I play wow one day a week for 6 hours, I also run a pizza business, and have a family, wow is just like any other hobby if you let it suck you in completely you can waste your life. Take everything in life in moderation even World of Warcraft!
Filthy Casual. Just kidding. I’m also a father now and started playing in 2008. I totally get it and yes everything in moderation is the key. I do play every day but only 1-2 hours max.
I stopped buying video games 🎮 since August this year and it's been around 120+ days without it. The struggle was real and I was tempted to buy future video games. But I didn't cave in because I wanted to stop buying and playing video games. Thank you Cam for your advice and tips for stopping me to prevent buying future video games and stop playing them. - Arc
The desire to want to play it throughout the day, but then being bored 5 mins after logging in is what clued me in to my unhealthy attatchment to it. What I was craving was the social aspect of the game that has been long gone for a decade now for me. Along with that, the sunk cost fallacy was tugging at me. But I overcame it not long ago and used the data deletion request through their account services. While I have not quit gaming entirely, I'm only playing games that either give me social interaction with my real life friends or with a rich story experience that has an end. Games I have no issue with setting down after a 30 minute session.
>4 months sober now. Best months of my life. Stronger, fitter, and more aligned then ever. Carreer is going well, love life too. Drive towards just working/making effort and appreciating myself for small steps, keeps a positive spiral up. DIY (do it yourself) renovations, new hobbies, etc. Life is good without addictive habits.
I've been playing WoW off-and-on since launch in 2004. I recently got sucked back in for Wrath Classic, then got sucked into Dragonflight prepatch. I felt overwhelmed to try to keep up with both versions of the game while maintaining work life and family life balance. I realized all the time invested has essentially been a waste. But I quit cold turkey and won't waste anymore time. I'd rather grind and level up in real life.
This... playing an hour or two a day is not a waste IMO. It’s not too much to hinder or halt your real life progression , and IMO, if you spend your time on something you love, like wow it’s worth it . Not everything you do in life need to be hobby building or lifting or office slugging. We should always set aside time for something people call a time waster, but of course if ur putting in more than two hours a day then I’d say it’s become a problem
Interesting perspective. For people like me that can't have a hit from just One More Game MMO style I don't have the luxury of doing 2 hours as my mind is consumed with the game when I wake up and when I go to sleep regardless of if I only played the game actually only an hour a day. I was depressed at work thinking about the next time I could get a hit of the game. For these folk, like me, not even one sip will do of a hardcore MMO before I crave it's clutches like Smeagol in a dark land like Mordor calling out for "my precious" as the game addiction warps and perverts my mind.
I’ve learned how to moderate my game play. The socialization was my weak area that locked me into these sort of games. Some tips: Establish a “quit-goal” before you even start playing the game. A hard point where you know your going to quit the game after you obtain a realistic goal. 2nd, have other activities that you care about as much or more than gaming. 3, only play the game with other people who have a similar life as yours. People who have similar play schedules and real life obligations. Last, scheduled your playtime /sessions in a actual calendar 📆 and stop playing when your session is over.
I guess the problem with this is your first tip. "after you obtain a realistic goal" - but the fact of the matter is you can never accomplish anything on a video game. It's not an actual accomplishment, you've gained nothing in your life.
My aunt who raised me use to say or in others case...Momma use to say, "What do you have to show for your time and money?" Real world yeah the achievements are all worthless and meaningless. Agreed!
Great video. A timely reminder to not go back and forgetta bout it. Another aspect of WoW for some people could be roleplaying. I know with a couple of my characters, it was hard for me to delete because I loved the elaborate backstory I had built for them. Still not worth it though. Better to channel that creativity into creative writing!
I deleted my warrior before Bc came out for classic, it felt like genuine withdrawl, the amount of time i had back was jarring. Deleted my wintersaber tiger.. and every epic item, R.I.P This game is a brutal addiction.
Never Stop my man. Never forget that you;re actually changing peoples lives out there. Lots of people know how destructive Gaming is for their life and youre a big help for them.
i've only been able to quit one addiction when a more compelling one comes along. ADHD makes it extra hard because you're hyper-focused on the dopamine generators like quest completion.
