a perspective that if I do steps 1 through 99 perfectly, I will get the princess at the end. And, because of porn, the princess will have sex with me right away.

I feel its kinda similar with consuming music, movies, porn etc. There is just too much of it. Your favorite actors go out there and work with their bodies on their craft. They hardly ever get to watch movies. You on the other hand sit and condume everything. Yoh are so saturated with entertainment that nothing surprises you. Uve seen it all

Unfortunately, ANY addiction is like this. While I don't agree gaming RUINS your life, I will agree that in playing the games its not making it any better. Giving up your dreams for a few more hours of gaming is the same as giving up your dreams because you want to party all night and sleep all day. Neither accomplishes anything other than mediocre self satisfaction for small periods of time followed by a longing to continue to do it again. Any addiction in general can cause these problems, but gaming being something that is "harmless" can really get you sucked in.

But its not all bad, applying some of the things learned in your gaming experience could help you IRL.

Punctuality is a big one, if you know you have to be somewhere by a certain time, (raids/meetings/appointments/dates) and you are dedicated enough to it, then you will be there.
Dedication is another, just because you are dedicated to the wrong thing doesn't mean your dedication is bad, just point it at something more for YOU instead of your character. Goals are easy in games because they are given to you, but at least you know how to work towards them, now get off the crutch that is an "achievement" system and work towards something that matters. People who play games work DESPERATELY hard at these goals, so why not work just as hard towards your life goals? SOCIAL, you can make a TON of good people online gaming world. You can also meet a ton of morons and inconsiderate pricks. But dont keep it online. Take your friends out, find local spots (for the online group that stays local) and get out of the house every now and then. Nobody says just because you know each other online you cant meet IRL.

Definetly. 28 y.o. lifelong computer gamer. Gave up on games and never been better. I'm getting fit, strong, I'm getting girlfriends, I'm enjoying life... Dammit. Stop playing games. Learn to live in real world. It's awesome!

Well, video games did play a very big part in me learning english without actually ever visiting any english speaking country and as of now I'm using them to learn japanese and will use them

So yeah, I think they're a very great tool in learning languages precisely because they're so immersive.

Excellent post, OP

One thing that keeps being overlooked is the overall decline of the games themselves since the early 2000s. I remember a time where WoW wasn't the be all end all of games. The first person shooters in particular had better, more dynamic gameplay and were less like Skinner boxes. You didn't end up in an endless cycle of menial task for faux reward.

Don't get me wrong, I love playing in-game dress up as much as any gamer. I spent hours in Skyrim tweaking my character model only to abandon the game after the first scene when actual gameplay started. Plus my machine wouldn't run the damn thing...that's another rant altogether.

I went to LAN parties back in the day. These were valuable male spaces. You interacted with mostly, if not exclusively men. A portion of the time was spent helping each other update and resolve technical problems....at least one guy always had LANitis, where his machine wasn't up to spec but the guys got it running like it should. There were no fake "achievements" ...you got the reward of p0wning someone on the server, followed by the satisfaction of being able to turn around in your chair and look at the guy who you just defeated spectacularly (or were just defeated by). You could talk shit face to face. You could get acknowledged for your successes or smacktalked for your failures in real time, with real people, while enjoying real male banter in a friendly environment.

But then as it shifted from LAN parties to online, you had a pandemic of cheaters, aimbots, crappy servers, high ping rates and too much time downloading some map so you could join a server only to have the game be over by time you're able to join.

Game companies got so paranoid over "piracy" ...which is probably the most misused word in the English language...piracy is when somebody comes onto your boat or ship to steal it or sink it, kidnapping or killing you in the process. It has nothing to do with electronics or data ...anyway companies got so afraid of a few people copying their games that they punished the majority of their customers by doing away with disks and burdening them numeric keys and bloated, useless clients that bogged down gameplay and killed the LAN parties altogether.

By the time WoW was the thing, the LAN parties were gone and you no longer had people interacting face to face. You logged into your terminal with a headset by yourself. Instead of bantering with your buddies, you now had to shield out distractions to play...such as your mom or your wife/girlfriend nagging you and distracting you.

Instead of somebody's living room or a hotel ballroom full of hobbyists enjoying both the games themselves and the tinkering with the tools of that trade, you have a solitary individual, usually a man, who has been driven to his "man cave" because that's the only place he has to go for solace and freedom to engage in his preferred pursuit.

