There’s no doubt that video games can be a fun pastime like no other. But what happens when your gaming habit gets out of control and starts to impact your everyday life? Video game addiction is a behavioural addiction that has been recognised by many healthcare organisations around the world in recent years.
So, in this article, we are going to run through some of the best-proven methods to cut down on excessive gaming and prevent the development of gaming addiction.
Increase the Barrier For Entry
Playing video games is a notoriously easy act to carry out. We turn on our gaming device of choice, take a seat and get stuck in. So we would describe this act as having a very low barrier for entry as it does not take much to carry it out.
Gaming can become so habitual over time that it becomes automatic. Very little conscious thought goes into coming home and jumping on our PC. We simply do it as the behaviour is deeply rooted in our brains at this point.
In order to break this habit loop, we have to increase the barrier for entry meaning we have to make video games harder to access. So here are a few ways we can do this:
- Unplug your console or PC after using it so it adds another step to set it up
- Taking the console to an inconvenient room in the house
- Locking away your gaming device after using it
- Giving your gaming console away to a family member or friend
- Deleting your video game shortcuts off your desktop
- If you’re brave enough, uninstalling your games altogether
The purpose of adding these extra steps means that gaming now requires conscious thought. Essentially, buying us time to think rationally whether gaming for the next few hours is the right thing to do.
On the flip side, we can apply this concept in the reverse for healthier activities that we would like to carry out. For instance, going for a run can seem like a tedious task to go and do. But, if we prepare our running playlist and have our change of clothes laid out for when we get back from work or school, all that’s left to do is run.
The take-home message is to make gaming harder to do and other activities easier.
Find Alternative Activities
As it stands playing video games is a pretty unique activity as it satisfies many of the different needs we have as human beings. They are mentally engaging and allow us to see measurable growth in our skills and achievements. They provide a social platform for us to interact with our friends and other gamers with similar interests. And as we previously mentioned they are easy to play and unwind with in the evening.
In order to break our gaming habits, we have to find different activities that satisfy each of these different human needs that we mentioned. So for example:
- A mentally engaging activity – something like learning a new language, an instrument or martial arts that stimulate our brains and allow us to see constant improvement in our skills
- A social activity – things like joining a dance class, rock climbing or a team sport like football. These all offer the opportunity to have important face to face interactions with people of similar interests
- A resting activity – finally we will need something low energy that can be done in the evenings to relax instead of playing video games. Perhaps, reading, drawing or learning to cook a simple meal
All of these different activities can serve as great alternatives to gaming. Initially, they might not be as enjoyable as video games because of the stimulation that gaming has gotten our brains used to. However, the important part is to do other activities as this provides the opportunity to build new passions.
Practice Mindfulness
This might sound like a hippy solution however this is one of the most effective methods of controlling our urges to play video games. All modern courses of CBT contain mindfulness exercises which are the leading techniques in treating behavioural addictions.
Mindfulness is the act of becoming aware of the mind and body in the present moment, without passing any judgement on any of it. The hard part about mindfulness is not judging any of the sensations or thoughts in your mind at that moment. We are inherently judgemental creatures and we formulate opinions and assumptions about everything in an instant.
The purpose of mindfulness in the context of overcoming addiction is that we slowly become able to have these addictive urges and cravings without passing any judgement on them. This means that we lessen the emotional response they elicit and give them less power over us.
After all, mindfulness is a skill and has to be practised in order for us to get to that level. The best way to practice mindfulness is through meditations such as the “Mindful breathing exercise, mindful eating exercise and mindful question method” These can be done by following a guided audio meditation or on your own in a quiet room when you’re confident enough.
Create a Schedule
Many of us might have attempted to cut our video games cold turkey but ultimately ended up gaming again out of temptation or boredom. The problem many people have when cutting out video games is they don’t know what to do with their newfound free time. When we create a plan for the day on what we will invest our time into rather than attempting to kill it. We leave little room for boredom and temptation and shift our attention towards other productive things.
Hence, we strongly recommend making a schedule for the day when attempting to cut down on gaming. The schedule doesn’t have to be a solid military regime. It can be flexible so long as you give yourself things to do for the day. It prevents long hours of free time wondering what to do next, giving time for boredom, procrastination and ultimately more video games.
Time Management Techniques
Finally, here’s a great time management technique to get you moving in the right direction if you are really struggling to get yourself away from the screen. This is an effective method known as the Pomodoro Technique and this is how it works:
- The activity we are attempting to quit is carried out for 25 minutes. After that, the individual takes a break for 5 minutes and does a different activity. Something more productive. It could be homework, practising an instrument or reading a book. Simply something not gaming related.
- After the 5 minute breaks, they can go back to gaming for 25 minutes and repeat the process. The aim of the exercise is to increase the amount of time you spend on the break the more times the cycle repeats
- For instance, going from 5 minutes of reading to 10 minutes and so on
- Ideally, we want to reach a point where our break from gaming is longer than 25 minutes. However, there is no pressure on the exercise and feel free to go at your own pace
- One important rule to remember is no increasing the 25 minutes spent gaming otherwise the exercise will fall apart
Many users of the Pomodoro technique find that the best part about the technique is that there is no cap on how long your breaks can be. Often they end up spending hours at a time away from gaming, so don’t be afraid to give it a shot.
If you feel like you’ve been gaming too much and want to cut down, The Mindful Gamer is always here to help.