When I was pregnant with baby 2. I told my husband you know you’re not going to be able to play wow anymore. He slept 2 hours a night and I never got help. He did quit the game, and recently back on it, now child 3. Anxiety is back. When he started playing wow. I never said a word. I moved his desk so I could see him from the kitchen. We both worked 40 hours a week. He would be angry if I asked him to spend time with me and child #1. I would prepare him food, and it sat cold on the desk next to him for over 2 hours while in a raid. I said nothing. His addictions lead to other addictions, and he had an emotional affair that about ruined our marriage. We were able to communicate and now he’s back to wow. I used to play it with him too, but now I have to much to do IRL. I’m just resentful now, and I loved video games. He has ruined them for me. He says he doesn’t have a video game addiction. He has a highly addictive personality. I want a husband in real life that wants to spend time with me and the kids. He would play wow 22 hours a day on the weekend and 10 after work.
Your story of your husband is very similar to my story over a decade long addiction to gaming. I use to play a different popular MMO 24 hours straight on the weekend, and would get 1 hour of sleep most days during the week up to 4 hours max. I was a walking zombie...No I'm not talking about the current president. I'm talking about serious gaming addiction that lead me to even hospitalization for temporary self-induced pychosis. I wrote my story in an ad in this post, but I am no ad (South Park). I am writing in my product review real secrets to how I've found success from gaming addiction, and other vices that fall short of addiction, but were co-morbidities and problematic. God speed to you and today I praise my wife for her strength to endure my years of Peter Pan syndrome like childish tendencies - Air4ceman
I found me a good balance, i joined a fresh server and just play for myself. im in a guild, but the guild is basicly 50% of the alliance side there and nobody pressures anyone. I just recently started training again, with goal in competing in strongman competitions again. the only thing i still lack is getting ideas of building a buissness. my job is taking so much from me that i dont have mental energy anymore to play a lot and start a buissness.
I haven’t bought a game since March but it’s been on and off with the struggle for gaming. At first I was good, peaking in the summer with roughly 3 weeks without touching games. But recently, it’s been tough, I’ve been coming back 3-4 times per week. I will get better though.
You’ve made good progress before and you can again. Break the pattern! Come join us on the forums or discord, the extra support will help a lot: forum.gamequitters.com or discord.gg/gamequitters
I played it from 2006. I was roughly 15 at the time. I'll be 32 in April. I wasted my years on this. Progression is an illusion indeed, exception for a professional. They are PAID to play, they make content from WoW and other games.
There is a BIG difference between paying to do this and being paid. At least those being paid can buy something tangible like a house to show for their efforts. My ex played this whenever he was not at work, he played so many hours that it destroyed our marriage.
so what about reading books or watching movies? Isnt it the same waste of time. Bro, I am honestly wondering are u all trolling for some reason or ... I mean if this is for real then .... We need urgent hotline with psychiatrists, but not because of the gamers to be honest
This sounds very similar to Pokémon Go with its influx of new updates, socialization, sunk cost fallacy, grinding/raids, etc. I am a very competitive person, so games like these really pluck my competitive strings, but the sunk cost fallacy abs socialization aspect (I’d play w/ friends and my gf), keeps me entangled.
Hey I ve watched your video and I ve realized how addicted I was since classic release and now with wrath of the lich king which is my favorit expansion. I m starting new life and I wanna just stop thinking about wow, thankfully I wont be able to play anymore but I know that I m gonna look for a way to do it. Wish me luck and keep up doing videos like that. Thank you
Can you do a video on mobile games if you haven't already? I am currently recovering from one and you have helped me. I'm so grateful for these videos and I hope awareness about these topics spread more. Thanks again Cam!
@@GameQuitters In Mobile Games, there are many things that are in place to get you to spend your money or time. The game I played had a store that would pop up and show offers every time I opened and played the game. Daily missions would keep bringing you back. The game was endless and is still getting frequent updates even though it's 8 years old. I was interested in having the best equipment and getting the best performance possible in battle. There was a league system, clans, and many online platforms associated with the game and that is just a few things. Mobile games are definitely unhealthy if not played carefully and with moderated time or money. I'm hoping next year I can stop playing War Robots. I also made a post on Reddit on it. Hope this helps! Sorry if it's long. 😅 I loved the games design, mechanics, animations, music, customizations, team play (6v6 game) and winning, having good equipment made me feel good. The community was good too.
You can play in moderation and still be fine. Its when you disregard your goals/responsibilities that it becomes a problem. If you enjoy gaming and can play without being dependent on the game to enjoy your life, whats the problem?