Let's not forget the quiet dissolution of the mod community. Where before you had game companies encouraging modification because it sold more copies of their game and was conducive to replay value. Now you buy a game and, depending on the game, you then have to subscribe to an official server and pay for that as well. No ability to modify the game and thus, you never see the full creative potential of the game as an art form.

Then you have the introduction of really, really stupid and mindless games like Farmville and Candy Crush. Granted, you saw really good gameplay with Angry Birds, but even then there was a dumbing down to appeal to the "casual gamer."

Then you had the "console wars" where to play the latest games you had to have the latest machine. PC gamers were marginalized and had it worse, you had to upgrade to the latest machine and that was only good for a year or so before you had to upgrade again, even though the games themselves stopped looking better...you weren't getting a payoff for all your investment anymore.

Let's not forget all the political correctness and SJW's. You had folks like Jack Thompson, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton leading the charge against content under the assumption that all games were for kids...the result being that games for adults got censored. Anyone remember Hot Coffee?

Now you have Zoe Quinn and gamergate, which just shows that the anti-Hot Coffee crowd have now made it inside the wire in ways that Thompson/Lieberman never could.

And if all that's still not enough...the games are too buggy...that is the software is buggy. The leading high end titles like Assasin's Creed, Far Cry, and Watchdogs being released with a level of bugginess that was unheard of in the days of Id Software. But yet half the time you still end up waiting long after the initial release dates to see the actual release. Valve still hasn't learned to count to 3!

To sum up...

TL;DR It's easy for me to give up video games because video games SUCK now!

Yes and no.

At one point I had a major lifting injury where I could barely do more than sit at a desk. I never gamed before, so I wanted to try it. I got myself a PC and played an MMO near-full-time (20-30 hrs a week) for a year.

The negatives were obvious

• I ignored my g/f too much
• I got out of shape
• I became detached from RL and disinterested in family
• Other skills declined ( not practicing music, writing and languages)

On the other hand, when I began I was a rank newb and I slowly ascended to a top 100 position in the world. This journey wasn't one that was lost on me as I felt many of the factors of success were revealed to me.

• What seemed to me like impossibly magical levels of skills were mostly just time investments
• What seemed to be like great plays were skill + luck playing out over time. Play enough and you'll get that good map, or that confluence of synergies.
• Bitching about game, balancing issues, etc., is useless. None of the top 50 players EVER posted on forums or anything - they just played. And played and played. Bitching is 99% useless.

I think if you pick up those lessons and move on, it's a win. It's the same as gaming women. The real winner isn't the guy who is alone at 80 having gamed 1000 women, it's the guy who used the game to find the reality he wanted and then transitioned to the next game (long term game, harem game, business game, etc. ) Staying in the dating / bar scene game once you've got it down pat is just as "loser" as staying in the "video game".

I left the video game behind but today:

• I am almost never in awe of anyone. I realize the true difference between me and most masters of an art is just time, dedication and investment (assuming equal levels of talent).
• I realize to be good at anything I need to put 2000-10000 hours in it.
• I realize that most of the time, things just are the way they are and the best use of my time is to use the system proficiently, not rail against it and whine. Girls are hypergamous sluts now? Project high SMV. Jobs and career are political? Play the office game.
• Success if 50% showing up, 40% hard work and 10% luck. If the stars don't align don't beat yourself up. Maximize what you can control.

I think I came out on top - I left at the right time. I think that's the gist everything: Every system, hobby, experience can teach you things. What is detrimental is when you favor the system instead of development.

Nice post OP but you completely miss the point. This is like an alcoholic saying nobody should should drink because it will ruin their life which completely ignores the point the vast majority of people can enjoy it in moderation.

I'm almost 40 and play about 2-3 hours a week. Nothing in your post tells me why that is a bad thing. What people do to relieve stress is amoral if it causes no harm and cannot by definition be right or wrong.

I think you can do whatever the fuck you want. However, you need to be in control and play only in moderation if need be. Maybe some of us like to live out our fantasies in being a ninja or hitman by enacting them in video games. There is nothing wrong with playing video games and some people have managed to make a nice living off of them.

The main problem with video games is addiction. And addiction isn't even a cause but something would have to have happened to trigger that addiction. We all have hobbies, I don't see what is wrong with having a hobby you enjoy and love. And since you want positives on how gaming has affected me well:

• Gaming got me a best friend who I still visit and play video games with for over 10 years

• Gaming got me some more friends in college

• Gaming makes me think harder about finding the best optimal solution.

• Gaming makes me think of the programming that goes into it which makes me a bit more programmer savvy.

