@@swoldier7308 better this, than wasting time on toxic game, that you're addicted to. Said person that returns to LoL, and finished with it many times.
At first I was reluctant to watch more than 5 minutes of this, but turns out this is a really interesting video. I also find it difficult to play video games nowadays, and it's like I'm trying to compensate for all those years spent on playing them, so I actively avoid them.
Yep same here man. I literally have to force my self to do it. 9/10 times I play for 5min and then im done. I think a big part is the games suck now and a big part was the social aspect but now a days the last thing I want to do is deal with people. Video game is an addiction, alot people turn to drugs afterwards. Addiction is anything you do too much.
Alex, this is a fantastic video. Truthfully, if you never wanted to talk about video games again, this video is a great way to close that door. I've had a lot of these same thoughts, thinking about how much video games I play, noticing when I play more or less than usual and connecting it to the positive and negative factors in life. I completely understand why your content has shifted away from those old game reviews and such, and I understand why you have personally moved away from video games altogether. I halfway expected you to tear gamers apart in this video, but you met them with understanding and sympathy. It has always frustrated me the way the media acts like video games themselves are the addiction. I realized a long time ago in a depression that I was, and always had, been using games to escape my reality, escape myself. I still fall into this when the world starts to beat me down. It really is as simple as video games giving me the freedom, progression, and opportunities for adventure that real life simply doesn't provide, at least not without significant investment. It really has become such a clown show out there in the material world that I find it hard to even care. I'd rather just let the old goofs in power run this train off the tracks and live in a fake world where rules and balance actually apply. The sad realization will always hit, however, that as fun as it is to exist in a fake world with fake problems and limitless solutions, you always have to return to our cruel world at the end of the night.
He has another channel called Alex Hexagon where he does exactly that. I always felt that they should've been on the main channel anyway. I guess he keeps the vids separate because he's much more controversial & raw in the other channel, with a much higher potential of getting censored for speaking too much truth. He's still funny as hell though.
Keep that tought There is alot more to these "OLD" goofs they run a satanic/luciferian/cabalaa/pedo group called The "system" do The research and find something just something that is real in this world, it Will give you purpose in all fields of life Gl🙏
man this comment hits hard, it is EXACTLY how i feel. kind of a nihilistic state of mind due to being/feeling trapped in real life circumstances that are out of ones grasp
I've been an addict to gaming. Used to get 4 hours of sleep each day for about 8-9 months. This was back in 2013. Played an mmo and couldn't leave. I'm just been gaming here and there to pass time and we'll if I would of had the courage to let go of gaming in 2014 I would be better off. Like I've been wanting to play guitar but I barely know how.
I think the big cause is the lack of purpose in young men. I was one of them, and now I find more joy working on projects instead of playing video games. I still sometime play some games once in a while when I'm completely not feeling it, but I have to be careful to not be consumed by it.
its crazy to me that i was makeing videos on cars and games and moto vlogs un till about a month ago i all most got killed buy some guy that hit me on my bike i broke a arm and a hand but i play pc so i had to start using a controler i thoght wow this is nice getting paid and playing games but a week a go i said to my self i miss real life working on cars with my uncle you half to have mix i love games and all ways will im about to by a 4090 and a vr but i also have a car to work on i do want to make gameing vids and hot rod vids to you have to find that sweet spot men are just babys that cant handle the truth or the fact that maybe they should get a job i mean start with even keeping your room clean i dont use sc face book or twitter i use yt and dc i can see past the lies others are beaing told i feel like my brain is just better off that way but this is just me and yes i will say god dose play a big part of life as well
@@mymom1080 yes but that's because you can afford having projects, try working 14 hours a day, then when you have some free time you won't feel like going outside when you see your bank account drain because the auto broke again, so guess what? you will buy a videogame for more cheaper than a car
@@anubaral you have a point i mean think about it to a lot of people out side of games do drugs on stuff so i would rather be on games then get high i see both sides of how it can be a issue
@@mymom1080 games, drugs, alcohol etc is just a way to get something that you can't achieve in any other means, pleasure, the release of dopamine basically
Ingame monetization is making devs focus on an addictive design rather than fun. This didn't used to be an issue back then unless it was some introverted kid who didn't have much else to do. Nowadays, video games are built like work with grinding, gambling, filler content, levelling up, daily/weekly rewards for playing, etc.
That intro made me laugh. I find HILARIOUS to have a TV anchor tell you about how kids who spend time playing videogames are "mentally ill". I never recall them (or anyone) talk about "TV addiction" and god knows GENERATIONS have spend hours and hours on their ass watching passively TV. The whole idea of videogame addiction always has been a massive con invented by the TV to attack a growing media that is killing them.
Uhh … were you around in the 80s and 90s? That is _all_ they harped on about when it came to television. “TV is rotting our children’s brains!” is what I vividly remember the most with many news segments talking about how it’s consumed so mindlessly, equating them to zombies when their favorite show was on, unable to “pry them away” (but be sure to tune in to the news every single day for hours on end!). Why do you think late night infomercials were such a big hit? They capitalized on people with insomnia watching TV all night - a problem that many talked about as being the reason insomnia was occurring more often. When shows like Ren & Stimpy or Beavis and Butt-Head were airing, that’s when it started to really take off. Parents and older generations acted as if was the worst thing to ever air on public television for so many people to watch, calling it out and actively encouraging parents to limit their time watching television due to how many were tuning in to where they considered it addictive behavior - the antics shown on TV were “corrupting them”. Then reality TV shows hit big in the mid-90s, and it was a full-on assault against shows and many pushing it as “reality TV addiction” due to the ever increasing viewer count when a new episode premiered. Even MTV used to poke fun of the mentality with their shows that aired. It was all seen as _rotten_ … except for the news, of course. Sound familiar? I don’t know if you’re young and just wasn’t around to know or remember, or maybe you are over 30 and simply wasn’t paying enough attention, but TV addiction was _definitely_ a thing that was pushed - not only with the news with outrageous headlines and “experts” on the matter, but politicians using it as talking points concerning the youth at times. edits: words words spelling words
@jonny_laguna tell me you are a zoomer without telling me that. You are clearly too young to have been there for that era, but yes "tv addiction" was a thing the mainstream media (paper at the time) used a lot back then to artack that growing new media.
All the comments are enlightening. A lot of people in isolated towns, people who don't get along with their neighbors or family, people who haven't achieved much outside of gaming, don't have any purpose in life. It's a digital ghetto, it's where you go when you have nothing else.
i lost 15 years of my life being a goomer! However, if I lived normally I would still be an ugly short single guy. At least with gaming i was entertained!
Am I the only one who's eyes glaze over when he hears the phrase - 'experts say'? I just can't take anything seriously after that. It might as well be replaced with 'stop thinking and let us think for you'. Very Orwellian.
No you're not, always gets on my nerves hearing "experts say this, experts say that..." And just who are these so called "experts" they always keep referring to on a lot of things anyway?
A great video. Change is never easy, but not changing is never good. Time is precious, waste it and one day you'll realise so much of your life has already gone. Having a Steam account loaded up with games you've never played or a console with piles of discs that are still in sealed cases may be a driving factor to some that they will one day get round to playing that game, yet the pile only grows. Sometimes it's better to let things go.
Disagree with some points but, that last bit really touched my pixelated strings. Although the word goomer is very uhhhh unorthodox, this is a perfect video for exposing someone to the fact life isnt about games, and games have been on a decline for the better part of a decade and you stsrt seeing the cracks that show how bad this problem is. People delude themselves so luch they are willing to accept scams in video games and call them fun. Meanwhile im on the verge of just giving up and getting into other hobbies..anyways good video and i hope you get to a million views, doing my part in sharing and i hope you get the exposure because we are reaching the tipping point.
The social isolation in young people can be blamed in many things, but not a lot is said about how connectivity makes us estranged from our local community. When you can talk to people who share every single one of your interests, what's the point of befriending someone in the pub whose only redeeming quality is their taste in beer and ability to play the guitar? Imagine your only prospects for friendship were a fisherman and a lumberjack, well, then you gotta be a little more tolerant, but in today's age, people have the privilege to be a vegetarian or vegan and even worse, be annoying about it. This is why cancellation became so common, a person can share on every single belief, but the moment they step out of line, oh boy, all those 12 people who don't even share your state get really mad and they'll stir up a lot of shit to change your tone. Also, it's rather sad that so many game design guidelines made to make games feel fair and rewarding can be seen as tricks to make them more addicting today, but as someone who does game development, it's really not intentional.
27:20 I wouldn't go that far with how you feel regarding the gaming channel. These videos are still challenging and insightful, just using gaming as a leaping off point. This isn't a gaming channel, it's still you discussing through them.
For me gaming provided an immediate sense of control, safety and progression. It was the perfect world to be consumed by that provided a lot without asking a lot. Real life in comparison felt exhausting, unpredictable and many times scary. I had a stretch of about 15 years where I was fully consumed by gaming and it took a heavy toll on me and the people around me. I wish I could balance it with real life but I've tried so many times now where it feels meaningless to even attempt anymore. Instead of forcing myself into a potentially destructive habit I'm better off looking for things that will improve my overall life and tackle the things that made me escape everything in the first place. I think you make some great points in the video and I'm sure this topic and the debate surrounding it will mature over time as people like you bring new light to it.
You are right. I dream of having a family but waste time on distracting myself. I need to stop this wastefulness and start working on the things that will improve myself
how you pointed out that video games - unlike real life - are generally fair was kind of mindblowing to me, that has definitely been a huge part (that i never considered until now) as to why video games have been so appealing to me, having grown up poor with the internal shame of it that followed in my teenage years
I had the same thoughts a few years ago and it was the reason why I cannot enjoy MMOs the way I did back in childhood anymore. I spent my youth playing WOW and ignoring reality and now I'm in shit. But it's ok. Shit's gonna be hard af, but it's never too late to start fixing ur life after all.
I am a goomer who failed to integrate into society. While I still try, I do spend most of my time gooming just to keep myself alive as when I look at reality all I see is failure. I do look forward to the day I can stop gooming, but old age and mental health on a constant decline I will die by the controller.
I gave up trying about 3 years ago. The thought of integration is now revolting to me, the horrors of the world are omnipresent and I just want to be distracted until death. I see no point in contributing to a dying society, mark my words it's fucked beyond repair.
