How Do I Know If My Gaming Passion Is Harming Me?

Have been playing games for too long and have been doing everything to manage its side effects? We bet there must still be a time when you wonder if you are doing it right or not. Because everyone goes through that phase. Especially in today’s digital times when we are surrounded by technological advancements and screens and what not. After a certain point, our body starts giving signs that don’t look too good. So, you have been wondering lately ‘how do I know if my gaming habits are healthy or not?’ The details given below are for you!

The healthy signs of video gaming

Before you know all the unhealthy signs of your favorite hobby, it is crucial that we understand what some of the healthy signs that this pass time includes.

• The game doesn’t have control over when you stop playing it. You stop playing it as soon as you feel like it. No ‘just one more level’ or ‘just a few more minutes’.
• How do I know if my gaming passion is not harming me? By being sure you are not compromising your sleep because of it. You sleep regularly, at the same time. No video game interference with your deep, beauty sleep.
• You have a life outside gaming is one of the biggest ways that tells you if the hobby has ruined you or not. You have time for your friends, family, career, and yourself. If you do, then congrats, gaming is not harming you at all.
• You don’t skip workout because of gaming. In fact, you do more of it because you are well aware of the consequences of sitting in a single position for hours while playing games on a screen. Physical workout helps you undo most of the damage caused by such sitting positions.
• You don’t feel the need to play as much as possible. Having full control over yourself over how many video games you play in a day is one of the biggest signs to discover if you are doing it right or wrong.

Signs that help you know your gaming passion is exploiting you!

Now! Here comes the details that you have been looking for. The top signs that can easily help you identify if your video gaming hobby is getting out of hand. Or you are still managing it pretty well.

1. You feel bad after every gaming session. There’s guilt for your uncontrolled gaming behavior. This usually happens with an addiction. When we know something is bad for us and exploiting us, we are unable to control it. If this starts happening with your online gaming, quit asking ‘how do I know if video games are harming me’, and start believing it does!
2. Whenever asked, you lie to your friends and family about how many games you play daily. If you have to hide it, you are already doing something wrong with it. But one thing to notice here is, sometimes we hide our hobbies, not because we are wrong, but because we know the other person will make fun of it no matter how good it is. Understanding the difference between the two is important before making any assumption.
3. Another red flag in gaming is how you prioritize it. Nothing comes before gaming for you. Your topmost priority is gaming only. Your work, personal time, responsibilities, everything has to wait when you have a gaming controller in your hands. This is ultimately making you fall behind your work and personal commitments.
4. You spend money on gaming even though you cannot afford it. This is more toxic than it sounds. If you don’t have extra money to fund your gaming hobbies, but you are still buying the latest gaming accessories, in-app purchases, and downloading new games as soon as they launch, you have to worry about how much gaming controls you.
5. You cannot decide when you will not play your games. You just have to play them for at least a few minutes every day. Even on a packed day, if you are forcefully taking out time to finish a game or complete a level, it is a sign to stop. If game targets are the only thing on your mind, take a pause and reflect on how you let online games control you.

If you see even a single of these signs in you, start working on yourself already. It will not take too long to check all the boxes if you have already checked one box. So, start early and bring your gaming addiction down to a healthy hobby’s limit.

How to draw a balance between both?

Start with removing all your card and payment details from your gaming profiles. It will prevent you from all kinds of in-app purchases and buying newly launched games. You will start saying to yourself you will add the details the next time. This will ultimately bring your video game spending under control. Eventually, preventing you from playing more games, slowly.

Don’t forget to turn on confirmation messages before making any payment. The longer the process of purchasing a game, the easier it will be for you to quit.

Set a fixed time to play games throughout the entire day. Play as many games as you want in this time period. But don’t cheat the hours at any cost. Stick to a routine and follow it rigorously.

Delete all the games from your mobile phone. Don’t have video games for quick access to yourself. This will decrease the urge to switch to console gaming as soon as possible, from your mobile game.

Take expert help if necessary. Whether you think your gaming habits are harming you mentally or physically, take help if things are going out of your control. If required, hire a personal trainer and a therapist altogether to come out of the mess quickly.

To Sum Up:

It is important to know that online games are not harmful. It is just that you have to know when to stop and draw the line between reality and fiction. Taking healthy measures to do so from the very beginning can help you prevent any extreme problems in the future. But if it still happens, getting help from an expert or a family/friend is not a bad idea. Don’t worry about what they will think of you. Just take their help, and thank them for not getting back to toxic and uncontrollable gaming again.

If you want help with any aspect of your online gaming, feel free to ask us. If you have any personal suggestions on how to control gaming obsession and wish to share your experiences, write to us in the comments below. For more such tips on how to find out if you are playing online games safely or not, stay tuned to this space.