Has gaming had a negative impact on your life?

[MercuryLS]

It almost ruined my life in my teens and early 20's, couldn't keep gaming in check and it affected my school/work/social life. Over the years I've found a good balance and I'm still very much into gaming but I can balance it a lot better with the rest of my priorities in life. I've gotten good at spending very little on gaming thanks to clever use of deals, points offers and reselling. I game at night only after my wife's gone to bed, so I can be productive during the day.

Is gaming a waste of time and kinda pointless? Sure, but I enjoy it still, it's a nice way to unwind for me.

Has gaming had a negative impact on your life?

 

[Dest]

I'm not going to get into it, just know it ain't an anger thing. But yeah, it 100% has.

 

[Deleted member 41178]

No, it's just a hobby and hasn't really had any impact on my life at all.

 

[henhowc]

Social life maybe but it was actually my "social life" as I played a lot of online games with my close friends before everyone got married and had kids in their 30s. It was my way of socializing and keeping in touch with them even though none of us went to the same school and living in different cities post-graduation.

I probably would have been doing even more solitary activities like watching TV and movies instead instead of going out and doing whatever 20 somethings are supposed to do (bars, clubs, etc.). 🤷‍♂️

 

[halcali]

It ruined my brother's life.

I'm perfectly happy, but there were times when it distracted me from the more-important things (family, girlfriend, job, etc.)

 

[Waffle]

When WoW first released, it wrecked my school life. Thankfully that's the only time it had a negative impact on my life. Thanks to gaming being a common ground, I met my husband and also met one of my best friends playing Street Fighter.

 

[Starlatine]

not any more than all other stuff i do for hobbies like watching movies and listening to music
which is always "never at all"

it's not a crime to have fun and some time to yourself no matter how much corporations would want you to believe otherwise

 

[Cenauru]

I wouldn't have met my girlfriend, nor would I have the friends and support groups I currently have, I wouldn't have been radicalized and gotten out of the sheltered conservative worldview my family put on me, and I wouldn't have safe spaces to self-discover and safely come out if I hadn't met the people I know through online gaming and gaming communities. Same with social media, I do not have good support IRL for my autism, social difficulties, and struggles with my gender identity, and online games and communities are how I was and am still able to cope with the difficulties of everyday life stuck in a conservative bubble.

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

My school grades dropped because of it when I was a kid, lol.

 

[njean777]

No not really, I prefer gaming over watching movies or TV and I really only have maybe an hour a day during the work week to play.

 

[HououinKyouma]

Nope, it's been an essential hobby of mine, especially now more than ever with the stress of work and the pandemic. It's nice to just turn away and play some games when I can.

 

[Mahonay]

An unchecked anxiety disorder and depression is what fucked up my life for decades. Gaming was just a way to escape and fully distract myself. I became obsessive about it becuase it was the only time I was happy and not anxious.

Now that my mental health is in order gaming is not the crutch it once was.

Lately I have been playing A LOT of Call of Duty Warzone, but that has been me linking up with a group of some of my oldest friends every night. With things being locked down here again it has been a nice outlet. Even then I'm able to call it a night before it gets too late (usually I'm the first one to leave). And my play time will be dialed back when I'm able to go places again.

 

[aiswyda]

Gaming has been largely a positive influence on my life. I have a lot of friends I've made via a shared love of games or a specific game. It's also a great way to keep in contact with friends that are far away. My SO and I used to play games every night when we were long distance effectively as a shared activity for when we chatted.

On top of that, gaming has gotten me through pretty severe bouts of depression and anxiety (TW associated with that upcoming). When I was in my senior year of high school, I was deeply depressed and looking for anything to cling to as an excuse not to commit suicide. Slowly working my way through P4G and VLR got me through the worst of it bc I kept telling myself I wanted to at least finish those. FFXIV did a similar thing for me in college—I was super depressed and completely incapable of getting myself to leave the house for anything other than school (and even that was pretty minimal). Having MMO friends and raiding was pretty much the only thing that got me through that year bc I couldn't work up the effort to go see college friends.

Kinda wish the poll had a positive option lol.

 

[Tokyo_Funk]

Yes it has.

