Video Games and Rebooting

[Promise]

So what are the general opinions towards video games and PMO?  I've made an effort to make sure I don't play video games when I'm not still finding them genuinely entertaining.  That way I won't waste time on them and can spend my time finding something more constructive to do, rather than allowing the brain fog to descend.  Today I re-installed a game called League of Legends, one which I have a bit of a history of being addicted to.  I played a few games and, although I can't say I felt a dopamine spike whilst playing, after 3 games I feel like I have a bit of the old brain fog.  I've probably wasted too much time on games overall today, and not done much of what I consider a fulfilling activity, but I don't mind the occasional lazy day.

I still don't feel an urge to look at P any more than usual, the only time they make me want to fap really is when I get frustrated.  So what's going on here, why did LoL give me brain fog?  Did it give me brain fog at all, or was it just a coincidence?  Should I uninstall it and avoid it?

I'd like to hear people's opinions on this, thanks!

 

[Viper]

This is a tough one because if I tell you that I believe playing more video games helped me in my reboot,
then I don't know if that's best advice to give to everyone. There are self made billionaires out there who dropped out of college who are speaking to high school kids now. I do not think that they are telling them to do the same simply
because they did it and amassed a fortune.
Same thing here. I did play more games but I would not encourage it.

Have you considered joining a gym?
All kinds of benefits there for your reboot and stuff that are non related.
You don't have to be a fitness buff. Most gyms have a week trial or a day-by-day
program so you should at least give it a shot.
In my honest opinion, I don't think video games increase your PIED or disrupt your reboot.
But there are more constructive things you can do with your time and creativity.
I just named one.

 

[GeniusAddict]

I'm trying to find a habit that's not technology based. Something outdoor or exercise like martial arts or something

 

[Promise]

I think I answered my own question with my thoughts and actions today.  Most games are fine, but that one is bad news.  I know when I'm playing a game for fun, and playing out of compulsion or whatever.  I've uninstalled it and won't be re-installing it.

 

[GeniusAddict]

Some games are porn actually.

 

[jnv]

Good job on uninstalling LoL, that game is a bitch. I competed a lot on this one but I noticed in the end all it brought me was frustration mainly because of other players' behaviours.
I wish you'll be stronger than I was because although I uninstalled it many times, I was not able to definitely quit until I emailed the LoL staff asking them to band/delete my accounts. Wishing to quit it was one of the best decisions I took together quitting Porn...

 

[Promise]

Haha, jnv, LoL is without a doubt the game I've re-installed the most times.  I've lost count.  I've blocked the site with K9 though, so it shouldn't provide too much temptation.

 

[jnv]

haha, I lost count about how many times I re-installed it as well. Good job on blocking it with K9, I did it as well like 3 months ago because I associated those 2 addications of mine. Many time frustration provoked by games (mainly LoL) lead me to PMO and then after PMO, out of boredom I would play again... I had to stop this time consuming vicious circle once and for all.
Good luck!

 

[SebUK]

During my first reboot I began playing Eve-Online. My rationale that it would give me something to do when the urges came. So I began playing and things seemed OK, although even then it was obvious to me that I had replaced my porn compulsion with a gaming one. But in my mind that was still better. The worst part was when I had a bad session I would feel a massive urge for a hit, and my mind usually thought of porn which was uber frustrating. Eventually though the porn urges came back. In retrospect I think the gaming just staved off the urges for a while, without really 'fixing' my brain. Ie I think the gaming was delaying my brain from recovery because it kept my brain in a compulsive-dopamine high state.

For my second reboot I'm not gaming and it's much harder. Within a couple of weeks the urges are coming back strong. And no Eve-Online to sidetrack my mind.

