How to recognize a gaming addiction
You can play games everywhere on the internet. But are they really healthy to play? When I visit Facebook I receive many game requests. The problem with the games on Facebook is that you keep on playing them because you keep on receiving new requests. Requests either for a new life or to help others building for example their city or farm.
And sometimes you play a level and after a long time you finish the level. But then you go to a new level and still try to come further to just another new level.
If your first or second click on Facebook goes to one of the many Facebook games than you know you have a game addiction.
If you can’t get anything out of your hands because you spend many hours playing video games or Facebook games than in your own head you already know that is not a healthy situation. You should have a life besides playing video games or surfing on the internet.
Acknowledge the seriousness of your problem
You can only get rid of your addiction by seeing the seriousness of your addiction. as for any addiction you should get professional help if you feel you can't get rid of your addiction on your own. Asking for help if you need it is a strength not a weakness, because you are willing to change and only need some help to do so.
Symptoms to recognize game addiction / internet addiction:
- You can spend hours on playing the same game over and over again. You are literarily drawn to a game and can play it over and over again just to try to finish that one Level, but when you come to the next level you want to finish the new level as well.
- You can’t get other activities out of your hands, like cleaning you house or cooking, because of your internet or gaming addiction. If someone in your house asks you to do things in the house you react moody because all you want to do is spend time behind the internet playing games and surfing around. Do you often feel sorry afterwards because there where many things you could have done instead of gaming of being on the internet all day?
- You don’t have time for your friends, boyfriend, girlfriends or relatives anymore. You rather play games or be on the internet instead of having social contacts (offline).People around you react moody on you because all you do is spend time behind your pc instead of with them
- You see gaming or surfing the internet as your primary means of relaxation. You think of it as a distraction for your real-life problems, depression or anxiety.
If you have one or more of the symptoms you might have an internet / gaming addiction, and you should try to spend a day away from the computer. If you are feeling you are having withdrawal symptoms.
After that one day, you should definitely try to get rid of your internet / gaming addiction.
How to get rid of your addiction?
Getting rid of any addiction is not just as easy as starting with it. Most important is that you realize that you have a bad habit and that you want to get rid of your habit. As long as you don’t recognize it as a bad habit or as an addiction, than you also can’t get rid of it easily. To do this the best way to do is is to sell your console or to store it somewhere so that you can’t play with it easily again.Maybe you can store it in the house of a relative so that it is somewhat further away from you. Get rid of your gaming apps on Facebook and block people that commonly invite you to play new apps. In this way you are not tempted again to play new games.
You should not to play the games you played anymore and replace your gaming activity for another activity. Maybe you can’t stop cold turkey but in that case you should motivate to play less everyday let your goal for example be to keep it to 3 short games after a while. Maybe you can’t do that and than it’s time to quit gaming because you can’t keep you to your own boundaries. I tried to set myself boundaries but I found out I better remove all gaming apps from Facebook to be able to get rid of my own gaming addiction.
You need to do something else to forget about the gaming activity. To do that it’s the best to step away from the computer at least for a few hours. For example while you are watching TV. When you have a laptop and tend to be on the internet to play games or to surf around turn of your laptop and just watch TV for a few hours. You will notice that you see a lot more from your movie or program if you are not watching your laptop on the same time while you are watching TV.
But I don’t say you should exchange your internet or gaming addiction for a TV addiction. It’s good to go out and do stuff you wouldn’t do if you would hang behind your pc all day.
If you still live with your parents and you still go to school gaming might interfere your school work. If you feel like you are playing games on your console way to much you should talk to your parents. Especially if they don’t know the the connection between videogames and you failing classes/staying in your room all day.
If they understand your have a gaming addiction they might allow you to sell your console. Or they can store it somewhere else so that you can’t play with it all day long. They could place the console in the living room so that they can see when you are playing with the console. They can set some time limits when they know when you are playing, in this way you can play with your console for a shorter, more healthier time.
And when you are not playing you are in your room for example to do homework.
Give in to the fact that you have been working all day or have been to school all day. You feel tired so you want some rest from the computer. If you feel like you can’t quit from your internet or gaming addiction alone, talk about your addiction with your friends. It’s easier to quit if a friends support you. Maybe you can go out with a friend and spend some time on another hobby. The best way to get rid of an internet addiction is to spend time on another (more positive) hobby.
Get rid of your Facebook apps
If you want to get rid of the Facebook games and other applications remove all games and applications you don’t use or are planning to never use again.
It’s also possible to block users from sending you application invites. In this way you will not get any new invitations from common users that send you invitations to join a (new) game or application. This will prevent you to get addicted to a new game or Facebook app
If you scroll down you can also block a large sum of apps by simple typing their name behind Block apps on the same page and clicking on the name of the app that you want to block.