Getting rid of social media (besides TH-cam) and stopping my streaming subscriptions has helped me out a lot. Not being fed my interests via algorithms has made me have more of my own identity again.
You pointed out something that really made me think just now. It never occurred to me how little effort I actually put in to browsing the web/youtube anymore; pretty much everything is put in front of my because of an algorithm. I'm barely on any social media but youtube is something I use a lot, so you've given me something to be more aware of.
@Tehstampede you can actually ask TH-cam to stop giving you " recommendations " which is the algorithm by the way. I did it . Much better now. So I just get videos from the few youtubers I like but that's it. Nothing more.
I would recommend you to get the Unhooked browser extension if you want to reduce the things that an algorithm recommends you, since it allows you to completely remove recommendations from TH-cam.
As a kid, doing something that was a 4/10 felt good because it was a lot better than just staring at a wall. For example, you'd get a questionable game for christmas, and you'd play it anyway. Because what else were you going to do, play one of the small handful of games you own that you've already played to death? Or watch one of the handful of movies you'd already seen 10 times each? Nowadays, things are mostly a 6 or 7 out of 10, and there's a ton to choose from in all mediums. The real task now is choosing the 8s 9s and 10s in the mediums that are most engaging to you, and learning to be ok with not experiencing everything
I heard that. 15 years ago when I started my career as a drum teacher, it was SO MUCH easier to get students to practice since, as you said, learning something (which can be, in the beginning, a 4/10) is still more interesting than MOST things that were available at that time. Now everything is maybe not necessarily 7/10 or 8/10 but rather EASIER To access and EASIER to get to a contentment state, it is MUCH harder for me to get students to practice. I have had to really grow with the times on this and develop methods that help them practice with enjoyment and efficiently so it doesnt feel like such a time commitment. Definitely not as good as practice I would assign from 10-15 years ago but DEFINITELY worth since, without it, they wouldnt practice at all!
I implemented a "If I'm not having fun, stop playing" rule not long ago, and because of it I've basically quit playing all multiplayer games besides coop stuff like Helldivers. It's honestly insane just how NOT fun competitive multiplayer games are. I can't tell if games changed or if I have, but I'm just not enjoying these things anymore.
Trying to stay present in what you are currently doing is so important when it comes to not letting distractions get the best of you. If your so focused on what others are telling you to watch and play (in the world of Film and Games) your never going to enjoy what you’re currently watching or playing. You’re going to be focused on burning through as much content as you can to get to the next big recommendation. And the worst thing is you won’t even enjoy the experience because you’re constantly thinking about what’s next. I know this because it’s something I struggle with.
I highly recommend an incredible psychology book called "The Confidence Gap: A Guide to Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt" by Russ Harris which aims to help people with self-confidence issues and there is one chapter in particular that adresses mindfulness and focus! This chapter provides some methods to help you overcome all the background noise both exterior and inside your mind that distracts you from engaging with the moment.
Past two weeks I have deleted social media (youtube is the exception), stop playing most multiplayer games that have kept me on that endless "treadmill" that you mentioned in the video, and I don't even listen to music anymore when on transit. I've decided I need to stop living with constant distraction as I've come to realize that I don't think I even know myself anymore.
A few years ago, I went through the same journey of culling distractions and getting off social media. My phone is set up so that my work and personal apps and emails are separate. Mostly just playing games I find fun and most of them are single player but I still play multiplayer games when my friends want to or think it will be enjoyable.
The reason these youtubers show old game footage on these kinds of videos is not just because they represent youth and a simpler time, but also because we know these games inside-out, we're familiar with them and we associate them with our own culture and personal lives. That's my opinion. Something about games we grew up with makes us feel at home.
I find it crazy that I've worked at a time where youd be praised for minimizing the things distracting you in favour of focusing on delivering value and now that's completely changed
I'm still looking for a general solution too, but in terms of gaming i've mostly stopped playing these high demand hamster weel esque games (been playing lots of modern comp fps that put the though of "fun time is lost time becuase i could've played ranked" in my head for years). It stressed me out to the point that i wasn't playing them for fun but just because getting a higher rank was my task. Then, lately, i started playing games like Ready or Not and modded realism Ghost Recon and wow i had fun playing games again. Doing it "tactical" and "realistic" was so much ´more fun than trying to do it as fast as possible. Also ignoring "progress" and focusing on completing the level instead of seeing it as a way to get more XP was really taking a weight off me. At this point i don't really want to go back to keep this enjoyment as long as i can.
I like your content. You seem really tuned in. People need to hear this. You are correct, games are weighted to keep players engaged by the same folks that make slot machines and social media applications. All focused on the dopamine hook. IMO most of the shows and movie's these days suck, and I loathe social media. I still like my Halo, but even that needs it's breaks. Halo will always have that strategy aspect to it for an "FPS" game. Hope they can keep it alive. Technology will eventually consume us. Sadly, I don't think there is any way around that. We have crossed some serious, major thresholds. I won't get into that. I try and keep daily routines like meditation, Tai-Chi, and some from of exercise in. When working from home I turn off all notifications. I personally think people were more productive in smaller office and team settings with a good leader. But I'm old school, what do I know. My flow state is always late at night. But it's been like that for decades. I think it's also because everyone has gone to bed, or are winding down etc. Then I thrive. The older I get, the more I like my space. Feeling like I need the tech detox, time away in nature with no tech is the best thing one can do. Takes like a minimum of 4 days.Thanks for the content, sorry for rambling. One (maybe stupid) question for you, what game is that? LOL. I could probably look it up or something. It looks less sweaty and more relaxing. looking forward to Metal Gear! PS: found the game.
