Video Games

Strongproudwoman · 2014-03-28T03:24:23+00:00

I guess I will write this again.

First good job OP on improving yourself.

Second, It's about time management. I play games. But I know my priorities. Some people watch sports on TV. I do not watch tv. ( iv seen the first season of game of thrones).

Redpill isn't about banging a woman who is in a relationship or getting tribal tattoos cause it makes you look hard.

Redpill is about improving yourself, living for yourself an doing the things you love with confidence.

As I said in a previous post. I have a friend who is a firefighter, bought a house with woman that I would rate a 9 and also asked his friend on Facebook if he was getting the new expansion for WOW. That's the redpill in a nutshell.

On weekends I do security in nightclubs. I'm 6'1 270lbs and fit.. Would you believe that I paint war hammer models? Well I do.... I don't care what people think because its a hobby of mine.

I'm not bashing you. If games are not your thing that's cool. But I hope from this comment you get a better sense of what the redpill is.

DaedalusFinch · 2014-03-28T08:57:39+00:00

Just pretend you are playing an extremely realistic RPG where the main character is a loser that needs to improve himself.

Grimmov · 2014-03-28T10:26:47+00:00

Sounds like you were playing shitty time-waster games like LoL and WoW.

By all means, anyone working on self-improvement should avoid those types of games like the plague.

But video games can be much more than that if you apply a refined sense of taste to how you're spending your time with them. They can be social experiences. They can also be a method of mental improvement if you challenge yourself.

I limit myself to playing 1 or 2 games at a time. Naturally, when I get bored of them, I find other things to do. The problem is when they become life consuming.

2014-03-28T15:42:41+00:00

[permanently deleted]

2014-03-28T02:12:04+00:00

That's true, you'll find yourself playing games less (and wanting to play them less) when you do other more satisfying things.

I used to play a lot of WoW when I was in high school, and while it was fun, I eventually grew out of it. Now, between classes, work, socializing and doing things to improve myself, I don't play nearly as much.

RedSunBlue · 2014-03-28T08:03:26+00:00

So, for all the guys struggling to quit playing video games, don't quit. Just keep playing. Instead, struggle to improve yourself, and you will see how much of a waste of time they are. Also, looking good in the mirror is infinitely more satisfying than leveling up your guy.

Amen to that.

Cyralea · 2014-03-28T15:02:09+00:00

I'm a former hardcore gamer. As in, skipped meals and showers to get in marathons sessions level hardcore. It was probably the single-most unhealthy behaviour of my BP days. There's nothing wrong with a little unwinding time spent gaming (as I do now), but at the time it was stifling all the time I should have been better spending self-improving. I eventually got so fed up that I temporarily quit gaming altogether for a few months. Only then did I see a drastic improvement in my quality of life, and people around me noticed too.

If you're still BP and reading this, I encourage you to try. Just put down the games for 2 months, and pick up a skill (like playing guitar). Join sports groups. Practice cooking. Do something to fill up that empty time. It made an enormous difference in my life.

Gaming all day long is no different than coming home and getting drunk off your ass every day and wallowing in your misery. Do something productive, enjoy leisurely activities in moderation.

forgotmydamnpass · 2014-03-28T02:11:22+00:00

Yep I've noticed this too, ever since I started lifting, got more confident, fixed my diet, got a better haircut and started wearing better clothes I almost stopped playing video games, I can barely play for 3 hours per week tops if I force myself to do so, and the only thing I still play is Dark Souls 2, my console will probably end up gathering dust once I finish the game and I don't miss the whole gaming world much at all

esco_ · 2014-03-29T00:44:05+00:00

people who use drugs, videogames, gamble typically fall into one of two categories:

1) those that do these things for the positive reinforcement they provide (i.e. the feel good factor)

2) those that do these things as an avoidance from negative mood/problems etc

sometimes you may start out as category 1 and end up belonging in category 2.

The important thing is to realise why you are doing what you are doing. category 2 is a problem

Personally, i started out gaming in the first category, moved into category 2 in my late teens/early twenties cos i was depressed and my life was shit. Now i still game, but my life is working out pretty damn well and i do it for some fun about an hour a day

GayLubeOil · 2014-03-28T02:42:59+00:00

The high i get from working out is much greater than the one I get from video games.

KaribouLouDied · 2014-03-28T04:27:32+00:00

Ehh, I workout 3x a week, socialize pretty much every day, and read multiple books a week, but I still love a good civ v match, and play several times a week.

2014-03-28T08:33:12+00:00

"So, for all the guys struggling to quit playing video games, don't quit. Just keep playing. Instead, struggle to improve yourself, and you will see how much of a waste of time they are."

You are understating the addictive and reality warping effect that video games have. Especially when you live in a society where the avenues for productive action in the real world are severely limited.

"Also, looking good in the mirror is infinitely more satisfying than leveling up your guy."

Absolutely.