In high-school I was labelled a "nerd" a "freak" and a "loser" for liking video games. All the football players and sports people would make sure they let me know just how much of a loser I was at any given time. I was bullied to the point of assault and threats because of it. I had to hide my gaming habit away like it was a drug problem every chance I could.

I almost forgot, my father and step-father also made me feel bad about my hobby. Of course in a fate of irony, many people who bullied me in the past now play video games. Seeing their FB profiles with Call of Duty and other games in their "likes" list makes me see they are high-calibur hypocrites.

 

[Worldshaker]

Final Fantasy XI ruined my grades in high school, but I've got gaming under control these days.

 

[Nephilim]

A waste of time? No. If games are a waste of time then all leisure activities are a waste of time, too.
Games are great and make me happy.

It's essential to balance things out though. I couldn't play games or do leisure activities if i was unemployed or antisocial or attached to a sedentary lifestyle.
Having those important pillars in check does allow me to feel not guilty when i engage with my favourite hobby.

 

[Vuze]

Yeah, I was pretty terrible about managing school/gaming as a young teen. I wasn't a bad student or anything, but I didn't want to deal with the two subjects I totally didn't grasp which almost broke my neck given the school system in place. Thankfully my parents realized this and intervened. I realized how dumb this sort of escapism was and dropped gaming for a whole year — improved my grades in both subjects by two levels.

On the other hand, it also had a tremendously positive influence on my life because I met a ton of amazing people who share the same passion and I also got into programming, data and file format analysis etc. These have been invaluable skills for me, both in my further education and work life.

 

[Serebii]

Nope. I wouldn't have found my life's work, my partner or any of my close friends without it

 

[Starlatine]

if anything gaming is the main reason why my english is somewhat okay since from all my sisters i was the only one who wanted to consume any entertainment that wasnt digested in my local language. sorry to my local school teachers but it sure wasn't on them

and i used a lot of english on my professional life so i could only say it had a positive effect

 

[Booshka]

An unchecked anxiety disorder and depression is what fucked up my life for decades. Gaming was just a way to escape and fully distract myself. I became obsessive about it becuase it was the only time I was happy and not anxious.

Now that my mental health is in order gaming is not the crutch it once was.

Lately I have been playing A LOT of Call of Duty Warzone, but that has been me linking up with a group of some of my oldest friends every night. With things being locked down here again it has been a nice outlet. Even then I'm able to call it a night before it gets too late (usually I'm the first one to leave). And my play time will be dialed back when I'm able to go places again.

Click to shrink...

Yep same thing happened with me, it wasn't gaming, it was mood disorders that went unchecked. Friends and family saw me absorbed in gaming and didn't see the bigger picture.

I still love gaming, but I do it in a more healthy manner now that my mental health has improved.

 

[pleaseinsertdisctwo]

I only game when I'm feeling less in control of my life

most of the year I play like 1 hour a week

The past month tho? LMAO

 

[Aprikurt]

I'd argue in 2020 it practically saved my life pretty much

 

[Red]

"Ruined" is too dramatic but it hasn't always benefited me. It's been detrimental in the sense that it often occupies a space that I could have filled with something more enriching or productive. It's one of those things I fall back to when I procrastinate, or am depressed, or have some sense of ennui. I could be reading, or working out, or reaching out socially instead. But games are easy distractions.

That said. There have been periods of my life in which I spent a lot of effort to not make an effort. The space games occupied would have been taken up by any number of other trivialities. If I have anything to blame for ruination or missed opportunity, it's my own lack of discipline and sense of direction.

At the same time, games have also been the focal point of some of my deepest and most enduring friendships. Shared experience and sense of excitement. It's such a pervasive interest that it brings people across ages together in a way that many other activities do not. I imagine it's a focal point of many friendships, not just my own.

 

[neufel]

I've been 5 minutes late at work once, because I was trying to catch Ho-oh in Pokémon Heartgold.
That was annoying.

 

[Fliesen]

When WoW first released, it wrecked my school life. Thankfully that's the only time it had a negative impact on my life. Thanks to gaming being a common ground, I met my husband and also met one of my best friends playing Street Fighter.

Click to shrink...

Yup, 2 years of university were kind of 'lost' due to WoW.
(Thankfully, i dropped the game before the first expansion hit.)