I really feel you on playing mp shooter games. I've tried to step back on spinning my wheels on live series mp games because at then end of the day what memories have I made with the game. Just playing to grind a battle pass isn't why I game.
Absolutely agree. I had the same thought some time ago. I don't remember any League of Legends game I played back in the day. And I played a lot of them. But I know how Read Dead Redemption 2 made me feel at the end. And that feeling is still with me today.
dude im already there. my ex used to tell me I used to spring up from bed like i heard a fucking bomb explode everytime my outlook notif went off. And yes my comp I used to keep open on my desk even while i slept cuz thats just the norm nowadays
My dude, because of you I now associate Half Life with therapeutic introspection 😄 On the subject of distraction in gaming and media... If I ever find myself overwhelmed by that, I just focus on work for a week or two, but like really dive in and shut everything else out. I found that that's a really nice pallet cleanser. It's like taking a mental vacation. When I come back I'm almost fully reset P.S. I have a job where I can do that and a boss that will basically close the doors around me and tell everyone "Let him cook", if I ask her to do it. (my boss is amazing)
There's always a part of me that says stop making games already, but then again I just need a fulfilling social life, something to do outdoors, outside of entertainment media.
I've recently found your channel, I'm sure I've seen your content before but recently life's been busier and busier, and my time is more and more precious. Your videos are a literally a stress relief, like I'm talking to a friend who also gets it. TH-cam led me in the right direction with your channel. Thanks man
I 100% agree with you about the constant distractions and interruptions! I was just talking about it today. Off the back of your experience, what I am finding is that due to our constant connectivity and accessibility, people are also expecting immediate replies to emails or texts. I quite often receive an email and then a phone call asking if I received the email which defeats the purpose of the email in the first place. I don't know the solution either but just a frustrating observation of the connected world today!
I’ve been playing a lot more demos this year. I also have a hard rule that at two hours no matter what game I’m playing I take a step back to evaluate whether or not I’m enjoying it and whether or not I’m gonna quit. Sometimes that gets down to 30 minutes if the game isn’t very good. But the thing that I do that I think is the most helpful is that I then write a little review in my OneNote. I write about what I thought of the game and why I picked it up and why I dropped it. That way when a new update comes out or it’s in the news again I can go back to what my emotions were about it and not feel that fear of missing out.
I went through a strange phase from lockdown to late last year where I became really obsessed with my video game backlog. I legitimately finished 50+ games a year for several years straight, juggling it with work and other hobbies. Played some fantastic titles during that time but the vast majority of it was a void I barely enjoyed or even remember. This year I made an effort to cut down my backlog and just let go. I've finished maybe 12 games so far this year, and half of them were so good I still vividly remember them months on. You end up having more fun with less content.
I’m always focused, and to minimize notifications, just turn off certain notifications on your apps, and get off of social media, I figured this out right when I got my first iPad, and it’s been a life saver, I can’t handle lots of stuff, so I minimize it!
This is so true, specially when it comes to the fact that it has penetrated gaming aswell, it even gets to a point where I have to have my 2nd monitor shut off while trying to concentrate on a game
Something that REALLY helped me was dumbing down my phone as much as possible. My phone has no icons on the main screen, no background, no animations, no optional apps except TH-cam, it's black and white, about as barebones as it gets. It looks less like a bag of skittles and more like a B&W windows 95.
This video made me like you better as a content creator. I’ve felt this way for a while and once i realized it, it was hard for my life to go back to how it was before I noticed it.
I just tried Halo Infinite multiplayer for the first time in probably over a year, and even back then I didn’t play much. The first thing you’re hit with is pop ups for the battle pass, which isn’t even explained very well if you don’t know what a battle pass is. Then on Home Screen and menus there’s lots of visual noise. I don’t find it very enjoyable to navigate. Then there’s the menu music - I don’t enjoy that. So overall I don’t find it an enjoyable place to be. I played one game, was quite fun, but because of things I’ve mentioned, I didn’t feel like I wanted to spend my time there to enjoy that self improvement journey at a game. So, gonna try something else.
Totally feel this dude. Only been a few weeks of it but I’m very much in that season of “I only want to do and focus on things I actually want to do and focus on” Most of that is work related things and where I’m trying to go with a career, but I also need to work that thinking into to how I spend my down time. Cheers, man!
Going through the same stuff as you so I will be sticking around your channel to hear and see what you come up with and how it develops futher. Anyway, I wanted to say, that some of the stuff you say comes with age.