@@profanegunman7586 Honestly, that's how I feel too. I am just surrounded by people who constantly tell me how worthless I am so I want to join society just enough so I can isolate from it.
@@AdachiVsLife OMG this. i have tried to lift myself up out of this hole only to get slapped back down over and over. I look at my friends and family and most have destroyed their minds and bodies trying to get out too no avail. those that have only did so through dumb luck or less then legal methods. When they ask me why I'm such a lazy sack of sh!t i point this out to them and they shut up real quick.
Psychologically video game addiction is not an addiction per definition but a behavioural disorder. You can only get addicted to substances that directly manipulate your brain chemistry. Obsessive behaviour that stimulates reward structures in the brain has other causes and physiological pathways and has to be treated differently. That‘s things like shopping addiction, gambling and also obsessive gaming.
Tbh its easier to feel succesful in a game then it is in real life. Makes sense people would go there. Maybe make it easier to be successful in real life. Make it cheaper and easier to get houses, better socialization, less reliant on cars, and etc. But, these are mutli faceted problems that are incredibly complex and have vast organizations who profit off of it. THey like the status quo.
I got out by working my ass of. My difficult job made me grow and I found purpose in life. The truth is, nothing change until you take risks and go out of your confort zone.
Video games are all I do. I sit in a room with a chair, a cardboard box, and a TV set atop that cardboard box that I play video games on. I am surrounded by various snack/food wrappers that have filled the space around me to such a degree that the floor as well as a good portion of the walls are no longer visible. However, the space between my chair and the TV/video game area allow for a clear line of sight. I need not get up to root around for water as the ol' garden hose sits next to my chair, so I barely need to move at all. The crumbs within these wrappers will be my dinner tonight and things couldn't be better. But, I can quit games any time I want. What are you gonna do, quit gaming and sell out to the man?
It is, in the same way that Instagram or marihuana are. Idk why "gamers" tend to deny it... maybe because most of them have never consumed/been on a circle of friends that do drugs? It's literally the exact same thing. Most people don't start hitting drugs because "it's popular". They do it because the world that we live is a sh*thole and everyone needs escapism. Some people find that on weed, some people find that on food, some people find that on games. But that's a good thing! Yes, unless you are doing irreversible damage to your body or daily life. Talk to an alcoholic and they won't see their adiction til' they discover that it's ruining their relationships/body. The same applies to gaming. Sitting 24/7, stopping with life "normal" activities only to grind that legendary, consuming mostly sh*tty food because it's easier than cooking (and cooking IRL doesn't actually level up your cooking skill, please fix)... man, that totally sounds like a junkie to me. I used to think that gaming wasn't an addiction until i saw friends of another friends dropping uni because they were gaming, a friend suffered a CVA because he wasn't getting sleep in order to keep playing WoW and some dude from my college (that was pretty ripped back in the day) suffered a heart attack because he barely stepped out of home now that he was living alone. Then i realized that i was doing the same things, to the point that i was more interested on the launch of Classic than spending time with my loved ones, started gaining some wight and dropped some classes because beating Ragnaros was more important than that boring ass exam. It was fun? Yes. I decided to do it? Yes. But every single one of my friends that ended being a drug addict had exactly the same responses as i did. So i tried going to a psycholgist, realized that of course gaming wasn't the problem (my poor career selection and other things were) but it sure was aggravating it. I know it sounds easy to do (i mean getting to that conclusion) but man, every time i was going to break down i just opened discord, logged in WoW and problems dissapeared! Why think about it if i can just forget it. Escapism at its finest. Literally a drug. Why bother if i could just take my mythic syringe and forget about the world around me? Bois, getting some help and accepting that maaaybe you're not nailing it isn't a beta move, is what chads do. I'm really not the type of guy that vent out his life just for fun, but i think this comment may be of help to someone. Time passed and now i'm studying something that i like, working on the off-time, working out on free time and broke up with that harpie and found someone that i love spending my time with (i'm about to move out with her, so gg wp bois). Of course all of this happened in the course of a few years, but man, leaving that "hardcore gamer" period reaaaaally pumped up my life. I even enjoy gaming more than before because i stopped playing everyday as a chore and now i just play... for fun? I know, unbelivable (i still beat the sh*t out of my casual friends on ER/MK/CS/LoL/WoW tho). I'm not saying that you guys should totally stop playing (mostly because that's still an important part of my life) but you don't need to spend that much time on it: most of the time that only ends on burning up your fun ingame (is really a pie something delicius if you eat that and only that all time? 🤔), wasting your oportunities outside of gaming (irl pays for your sub, bozo) and most important than any of those... it waste most of the time that you have to reflect on yourself. Are you really satisfied with your work? With your relationship? Maybe you should apply to a different company or maybe you should dump that girl/boy that is only letting you down. Or maybe it occurs to you the true question that every WoW addict have, in the bottom of their G-fueled hearts: do you really want to pay Blizz another month when playing retail feels like a chore and classic is just a minmax avernus? Hell nah, so i installed Ascension and started Gaming (with moderation ❤).
The only thing stopping me from exiting the goomer lifestyle is the society near me, The people near me devastate me, They see me as an outcast and i see them as monsters.
Computer science student here, where pretty much almost all if not every student plays videogames and also most of them talk only about videogames and neglect the schoolwork until the last day due in college, you have to learn to simply ignore what they say about you and how you are weird. I'm basically an outcast in that enviroment and its hard to accept the fact that it will be like that for my time in college, but i just don't care what they say. I now hit the gym, learned to cook my own meals, developed a good discipline to get my work done and so on. Despite the fact that im an outcast, im a straight A student and soon i will be looking for oportunities to start working in the industry. Now, it may seem crazy how someone who likes technology isn't a goomer, but i simply feel drawn to tecnology and what one can do with this knowledge, you can do much more interesting things that i simply prefer to learn more than to play videogames. Don't get me wrong, i still play videogames, but i barely play on the week, usually less than 3 hours a week and my choice of games were mostly single player games, and some served me well. One recent example would be WRC Generations, basically racing in the woods, where i decided to play in the perspective of the driver, this basically allowed me to lose the fear i had when trying to drive a car in real life. It has worked so well for me. I'd say that you should spend time with different people that don't play games as often or simply don't play, aswell as changing your habits slowly but surely. You got this bro. PD: i learned most of my english thanks to videogames, how did i wrote that gigantic essay?
I think to sum up my goomerism, i was a long time 7-9, a longtime shut-in I was. Around the time I've gotten my first job, that has dropped down... but not significantly. It's down to 4-6. Apart of me enjoys casually and sometimes competitively playing through games for 4-6 hours, doing banter amongst communities, and talking flaws about the gaming industry with friends. The other part enjoys going out and working and helping friends and family, and achieving some goals in my life, sparing little time with games. I still use games as an escapism while appreciating as an art/experience. But at times, it holds me back. Hopefully, my passion for games could lead to doing some work on games or within the video game industry.
I've never completely quit games, like there was never a point in my life where I said "okay, thats enough of that" but I just have increasingly less time to devote to video games. Last game I finished was CP 2077, great game but I only finished it a couple weeks ago. There is a balance you can strike between obsession and just escapism for the odd weekend when you desire to. I am only posting this because it does not need to be an all or nothing thing, like it is with alcoholics.
I’m a solid 8 and this is spot on. I’ve lived a lot in 27 years and leaned on gaming to help me with the other stuff. It’s been a long road but I’m almost there. Sober, reading, job with insurance. Just a little bit introverted and while modern society isn’t helping, we’re getting there. Great video
Great video. I agree with you, but this as a common problem in 1st world countries. No, solution has been found, and no, telling someone "clean your room bucko" or "gaming/gooming isn't good for you" isn't a solution. But, the first step in solving a problem is to identify that problem. As long as society isn't providing the big 3 as you mentioned in the video, community, reward, and fairness. Then people will just revert back to where those things exist even it it's just a simulation. And I'm not saying that someone should come and dig us out of this hole for us. But a plan, solution, or strategy _That actually works_ needs to be devised and applied by the individual or it's pointless.
Nice video Hex, actually learned a bit and Im glad to have listened to it at work. I’m definitely in terms of gaming a 4? However even then in recent years I felt it’s been too much. Life’s changed for me now. For the better thank god. Recently paid off an 8 year long credit card debt. Now I feel like a free unburdened man…so I got Mechanic School and exercising as my focus these days. I’ll still play games but it’s more in line with my favorite shows and series; which is an end of the day thing, a couple hours before I go to bed.
There doesn't seem to be a clear pathway for young people to integrate themselves into the community. The conveyor belt is school -> university -> job, and then the job is often a hollow grind surrounded by people you only superficially form a bond with. When we game it's ironically the same part of our psyche that we use when work or do a job, so the fundamental issue I can see is that our work life is divided from both our community and our soul - it's simply not feeding our humanity. Hard problem to fix in a 7 billion large global society!
I'm an impoverished NEET. I live with my extremely unwell mother in a rotting trailer. I have no friends, no other family, no prospects, no skills, and no hope. What the hell else am I supposed to do with my miserable time besides gooming?
This is a good video. Just wish you would've offered some kind of solutions to this issue. Although I guess everyone's situation is ultimately different, and the first step to solving any problem would be acknowledging that it is a problem in the first place. A lot of what was said here resonates with me. I do spend an unhealthy amount of time playing video games, but I don't particularly feel as though I have many opportunities in life in general. I have virtually no family, I haven't had any IRL friends in over half a decade, I don't feel as though I have much of a purpose in general. Prior to 2020, and the lockdowns started, I had been going to College but had no idea why I was going or for what reason and it mostly just felt like a pointless waste of time and money. And, as you've alluded to in another video, much of what you're being "taught" in schools is tantamount to propaganda and just straight up wrong information. I remember you classifying people who went to school in 3 categories: 1. People who are unquestioning idiots who believe everything they're told without a single question or objection 2. People who know what they're being taught is wrong but who meekly go along with it anyway 3. People who drop out because they're unwilling to conform and go along with false narratives to appease communist professors I fall into category 3.
