Do you have a vice you like to pair with gaming? Like … some other addiction you love to indulge in while playing games?
I’m not talking about layering innocuous behaviors (ex. twirling your hair or repetitive vocalizations) or healthy activities (ex. listening to podcasts or stretching on a yoga mat) on top of playing games here. I’m talking about doubling or tripling up on stuff you know is not really good for you for the numbers of consecutive hours we like to do these things.
I’ve got a few favorites. Eating. Smoking pot. Picking scabs on my head.
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Do you ever feel like as long as you only do one of your things at a time that you’re really doing a great job controlling yourself? Like I feel like if I’m playing games without getting high and/or compulsively overeating, that I’m really accomplishing a terrifically healthy feat of abstinence, even though I’m still wasting hours upon hours compulsively playing games.
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Does it seem like all of this is harder to resist during the holiday season and winter in general?
Isn’t *everything* harder during winter and the holiday season?
How much is too much? And how much is actually helpful to just stay safe and sane? Is it possible to just do “the right amount” to stay balanced and kind to yourself? Or does any amount more than nothing spell certain disaster?
I tend to think gaming can be a very healthy alternative to things that can really kill you (like alcohol), so if you’re able to game without being triggered to do something genuinely life-threatening, and/or if gaming helps you cope, then we should allow ourselves to do it without any guilt or shame.
Still, it is worth thinking about what you would like to have in your life that many hours of gaming might be keeping you from.