I use an iPhone and Macbook and set up a couple of focus modes that are automated for work and gaming. For work, when I need a clear time with no distractions, I hit a macro that turns off all notifications except calls from a few select people and starts a timer (also helps with urgency and focus). For gaming, as soon as I connect my controller or launch Steam, it turns on the gaming focus, which is basically like the work focus. Gaming time is "Me" time ;P. Noise-cancelling headphones, everything blocked automatically. I don't play too often, but when I do, I select moments and the world can wait. Pure recharging.
The thing I regret the most at almost 20 years old, when it comes to gaming, is wasting all of my middle school and first high school years playing online games like Fortnite or GTA Online. In 2020 I started diversifying my taste in games by playing Bloodborne and that started an uphill journey of discovering new things, getting new experiences that actually respect my time. Since then I have stopped playing online games entirely and I haven't looked back once, I am still guilty of wasting my time on social media sometimes (mainly reddit nowadays) but I cut that down A LOT as well by completely deleting Instagram and not engaging with YT Shorts. Now my enjoyment of videogames and media is at an all time high, I don't "consume" anymore.
Hey man, keep up these videos, stay true to yourself and don't care what others (who aren't in your immediate circle in life) think. I think your videos are great, I'm here for your opinions, I agree with most, some I'm okay with. But I feel kinship and share similar stuff or experiences. I usually put your videos on when doing the dishes, or making my lunches etc, it's like my version of LoFi. I hate and don't use social media (bar Discord and YT), so I'm limited. I stumbled across you but I'm grateful I stuck around. Quality content!
I got rid of social media years ago and that helped a lot. I also don't have work email notifications or Teams notifications on anymore. My phone is usually on low volume and off to the side of my desk face down. If I hear it, I'll check but otherwise I ignore it. Then again I have no friends so it doesn't go off that much anyway but you get the idea.
having a work space AWAY from my distractions has been a HUGE boon. I work as a drum teacher and my studio is windowless and my lap top here can only run games from 20 years ago. I usually NEVER go home until all my student notes are done and all my practice for my own stuff is done and I find it FAIRLY easy to do since its literally a self imposed prison. Having somewhere to go that is mostly free of distractions like an office, a studio or even a park or library is HUGE for anyone that has issues with this. Try it You will see. If you get there and miss your distractions, you will probably decide to just do your stuff since getting ACCESS to those distractions requires you to travel and probably seems, at that point, more effort than just doing your stuff and then going home after since, at that point, the stuff you need to get done is done rather than just haunting you in the corners of your mind. Basically agrees with most of what you have said.
hey man, just wanted to say that I've been getting back into your channel after a long break, used to watch back during Monday Night in the Pit and Reviewing Your Replays when I was in middle school (I'm about to turn 25 on Friday), and your video's are keeping me sane during a hard time in my life, so thank you for that, it means a lot. love you man
For me i use ear plugs to cut the edge off a sudden or constant distraction. Brown and white noise mp3 files played over the speakers which really gets me disconnected as if i just turned out a giant air conditioner or made a waterfall appear out of nowhere. Headphones are nice but i have noticed if nothing else is playing in my apartment it just makes the distractions louder with an added echo effect so i will have my rechargeable boom box playing classical and rock music at a low volume which is extra great when sleeping at night giving me a positive distraction when the environment gets loud in the middle of the night. That is the main thing for me creating positive distractions for myself instead of drowning in negative distractions. So if there is noise in the middle of the night i just make sure to have some soothing classical music playing all night at a low volume this way the noise maker who is usually some passive aggressive dork can't effect me with their distractions. Its really important to filter out those distractions and noise because it will effect every facet of a person's life from hobbies like gaming to work related things. I have one friend, nice guy but he is needy beyond belief calling me constantly. Eventually i learned to just disconnect from him by blocking him at certain times. He understands because he knows he has an impulse problem so its all good unlike my upstairs neighbor who are passive aggressive dorks who do things on purpose to cause issues. Fortunately they already have a bad rep in the building so they can no longer flip things on me. People like that the best thing to do is just enjoy life, my hobbies and watch it make them miserable because they can't stand seeing others happy.
I have quite opposite effect, when ever game updates it pisses me of that much that just ignore that game for month or even an year. But yeah I have no social media and youtube/twitch still steals a lot attention in my life. The only way to live a real life is just to use less them (or just don't even launch them. Its so hard some times), keep walking around in your room and thinking about your life (or in my case projects that I want to keep doing), or better touch the grass (no joke), watch the world and feel how it burns (actually that's why Im playing games, escapism, I hate this world so much that I want to ignore by replacing it with digital worlds)
Pursue products and media that respect your time! It takes a while to determine what that means for each person, but it’s worth the effort and sacrifice. It’s like an abusive relationship. Once you’re out of it you can start seeing the indicators that help you determine that it’s not worth it.
When Half-Life came out I was a teenager and it was amazing. I love Black Mesa its the best and your footage is some of the best part of Black Mesa as far as nostalgia from the late 90s goes so big thumbs up for that. I never got addicted to cellphones like so many people and I think that is a big part of the problem people have nowadays. I have no social media and just use a PC to watch and play youtube videos. Get rid of all the dumb subscription services, you can easily entertain yourself with free stuff on youtube and rumble. If you are in a work environment where its expected that you always have to be available by phone or text that sounds like a nightmare.