Gaming is my escapism.....I'm one step above a goomer, Meaning i have a fulltime job and my own place....But thats all thats going for me, Other than that its just gaming all my free time because i cant find a passtime that is as entertaining to me...and im totally affected by the whole stuff you said about caring my avatars more than my own health and everything....Because deep down i've kind of given up on having more out of life. which also stands true with the comment about wanting to be frozen...Damn dude...gotta get my priorities straight...maybe answers and hobbies will come as i start taking care of myself and making my life look more like how i want them to look
Tell me, if you are financialy free with your succesful business which takes you 3-4h a day, then u go to gym 2 times a week, then you play only games with your GF and your friends for the rest 12 hours every day as i do for years now. What is wrong about it? I dont need anymore money i hate to travel, games makes me genuinely happy. People are still hating on me for it, someone explain me what wrong with that.
Really nothing.. in my opinion as long as ppl make enough money to support themselves, then they should be allowed to live anyway they want. I don't get ppl who get mad bc they think someone isn't doing enough in life it's ridiculous
There is another aspect of gooming which I've observed with myself: getting answers to life in the same way a religion would offer answers. You can often find these in any media that has some sort of lore or story, people find comfort in the gods or rules or lore of those worlds in the belief that they would help them overcome their real life problems. There's no shortage of comic book fanboys who legitimately believe their favorite capeshit heroes exist somewhere in the multiverse, or that if they just did 'x' thing really well they'd achieve some extradimensional power. We pretend we don't think this but we know we do.
i'm not even joking when i say that this video may well be the most important message on the internet today. i haven't come across a single other person who has been able to truly explain the phenomenon of "video game addiction". very, very well said.
this video is describing my whole adult life (15 years old > 32 years old). society threw me aside and video games gave me something reality never would or didn't want too. but it has destroyed my life and given me great depression and has broken my body and my spirit. i have no friends. never had a relationship. no job. no purpose. nothing but my games and my small and dirty room. doomed to rotting away.
No matter how good I am at my job, how well it pays, if I have a girlfriend, if I do things IRL, if I go to social events, I always, always, always come back to gooming. I'll die a goomer, happy and proud.
One thing that I've found can help a person identify if they're a goomer or not is simply keep check just how many different games you play in a month (assuming you're unemployed or just have a load of free time). If your list only consists of 3 or 4 games, despite you putting over 6+ hours a day into gaming, there's a good chance you've got some kind of addiction problem. Admittedly this is anecdotal, but I've found with my many gaming friends, the ones who played different games a lot more frequently all had a much easier time of getting out of the goomer space and back into work or education, while my friends who get religiously stuck one or two games either had to work really hard to get out of it, or are still stuck in it. And these are people I've known for 10+ years. I don't really know why this differentiation exists, but my best bet is that people who go through a lot of different games really just treat gaming as a hobby and as a temporary distraction, who are also open to new a different things almost by necessity. It being games is happenstance. A hobby rather than addiction. Comparatively, the people who only play the very few different games are the ones who are truly trapped in the goomer grind; either too scared, depressed or ignorant to realize/accept they're stuck in this infinite loop of inundating mind-numb. And the power of that loop cannot be underestimated. One of my friends has been stuck in loop of World of Warcraft, League of Legends & Team Fight Tactics for about 8-9 years now, and while they've made multiple attempts to get out of it, the moment things start getting messing in their life, they're dragged right back into it; spending upwards of 14 hours a day, everyday, ignoring friends to read manga and play the same game over and over and over again. I'd call it absurd if it wasn't so painfully sad to watch from the outside.
I dont know, for me , i love to have one Main-Game and maybe 2-3 others i play from time to time. Thats why i love MMO's so much. It boils down to what People like, and even if you would play 100 Different Games, in there core there are most likley the same/you do the same stuff in them. I rather stuck with a Game wich Systems i like and i like it as spending time in a Game that is not worth it or i dont like the systems in it. Why i dont play Retail WoW/Eso or other modern MMO's. The Systems in those Games just make People anti Social. And since i want Human Interactions and a living simulated World ((Wich i dont think is a bad thing)) i go to Games wich are actually Art and offer those things i want.
I think the overarching theme in video game misuse/overuse, addiction or "goomerism" is emotional regulation, especially when it comes to predictability of experienced emotions. Video games put you in simplified environments, give you quantified tasks and (usually) guarantee emotional reward for time investment. This is very much unlike the real world, but what's the consequence of this difference? It's that you can (your brain can, your subconscious can, I don't think a lot of people consciously think of this) predict what you're going to experience while playing video games, which is valuable even in the absence of purely positive stimulation from the game. Predictable engaging content gives you the same predictable emotions over and over again, essentially outsourcing your need to regulate your emotions yourself. This is why children like to watch the same movie over and over again, they aren't good at regulating their emotions. This is also why people on the spectrum have fixations and value them very highly, it's not just associated with their ability to regulate emotion, but for some their only way to do it.
The Problem is waht Most people that are Goomers just don't know waht to do because when you Play with your frendis Endles Video Games your all Just don't know waht to do Outsit and believe me i have experience
Don't you guys worry, when the riots spread all over and society breaks down (the little there is), then you will miss digging for copper ore 3 in the morning.
Hi House Hexagon, I don't know if you will ever read this, but if you so happen to, then I just want you to know that I quit gaming entirely about 5 months ago as result of nearly two decades of gradually being unable to moderate my time spent gaming as a whole. It's been a bit of a struggle as of late, and just recently, I have had an incredible urge to get back into gaming which led me to resume watching gaming rated videos again. Somehow, along the way on my nostalgia trip, I stumbled upon your channel. Subsequently I watched your Saints Row restrospectives before ultimately watching this video, and I'll let you know that is exactly the kind of content I needed to see right now. Honestly, there have been many consequences to obsessive gaming that I couldn't quite identify myself that you've simply helped shine a light on, and it's given me a sort of "light bulb" moment. Collectively in your videos, you've provided me a better understanding of why gaming is such an incredibly hard activity to outright quit. So with that all said and done I'm going to continue moving on, and hopefully with a bit less frustration because I do miss gaming very, very much. It's just difficult knowing I cannot default back to that safe place, because gaming will only ever hold me back from achieving my goals in life from here on in. Thanks again. Bye.
I had to laugh when you went "they think it's like crack" 'cause that's very true lol. As someone who went to rehab/mental health institution for basically being a goomer, i hated how many times they would compare my obsession/'addiction' to certain games with cocaine. Best example was when I wanted to give my old steam account to a friend and my therapist literally saying "So if I'm a recovering crack addict, i should give my leftover stash of cocaine to a friend?". It was super absurd. Overall, this video is very well done. My main reason for gaming was the disconnect I often felt with others, and the loneliness that followed because of it. The saddest part about that however, is that virtual gaming made me more socially inept than I was before it. Live is much better now, and for its faults, rehab did make me realise the reality of my situation. That I became a rotting sad sack with anger issues. Life is much better now than it was before, and the one thing I'm very happy I've gained back from it is the enjoyment of hobbies. I'm not sure if I would keep away from gaming forever, but life has more to offer.
This was an amazing video. Its atleast constructive and motivating instead of putting goomers and games down. If only those so called "experts" would have an ounce of your view.
I'm not lying. I just had a dream which revealed this same sort of thing. Play TF2 for that daily grind, Play hoi4 For a more slow paced experience, Now and then play some vr. Its not that I'm video game addicted, but rather I'm living life in video games, and due to that i have no reason to live life, as I have a easier one behind the monitor screen.
At the start of the video i wanna place myself rn on a 7, the reason why i go to games is mainly the reward aspect but an aspect that triggers me "addiction" alot is the ever increasing need producers put in as to "log in" to play, battlepasses, events, fomo items. Due to a combination of point one, socialism and point two rewards, i get trapped in missplacing priorites, because my brain, stupid so, thinks, i dont need sleep, i can get sleep tomorrow but this [Place event here] is only still here for one more day, and if i dont do it that item is gonna be gone forever, even if i dont care about the item, the fomo is so strong i just cant help it.
Don't know if I was addicted or not but when I got a ps2 when I was 4 I played it all the time. I had no supervision and found more comfort in that than going outside so I got hooked. I had very little connection with my parents since they were always angry and were afraid of them. Had a lot of anxiety for people in general and didn't want to go outside. I'm in my mid 20s now and trying to fix a lot of the baggage I have and have been cutting out gaming more since it is a waste of time I feel. And besides it really isn't that fun anymore, it's just a cope.
Today is an remembrance day - Today 6 months ago i tried to end my life. i know, i know very well what you want to tell us. but some people are just hurt so bad they dont want to interact with the world anymore. they literally given up. i´m scared of the time where i´m alone in my head. i cant, i just cant. i need to do stuff in my head or i fall back into a state that is way worse than "video game addiction"
Like the whole thing with boomers saying "Why don't kids go outside" is just funny to me, when you have to deal with a ton of different factors that prevent it or make it a bad idea to actually go outside: 1. The high likelihood of being ran over by an egotistical soccer-mom (that puts a little too much faith in their life to Jesus) or hacks larping blue collar worker driving an SUV. Despite these trucks being hilariously unsafe and bigger than tanks in some scenarios, car companies are pushing those towards the general public because they don't have to deal with as many safety regulations and they're generally cheaper to make despite the higher price. They also are more unsafe to drive. This is before getting to idiots in cities that text and drive, or drunk drivers, and that's not even in big city areas like Boston or New York, where it's 50,000 times more insane and stressful to drive in. 2. The high likelihood (at least in cities) of being shot by a lunatic (Whether they're in a gang or a radicalized lunatic silent kid which society refused to help getting towards the right path doesn't matter, considering the education system in cities is screwed up, and there's next to no support lines for young men). 3. The lack of any public transportation systems that make it easy for one to actually go places (Busses exist, but trains would be way better and more flexible, but is sadly lobbied against by big car companies and oil/gas companies), plus if you live in a rural area, you're basically fucked unless you own a car and constantly deal with inspections. I find it hard to ask friends if they want to hang out, so I have an excuse to go somewhere, because I don't want to come off as a burden. 4. If you are under the age of 18, good luck actually going anywhere without being reported to child protective services or if you have cheapskate parents (I know I had). 5. If you are disabled, especially with neurological conditions like epilepsy, you CAN'T get a license for a car, so you have to rely on others to do so. 6. Gyms can be prohibitively costly or authoritarian (in the case of Planet Fitness), so for some, they're stuck with buying expensive exercise equipment for their home, or going to a playground when it's not busy hours (otherwise, you'll look like a creep). A scary amount of colleges being online only nowadays doesn't help things. As someone who did do online college, it's extremely isolating. But on the topic of games, I cannot stand battle passes, because they actively make games a FOMO slave labor job without any of the fun or steady pacing that came with unlocking stuff in games before GaaS nonsense began.