TattedGuyser · 2014-03-28T02:35:41+00:00

There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying what you enjoy. You seem to have gotten to the point where you're starting to blame all your past unhappiness on what you enjoyed in your past, because you want to believe that that part of your life was worse then what you are starting now. I personally have amazing memories with friends staying up all night, playing games and shooting the shit. I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

If you destroy everything in your past and this new venture fails.. what are you going to do? Incorporate TRP lifestyle INTO your life, don't destroy your life trying to fit a shoe that might be too big, because that's how you end up REALLY hating yourself.

abXcv · 2014-03-28T02:56:14+00:00

I opened an account on Ragnarok online last week. Since then, I've stopped hitting the gym, gained weight, and have fallen behind in my studies.

Mmo's. Not even once.

DukeHollywood · 2014-03-28T04:42:38+00:00

Good for you OP, great to hear about your progress. I know a lot of people have commented saying "it's not about giving up video games" which certainly can be true.

But for some of us, those who have a predisposition towards getting drawn in or obsessed with certain activities I think giving them up at least for a time is the only way.

For me it wasn't video games but online poker. I feel like I lost 2 years in my early 20's to online poker obsession. I could play 14 hours a day. Once I played almost 36 hours straight.

Eventually I got it together and quit and got a lot more balance back in my life. I'll still play a live cash game occasionally but that's much different.

There's lots of outdoor and physical hobbies out there that can replace our sedentary ones.

cxj · 2014-03-28T06:09:45+00:00

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." - Bertrand Russell

It sounds like you were unhappy and just filling time with video games. Personally, I used to genuinely love competitive starcraft, and learned quite a bit about my own competitive nature and self improvement from playing to improve my rank in the game. I rarely play now due to lost interest for no particular reason, but do not regret the time I spent on Starcraft at all. At this point in my life I'd rather be at the gym or reading a book.

Regnuvium · 2014-03-28T06:21:35+00:00

It all comes down to time management. I have time to do college work, weightlift, go to mma classes, and many other things as well as playing video games. It's priorities that matter. If you put video games above everything else you must consider what you get in return.

2014-03-28T13:53:57+00:00

Very well written article some very intresting and well presented ideas I happen to disagree with this view in particular though. Your main idea is that video games are a east of time that you don't actually achieve anything and your time is better spent doing other things. But by that logic all forms of entertainment are unnecessary and a waste of time watching movies, watching tv, playing games and reading books all wastes of time. To me entertainment is a vital part of being a human being its a way for us to communicate ideas to each other in a very real and meaning full way and its something that's been engrained into humanity from very early in our history. Even ancient humans found time to play games and tell story's and they were struggling to survive all the time. Sure it was a different kind of game and a different kind of storytelling but it all relates the same way and video games in particular are both of those experiences combined. Story telling sharing playing games communicating and conveying messages and meanings in this way is part of being a human being. Its important and definitive in the same way that music and ideology's and religion and ancestry is they make us who we are as a people as a race as Americans as men and as individuals. Granted not all you time should be spent on it as is true with everything not all your time should be spent on any activity no matter how beneficial or enjoyable it is. With out forms of entertainment and times to relax and enjoy yourself along with some red pill ideas your life would basically be revolving solely around gaming and getting with girls making yourself only who you need to be to do that and not anything else you would enjoy. To me the red pill means more then that it means realizing the truth improving yourself as a person and learning to enjoy life the best you can.

circlhat · 2014-03-28T16:49:33+00:00

Some of my best memories are from playing video games, the friends I made online actually very close and dear to me.

You assume hardcore gamer don't get girls, I know skinny ass nerds landing hot chicks, that live with their parents at 24.

As for me I don't play quite as much as I use to because I don't find it enjoyable, I just grew out of it naturally

bitchdantkillmyvibe · 2014-03-28T05:52:22+00:00

Level up in real life, not in some game.

aaron_the_just · 2014-03-28T08:35:23+00:00

Video games, porn, fapping, and carbs are all in the same category.

They feel good to consume, but afterward you feel like shit.

__ROOSTER__ · 2014-03-28T14:48:47+00:00

Anybody supporting videos games as saying "it's just like any other hobby" isn't looking at it rationally. Video games are made to be addictive, they stimulate the brain like nothing else except maybe porn.

You can have a great real sex life or a great porn masturbation life, it's almost impossible to have both, as the porn life destroys your real life abilities at some point.

Modern video games fuck up your head. They are drugs.

Climb mountains, ride motorcycles, sail, lift, dive, trek, do anything real.

widec · 2014-03-28T05:10:43+00:00

Just like everything else, video games are best left in moderation. If I smoked weed from the second I woke up, it would have a negative impact on my life. If games sucked up all my free time, definitely a negative impact. As long as they are a leisure activity and not an escape, they might even be beneficial for you, shaping up your reflexes and critical thinking in clutch situations.

EducatedCavemen · 2014-03-28T05:14:48+00:00

Playing video games is not horrible, the point is not letting them consume you like they still do with your friends.

Congratulations on your improvements, keep it up.

ThisShitRules · 2014-03-28T05:30:06+00:00

I still have habit of playing Planetside sometimes. Like on the weekends or after I eat and want to wait a bit before going to the gym. And I feel that I should do it even less, but it's so much fun.