I got rid of apps that gave me a lot of pointless attention grabbing notifications, also stopped using social media blindly. Now I only use facebook for like 0-5 minutes a day to get the most important stuff and take part of giveaways (I've even won a few). My phone is on 'do not disturb' most of the time and I've setup so if my girlfriend and select family and friends call me it will go through even when it's on DND. I take time for myself cause I know I need it, if I don't do that, I can't function. Take care of yourself, before you can take care of others.
It really helps when you have no notifications. Nothing to be notified about. I have deleted all app but TH-cam. I might delete it off my phone and just keep it in the TV.
at least for me it takes a while for me to get into a game so many times its me pushing thru the first part then I realize hey this game is actually really amazing.
I feel like I've escaped a good part of it using backlog lists and watch later lists. Whenever I find something cool I just add it to these lists and good to go and work. Maybe I'll come back to it later maybe not and I don't get pulled in by fomo a lot at least in the digital space
I’ve deleted all social media (except TH-cam). I’ve turned push notifications off for TH-cam too. I only engage with it in little breaks. I use it when I want to, not when the app wants too. Only thing I can work on is to not endlessly scroll on the homepage
I feel you! Speaking of gaming i always loved all kinds of generes of games. In past that was a joyful thing but nowdays thats stressful. I have my dailys grind game with Marvel Snap which i enjoy 80% of the time so i wouldnt want to quit it. Then i have Honkai Star Rails which i loved the first Year but the past 6 Months i just login to do the dailys. I dont want to let go of it but i dont really enjoy it. And well then there is all those "real" Games. There is so many GOOD Games. Like straight up good games. Last example is Persona 3 Reload. I enjoy it. Its a good game. But im not loving it. Its not a "Masterpiece". So when i play it i often thing "This is cool and all but wouldnt i have more fun playing game xyz". And that really hurts the fun. Sure there is a few games like Elden Ring or Zelda that i love so much that i dont feel that way when i play those games. But yeah i really wish i could switch something in my mind off and just enjoy a good game without overthinking it to much. Btw i really love your content the past few months. Keep up the good work!
I had to isolate how many notifications I get on my phone and computer. I have them down to basically if my wife, kids, or kids school tries to contact me or work when I'm on call which is a set phone # not any one that wants to call me. Work I like to just do things as soon as the come up but since I work in IT and random questions will happen I've tried to check my email at set times and establish with people that if a need is urgent we have processes for that outside of email. So while I will help if I can, if they want me to jump right on it then emailing me or cold calling me is not the answer. And users respect that usually and this helps people becoming the sole point of contact for things that often anyone on a team could of done. Video games I'm working on being more intentional, I try to balance my time with the needs of my family which used to lead me towards short burst games but those are less and less entertaining so I'm trying to do basically what you're doing and pick short single player games I either played (HL/HL2) or didn't play yet (Titanfall 2 SP) and try to tackle them or at least determine I probably don't want to play them all the way through once and for all
1. Uninstalled any social media other than TH-cam and 2 communicators. 2. Stopped playing multiplayer PvP games because they frustrate me more than they give me joy. 3.While I am not home and working I got my phone on silenced mode at all times 4. No subscriptions other than Spotify. 5. Revisited some older truly amazing titles like Civilization V and Call of Juarez Gunslinger. That's all, hope you have a great day!
Im drowning in my adhd right now, the distractions aren't the problem for me personally, because I can't pay attention to any of them unless they provide a ton of stimulation, and even then I barely can stay attentive. If I didn't have my phone or tablet in my hand, or play video games, I'd probably sleep the rest of my life away.
This video reminded me of the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. A great book recommended before by Casey Neistat and many others. It's a good read/listen if you haven't already! Thank you for something to think about today :)
Also to answer your question, I often find myself just leaving my phone in a specific spot in my house and either going fishing or playing my guitar or reading the bible. I realized that I do not need to have constant communication to outside people anymore, since I used to find my sense of self from that attention from others. Now, days could pass without talking to people or being electronically engaged, and it would make no difference to me.
Getting rid of social media (besides TH-cam) and stopping my streaming subscriptions has helped me out a lot. Not being fed my interests via algorithms has made me have more of my own identity again.
You pointed out something that really made me think just now. It never occurred to me how little effort I actually put in to browsing the web/youtube anymore; pretty much everything is put in front of my because of an algorithm. I'm barely on any social media but youtube is something I use a lot, so you've given me something to be more aware of.
@Tehstampede you can actually ask TH-cam to stop giving you " recommendations " which is the algorithm by the way. I did it . Much better now.
So I just get videos from the few youtubers I like but that's it. Nothing more.
I would recommend you to get the Unhooked browser extension if you want to reduce the things that an algorithm recommends you, since it allows you to completely remove recommendations from TH-cam.
I did the same. Might get rid of TH-cam on the phone too. Probably keep it on tv
I’m also off everything but TH-cam and a few discords. Much easier
As a kid, doing something that was a 4/10 felt good because it was a lot better than just staring at a wall. For example, you'd get a questionable game for christmas, and you'd play it anyway. Because what else were you going to do, play one of the small handful of games you own that you've already played to death? Or watch one of the handful of movies you'd already seen 10 times each?