Besides addiction, the fact that so many games require the constant buying of things in the game itself. All the add on's, must buy to get to next level features.
I absolutely love your takes bro. Please continue putting out this thoughtful and if I do say so.. objectively correct content. Cheers from a 6/10 long time classic wow enjoyer. Ps TBC was peak wow design.
Hi House Hexagon, what a lovely video, really interesting and well thought out position. I've been an addiction counsellor for many years (although I mainly work with drugs). From my experience the one thing you have left out is what a positive thing video game addiction can be. I have seen many heroin addicts 'use' video games as part of a program to give up addiction to hard drugs and they work really well. This is just one positive aspect and there are many others if you look hard enough. It seems very understandable that as you have had a bad experience of game addiction you see it in an only negative light as it has really hurt you. I got the impression that you had done extremely well in your journey away from game addiction, well done :)
The definition of addiction is muddied by different laws in different countries in different time periods and so many different KINDS of addiction. In Germany they were all too fast to jump on the gaming addiction train.. treating it like severe addictive behaviour just because it became popular bashing on tv.. while nowadays the former most popular figure on the topic showing up to all news and Talkshows is shunned and decried as the phony idiot he is.. it is a complex topic and people just found it convenient to “blindly blame games” rather than deeply investigating the complex issues these people face.. Today in majority of cases it is being established that there is no simple gaming addiction but almost always other underlying psychological issues. However there is a severe distinction to be made for gambling. “Video game addiction” is not gambling but it can be. (They also just blindly applied the treatment for gambling to the “gaming addiction” which is a whole other issue…”)
for me, I really want to go out there. although it would be scary for somebody like me, I would still want to see the world. but the most insufferable, unhelpful and overbearing people I have ever seen in real life are just right outside my bedroom door, and I don't feel like dealing with that. I could, but then what would I solve? most people never relent on the fact that they could possibly be incorrect about something, so it feels like arguing with a brick wall. it isn't like your typical "you have disagreements with certain people" but those people would ruin your life in few words, bringing up weaknesses, bringing up past traumas you may have suffered, guilt tripping, manipulating, lying, tricking, etc. and the saddest part is I wasn't lying about that, that is something that happened to me one way or another a thousand times. if ever you freeze up, hesitate, have a lack of words to say, or even look away, you know you lost there. that is why I ran away. while it was ultimately unsuccessful, I did pick up a lot of stuff in the process, both with my own life and what was happening in society. I finally learned the last bits of information needed to form the entire story, one in which I told you above. but at least now they know not to push me anymore after doing that. but they would still cause problems. my thoughts on doing that: eh whatever, it was a thing that happened. and all of that for what? to either go to college or get a job. they wanted me to go to both. I didn't feel like it. why? well, being around the internet enough, you will know exactly why. but I seen how easy it was to get a high school diploma, jimmy the arsonist got one, susie who does mary in the bathroom also got one, the kid who ate glue even got one, and obviously I would get one. and that is why a high school diploma means jack shit in today's world. but it doesn't end there. because after high school is two paths, career or college. but the problem is, you have heavy student loans if you go down the college route, and it isn't a one time payment. and you know people live their entire lives still not having it paid off. also in college, it takes some years to learn whatever depending on what you want, in which time you don't live your best life at all during it, which caused quite a few people to oof themselves during or right after college. career you may not have that, but the average wages from most jobs are downright terrible, which could also demoralize you like college did. chances of getting hired depends entirely on how well connected you are, and not necessarily skill in a particular field. and don't get me started with archaic interviews. also if you live in america or something, you could also be denied for "we need more diversity in our workplace" meaning genders, race/ethnicity, even people's sexual orientation can determine whether or not you get hired. that is why those job application papers always asks you those things. the prospect of both ideas are genuinely terrible, especially if you know you would be doing that until you are old and gray. okay...well all of that sounds not good. what other option is there though? huh? video games? I can be anything?* do anything?* live my own life free of what others expect and want from me?* well obviously sign me up. so yeah I am still here doing that. and I hate myself for it. sure, I don't constantly face the fact that reality kind of sucks and will only get worse, but at the same time my life is depleting. every hour, minute, second I sit here on my computer, even typing this message, I could be out there right now doing something I guess. and so could others I suppose. but you know, I would definitely go out there if I was just asked to. but I never am. and I wasn't since I was 13 years old. it's nearly a decade now. screw my life, I came here in the first place to avoid the constant bullying and harassment I faced in the real world, and now I am here experiencing pretty much the same thing, just with a bit more fun in between. but I suppose my life may not end that differently from if I chose to go out there much earlier, I would still be old and dying regardless of path chosen. but the only bad thing about this path is not doing enough in the real world. but I have a feeling I would have felt that way regardless of which path I chose. chances are, I may not make it to old age at all either so there is that. living my life on possibilities probably isn't a good thing at all, but I thought it was better than deluding myself into thinking that every single thing in my life would just go perfectly. I had to more or less learn everything by myself and then do everything by myself. my school system was beyond incompetent and my parents are worse, for it was always about results rather than progress I could have made. both things always wanted me to show results immediately over literally everything, homework? done immediately. classwork? done immediately. tests? you better know all the correct answers or you are just a failure in life. school memes are really popular and very accurate on how schools are, give or take most situations. oh and they never help you against bullying, which is funny since they ALWAYS make PSAs in the auditorium about anti bullying and anti drug use. so firstly, you have to just absorb all information on the projector screen like some kind of sponge, otherwise you will get no help on the subject barring looking it up (which none of us would really do because it's associated with school and we don't like school) and secondly, you have to deal with any and all cases of bullying by yourself (maybe a friend if you are one of the luckier ones) but the teachers won't do anything until you decide to throw a punch yourself, in which case a week detention to you specifically and not the one who bullied you. now those two things exist in all levels of education, but in high school they talk constantly and I do mean CONSTANTLY about your plans after high school, which is annoying in its self, but then they just give you a piece of paper or two and say "fill it out" or something. and apparently you are somehow supposed to know by that point exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life? you literally have only done what the teachers and the school tells you to do, which is ideal for a factory job and nothing else. you aren't prepared for most fields unless you got lucky, yet somehow everyone is apparently deciding their jobs without any indecisiveness? I am indecisive so I am screwed. and still I got no help other than people brainstorming ideas on what I may or may not like. as if I know how to do that. congratulations, idiots. you can brainstorm. we learned that in first grade or something. granted, I didn't exactly make it easy for them but can you blame me? life to that point has set me up to the fact that if I said too much about myself, that information would then be very much used against me to hurt me. right now, I just don't care anymore. but back then I definitely did care. and all I wanted was to be left a l o n e. so I just said sure to whatever and then never actually went through with anything. if they insist I am like "oh yeah that thing sure whatever, now can you please leave me alone forever? (I didn't say the last part but that is always what I thought when asked about it)" then I went back to playing games on the computer or using my phone to play games. even when they stop me, I still didn't care, I would then just lay on my desk or something. even if they still bother me after that, I just reluctantly go along with it if it means they shut up and leave me alone for once. so that was more or less my senior year summed up. and I loved living life that way. shame it couldn't last. but hey, if it did last then I couldn't suffer like I am suffering right now. so about that decision? I still dunno. yeah society stuff is terrible, jobs pay shite, college traps you for life, politics and war are worse than ever before. and it only gets worse. I will see where I am in some time, but I hope you don't make the same mistake as me. I will gladly take the hit if it means you live your best life. learn. improve. all of that stuff they usually say. you hopefully get the idea. anyways, life story over.
A perfect fifth monitor video to watch while playing my 17th game of league of legends today
This is pathetic honestly 🙄
@@Black25284 oh yea reading a fairytale book is so much more productive :)
@@swoldier7308 better this, than wasting time on toxic game, that you're addicted to. Said person that returns to LoL, and finished with it many times.
@@Embrodseconded
@@Black25284Edge with no point. Cookie cutter.
Holy fuck. Where have you been? We need more of you in these trying times.
www.youtube.com/@AlexHexagon/videos
Well he did say he has an active second channel.
@@solidhyraxIf I remember correctly, he considers this channel the second one. The channel you're referring to is the main one.
@@solidhyrax he doesn't have that many views on eithere of them unfortunately
At first I was reluctant to watch more than 5 minutes of this, but turns out this is a really interesting video. I also find it difficult to play video games nowadays, and it's like I'm trying to compensate for all those years spent on playing them, so I actively avoid them.
Yep same here man. I literally have to force my self to do it. 9/10 times I play for 5min and then im done. I think a big part is the games suck now and a big part was the social aspect but now a days the last thing I want to do is deal with people. Video game is an addiction, alot people turn to drugs afterwards. Addiction is anything you do too much.
Alex, this is a fantastic video. Truthfully, if you never wanted to talk about video games again, this video is a great way to close that door. I've had a lot of these same thoughts, thinking about how much video games I play, noticing when I play more or less than usual and connecting it to the positive and negative factors in life. I completely understand why your content has shifted away from those old game reviews and such, and I understand why you have personally moved away from video games altogether. I halfway expected you to tear gamers apart in this video, but you met them with understanding and sympathy.
It has always frustrated me the way the media acts like video games themselves are the addiction. I realized a long time ago in a depression that I was, and always had, been using games to escape my reality, escape myself. I still fall into this when the world starts to beat me down. It really is as simple as video games giving me the freedom, progression, and opportunities for adventure that real life simply doesn't provide, at least not without significant investment. It really has become such a clown show out there in the material world that I find it hard to even care. I'd rather just let the old goofs in power run this train off the tracks and live in a fake world where rules and balance actually apply. The sad realization will always hit, however, that as fun as it is to exist in a fake world with fake problems and limitless solutions, you always have to return to our cruel world at the end of the night.
He has another channel called Alex Hexagon where he does exactly that. I always felt that they should've been on the main channel anyway. I guess he keeps the vids separate because he's much more controversial & raw in the other channel, with a much higher potential of getting censored for speaking too much truth. He's still funny as hell though.