But beyond that - gaming has been nothing but a net positive for me.

 

[Vommy]

I went full hermit when WoW came out for way too long. Losing friends and school suffered.

 

[Starlatine]

"Ruined" is too dramatic but it hasn't always benefited me. It's been detrimental in the sense that it often occupies a space that I could have filled with something more enriching or productive. It's one of those things I fall back to when I procrastinate, or am depressed, or have some sense of ennui. I could be reading, or working out, or reaching out socially instead. But games are easy distractions.

Click to shrink...

See, this is what i dont get. This inherent idea that anything you "waste" time doing would be occupied with more productive uses if they didn't exist. Who is to say that in a world without gaming people would use that time to learn german or play violin instead of, y'know, watching friends reruns, reading twilight or something. That the only reason you're not some buff gal or dude is because entertainment exists and distract you from it. "Nerds" and outcasts existed before home consoles were a thing. Without videogames, they would find something else to do instead of hitting the gym or studying the blade or whatever

Not directed to you in specific, i dont know you or your life issues. Just got reminded of it by your post is all

 

[Karlinel]

Thankfully I'm not a very social person, so it gave me an excuse instead of "I just don't feel like seeing people around me". But just at the end of uni it got a bit out of hand so had to rein it in.

 

[WhiteNovember]

Hmm... Being forced to study from home, r sitting close to my gaming stuff isn't very helpful. Don't have the discipline to focus on learning all the time and wish I just could go to university instead. But other than that, I'm fine.

 

[Red]

See, this is what i dont get. This inherent idea that anything you "waste" time doing would be occupied with more productive uses if they didn't exist. Who is to say that in a world without gaming people would use that time to learn german or play violin instead of, y'know, watching friends reruns, reading twilight or something. That the only reason you're not some buff gal or dude is because entertainment exists and distract you from it. "Nerds" and outcasts existed before home consoles were a thing. Without videogames, they would find something else to do instead of hitting the gym or studying the blade or whatever

Not directed to you in specific, i dont know you or your life issues. Just got reminded of it by your post is all

Click to shrink...

Something weird happened when I wrote up my post and I had to make a few edits to get my full thoughts in (my new edits were overwriting my old edits? Something seems broken in application state).

I agree with you. "Games" aren't to blame for wasted opportunity. Human nature is. A lack of self control is. I often fell back on games (and other time-wastey distractions) during high-stress times of my life. Cortisol encourages bad decisions. It makes it hard to focus on long-term projects. It makes self-improvement just one more thing you can feel guilty for not pursuing. Sometimes you want to enter a state of being where you can block out reality until some amount of time has passed. "I just need to get through this hour, or this week, or this year." Games don't cause that behavior, or encourage it. But they lend themselves well to the task.

 

[JustTom]

Well, confession time I guess.
I slacked off a lot in university due to gaming. I almost failed and dropped out of university because I enjoyed gaming way more than my studies. Had to write a second bachelor's thesis to get my bachelor's degree (you only have two tries) which I hardly passed. So I was fckn close to ruining my life. After that things got better when I did my master's degree and now I got my dreamjob, so everything's fine I guess and since I have a job now I can keep it in check perfectly fine. But there was a time I almost fckd up 😅

 

[Deleted member 39374]

It's a significant timewaster but this entire year has been a fucking wash with quarantine and whatnot so whatever

 

[Zarshack]

I've definitely wasted far more time on games then I should have, it greatly affected my education at times and I really don't like thinking about the things I could have learned in the time spent playing games.

 

[Deleted member 8118]

I've spent thousands of hours on video games over the past year or two.

I'd say it has a massive negative impact on my life over the years from a child to adult. As a kid, all I did was play video games. My grades were the lowest of the lowest in my school because it's all I cared about; I left a lot of potential on the table because of video games. I had so many other interests, but it honestly turned into an addiction when I was a kid - it allowed from me to escape and that led to me not wanting to do my homework.

It's not a hobby for me, just something I do. There was a point where I stopped playing video games in college and I lost 50 pounds, learned countless new hobbies, got out of the house more, I was just a healthier person.

I'm really thinking about cutting it out for a long time or for good.