Nowadays, things are mostly a 6 or 7 out of 10, and there's a ton to choose from in all mediums. The real task now is choosing the 8s 9s and 10s in the mediums that are most engaging to you, and learning to be ok with not experiencing everything
I heard that. 15 years ago when I started my career as a drum teacher, it was SO MUCH easier to get students to practice since, as you said, learning something (which can be, in the beginning, a 4/10) is still more interesting than MOST things that were available at that time. Now everything is maybe not necessarily 7/10 or 8/10 but rather EASIER To access and EASIER to get to a contentment state, it is MUCH harder for me to get students to practice. I have had to really grow with the times on this and develop methods that help them practice with enjoyment and efficiently so it doesnt feel like such a time commitment. Definitely not as good as practice I would assign from 10-15 years ago but DEFINITELY worth since, without it, they wouldnt practice at all!
I implemented a "If I'm not having fun, stop playing" rule not long ago, and because of it I've basically quit playing all multiplayer games besides coop stuff like Helldivers. It's honestly insane just how NOT fun competitive multiplayer games are. I can't tell if games changed or if I have, but I'm just not enjoying these things anymore.
Trying to stay present in what you are currently doing is so important when it comes to not letting distractions get the best of you.
If your so focused on what others are telling you to watch and play (in the world of Film and Games) your never going to enjoy what you’re currently watching or playing. You’re going to be focused on burning through as much content as you can to get to the next big recommendation. And the worst thing is you won’t even enjoy the experience because you’re constantly thinking about what’s next. I know this because it’s something I struggle with.
Very well said
Yea this is so true and i think i do this with reviews and gaming discourse rather than playing something without any outsdie noise first.
I highly recommend an incredible psychology book called "The Confidence Gap: A Guide to Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt" by Russ Harris which aims to help people with self-confidence issues and there is one chapter in particular that adresses mindfulness and focus!
This chapter provides some methods to help you overcome all the background noise both exterior and inside your mind that distracts you from engaging with the moment.
Past two weeks I have deleted social media (youtube is the exception), stop playing most multiplayer games that have kept me on that endless "treadmill" that you mentioned in the video, and I don't even listen to music anymore when on transit. I've decided I need to stop living with constant distraction as I've come to realize that I don't think I even know myself anymore.
A few years ago, I went through the same journey of culling distractions and getting off social media. My phone is set up so that my work and personal apps and emails are separate. Mostly just playing games I find fun and most of them are single player but I still play multiplayer games when my friends want to or think it will be enjoyable.
I like that, I should separate the apps. Thank you and hope your week is going well
The reason these youtubers show old game footage on these kinds of videos is not just because they represent youth and a simpler time, but also because we know these games inside-out, we're familiar with them and we associate them with our own culture and personal lives. That's my opinion. Something about games we grew up with makes us feel at home.
I find it crazy that I've worked at a time where youd be praised for minimizing the things distracting you in favour of focusing on delivering value and now that's completely changed
I'm still looking for a general solution too, but in terms of gaming i've mostly stopped playing these high demand hamster weel esque games (been playing lots of modern comp fps that put the though of "fun time is lost time becuase i could've played ranked" in my head for years). It stressed me out to the point that i wasn't playing them for fun but just because getting a higher rank was my task. Then, lately, i started playing games like Ready or Not and modded realism Ghost Recon and wow i had fun playing games again. Doing it "tactical" and "realistic" was so much ´more fun than trying to do it as fast as possible. Also ignoring "progress" and focusing on completing the level instead of seeing it as a way to get more XP was really taking a weight off me. At this point i don't really want to go back to keep this enjoyment as long as i can.
I love that phrase the "hamster wheel games," that describes it perfectly
I like your content. You seem really tuned in. People need to hear this. You are correct, games are weighted to keep players engaged by the same folks that make slot machines and social media applications. All focused on the dopamine hook. IMO most of the shows and movie's these days suck, and I loathe social media. I still like my Halo, but even that needs it's breaks. Halo will always have that strategy aspect to it for an "FPS" game. Hope they can keep it alive. Technology will eventually consume us. Sadly, I don't think there is any way around that. We have crossed some serious, major thresholds. I won't get into that.
I try and keep daily routines like meditation, Tai-Chi, and some from of exercise in. When working from home I turn off all notifications. I personally think people were more productive in smaller office and team settings with a good leader. But I'm old school, what do I know.
My flow state is always late at night. But it's been like that for decades. I think it's also because everyone has gone to bed, or are winding down etc. Then I thrive. The older I get, the more I like my space. Feeling like I need the tech detox, time away in nature with no tech is the best thing one can do. Takes like a minimum of 4 days.Thanks for the content, sorry for rambling.
One (maybe stupid) question for you, what game is that? LOL. I could probably look it up or something. It looks less sweaty and more relaxing. looking forward to Metal Gear!
PS: found the game.
Thank you and very well said, and I agree I think we've crossed the rubicon in many ways. Oh the game is Black Mesa btw!