Keep that tought There is alot more to these "OLD" goofs they run a satanic/luciferian/cabalaa/pedo group called The "system" do The research and find something just something that is real in this world, it Will give you purpose in all fields of life Gl🙏
man this comment hits hard, it is EXACTLY how i feel. kind of a nihilistic state of mind due to being/feeling trapped in real life circumstances that are out of ones grasp
I've been an addict to gaming. Used to get 4 hours of sleep each day for about 8-9 months. This was back in 2013. Played an mmo and couldn't leave. I'm just been gaming here and there to pass time and we'll if I would of had the courage to let go of gaming in 2014 I would be better off. Like I've been wanting to play guitar but I barely know how.
I used to be a goomer, but got bored of vidya, and then found the world of online betting. Now, I am a problem gambler.
Videogames are like vacation. Everyone deserves a break every once in a while but you can’t stay there
I think the big cause is the lack of purpose in young men. I was one of them, and now I find more joy working on projects instead of playing video games. I still sometime play some games once in a while when I'm completely not feeling it, but I have to be careful to not be consumed by it.
its crazy to me that i was makeing videos on cars and games and moto vlogs un till about a month ago i all most got killed buy some guy that hit me on my bike i broke a arm and a hand but i play pc so i had to start using a controler i thoght wow this is nice getting paid and playing games but a week a go i said to my self i miss real life working on cars with my uncle you half to have mix i love games and all ways will im about to by a 4090 and a vr but i also have a car to work on i do want to make gameing vids and hot rod vids to you have to find that sweet spot men are just babys that cant handle the truth or the fact that maybe they should get a job i mean start with even keeping your room clean i dont use sc face book or twitter i use yt and dc i can see past the lies others are beaing told i feel like my brain is just better off that way but this is just me and yes i will say god dose play a big part of life as well
@@mymom1080 yes but that's because you can afford having projects, try working 14 hours a day, then when you have some free time you won't feel like going outside when you see your bank account drain because the auto broke again, so guess what? you will buy a videogame for more cheaper than a car
@@anubaral you have a point i mean think about it to a lot of people out side of games do drugs on stuff so i would rather be on games then get high i see both sides of how it can be a issue
@@mymom1080 games, drugs, alcohol etc is just a way to get something that you can't achieve in any other means, pleasure, the release of dopamine basically
@@anubaral fax thats it
Ingame monetization is making devs focus on an addictive design rather than fun.
This didn't used to be an issue back then unless it was some introverted kid who didn't have much else to do. Nowadays, video games are built like work with grinding, gambling, filler content, levelling up, daily/weekly rewards for playing, etc.
That intro made me laugh.
I find HILARIOUS to have a TV anchor tell you about how kids who spend time playing videogames are "mentally ill".
I never recall them (or anyone) talk about "TV addiction" and god knows GENERATIONS have spend hours and hours on their ass watching passively TV.
The whole idea of videogame addiction always has been a massive con invented by the TV to attack a growing media that is killing them.
Uhh … were you around in the 80s and 90s?
That is _all_ they harped on about when it came to television. “TV is rotting our children’s brains!” is what I vividly remember the most with many news segments talking about how it’s consumed so mindlessly, equating them to zombies when their favorite show was on, unable to “pry them away” (but be sure to tune in to the news every single day for hours on end!). Why do you think late night infomercials were such a big hit? They capitalized on people with insomnia watching TV all night - a problem that many talked about as being the reason insomnia was occurring more often.
When shows like Ren & Stimpy or Beavis and Butt-Head were airing, that’s when it started to really take off. Parents and older generations acted as if was the worst thing to ever air on public television for so many people to watch, calling it out and actively encouraging parents to limit their time watching television due to how many were tuning in to where they considered it addictive behavior - the antics shown on TV were “corrupting them”.
Then reality TV shows hit big in the mid-90s, and it was a full-on assault against shows and many pushing it as “reality TV addiction” due to the ever increasing viewer count when a new episode premiered.
Even MTV used to poke fun of the mentality with their shows that aired. It was all seen as _rotten_ … except for the news, of course. Sound familiar?
I don’t know if you’re young and just wasn’t around to know or remember, or maybe you are over 30 and simply wasn’t paying enough attention, but TV addiction was _definitely_ a thing that was pushed - not only with the news with outrageous headlines and “experts” on the matter, but politicians using it as talking points concerning the youth at times.
edits: words words spelling words
Video game addiction, TV addiction, Movie addiction, Internet addiction, Social media addiction, are all different sides of the same cube.
@konstantinrebrov675 a made up cube from a media trying to demonize another because its taking their market shares.
@jonny_laguna tell me you are a zoomer without telling me that.
You are clearly too young to have been there for that era, but yes "tv addiction" was a thing the mainstream media (paper at the time) used a lot back then to artack that growing new media.
All the comments are enlightening. A lot of people in isolated towns, people who don't get along with their neighbors or family, people who haven't achieved much outside of gaming, don't have any purpose in life. It's a digital ghetto, it's where you go when you have nothing else.
Society doesn't deserve my best. Full stop
but your family or future family or people you love or the ones that love you ...they do deserve your best.
I deserve your best never give up
Only yourself deserve your best
i lost 15 years of my life being a goomer! However, if I lived normally I would still be an ugly short single guy. At least with gaming i was entertained!
Saint John of Shanghai was an ugly short single guy
Am I the only one who's eyes glaze over when he hears the phrase - 'experts say'? I just can't take anything seriously after that. It might as well be replaced with 'stop thinking and let us think for you'. Very Orwellian.
No you're not, always gets on my nerves hearing "experts say this, experts say that..." And just who are these so called "experts" they always keep referring to on a lot of things anyway?
A great video. Change is never easy, but not changing is never good. Time is precious, waste it and one day you'll realise so much of your life has already gone. Having a Steam account loaded up with games you've never played or a console with piles of discs that are still in sealed cases may be a driving factor to some that they will one day get round to playing that game, yet the pile only grows. Sometimes it's better to let things go.
Disagree with some points but, that last bit really touched my pixelated strings. Although the word goomer is very uhhhh unorthodox, this is a perfect video for exposing someone to the fact life isnt about games, and games have been on a decline for the better part of a decade and you stsrt seeing the cracks that show how bad this problem is. People delude themselves so luch they are willing to accept scams in video games and call them fun. Meanwhile im on the verge of just giving up and getting into other hobbies..anyways good video and i hope you get to a million views, doing my part in sharing and i hope you get the exposure because we are reaching the tipping point.
The social isolation in young people can be blamed in many things, but not a lot is said about how connectivity makes us estranged from our local community. When you can talk to people who share every single one of your interests, what's the point of befriending someone in the pub whose only redeeming quality is their taste in beer and ability to play the guitar? Imagine your only prospects for friendship were a fisherman and a lumberjack, well, then you gotta be a little more tolerant, but in today's age, people have the privilege to be a vegetarian or vegan and even worse, be annoying about it.
This is why cancellation became so common, a person can share on every single belief, but the moment they step out of line, oh boy, all those 12 people who don't even share your state get really mad and they'll stir up a lot of shit to change your tone.
Also, it's rather sad that so many game design guidelines made to make games feel fair and rewarding can be seen as tricks to make them more addicting today, but as someone who does game development, it's really not intentional.
27:20
I wouldn't go that far with how you feel regarding the gaming channel. These videos are still challenging and insightful, just using gaming as a leaping off point.
This isn't a gaming channel, it's still you discussing through them.
For me gaming provided an immediate sense of control, safety and progression. It was the perfect world to be consumed by that provided a lot without asking a lot. Real life in comparison felt exhausting, unpredictable and many times scary. I had a stretch of about 15 years where I was fully consumed by gaming and it took a heavy toll on me and the people around me. I wish I could balance it with real life but I've tried so many times now where it feels meaningless to even attempt anymore. Instead of forcing myself into a potentially destructive habit I'm better off looking for things that will improve my overall life and tackle the things that made me escape everything in the first place. I think you make some great points in the video and I'm sure this topic and the debate surrounding it will mature over time as people like you bring new light to it.
You are right. I dream of having a family but waste time on distracting myself. I need to stop this wastefulness and start working on the things that will improve myself
I missed your videos tbh. Glad to see another banger upload.
how you pointed out that video games - unlike real life - are generally fair was kind of mindblowing to me, that has definitely been a huge part (that i never considered until now) as to why video games have been so appealing to me, having grown up poor with the internal shame of it that followed in my teenage years
I had the same thoughts a few years ago and it was the reason why I cannot enjoy MMOs the way I did back in childhood anymore. I spent my youth playing WOW and ignoring reality and now I'm in shit.
But it's ok. Shit's gonna be hard af, but it's never too late to start fixing ur life after all.
I am a goomer who failed to integrate into society. While I still try, I do spend most of my time gooming just to keep myself alive as when I look at reality all I see is failure. I do look forward to the day I can stop gooming, but old age and mental health on a constant decline I will die by the controller.
when you stare into the darkness that is all you will ever see
@@Ask4Thiswhen the light you follow is an angler fish that eats you whole, you learn to avoid all lights that come after.
I gave up trying about 3 years ago. The thought of integration is now revolting to me, the horrors of the world are omnipresent and I just want to be distracted until death. I see no point in contributing to a dying society, mark my words it's fucked beyond repair.
@@profanegunman7586 Honestly, that's how I feel too. I am just surrounded by people who constantly tell me how worthless I am so I want to join society just enough so I can isolate from it.
@@AdachiVsLife OMG this. i have tried to lift myself up out of this hole only to get slapped back down over and over. I look at my friends and family and most have destroyed their minds and bodies trying to get out too no avail. those that have only did so through dumb luck or less then legal methods. When they ask me why I'm such a lazy sack of sh!t i point this out to them and they shut up real quick.
Transferred the “gaming addiction” to a “TH-cam addiction”
Always exited when you drop a video like this because I get the amount of effort it took to make it legit and with fact
Psychologically video game addiction is not an addiction per definition but a behavioural disorder. You can only get addicted to substances that directly manipulate your brain chemistry. Obsessive behaviour that stimulates reward structures in the brain has other causes and physiological pathways and has to be treated differently. That‘s things like shopping addiction, gambling and also obsessive gaming.
Tbh its easier to feel succesful in a game then it is in real life. Makes sense people would go there. Maybe make it easier to be successful in real life. Make it cheaper and easier to get houses, better socialization, less reliant on cars, and etc. But, these are mutli faceted problems that are incredibly complex and have vast organizations who profit off of it. THey like the status quo.