To do that, I have a plan where I just leave my console and PC packed up when I go off for my masters degree.

Videogames have only helped keep me isolated from others.

Red You're right. Stress and lack of self control is a major factor for me. When I'm not stressed, I don't even want to play video games. I also have better eating habits and am more conscious of the fact that I'm getting too drawn into games. For many, including myself, games are just comforting and are an escape from the problems we need to eventually face.

This thread is kind of eye-opening.. makes me want to change things now.

 

[MobileSuitReactor]

I've had my ups and downs but clearly on the up overall.

• Too much MMO time during the K-12 years so that affected my grades but made a lot of online friendships out of it and a good chunk of them ended up moving not too far away from me.
• MMO time led to online dating that became offline. It didn't work out but it pushed me out of my comfort zone and got me socializing up the wazoo.
• If I didn't socialize, I would've kept to myself and probably gotten lonely and depressed and drop out of school, so yay games. School would've also been more expensive as I wouldn't have found my roommates which helped a lot with expenses. Commuting sucked and dorms were too expensive for 4 years.
• I didn't want to use voice chat like Ventrilo, noisy home, parents would know I'm gaming too much so I had to type like a m'fer in team games. Very helpful in the last few years of my career especially now where more people are having to message or email you at work with everyone being remote and everyone needs their answers yesterday.

 

[tatwo]

Playing WoW for 12hours a day for 5 years certainly didn't help my depression and anxiety.

 

[Grettir_the_Swole]

I buy a lot more games than I should, but overall I've kept my hobby in check. Video games and movies are what makes me happy, and I keep myself surrounded by people who enjoy the same hobbies as me. Self serving, sure, but it's what helps me unwind in the day. I also spent my entire life studying the history of video games and the former teacher in me loves giving involuntary lectures on anything I study. Haha

 

[ItchyTasty]

See, this is what i dont get. This inherent idea that anything you "waste" time doing would be occupied with more productive uses if they didn't exist. Who is to say that in a world without gaming people would use that time to learn german or play violin instead of, y'know, watching friends reruns, reading twilight or something. That the only reason you're not some buff gal or dude is because entertainment exists and distract you from it. "Nerds" and outcasts existed before home consoles were a thing. Without videogames, they would find something else to do instead of hitting the gym or studying the blade or whatever

Not directed to you in specific, i dont know you or your life issues. Just got reminded of it by your post is all

Click to shrink...

I think most people mean school or socialising when they say this. Things that can push your life in different directions when young.

 

[Deleted member 8118]

I think most people mean school or socialising when they say this. Things that can push your life in different directions when young.

Click to shrink...

Bingo.

 

[arcadepc]

They did not ruin it compared to other factors, but after a while they did not improve it either

Though initially they motivated me to study to enter computer science but preparing for exams in the most difficult field (maths, physics, chemistry) caused a burnout after few months and I switched again to consumer mode. Should have picked humanities...

 

[Deleted member 37928]

In some cases, yes. I've used gaming as a way to escape real life issues. Things like studying and communicating in a relationship.

 

[Starlatine]

I think most people mean school or socialising when they say this. Things that can push your life in different directions when young.

Click to shrink...

I just dont think that staying home playing games is what stops that though. Without games, it could be staying at home watching tv or something else. Shutting in and playing too much is usually a consequence of other issues, not the cause. It wasn't beating Final Fantasy IV ten times that made someone who had trouble talking to other people that way

 

[Red]

I just dont think that staying home playing games is what stops that though. Without games, it could be staying at home watching tv or something else. Shutting in and playing too much is usually a consequence of other issues, not the cause. It wasn't beating Final Fantasy IV ten times that made someone who had trouble talking to other people that way

Click to shrink...

Who is saying that though?

 

[Starlatine]

Who is saying that though?

Click to shrink...

Heard plenty around. From patients as well. Already said it was a thought i was reminded of by your post, not directed to anyone in here specific.

 

[Sprat]

Nah the only time it could have got out of hand was when I got into jrpgs in high school but my mum saw it as a waste of time so I could only post every alternate day for a couple of hours max.

I do agree that it's essentially a waste of time and always regret time I've spent doing it as soon as I think of productive things i could've done instead.