I really feel you on playing mp shooter games. I've tried to step back on spinning my wheels on live series mp games because at then end of the day what memories have I made with the game. Just playing to grind a battle pass isn't why I game.
Absolutely agree. I had the same thought some time ago. I don't remember any League of Legends game I played back in the day. And I played a lot of them. But I know how Read Dead Redemption 2 made me feel at the end. And that feeling is still with me today.
i click so fast whenever a new video comes out because these video essays are relatable especially in the modern world, keep em coming BBKDRAGOON!
“You need to have slack open” I swear to god one day I’ll have PTSD from the notification noise 😂
Dude for real
Buddy, I'm already there!
dude im already there. my ex used to tell me I used to spring up from bed like i heard a fucking bomb explode everytime my outlook notif went off. And yes my comp I used to keep open on my desk even while i slept cuz thats just the norm nowadays
My dude, because of you I now associate Half Life with therapeutic introspection 😄
On the subject of distraction in gaming and media...
If I ever find myself overwhelmed by that, I just focus on work for a week or two, but like really dive in and shut everything else out. I found that that's a really nice pallet cleanser.
It's like taking a mental vacation. When I come back I'm almost fully reset
P.S. I have a job where I can do that and a boss that will basically close the doors around me and tell everyone "Let him cook", if I ask her to do it.
(my boss is amazing)
There's always a part of me that says stop making games already, but then again I just need a fulfilling social life, something to do outdoors, outside of entertainment media.
I've recently found your channel, I'm sure I've seen your content before but recently life's been busier and busier, and my time is more and more precious. Your videos are a literally a stress relief, like I'm talking to a friend who also gets it. TH-cam led me in the right direction with your channel. Thanks man
I 100% agree with you about the constant distractions and interruptions! I was just talking about it today. Off the back of your experience, what I am finding is that due to our constant connectivity and accessibility, people are also expecting immediate replies to emails or texts. I quite often receive an email and then a phone call asking if I received the email which defeats the purpose of the email in the first place. I don't know the solution either but just a frustrating observation of the connected world today!
I’ve been playing a lot more demos this year. I also have a hard rule that at two hours no matter what game I’m playing I take a step back to evaluate whether or not I’m enjoying it and whether or not I’m gonna quit. Sometimes that gets down to 30 minutes if the game isn’t very good. But the thing that I do that I think is the most helpful is that I then write a little review in my OneNote. I write about what I thought of the game and why I picked it up and why I dropped it. That way when a new update comes out or it’s in the news again I can go back to what my emotions were about it and not feel that fear of missing out.
I needed to hear this. Thank you.
I went through a strange phase from lockdown to late last year where I became really obsessed with my video game backlog. I legitimately finished 50+ games a year for several years straight, juggling it with work and other hobbies. Played some fantastic titles during that time but the vast majority of it was a void I barely enjoyed or even remember. This year I made an effort to cut down my backlog and just let go. I've finished maybe 12 games so far this year, and half of them were so good I still vividly remember them months on. You end up having more fun with less content.
Same here , finished less games but they we're very good and memorable , i didn't regret a single one
I’m always focused, and to minimize notifications, just turn off certain notifications on your apps, and get off of social media, I figured this out right when I got my first iPad, and it’s been a life saver, I can’t handle lots of stuff, so I minimize it!
This is so true, specially when it comes to the fact that it has penetrated gaming aswell, it even gets to a point where I have to have my 2nd monitor shut off while trying to concentrate on a game
Something that REALLY helped me was dumbing down my phone as much as possible. My phone has no icons on the main screen, no background, no animations, no optional apps except TH-cam, it's black and white, about as barebones as it gets. It looks less like a bag of skittles and more like a B&W windows 95.
This video made me like you better as a content creator. I’ve felt this way for a while and once i realized it, it was hard for my life to go back to how it was before I noticed it.
I just tried Halo Infinite multiplayer for the first time in probably over a year, and even back then I didn’t play much. The first thing you’re hit with is pop ups for the battle pass, which isn’t even explained very well if you don’t know what a battle pass is. Then on Home Screen and menus there’s lots of visual noise. I don’t find it very enjoyable to navigate. Then there’s the menu music - I don’t enjoy that. So overall I don’t find it an enjoyable place to be. I played one game, was quite fun, but because of things I’ve mentioned, I didn’t feel like I wanted to spend my time there to enjoy that self improvement journey at a game. So, gonna try something else.
Totally feel this dude. Only been a few weeks of it but I’m very much in that season of “I only want to do and focus on things I actually want to do and focus on” Most of that is work related things and where I’m trying to go with a career, but I also need to work that thinking into to how I spend my down time. Cheers, man!
Going through the same stuff as you so I will be sticking around your channel to hear and see what you come up with and how it develops futher. Anyway, I wanted to say, that some of the stuff you say comes with age.
I use an iPhone and Macbook and set up a couple of focus modes that are automated for work and gaming. For work, when I need a clear time with no distractions, I hit a macro that turns off all notifications except calls from a few select people and starts a timer (also helps with urgency and focus). For gaming, as soon as I connect my controller or launch Steam, it turns on the gaming focus, which is basically like the work focus. Gaming time is "Me" time ;P. Noise-cancelling headphones, everything blocked automatically. I don't play too often, but when I do, I select moments and the world can wait. Pure recharging.