• Gaming is a great platform to release any negative emotions

Besides I hardly play games because there aren't too many enjoyable single play experiences out there on PC. Although, I am awaiting Valkyria Chronicles to be on sale so I can experience greatness. And I mostly play when my friends ask if I want to join in. In any case, the worst thing video games can do is make you feel addicted and even if so the addiction is caused by something.

The only time that gaming had a positive effect for me was after I quit drinking. When trying to break an addiction you're supposed to change your people, places, and things. By switching to gaming it allowed me to replace all my friends who were associated with drinking with gamers. Plus, I was a social drinker so now I stayed home playing games instead of being at the bar.

Now, it was trading one addiction for another but gaming is less harmful overall than an actual physical addiction (usually). I was getting drunk five nights a week in bars, almost lost my marriage, did lose my job, and got in serious trouble with the law over my drinking. I was huge into MMORPGs. Now I play BF4 very occasionally and I'm working on eliminating that (as well as all tv/movie watching, but that's another issue altogether).

tl;dr videogames can help substitute for other addictions as long as you're able to step down your video game playing over time.

I find the opposite to be the case, actually.

My friends and I don our nerdy headsets and treat gaming like today's equivalent of the 17th Century coffeehouse - our game chat is an experimental place; a test chamber for storytelling, irony/comedy, conversation, self-expression, abstract reasoning, linguistic skills, topic knowledge, working memory, and our general aptitude at being "interesting."

Being a male space makes it relatively uninhibited, and central to its operation is humor, both the ability to laugh at others as well as ourselves. We joke and sharpen our banter. This skill carries over into the rest of your life. If you treat everything without seriousness, you'll find it easier to handle and easier to manipulate to your advantage. It puts people at ease and they extend their confidence to you. This is the "amused" in Amused Mastery.

I suppose this comes down primarily to how you game. I keep it a social, brotherly activity that I highly value and allows me to keep up with close friends. It's masculine time, and masculine time is valuable.

I had a similar epiphany back when Skyrim came out, when I was about to begin a graduate degree.

"Why am I making this false me learn all of these things, develop all of these skills? The real me is just sitting in front of a television." It seemed absurd that I would put work into finding success in a virtual world, with no real gains outside of unlocking different layers of coding. Especially when I had let my real self go so much in these pursuits. Skyrim, as a game, took me away from my friends and other social outlets, kept me indoors and inactive. A friend of mine quoted me on facebook as saying, "This game is so good it is ruining my life."

I primarily played a thief with magic mixed in. I wanted that skill set, I envied those abilities. I decided I wanted to learn some of those skills myself.

I started running, because my avatar was fit as shit from all of that movement. I didn't have toned muscles, so I started lifting (using machines at first). Things started coming together physically.

I worked on my real life charisma, made myself start conversations where otherwise I would sit back and let others do the conversational work.

I noticed there were archery lessons being taught down the road from my gym. I toyed with the idea of learning this, as well as locksmith work. I dropped the ball on both accounts, not seeing any real use in my real life.

I found myself living as more of a hybrid between thief and mage in that I aimed for agility in my physical form, and focused on my intellect with my classes and independent studies.

I have played video games all of my life, and the norms of the fantasy genre actually helped me conceptualize my own personal success. I broke myself down into traits, attributes, and worked to better those. That same dynamic used in role playing games can be used in real life. (At one point, I wanted to make an app that let you keep track of your "EXP" and let you level up when you hit benchmarks. That never went anywhere, but it would have been nice).

I get 90% of the benefit of this by refusing to play any competitive game. Those suck me in and make me want to crush kids in it, but the time required to get to that skill level is far, far too much. This also goes for MMOs, although I can't see how people enjoy that. Had to quit playing League and other MOBAs for this reason

I use gaming as a nice fun activity to do with buddies or otherwise as my decompression/non-advancement activity. I don't watch sports or TV or spend a lot of time shooting the shit with buds at bars.

It ultimately comes down to your ability to control your impulses to do something non-productive. If gaming (or watching football, or reading reddit, or drinking, or ...) is something that intrudes into your time for personal growth, then stop. The smell test is: if your Mission requires you to drop everything and focus 100% on the Mission, do you resent that for losing time doing your addictive activity (gaming or otherwise)? I easily stop when I should because I know I'm doing something that's more worthwhile. If you ever consider skipping a workout to game, then you should probably stop gaming as you don't have the right mindset yet.

only play short single-player games now on during long college breaks. I get too much good information and ideas for real-life applications. Like Deus Ex: Human Revo pretty much inspired me to go the biotechnology entrepreneurship route, and Rockstar games always provide a good source of ideas/theories that pan out well. Sure, there are a lot of hollow, pointless games out there, but Square Enix, Bethesda, and Rockstar provide some densely packed, creative outlets of inspiration if you look for it at least.