I limit myself to a max of 5 hours a week or so and only really do it once the whole family is in bed when I can't really do anything else.

 

[GamerJM]

I think I would have been a pretty depressed kid without video games, there were periods of time from like age 4-14 where video games were really the only thing in the world I felt like I derived true joy from. Maybe I had some kind of low grade depression, but it went undetected because video games were THE motivating factor in my life. I tried out a lot of other hobbies and games were legit the only thing that brought me that level of happiness. Martial arts? Boring. Reading? Boring. Hiking? Boring. Drums? Eventually clicked when I was a teenager but for a while I could take it or leave it. Swimming? Kinda fun but no video games and nothing I felt compelled to invest a lot of time into. Chess and board games? Boring. Spending time with friends and family? I'm embarrassed to admit that for a long time I only found this enjoyable if video games were involved.

I think as an adult though video games might be a net negative, idk. It's tough to say. I think the time I spend playing games is fun, but it's just....there are so many other things I could be doing with my time. I look at people in my life who aren't big into video games and they're more in shape, more well read, more involved in helping out local communities, have hobbies that are more creatively productive, even more cultured when it comes to things like film and music. They also have a more well rounded social life, I've met good people through video games but I don't know if they're necessarily all the kinds of people I'd want to be lifelong friends with. I still think actually playing the games is more enjoyable than doing basically any of those individual things but I feel like I can't keep up with the industry in the way I want to without sacrificing so much of my free time.

 

[TheMadTitan]

Nope. I periodically take breaks from games when I need to.

 

[Rendering...]

Nah, games got me through some hard times. And games shaped my taste and interests for the better.

Any issues I've had with them also apply to the internet and entertainment media in general.

 

[Novocaine]

None of the above. Video games have been great for me. It's my way of de-stressing and winding down.

 

[Red]

I've spent thousands of hours on video games over the past year or two.

I'd say it has a massive negative impact on my life over the years from a child to adult. As a kid, all I did was play video games. My grades were the lowest of the lowest in my school because it's all I cared about; I left a lot of potential on the table because of video games. I had so many other interests, but it honestly turned into an addiction when I was a kid - it allowed from me to escape and that led to me not wanting to do my homework.

It's not a hobby for me, just something I do. There was a point where I stopped playing video games in college and I lost 50 pounds, learned countless new hobbies, got out of the house more, I was just a healthier person.

I'm really thinking about cutting it out for a long time or for good.

To do that, I have a plan where I just leave my console and PC packed up when I go off for my masters degree.

Videogames have only helped keep me isolated from others.

Red You're right. Stress and lack of self control is a major factor for me. When I'm not stressed, I don't even want to play video games. I also have better eating habits and am more conscious of the fact that I'm getting too drawn into games. For many, including myself, games are just comforting and are an escape from the problems we need to eventually face.

This thread is kind of eye-opening.. makes me want to change things now.

Click to shrink...

I grew up in an abusive household. I didn't have a lot of toys growing up, but my parents were all in on games. I took to them quick and I think they served as a virtual babysitter for me and my siblings. As long as we were in front of a screen, we could be locked up and ignored. So early on I learned to displace my own concerns with the concerns of a game. "Dad's yelling again, let's play ninja turtles until he's done." "Mom and dad are fighting, let's see if we can beat the second quest on Zelda." It was easy to bury the worry part of your mind and replace imminent threats with a quick pop of endorphin by beating a robot master or whatever. And as I got older, I just kept doing that.

When you engage with escapism, you're often not in the circumstance or state of mind to grapple with that engagement. You don't recognize it as escape. It only becomes visible in hindsight, in those brief moments when the clouds have parted.

fwiw I think the best anyone in a situation similar to my own can do is extend some grace to themselves. Life often isn't fair, you aren't always dealt a good hand. Sometimes you're given the cards and not even taught to play. So you've got to have patience with yourself as you figure things out, and recognize that many people are likewise figuring things out, beneath the weight of unseen stressors. We haven't built a society that ensures the health and well-being of individuals. We isolate, we abuse ourselves. It's very hard to break the patterns that we've relied on to survive.

If you decide to make a change, I wish you the best of luck. It's hard! And you can do it.