The thing I regret the most at almost 20 years old, when it comes to gaming, is wasting all of my middle school and first high school years playing online games like Fortnite or GTA Online.
In 2020 I started diversifying my taste in games by playing Bloodborne and that started an uphill journey of discovering new things, getting new experiences that actually respect my time.
Since then I have stopped playing online games entirely and I haven't looked back once, I am still guilty of wasting my time on social media sometimes (mainly reddit nowadays) but I cut that down A LOT as well by completely deleting Instagram and not engaging with YT Shorts.
Now my enjoyment of videogames and media is at an all time high, I don't "consume" anymore.
Hey man, keep up these videos, stay true to yourself and don't care what others (who aren't in your immediate circle in life) think. I think your videos are great, I'm here for your opinions, I agree with most, some I'm okay with. But I feel kinship and share similar stuff or experiences. I usually put your videos on when doing the dishes, or making my lunches etc, it's like my version of LoFi. I hate and don't use social media (bar Discord and YT), so I'm limited. I stumbled across you but I'm grateful I stuck around. Quality content!
I got rid of social media years ago and that helped a lot. I also don't have work email notifications or Teams notifications on anymore. My phone is usually on low volume and off to the side of my desk face down. If I hear it, I'll check but otherwise I ignore it. Then again I have no friends so it doesn't go off that much anyway but you get the idea.
having a work space AWAY from my distractions has been a HUGE boon. I work as a drum teacher and my studio is windowless and my lap top here can only run games from 20 years ago. I usually NEVER go home until all my student notes are done and all my practice for my own stuff is done and I find it FAIRLY easy to do since its literally a self imposed prison.
Having somewhere to go that is mostly free of distractions like an office, a studio or even a park or library is HUGE for anyone that has issues with this. Try it You will see.
If you get there and miss your distractions, you will probably decide to just do your stuff since getting ACCESS to those distractions requires you to travel and probably seems, at that point, more effort than just doing your stuff and then going home after since, at that point, the stuff you need to get done is done rather than just haunting you in the corners of your mind.
Basically agrees with most of what you have said.
hey man, just wanted to say that I've been getting back into your channel after a long break, used to watch back during Monday Night in the Pit and Reviewing Your Replays when I was in middle school (I'm about to turn 25 on Friday), and your video's are keeping me sane during a hard time in my life, so thank you for that, it means a lot. love you man
For me i use ear plugs to cut the edge off a sudden or constant distraction. Brown and white noise mp3 files played over the speakers which really gets me disconnected as if i just turned out a giant air conditioner or made a waterfall appear out of nowhere. Headphones are nice but i have noticed if nothing else is playing in my apartment it just makes the distractions louder with an added echo effect so i will have my rechargeable boom box playing classical and rock music at a low volume which is extra great when sleeping at night giving me a positive distraction when the environment gets loud in the middle of the night. That is the main thing for me creating positive distractions for myself instead of drowning in negative distractions. So if there is noise in the middle of the night i just make sure to have some soothing classical music playing all night at a low volume this way the noise maker who is usually some passive aggressive dork can't effect me with their distractions. Its really important to filter out those distractions and noise because it will effect every facet of a person's life from hobbies like gaming to work related things.
I have one friend, nice guy but he is needy beyond belief calling me constantly. Eventually i learned to just disconnect from him by blocking him at certain times. He understands because he knows he has an impulse problem so its all good unlike my upstairs neighbor who are passive aggressive dorks who do things on purpose to cause issues. Fortunately they already have a bad rep in the building so they can no longer flip things on me. People like that the best thing to do is just enjoy life, my hobbies and watch it make them miserable because they can't stand seeing others happy.
I have quite opposite effect, when ever game updates it pisses me of that much that just ignore that game for month or even an year.
But yeah I have no social media and youtube/twitch still steals a lot attention in my life. The only way to live a real life is just to use less them (or just don't even launch them. Its so hard some times), keep walking around in your room and thinking about your life (or in my case projects that I want to keep doing), or better touch the grass (no joke), watch the world and feel how it burns (actually that's why Im playing games, escapism, I hate this world so much that I want to ignore by replacing it with digital worlds)
Pursue products and media that respect your time! It takes a while to determine what that means for each person, but it’s worth the effort and sacrifice. It’s like an abusive relationship. Once you’re out of it you can start seeing the indicators that help you determine that it’s not worth it.
When Half-Life came out I was a teenager and it was amazing. I love Black Mesa its the best and your footage is some of the best part of Black Mesa as far as nostalgia from the late 90s goes so big thumbs up for that. I never got addicted to cellphones like so many people and I think that is a big part of the problem people have nowadays. I have no social media and just use a PC to watch and play youtube videos. Get rid of all the dumb subscription services, you can easily entertain yourself with free stuff on youtube and rumble. If you are in a work environment where its expected that you always have to be available by phone or text that sounds like a nightmare.