You may have some points here but as entertainment goes video gaming is one of the most highly-engaged forms. Are you going to watch TV? Movies? If so you're partaking in similar entertainment but near-completely mindless. Video games have been shown to teach quick thinking, strategy and problem solving ability.

What you really need is balance in your life, not purges.

If you've ever wondered why you lack that raw X factor, that primal desire to buttfuck the weightroom, climb mountains, approach the hottest girls, blaze through learning new skills... it might be because you play video games.

Quit playing video games and you will suddenly be a hard charging mountain climber like drrrrrr? What? Citation needed.

Some people do it to extreme excess. They're going to do that anyway. Life doesn't need to be a Mountain Dew commercial.

People just need to start approaching their own life like a game, doing quests, gaining achievements and so on. Giving up on gaming addiction isn't easy, but it is possible to switch it to another outlet - your real life.

Everyday 'gamification' of your life, todo lists as quest and achievements, monk mode full on - and you're completely different person in a year.

This is great, and as much as I loved video games, I sold my tv and Xbox and all games a few years back. I went out and bought a paintball gun instead. I thought, if I'm going to sit around playing a first person shooter, why don't I actually go out and be in a first person shooter. Instead of being stuck inside alone in the dark, I was outside running jumping sliding diving and shooting. I was out in the sun. I had a real adventure in an outdoor world. The actual social interaction with being on the field with real people was more rewarding. You think it's exciting playing Call of Duty? Go play some paintball on a weekend and tell me how exciting call of duty is after.

I quit gaming at some point in college when my grades started to slip. Picked back up my saxophone I hadn't played since high school and started to learn again. Now I play every other weekend with a band at a happening jazz club. The ladies love it.

At the moment its just a bunch of people calling me "extreme"

"Extreme" is an anti-concept.

To illustrate: if you (correctly) believe that the sky is blue, you are taking an "extreme" position.

For a person who thinks "extreme" is bad, only a state of permanent doubt -- a complete absence of any judgment whatsoever -- is acceptable.

They wish to escape judgment. They will not.

Nope nope nope. I'm going to have my cake and eat it too thank you very much.

Skyrim is the shit as well. Why the fuck would I not play Skyrim? Fuck this.

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I'd say, at least for me, that cutting internet use in general should be included with TV and video games.

Screen technology alters your brain.

http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain

Now, permanent abstinence from the internet is a bit extreme. I mean more of a "detox" so to speak. For me personally, I intend to use it solely as an educational tool after I get my real life more sorted.

I don't know if giving up something that brings you pleasure is necessary. But it's clear that video games are a low value activity. If you spend your day engaged in low value activities, you'll become a low value man.

Video games could be replaced by other low value activities; surfing reddit, watching tv, masturbating, etc... Spending a majority of your time engaged in low value activities will stunt your personal growth.

Similar to the "NoFap" idea, if you're currently spending a majority of your day playing video games, I'd recommend giving it up for 40 days cold turkey.

I hear you bro! Dota has stolen some years of mine as well. Why do I have to improve myself if I'm really good at this shit-game? Getting laid, studying, lifting? Nah fella! Owning in Dota is better!

Now that I made it to be senior software developer with pretty high income, LTR material GF, athletic body I see how many time I have wasted. But this is not the point here. One of my best bros of 15+ years of friendship is stuck with that shit. I mean he is 24 year old kiseless virgin ( no jokes here! ), unemployed, without degree and he's a HUGE stoner living with his parents with 10k+ hours online in Dota. I tried to speak to him about getting job and self improvement multiple times but no effect! This guy is my bro and I DO care about him, because he is almost only one who always got my back!

Bros I'm sorry for my language, English is my third best language!

I am regurlarly playing LoL and still have a decent live. Don't know where the problem is when you know your limits.

No one on their deathbed, looking back at their life, thinks to themselves, "I wish I'd spent more time playing video games".

Pointless waste of time = Pointless waste of life

Stuff like this is what makes trp look like a joke to the rest of the world. You know what red pill is? It's doing what you want.

I like video games. If you have an addictive personality and can't play a game without getting sucked into it to the point where it ruins your life, that's your problem. I'm not gonna let anyone dictate my hobbies.