 

[jnv]

I completely stopped online gaming a bit before I started my first noPMO streak and I'm really happy because I had learned beforehand that if I had kept myself playing while rebooting from PMO, gaming would just be a substitute for PMO because I would still feed my brain with high dopamine. I noticed it because sometimes in the past when achieving something really great in a game, I would literally feel the exact same tingling I feel in the brain when MO'ing, and it is crazy when you think about it. I've been playing for 15+years and my actual 87day streak is the longest I've ever reached and I think it's mainly thanks to YBOP. YBOP content covers things not only about P addiction but on addictions in general and it allowed to fully understand how my gaming addiction was affecting my brain. The first week was the hardest one in my case but after this, I think I have had zero urge to play again and just the thought of me playing seems weird now, I need to do the same with PMO now and it's no mean feat!

 

[Promise]

I still play games, but generally not compulsive addictive ones like MMOs or LoL.  I think you can tell if what you are doing is genuinely entertaining, or you're just using it to waste time and shut off your brain for a few hours.  The moment you feel that you stop getting genuine entertainment out of it, and you start feeling that brain fog come down and your eyes glazing over (usually takes about 30mins for me) I shut it off and go and do something else.

I've cut down on games quite a lot recently without making a particularly conscious effort to do so, just by following what I said above.  I love games and I don't think I'd ever want to quit them entirely.

 

[Standingtall]

I was wondering this exact same thing. It seems like my porn binges and my skyrim binges always occur around each other. I think for me it just makes me feel lazy and when I'm lazy I don't want to get out of my chair and do anything. Maybe I'll try laying off of the video games for a while and see how it goes.

 

[infiniti]

So what are the general opinions towards video games and PMO?  I've made an effort to make sure I don't play video games when I'm not still finding them genuinely entertaining.  That way I won't waste time on them and can spend my time finding something more constructive to do, rather than allowing the brain fog to descend.  Today I re-installed a game called League of Legends, one which I have a bit of a history of being addicted to.  I played a few games and, although I can't say I felt a dopamine spike whilst playing, after 3 games I feel like I have a bit of the old brain fog.  I've probably wasted too much time on games overall today, and not done much of what I consider a fulfilling activity, but I don't mind the occasional lazy day.

I still don't feel an urge to look at P any more than usual, the only time they make me want to fap really is when I get frustrated.  So what's going on here, why did LoL give me brain fog?  Did it give me brain fog at all, or was it just a coincidence?  Should I uninstall it and avoid it?

I'd like to hear people's opinions on this, thanks!

I quite often find early in recovery, I use video games to get away from Porn. Now though I'm not; rather I'm going out more, meeting people etc. I don't see video games as a good substitution for porn. For me at least. Both can be addictive.

 

[jjhh]

I have been losing interest in video games since starting my reboot. I still play to kill time, but I have very little interest installing some new game in diving in.
So I think it's porn--->games for me really.

 

[SebUK]

So what are the general opinions towards video games and PMO?  I've made an effort to make sure I don't play video games when I'm not still finding them genuinely entertaining.  That way I won't waste time on them and can spend my time finding something more constructive to do, rather than allowing the brain fog to descend.  Today I re-installed a game called League of Legends, one which I have a bit of a history of being addicted to.  I played a few games and, although I can't say I felt a dopamine spike whilst playing, after 3 games I feel like I have a bit of the old brain fog.  I've probably wasted too much time on games overall today, and not done much of what I consider a fulfilling activity, but I don't mind the occasional lazy day.

I still don't feel an urge to look at P any more than usual, the only time they make me want to fap really is when I get frustrated.  So what's going on here, why did LoL give me brain fog?  Did it give me brain fog at all, or was it just a coincidence?  Should I uninstall it and avoid it?

I'd like to hear people's opinions on this, thanks!

I quite often find early in recovery, I use video games to get away from Porn. Now though I'm not; rather I'm going out more, meeting people etc. I don't see video games as a good substitution for porn. For me at least. Both can be addictive.

I'm similar, so I've decided to try and shift away from computers in general. My counsellor interestingly said that there is a high correlation between the amount of time people spend on the internet and the amount of porn they look at. So reducing internet time should hopefully reduce the desire to look at porn.

So, I bought a bike a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty cool so far and I think it's helping. Basically when I get that feeling of wanting to relapse, instead of thinking about games I could play, I think about going for a bike ride. Much healthier.