I got rid of apps that gave me a lot of pointless attention grabbing notifications, also stopped using social media blindly. Now I only use facebook for like 0-5 minutes a day to get the most important stuff and take part of giveaways (I've even won a few).
My phone is on 'do not disturb' most of the time and I've setup so if my girlfriend and select family and friends call me it will go through even when it's on DND.
I take time for myself cause I know I need it, if I don't do that, I can't function. Take care of yourself, before you can take care of others.
It really helps when you have no notifications. Nothing to be notified about. I have deleted all app but TH-cam. I might delete it off my phone and just keep it in the TV.
Love these videos, literally feeling of late this exact topic you covered here so I really enjoyed it man!
thank you so much, I needed this.
at least for me it takes a while for me to get into a game so many times its me pushing thru the first part then I realize hey this game is actually really amazing.
Excellent discussion! Aligns well!
I feel like I've escaped a good part of it using backlog lists and watch later lists. Whenever I find something cool I just add it to these lists and good to go and work. Maybe I'll come back to it later maybe not and I don't get pulled in by fomo a lot at least in the digital space
I’ve deleted all social media (except TH-cam). I’ve turned push notifications off for TH-cam too. I only engage with it in little breaks. I use it when I want to, not when the app wants too. Only thing I can work on is to not endlessly scroll on the homepage
I feel you! Speaking of gaming i always loved all kinds of generes of games. In past that was a joyful thing but nowdays thats stressful. I have my dailys grind game with Marvel Snap which i enjoy 80% of the time so i wouldnt want to quit it.
Then i have Honkai Star Rails which i loved the first Year but the past 6 Months i just login to do the dailys. I dont want to let go of it but i dont really enjoy it.
And well then there is all those "real" Games. There is so many GOOD Games. Like straight up good games. Last example is Persona 3 Reload. I enjoy it. Its a good game. But im not loving it. Its not a "Masterpiece". So when i play it i often thing "This is cool and all but wouldnt i have more fun playing game xyz". And that really hurts the fun.
Sure there is a few games like Elden Ring or Zelda that i love so much that i dont feel that way when i play those games. But yeah i really wish i could switch something in my mind off and just enjoy a good game without overthinking it to much.
Btw i really love your content the past few months. Keep up the good work!
you should make more videos like this. id watch more of these
this this thissss
Great video totally agree everyone will have different approach.
I had to isolate how many notifications I get on my phone and computer. I have them down to basically if my wife, kids, or kids school tries to contact me or work when I'm on call which is a set phone # not any one that wants to call me. Work I like to just do things as soon as the come up but since I work in IT and random questions will happen I've tried to check my email at set times and establish with people that if a need is urgent we have processes for that outside of email. So while I will help if I can, if they want me to jump right on it then emailing me or cold calling me is not the answer. And users respect that usually and this helps people becoming the sole point of contact for things that often anyone on a team could of done.
Video games I'm working on being more intentional, I try to balance my time with the needs of my family which used to lead me towards short burst games but those are less and less entertaining so I'm trying to do basically what you're doing and pick short single player games I either played (HL/HL2) or didn't play yet (Titanfall 2 SP) and try to tackle them or at least determine I probably don't want to play them all the way through once and for all
Lovin the black mesa gameplay! Thats one of the best single player fps campaigns on pc! 💯
1. Uninstalled any social media other than TH-cam and 2 communicators.
2. Stopped playing multiplayer PvP games because they frustrate me more than they give me joy.
3.While I am not home and working I got my phone on silenced mode at all times
4. No subscriptions other than Spotify.
5. Revisited some older truly amazing titles like Civilization V and Call of Juarez Gunslinger.
That's all, hope you have a great day!
Im drowning in my adhd right now, the distractions aren't the problem for me personally, because I can't pay attention to any of them unless they provide a ton of stimulation, and even then I barely can stay attentive. If I didn't have my phone or tablet in my hand, or play video games, I'd probably sleep the rest of my life away.
This video reminded me of the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown. A great book recommended before by Casey Neistat and many others. It's a good read/listen if you haven't already! Thank you for something to think about today :)
I suggest that you take a look at Cal Newport's work, especially his book “Deep Work”. He also has a Podcast and TH-cam channel.
Gonna star HL2 bc you man
Gen alpha is so cooked.
What's that game in the background?
Hey! Can someone please tell me what game he's playing. Looks really sick🔥
It's Black Mesa, it's awesome! It's a fan made remake of Half Life 1 but done in the source engine
Tysm! Love your videos man🙌@@BBKDRAGOON
#banger of a video Dragoon!
Also to answer your question, I often find myself just leaving my phone in a specific spot in my house and either going fishing or playing my guitar or reading the bible. I realized that I do not need to have constant communication to outside people anymore, since I used to find my sense of self from that attention from others. Now, days could pass without talking to people or being electronically engaged, and it would make no difference to me.
What is this gameplay from?
i think half life, i never played itt but i do know that its this game
Hello I like to say hello if I can get the first comment so hello and hi😁.
Hello there, cheers!
need to block youtube open when i do college work
Just remapped my keys with reWASD, and now everything feels just right! Anyone else love the customization? 🙏
bro turned into a philosopher
Stupid dogs that bark all day long distract me...