If you have that self control and balance then good for you. This kind of video isn't for the kind of people like that. I'm not sure what would lead you to believe it is. The content of the video never claimed that "all wow gaming is bad". Some of us are truly hopelessly addicted to the digital abyss of escapism because we perceive it to be a better alternative to real life. Be grateful you aren't in that situation.
hey cam, I have actually been waiting for this video a long time since I always wondered what games you played in past. Apart from wow , what else did you play?
Yes you are right Also you will get some kind of psychological problems Including lack of self-confidence, Because , you compare the super abilities of the fictional character you control at the game with your own out side of the game and see your self as weak person which weakens your self-confidence at the end
Its the transmog for me that keeps me playing wow. you control the game dont let the game control you. its the mindset i can quit wow at any given time everything is a waste of time because time doesnt stop for no one.
This is not only the case with WOW but also mobile games in the world like - Brawl Stars, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Free Fire. Do make videos on these too. Because mobile being cheap are more in the world than computers.
I have good routines and schedule for the daytime, but the evening and weekends are where I'm trying to sink my teeth into creating a schedule that builds structure and commitment to my day.
Tim Ferriss once said he needs to plan his weekend by Tuesday with some activities or he’d end up just sitting around wasting time. Keep growing you’re doing great
I've had this addiction off and on my entire life. My problem gets worse when yhe economy is bad. The simple fact is that I am a highly hyper person. I have to keep my mind busy. Playing games doesn't have to cost anything after an initial purchase and staying home is a must when you don't have much money in a recession. Hobbies cost money. There aren't many hobbies you can have that only cost you $60 up front and you can keep yourself busy and have fun for many many hours on end without spending another dime. No cost in gas, no cost in materials, no cost in meals and drink due to being gone from the house. Some games can have a monthly cost of $15 to $20 a month or just $120 for a year if bought at once. It's very hard to find that in any other hobby, except for working out, when done at home!!! The cost of a jym membership and the gas to go to and from is much more costly than gaming. This is why it ends up being my go to when the economy is shit, like it has been for over 2 years now. I was just thinking about picking up WOW. As I haven't played sence 2009. Your video scares the hell out of me. I wish I would have seen it before paying for a year's subscription. I may have thought twice about spending the money, had I. Anyways, I'm gonna give it a try. I went with classic and another video I saw just before this one makes me wish I would have gone with the Retail or Dragon Flight. As it's supposedly not as time consuming to level and is better suited for moderation than Classic is. 30 minutes will get you no where on Classic, according to the video I watched comparing the 2. I may just bite the bullet and take the loss on the subscription. As I don't have 6 hours to play any game in one day. Just not possible for me.
From 16 to 26 years old,being a degenerate loser,washing once a month,surviving on coffee,bread and eggs,never leaving my house and playing WoW 16h a day was the best time of my life. But time goes on and life moves on,I got older,game became a piece of shit and I let it go. Today I go to the gym,run marathons,go hikin and ciclyng,have a job that pays well,meet people and developed cofidance talking to women thanks to the gym. Sometimes I still remember the "good times",and a part of me still belives that was the best time of my life. But one thing is certain I HAVE NO REGRETS!!!
I could sell the hell out of my phone and laptop, buy myself a push-button phone, but the fact that I'm a software developer doesn't allow me to do that... Probably, I need to very skillfully control my attention and time
Its sad when I take a look at my past where im playing games like 7-9 hours a day... imagine how many days its wasted and didn't get anything in return :|
That argumebt is pretty much invalid. Some people prefer social interaction or going to the cinema which also has 0 benefit for u. It is all about living the moment, unless you are owner of Tesla or OpenAI, the u actually make history. If we are going to measure how valuable ur days are by the amount of things u get in return (in terms of longterm returns), then most people's lives are pointless. This is a very toxic and nihilistic view. Psychiastrists are here to help tho.
i'm lucky... i only really liked vanilla... and after a few years messing my life up on a private server i tapped out my enthusiasm for the systems... happy to say wow is in my past, not so happy to say it's probably why i only scraped by in my masters rather than really showing my potential
2:36 SOURCE PLEASSSEE me defeating a boss or getting good gear does NOT SEND the same brain activivty as buying a car or paying off bills. Give me a fucking break, propaganda will not consume me.