I got out by working my ass of. My difficult job made me grow and I found purpose in life. The truth is, nothing change until you take risks and go out of your confort zone.
I tried that. Quit my high powered job after 2 years and started playing WoW again. Isn't for everybody.
Video games are all I do. I sit in a room with a chair, a cardboard box, and a TV set atop that cardboard box that I play video games on. I am surrounded by various snack/food wrappers that have filled the space around me to such a degree that the floor as well as a good portion of the walls are no longer visible. However, the space between my chair and the TV/video game area allow for a clear line of sight. I need not get up to root around for water as the ol' garden hose sits next to my chair, so I barely need to move at all. The crumbs within these wrappers will be my dinner tonight and things couldn't be better. But, I can quit games any time I want. What are you gonna do, quit gaming and sell out to the man?
Gaming isn't an addiction...its just a way to escape the bullshit of life
Thats why im a tamer not a gamer
@@VildgamirTheDemonSlayer....oh suurrrre it is Hillary...seems like you know the definition quite well...
It is, in the same way that Instagram or marihuana are.
Idk why "gamers" tend to deny it... maybe because most of them have never consumed/been on a circle of friends that do drugs?
It's literally the exact same thing. Most people don't start hitting drugs because "it's popular". They do it because the world that we live is a sh*thole and everyone needs escapism.
Some people find that on weed, some people find that on food, some people find that on games.
But that's a good thing! Yes, unless you are doing irreversible damage to your body or daily life.
Talk to an alcoholic and they won't see their adiction til' they discover that it's ruining their relationships/body. The same applies to gaming.
Sitting 24/7, stopping with life "normal" activities only to grind that legendary, consuming mostly sh*tty food because it's easier than cooking (and cooking IRL doesn't actually level up your cooking skill, please fix)... man, that totally sounds like a junkie to me.
I used to think that gaming wasn't an addiction until i saw friends of another friends dropping uni because they were gaming, a friend suffered a CVA because he wasn't getting sleep in order to keep playing WoW and some dude from my college (that was pretty ripped back in the day) suffered a heart attack because he barely stepped out of home now that he was living alone.
Then i realized that i was doing the same things, to the point that i was more interested on the launch of Classic than spending time with my loved ones, started gaining some wight and dropped some classes because beating Ragnaros was more important than that boring ass exam.
It was fun? Yes. I decided to do it? Yes. But every single one of my friends that ended being a drug addict had exactly the same responses as i did.
So i tried going to a psycholgist, realized that of course gaming wasn't the problem (my poor career selection and other things were) but it sure was aggravating it. I know it sounds easy to do (i mean getting to that conclusion) but man, every time i was going to break down i just opened discord, logged in WoW and problems dissapeared! Why think about it if i can just forget it.
Escapism at its finest. Literally a drug. Why bother if i could just take my mythic syringe and forget about the world around me?
Bois, getting some help and accepting that maaaybe you're not nailing it isn't a beta move, is what chads do.
I'm really not the type of guy that vent out his life just for fun, but i think this comment may be of help to someone.
Time passed and now i'm studying something that i like, working on the off-time, working out on free time and broke up with that harpie and found someone that i love spending my time with (i'm about to move out with her, so gg wp bois). Of course all of this happened in the course of a few years, but man, leaving that "hardcore gamer" period reaaaaally pumped up my life. I even enjoy gaming more than before because i stopped playing everyday as a chore and now i just play... for fun? I know, unbelivable (i still beat the sh*t out of my casual friends on ER/MK/CS/LoL/WoW tho).
I'm not saying that you guys should totally stop playing (mostly because that's still an important part of my life) but you don't need to spend that much time on it: most of the time that only ends on burning up your fun ingame (is really a pie something delicius if you eat that and only that all time? 🤔), wasting your oportunities outside of gaming (irl pays for your sub, bozo) and most important than any of those... it waste most of the time that you have to reflect on yourself.
Are you really satisfied with your work? With your relationship? Maybe you should apply to a different company or maybe you should dump that girl/boy that is only letting you down.
Or maybe it occurs to you the true question that every WoW addict have, in the bottom of their G-fueled hearts: do you really want to pay Blizz another month when playing retail feels like a chore and classic is just a minmax avernus?
Hell nah, so i installed Ascension and started Gaming (with moderation ❤).
... just like.. drugs?
@sandpiper9288 They're not though. Y'all are confusing "I enjoy this and I'm passionate about it" with "this is an addiction".
*Linux*, addiction to "Open Source" video games would be healthier?🐧
?
I love how your accent when saying fairness is so thick, that the last youtube chapter just has "furnace" written there.
The only thing stopping me from exiting the goomer lifestyle is the society near me, The people near me devastate me, They see me as an outcast and i see them as monsters.
Dumb excuse x2
Excuses.
Computer science student here, where pretty much almost all if not every student plays videogames and also most of them talk only about videogames and neglect the schoolwork until the last day due in college, you have to learn to simply ignore what they say about you and how you are weird.
I'm basically an outcast in that enviroment and its hard to accept the fact that it will be like that for my time in college, but i just don't care what they say.
I now hit the gym, learned to cook my own meals, developed a good discipline to get my work done and so on. Despite the fact that im an outcast, im a straight A student and soon i will be looking for oportunities to start working in the industry.
Now, it may seem crazy how someone who likes technology isn't a goomer, but i simply feel drawn to tecnology and what one can do with this knowledge, you can do much more interesting things that i simply prefer to learn more than to play videogames.
Don't get me wrong, i still play videogames, but i barely play on the week, usually less than 3 hours a week and my choice of games were mostly single player games, and some served me well. One recent example would be WRC Generations, basically racing in the woods, where i decided to play in the perspective of the driver, this basically allowed me to lose the fear i had when trying to drive a car in real life. It has worked so well for me.
I'd say that you should spend time with different people that don't play games as often or simply don't play, aswell as changing your habits slowly but surely. You got this bro.
PD: i learned most of my english thanks to videogames, how did i wrote that gigantic essay?
Anything in excess is an addiction. Speaking from experience as someone who has played games for well over 35+ years.
I think to sum up my goomerism, i was a long time 7-9, a longtime shut-in I was. Around the time I've gotten my first job, that has dropped down... but not significantly. It's down to 4-6. Apart of me enjoys casually and sometimes competitively playing through games for 4-6 hours, doing banter amongst communities, and talking flaws about the gaming industry with friends. The other part enjoys going out and working and helping friends and family, and achieving some goals in my life, sparing little time with games.
I still use games as an escapism while appreciating as an art/experience. But at times, it holds me back. Hopefully, my passion for games could lead to doing some work on games or within the video game industry.
I've never completely quit games, like there was never a point in my life where I said "okay, thats enough of that" but I just have increasingly less time to devote to video games. Last game I finished was CP 2077, great game but I only finished it a couple weeks ago.
There is a balance you can strike between obsession and just escapism for the odd weekend when you desire to. I am only posting this because it does not need to be an all or nothing thing, like it is with alcoholics.
A powerful and moving video. I only wish you made more. Thank you.
Combine this with porn addiction and we have a completely lost generation. BTW its happening and may be broken beyond repair
No 🐱 no work
Maybe not lost, but damaged. It's not just one generation either. Millenials and Gen Z are both in this situation.
Gooned goomers
They'll come after gaming addiction but they won't go after social media addiction. The key is in the demographics
I’m a solid 8 and this is spot on. I’ve lived a lot in 27 years and leaned on gaming to help me with the other stuff. It’s been a long road but I’m almost there. Sober, reading, job with insurance. Just a little bit introverted and while modern society isn’t helping, we’re getting there. Great video
Hope life has bin treating you well lately
Great video. I agree with you, but this as a common problem in 1st world countries. No, solution has been found, and no, telling someone "clean your room bucko" or "gaming/gooming isn't good for you" isn't a solution. But, the first step in solving a problem is to identify that problem. As long as society isn't providing the big 3 as you mentioned in the video, community, reward, and fairness. Then people will just revert back to where those things exist even it it's just a simulation.
And I'm not saying that someone should come and dig us out of this hole for us. But a plan, solution, or strategy _That actually works_ needs to be devised and applied by the individual or it's pointless.
Nice video Hex, actually learned a bit and Im glad to have listened to it at work.
I’m definitely in terms of gaming a 4? However even then in recent years I felt it’s been too much. Life’s changed for me now. For the better thank god.
Recently paid off an 8 year long credit card debt.
Now I feel like a free unburdened man…so I got Mechanic School and exercising as my focus these days.
I’ll still play games but it’s more in line with my favorite shows and series; which is an end of the day thing, a couple hours before I go to bed.
I had no idea I was watching House Hexagon until you told me I was lol.
Hopefully, this gets more people onto your real life channel.
There doesn't seem to be a clear pathway for young people to integrate themselves into the community. The conveyor belt is school -> university -> job, and then the job is often a hollow grind surrounded by people you only superficially form a bond with. When we game it's ironically the same part of our psyche that we use when work or do a job, so the fundamental issue I can see is that our work life is divided from both our community and our soul - it's simply not feeding our humanity. Hard problem to fix in a 7 billion large global society!
For a second I thought the title said GOONER, and I was expecting a completely different topic 😂
I'm an impoverished NEET. I live with my extremely unwell mother in a rotting trailer. I have no friends, no other family, no prospects, no skills, and no hope. What the hell else am I supposed to do with my miserable time besides gooming?
This is a good video. Just wish you would've offered some kind of solutions to this issue. Although I guess everyone's situation is ultimately different, and the first step to solving any problem would be acknowledging that it is a problem in the first place.
A lot of what was said here resonates with me. I do spend an unhealthy amount of time playing video games, but I don't particularly feel as though I have many opportunities in life in general. I have virtually no family, I haven't had any IRL friends in over half a decade, I don't feel as though I have much of a purpose in general.
Prior to 2020, and the lockdowns started, I had been going to College but had no idea why I was going or for what reason and it mostly just felt like a pointless waste of time and money. And, as you've alluded to in another video, much of what you're being "taught" in schools is tantamount to propaganda and just straight up wrong information. I remember you classifying people who went to school in 3 categories:
1. People who are unquestioning idiots who believe everything they're told without a single question or objection
2. People who know what they're being taught is wrong but who meekly go along with it anyway
3. People who drop out because they're unwilling to conform and go along with false narratives to appease communist professors
I fall into category 3.