I don't even get why people are buying skins I mean sure in the shop it looks all nice and glamory but in game when equiping it it becomes small and more pixely and looses a lot of its touch and in addition to that it isnt even really visible besides some bolder patterns details which can be seen in shop sre sometimes not even recocnnizable its so useless
Yes I definitely have the sunk cost fallacy problem. For example I have 1005 mounts 892 Toys and over 2000 pets. I can’t see just stopping and letting it all go after all that time invested.
1st world real world problems. I'm with you bro. I deleted my old account on the game I played only to pick it up later and get a knight all the way up to lvl 110 sword out of 120 where 2.5 million fame to lvl up becomes rediculous and the dopamine drip in the game is as dry as the Sahara.
The game literally tells you "Remember to take All things in moderation, especially World of Warcraft" so it's not the game its you the player.. stop blaming the game for your choices and addictions, i was addicted to wow years ago i barricaded myself in my room as a teen to play this, but i never blamed the game.
Even moderate play does something with you and might very likely be a risk for your life if you have a job, a wife and kids. Go for a walk when they sleep instead of get lost in a parallel universe.
Dude imagine a system that paying gamers as jobs to play games. Lol Idk if that will ever exist, but just imagine that, everything can be rationalized. And the best you play a game, the more you get paid. Or pay hourly lol just saying.
I have an addiction with Apex legends. Though I would do my daily errands in the day, I would waste hours and hours in the game when i come home. I would waste more time on quick tutorials on youtube on "how to get better". The truth is, I haven't approved since I first started playing.
Waster life and money. I bought the 2 months and would want stop but would lost my money since I have 45 days yet. Tried delete last account and stop play for almost 2 years, but last friday played 18hours. This game is like a drug!
I recommend do a list of why you need stop gaming, the consequences of relapse/addiction and the benefits of quitting games, when you feel tempted again just read that list.
@@romasliv thank you for you answer! Stop play games will not resolve my problems but it is a way to avoid reality. I'm trying refund wow dragonflight, very addictive game since I get anxious to play after job and cant even sleep enough.
@@DanielSilva-hl9qm you welcome bro, that advice is something I need to do myself, I do it mentally but I think is safer doing in paper. When you quit addiction you won't regret it.
My addiction to MMO's was Albion Online if we're name dropping, but my addiction started over a decade ago with a game called King's Road, and all the lesser addictive games that took up to six months of my time per game before abandoning my play of that game.
We all love unhealthy things, that's not a justification for continuing to play. The only way to create better lives for ourselves and our families is through sacrifice of short term pleasures.
Not really cheating but can be triggering and also a waste of time (overconsumption) so important to keep an eye on it. Watch these videos: 1) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hm_W2HGe584.html 2) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QLOhgJdQLPs.html
My husband was addicted to it, had an affair with some online gaming buddy and it broke up our marriage. His addiction was so bad, it eventually caused him to loose contact with his own son.
Been playing wow since beta 2003 , I have no reason or want to quit. The only thing that could get me to quit is a new mmo like ashes of creation which I can waste my next 20 years on. I have a brand new house , 3 kids and a wife. The only thing I wished I had more was time to play
This isn't a WoW or video game problem people like this need psychological help. Just quitting WoW or a videogame won't help since they'll generally just find another outlet.
@@GameQuitters if thats what you got from my comment we can just end our conversation there. I've had someone close to me pass because it IS a serious problem that needs professional help.
I think you should make one on Genshin Impact. The game is so addicting and it's so hard for me to rid of it. Would it be possible for you to make a video on why Genshin Impact is so addicting? Thank you so much for making these videos 🥹
@@GameQuitters the primojems...the gacha... The beautiful characters released each time after time... The never ending rerun of characters... Every time I want to quit Genshin there are new story events and even more rewards... 26 December is the next rerun(Ayato) and the last character (Nahida) had more than half the community (I think) pulling for her. It's a never ending cycle of chasing after characters and so hard to get rid of! I haven't been playing it for two days and I already have the urge to download it again... It would be nice if you could make a video because it seems like everyone is playing Genshin Impact honestly. And I've seen how myself and others are addicted to it but it's just impossible to quit. The game with its beautiful scenery and world building makes real life seem boring and rigid. I wished I could quit Genshin but I started playing due to peer pressure and it's so hard to let it go