Gaming is my escapism.....I'm one step above a goomer, Meaning i have a fulltime job and my own place....But thats all thats going for me, Other than that its just gaming all my free time because i cant find a passtime that is as entertaining to me...and im totally affected by the whole stuff you said about caring my avatars more than my own health and everything....Because deep down i've kind of given up on having more out of life. which also stands true with the comment about wanting to be frozen...Damn dude...gotta get my priorities straight...maybe answers and hobbies will come as i start taking care of myself and making my life look more like how i want them to look
As a goomer in his lot, level 7 boiiiiiii. this seems a long winded way to say you're not planning on doing more content on this channel
Tell me, if you are financialy free with your succesful business which takes you 3-4h a day, then u go to gym 2 times a week, then you play only games with your GF and your friends for the rest 12 hours every day as i do for years now. What is wrong about it? I dont need anymore money i hate to travel, games makes me genuinely happy. People are still hating on me for it, someone explain me what wrong with that.
Really nothing.. in my opinion as long as ppl make enough money to support themselves, then they should be allowed to live anyway they want. I don't get ppl who get mad bc they think someone isn't doing enough in life it's ridiculous
I really thought this was from Alex Hexagon lol. You're right this is the gaming content channel after all
There is another aspect of gooming which I've observed with myself: getting answers to life in the same way a religion would offer answers. You can often find these in any media that has some sort of lore or story, people find comfort in the gods or rules or lore of those worlds in the belief that they would help them overcome their real life problems. There's no shortage of comic book fanboys who legitimately believe their favorite capeshit heroes exist somewhere in the multiverse, or that if they just did 'x' thing really well they'd achieve some extradimensional power. We pretend we don't think this but we know we do.
Good video. Hits a bit too close to home. I wonder what the reaction would be like if Asmongold watched this one on his stream.
i'm not even joking when i say that this video may well be the most important message on the internet today. i haven't come across a single other person who has been able to truly explain the phenomenon of "video game addiction". very, very well said.
this video is describing my whole adult life (15 years old > 32 years old). society threw me aside and video games gave me something reality never would or didn't want too.
but it has destroyed my life and given me great depression and has broken my body and my spirit. i have no friends. never had a relationship. no job. no purpose. nothing but my games and my small and dirty room. doomed to rotting away.
surprised you never brought up VRChat, that seemed especially relevant during the community bit cause I know people who are terminally addicted to it
This was a fantastic video, well articulating what I have been feeling, yet keeping from my conscious thoughts for a while now. Thank you.
As of late, I've been watching videos about video games more than playing them.
No matter how good I am at my job, how well it pays, if I have a girlfriend, if I do things IRL, if I go to social events, I always, always, always come back to gooming.
I'll die a goomer, happy and proud.
One thing that I've found can help a person identify if they're a goomer or not is simply keep check just how many different games you play in a month (assuming you're unemployed or just have a load of free time). If your list only consists of 3 or 4 games, despite you putting over 6+ hours a day into gaming, there's a good chance you've got some kind of addiction problem. Admittedly this is anecdotal, but I've found with my many gaming friends, the ones who played different games a lot more frequently all had a much easier time of getting out of the goomer space and back into work or education, while my friends who get religiously stuck one or two games either had to work really hard to get out of it, or are still stuck in it. And these are people I've known for 10+ years.
I don't really know why this differentiation exists, but my best bet is that people who go through a lot of different games really just treat gaming as a hobby and as a temporary distraction, who are also open to new a different things almost by necessity. It being games is happenstance. A hobby rather than addiction. Comparatively, the people who only play the very few different games are the ones who are truly trapped in the goomer grind; either too scared, depressed or ignorant to realize/accept they're stuck in this infinite loop of inundating mind-numb. And the power of that loop cannot be underestimated. One of my friends has been stuck in loop of World of Warcraft, League of Legends & Team Fight Tactics for about 8-9 years now, and while they've made multiple attempts to get out of it, the moment things start getting messing in their life, they're dragged right back into it; spending upwards of 14 hours a day, everyday, ignoring friends to read manga and play the same game over and over and over again. I'd call it absurd if it wasn't so painfully sad to watch from the outside.
I dont know, for me , i love to have one Main-Game and maybe 2-3 others i play from time to time. Thats why i love MMO's so much. It boils down to what People like, and even if you would play 100 Different Games, in there core there are most likley the same/you do the same stuff in them.
I rather stuck with a Game wich Systems i like and i like it as spending time in a Game that is not worth it or i dont like the systems in it. Why i dont play Retail WoW/Eso or other modern MMO's. The Systems in those Games just make People anti Social. And since i want Human Interactions and a living simulated World ((Wich i dont think is a bad thing)) i go to Games wich are actually Art and offer those things i want.
This is the most accurate "gaming addiction" video I have ever watched. You get it.
I HATE SELF IMPROVEMENT I WANT TO WALLOW IN MY MISERY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!4!4!!!
In doom we GOOM
Nice watch man thanks ;]
I think the overarching theme in video game misuse/overuse, addiction or "goomerism" is emotional regulation, especially when it comes to predictability of experienced emotions. Video games put you in simplified environments, give you quantified tasks and (usually) guarantee emotional reward for time investment. This is very much unlike the real world, but what's the consequence of this difference? It's that you can (your brain can, your subconscious can, I don't think a lot of people consciously think of this) predict what you're going to experience while playing video games, which is valuable even in the absence of purely positive stimulation from the game. Predictable engaging content gives you the same predictable emotions over and over again, essentially outsourcing your need to regulate your emotions yourself. This is why children like to watch the same movie over and over again, they aren't good at regulating their emotions. This is also why people on the spectrum have fixations and value them very highly, it's not just associated with their ability to regulate emotion, but for some their only way to do it.
Insightful as always
The Problem is waht Most people that are Goomers just don't know waht to do because when you Play with your frendis Endles Video Games your all Just don't know waht to do Outsit and believe me i have experience
Don't you guys worry, when the riots spread all over and society breaks down (the little there is), then you will miss digging for copper ore 3 in the morning.
He returned he returned great man keep It up
Hi House Hexagon,
I don't know if you will ever read this, but if you so happen to, then I just want you to know that I quit gaming entirely about 5 months ago as result of nearly two decades of gradually being unable to moderate my time spent gaming as a whole.
It's been a bit of a struggle as of late, and just recently, I have had an incredible urge to get back into gaming which led me to resume watching gaming rated videos again. Somehow, along the way on my nostalgia trip, I stumbled upon your channel. Subsequently I watched your Saints Row restrospectives before ultimately watching this video, and I'll let you know that is exactly the kind of content I needed to see right now. Honestly, there have been many consequences to obsessive gaming that I couldn't quite identify myself that you've simply helped shine a light on, and it's given me a sort of "light bulb" moment.
Collectively in your videos, you've provided me a better understanding of why gaming is such an incredibly hard activity to outright quit. So with that all said and done I'm going to continue moving on, and hopefully with a bit less frustration because I do miss gaming very, very much. It's just difficult knowing I cannot default back to that safe place, because gaming will only ever hold me back from achieving my goals in life from here on in.
Thanks again. Bye.
The perfect follow up video to this would be to talk about Peter Pan syndrome.
I had to laugh when you went "they think it's like crack" 'cause that's very true lol. As someone who went to rehab/mental health institution for basically being a goomer, i hated how many times they would compare my obsession/'addiction' to certain games with cocaine. Best example was when I wanted to give my old steam account to a friend and my therapist literally saying "So if I'm a recovering crack addict, i should give my leftover stash of cocaine to a friend?". It was super absurd.
Overall, this video is very well done. My main reason for gaming was the disconnect I often felt with others, and the loneliness that followed because of it. The saddest part about that however, is that virtual gaming made me more socially inept than I was before it. Live is much better now, and for its faults, rehab did make me realise the reality of my situation. That I became a rotting sad sack with anger issues. Life is much better now than it was before, and the one thing I'm very happy I've gained back from it is the enjoyment of hobbies. I'm not sure if I would keep away from gaming forever, but life has more to offer.
This was an amazing video. Its atleast constructive and motivating instead of putting goomers and games down. If only those so called "experts" would have an ounce of your view.
Even as someone acutely aware of this reality described in this video, seeing it worded so eloquently was brilliant! Have a like and sub!
why do i feel the takeaway is "find fulfillment by evolving from a goomer to a youtoober"
Damn
*Without meaningful activities in life, we will always find easy pleasures to fill the void.*
Speaking of video games, nice outro music, always liked Dead Rising myself
I'm not lying. I just had a dream which revealed this same sort of thing. Play TF2 for that daily grind, Play hoi4 For a more slow paced experience, Now and then play some vr. Its not that I'm video game addicted, but rather I'm living life in video games, and due to that i have no reason to live life, as I have a easier one behind the monitor screen.
22:56 "I use Arch btw"
At the start of the video i wanna place myself rn on a 7, the reason why i go to games is mainly the reward aspect but an aspect that triggers me "addiction" alot is the ever increasing need producers put in as to "log in" to play, battlepasses, events, fomo items. Due to a combination of point one, socialism and point two rewards, i get trapped in missplacing priorites, because my brain, stupid so, thinks, i dont need sleep, i can get sleep tomorrow but this [Place event here] is only still here for one more day, and if i dont do it that item is gonna be gone forever, even if i dont care about the item, the fomo is so strong i just cant help it.
A key moment I still remember was the first time I lied to not have to do homework so I could go back to playing a game.
Don't know if I was addicted or not but when I got a ps2 when I was 4 I played it all the time. I had no supervision and found more comfort in that than going outside so I got hooked. I had very little connection with my parents since they were always angry and were afraid of them. Had a lot of anxiety for people in general and didn't want to go outside. I'm in my mid 20s now and trying to fix a lot of the baggage I have and have been cutting out gaming more since it is a waste of time I feel. And besides it really isn't that fun anymore, it's just a cope.
Today is an remembrance day - Today 6 months ago i tried to end my life.
i know, i know very well what you want to tell us.
but some people are just hurt so bad they dont want to interact with the world anymore. they literally given up.
i´m scared of the time where i´m alone in my head. i cant, i just cant. i need to do stuff in my head or i fall back into a state that is way worse than "video game addiction"
The fairness part doesnt apply to any pay to win or gatcha games, games that draw the most gaming addicts cause the similarity to gambling
Like the whole thing with boomers saying "Why don't kids go outside" is just funny to me, when you have to deal with a ton of different factors that prevent it or make it a bad idea to actually go outside:
1. The high likelihood of being ran over by an egotistical soccer-mom (that puts a little too much faith in their life to Jesus) or hacks larping blue collar worker driving an SUV. Despite these trucks being hilariously unsafe and bigger than tanks in some scenarios, car companies are pushing those towards the general public because they don't have to deal with as many safety regulations and they're generally cheaper to make despite the higher price. They also are more unsafe to drive. This is before getting to idiots in cities that text and drive, or drunk drivers, and that's not even in big city areas like Boston or New York, where it's 50,000 times more insane and stressful to drive in.
2. The high likelihood (at least in cities) of being shot by a lunatic (Whether they're in a gang or a radicalized lunatic silent kid which society refused to help getting towards the right path doesn't matter, considering the education system in cities is screwed up, and there's next to no support lines for young men).
3. The lack of any public transportation systems that make it easy for one to actually go places (Busses exist, but trains would be way better and more flexible, but is sadly lobbied against by big car companies and oil/gas companies), plus if you live in a rural area, you're basically fucked unless you own a car and constantly deal with inspections. I find it hard to ask friends if they want to hang out, so I have an excuse to go somewhere, because I don't want to come off as a burden.
4. If you are under the age of 18, good luck actually going anywhere without being reported to child protective services or if you have cheapskate parents (I know I had).
5. If you are disabled, especially with neurological conditions like epilepsy, you CAN'T get a license for a car, so you have to rely on others to do so.
6. Gyms can be prohibitively costly or authoritarian (in the case of Planet Fitness), so for some, they're stuck with buying expensive exercise equipment for their home, or going to a playground when it's not busy hours (otherwise, you'll look like a creep).
A scary amount of colleges being online only nowadays doesn't help things. As someone who did do online college, it's extremely isolating. But on the topic of games, I cannot stand battle passes, because they actively make games a FOMO slave labor job without any of the fun or steady pacing that came with unlocking stuff in games before GaaS nonsense began.
Sounds like someone is either too poor to afford a car or failed their driver license too many times to count so this is their way of copium.
@@headshotmaster138op can add apathic people to the list
@@RankaZer0 He could've but he didn't. I wonder why.
Besides addiction, the fact that so many games require the constant buying of things in the game itself. All the add on's, must buy to get to next level features.
The foreshadowing that his guild name was "MINT" 6:40
It’s good to see a video from you my boy.
Great video! Brb though 8 more levels until I hit 70 on my hunter.
gotta say this is one of the most insightful vid made on the subject. 👍
Nice to see another video from you.
I absolutely love your takes bro. Please continue putting out this thoughtful and if I do say so.. objectively correct content.
Cheers from a 6/10 long time classic wow enjoyer. Ps TBC was peak wow design.
Nice video. You make some good points.
great video, very eye opening
Hi House Hexagon, what a lovely video, really interesting and well thought out position. I've been an addiction counsellor for many years (although I mainly work with drugs). From my experience the one thing you have left out is what a positive thing video game addiction can be. I have seen many heroin addicts 'use' video games as part of a program to give up addiction to hard drugs and they work really well. This is just one positive aspect and there are many others if you look hard enough. It seems very understandable that as you have had a bad experience of game addiction you see it in an only negative light as it has really hurt you. I got the impression that you had done extremely well in your journey away from game addiction, well done :)
The definition of addiction is muddied by different laws in different countries in different time periods and so many different KINDS of addiction. In Germany they were all too fast to jump on the gaming addiction train.. treating it like severe addictive behaviour just because it became popular bashing on tv.. while nowadays the former most popular figure on the topic showing up to all news and Talkshows is shunned and decried as the phony idiot he is.. it is a complex topic and people just found it convenient to “blindly blame games” rather than deeply investigating the complex issues these people face.. Today in majority of cases it is being established that there is no simple gaming addiction but almost always other underlying psychological issues. However there is a severe distinction to be made for gambling. “Video game addiction” is not gambling but it can be. (They also just blindly applied the treatment for gambling to the “gaming addiction” which is a whole other issue…”)
Proud ex goomer,now if only i can get off the internet entirely
That Willamete music from Dead Rising in the beginning is bringing back so much nostalgia
for me, I really want to go out there. although it would be scary for somebody like me, I would still want to see the world. but the most insufferable, unhelpful and overbearing people I have ever seen in real life are just right outside my bedroom door, and I don't feel like dealing with that. I could, but then what would I solve? most people never relent on the fact that they could possibly be incorrect about something, so it feels like arguing with a brick wall. it isn't like your typical "you have disagreements with certain people" but those people would ruin your life in few words, bringing up weaknesses, bringing up past traumas you may have suffered, guilt tripping, manipulating, lying, tricking, etc. and the saddest part is I wasn't lying about that, that is something that happened to me one way or another a thousand times. if ever you freeze up, hesitate, have a lack of words to say, or even look away, you know you lost there. that is why I ran away. while it was ultimately unsuccessful, I did pick up a lot of stuff in the process, both with my own life and what was happening in society. I finally learned the last bits of information needed to form the entire story, one in which I told you above. but at least now they know not to push me anymore after doing that. but they would still cause problems. my thoughts on doing that: eh whatever, it was a thing that happened.
and all of that for what? to either go to college or get a job. they wanted me to go to both. I didn't feel like it. why? well, being around the internet enough, you will know exactly why. but I seen how easy it was to get a high school diploma, jimmy the arsonist got one, susie who does mary in the bathroom also got one, the kid who ate glue even got one, and obviously I would get one. and that is why a high school diploma means jack shit in today's world. but it doesn't end there. because after high school is two paths, career or college. but the problem is, you have heavy student loans if you go down the college route, and it isn't a one time payment. and you know people live their entire lives still not having it paid off. also in college, it takes some years to learn whatever depending on what you want, in which time you don't live your best life at all during it, which caused quite a few people to oof themselves during or right after college. career you may not have that, but the average wages from most jobs are downright terrible, which could also demoralize you like college did. chances of getting hired depends entirely on how well connected you are, and not necessarily skill in a particular field. and don't get me started with archaic interviews. also if you live in america or something, you could also be denied for "we need more diversity in our workplace" meaning genders, race/ethnicity, even people's sexual orientation can determine whether or not you get hired. that is why those job application papers always asks you those things. the prospect of both ideas are genuinely terrible, especially if you know you would be doing that until you are old and gray.
okay...well all of that sounds not good. what other option is there though? huh? video games? I can be anything?* do anything?* live my own life free of what others expect and want from me?* well obviously sign me up. so yeah I am still here doing that. and I hate myself for it. sure, I don't constantly face the fact that reality kind of sucks and will only get worse, but at the same time my life is depleting. every hour, minute, second I sit here on my computer, even typing this message, I could be out there right now doing something I guess. and so could others I suppose. but you know, I would definitely go out there if I was just asked to. but I never am. and I wasn't since I was 13 years old. it's nearly a decade now. screw my life, I came here in the first place to avoid the constant bullying and harassment I faced in the real world, and now I am here experiencing pretty much the same thing, just with a bit more fun in between. but I suppose my life may not end that differently from if I chose to go out there much earlier, I would still be old and dying regardless of path chosen. but the only bad thing about this path is not doing enough in the real world. but I have a feeling I would have felt that way regardless of which path I chose. chances are, I may not make it to old age at all either so there is that. living my life on possibilities probably isn't a good thing at all, but I thought it was better than deluding myself into thinking that every single thing in my life would just go perfectly.
I had to more or less learn everything by myself and then do everything by myself. my school system was beyond incompetent and my parents are worse, for it was always about results rather than progress I could have made. both things always wanted me to show results immediately over literally everything, homework? done immediately. classwork? done immediately. tests? you better know all the correct answers or you are just a failure in life. school memes are really popular and very accurate on how schools are, give or take most situations. oh and they never help you against bullying, which is funny since they ALWAYS make PSAs in the auditorium about anti bullying and anti drug use. so firstly, you have to just absorb all information on the projector screen like some kind of sponge, otherwise you will get no help on the subject barring looking it up (which none of us would really do because it's associated with school and we don't like school) and secondly, you have to deal with any and all cases of bullying by yourself (maybe a friend if you are one of the luckier ones) but the teachers won't do anything until you decide to throw a punch yourself, in which case a week detention to you specifically and not the one who bullied you. now those two things exist in all levels of education, but in high school they talk constantly and I do mean CONSTANTLY about your plans after high school, which is annoying in its self, but then they just give you a piece of paper or two and say "fill it out" or something. and apparently you are somehow supposed to know by that point exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life? you literally have only done what the teachers and the school tells you to do, which is ideal for a factory job and nothing else. you aren't prepared for most fields unless you got lucky, yet somehow everyone is apparently deciding their jobs without any indecisiveness? I am indecisive so I am screwed.
and still I got no help other than people brainstorming ideas on what I may or may not like. as if I know how to do that. congratulations, idiots. you can brainstorm. we learned that in first grade or something. granted, I didn't exactly make it easy for them but can you blame me? life to that point has set me up to the fact that if I said too much about myself, that information would then be very much used against me to hurt me. right now, I just don't care anymore. but back then I definitely did care. and all I wanted was to be left a l o n e. so I just said sure to whatever and then never actually went through with anything. if they insist I am like "oh yeah that thing sure whatever, now can you please leave me alone forever? (I didn't say the last part but that is always what I thought when asked about it)" then I went back to playing games on the computer or using my phone to play games. even when they stop me, I still didn't care, I would then just lay on my desk or something. even if they still bother me after that, I just reluctantly go along with it if it means they shut up and leave me alone for once. so that was more or less my senior year summed up. and I loved living life that way. shame it couldn't last. but hey, if it did last then I couldn't suffer like I am suffering right now. so about that decision? I still dunno. yeah society stuff is terrible, jobs pay shite, college traps you for life, politics and war are worse than ever before. and it only gets worse. I will see where I am in some time, but I hope you don't make the same mistake as me. I will gladly take the hit if it means you live your best life. learn. improve. all of that stuff they usually say. you hopefully get the idea. anyways, life story over.