2014-03-28T06:17:45+00:00

It's more about being able to fit in other social activities around your non-negotiable commitments.

The trap with video games is that it's a very easy outlet for social interaction with people, yet not in such a way that it requires you to go out of your way to do so. It's not the same as actually having friends to go out and do stuff with, but it's incredibly easy in terms of effort exerted.

Beltox2pointO · 2014-03-28T06:46:55+00:00

Good for you, but for me. Currently unemployed me... I search for jobs 2hours a day make calls apply online research new tafe courses etc. Gym about 1-2 hours then I have nothing else to really do. Read about anything that interests me online, tweek my CV or my gym routine and that's pretty much it.

Leaves me with a couple hours spare that I spend on LoL or D3. But I mever play without trying to improve. Missed that CS better focus more. That was a shitty gank. What can I do better next time. Etc.

I feel that once I find a full time job as well hitting the gym enough to fill out my chest and arms more I won't have much time, but it really doesn't bother me.

2014-03-28T07:09:49+00:00

I actually needed to read this, working on self-improvement and was just considering sitting down and playing games instead of spending my time studying for an exam.

I'm in the same boat as you, beginning to realise that time spent on games is time I spend away from study, socializing and any other self-improvement goals I'm working towards.

Thanks for the reminder OP.

raceAround126 · 2014-03-28T09:04:02+00:00

I play the odd video game. Certainly not for hours though. Mostly as I'm learning Direct 3D programming and starting to get into animation. But that's really all. I have about four games total.

thefoxman88 · 2014-03-28T10:42:06+00:00

I've noticed when I check some of my old highschool friends on steam and you see 1500+ hours playing DOTA2 and going FUCK!

Hyooge · 2014-03-28T10:47:37+00:00

Used to hop on the Xbox every Friday-Sunday at 6-11/12 for a good few years. Even though I occasionally turn it on and lose myself in Skyrim or something I often forget I even have an Xbox. I used to want to maximise my time playing because I was only allowed on the weekends. Now I limit myself purely because I want to do other things.

Don't feel you have to give something you have fun doing up for the sake of "being more RP", just learn to balance your time between productive and playful things.

TheStoneyVibes · 2014-03-28T12:14:25+00:00

Congratulations brother youve made it farther than most people who come to this subreddit do. I was exactly like you and its been a complete change. Best thing i ever did. Im still mid improvement but i fear rejection and holding eye contact no longer. Its all about becoming a better man for you and getting out of your unsatisfactory comfort zone

Fucty_Artsy · 2014-03-28T13:52:54+00:00

Gaming measured by SMV depends on your social group as every other hobby. Sure if you're a master in guitar playing chances are you gonna DHV more often in various social groups than when you're a crack in your favorite online game. But in the end it only depends on the interests of the group you're socializing in. Just be sure to never overdo it. Too much of anything is a bad thing.

2014-03-28T16:53:01+00:00

Video games are more indicative of how much free time you have, not your social standing in society. The latter is just a stigma.

I hadn't played in a while (think years here) because I had just mountains of shit to do. Then I cracked open Mass Effect to see what all the fuss was about and found myself fairly bored because of the slow pace of the game. I had been going at such a breakneck pace for so long that a game like that is just too lackadaisical to stop and smell the roses of the scenery and/or story.

Like you said, if there isn't much to do, a game like that (or just complete pile of crap like WoW or LoL) would draw me in, but there's just so much to do. I'm going to start Crysis instead and try my hand at a few of the RTS games I've missed; FPS and RTS were always very fast paced for me and if they weren't, you could always increase the difficulty to make them so.

2014-03-28T17:21:06+00:00

I lift weights and love the energy boost and high I get from it, e.g. the rush you get when you push out that final fucking rep with heavy squats or whatever - you know what I'm talking about. It's a feeling I don't get in everyday mundane tasks like washing dishes, going to lectures etc. Yet it sounds fucking retarded to say I lift weights to 'escape' the mundane bits of my life. Same with video games.

I love my hobbies and my hobbies are fucking awesome.

New_Horiz0ns · 2014-03-28T17:48:28+00:00

The biggest change RP fueled for me was to stop procrastination. I don't play games, I don't watch TV (besides my fortnightly episode of Big Bang Theory), I dont do Netflix marathons, I don't browse reddit besides RP, I don't watch the silly videos my friends send me. Basically I'm either doing something rewarding or I am sleeping.

gt35r · 2014-03-28T18:22:32+00:00

OP I just wanted to write that I understand what you are saying but as others have said there is always a way to fit it in. I love to play league of legends, before I went to the gym I would play every night before I went to sleep. Now I have other important things ahead of gaming, preparing food, doing my laundry for work, going to the gym, coming home and showering. At that point I am dead, drained and ready for bed. I play during the weekends AFTER I have already eaten and gone to the gym. I do not let it interfere with anything at all, I feel it's very under control.

chill_geddy · 2014-03-29T00:34:50+00:00

I will always have a love for video games the same way I have love for bugs bunny cartoons it's an ingrained part of my childhood, however as an adult i feel playing them like I used to would take up way to much of my time which is why I decided to stop playing them. With that being said if I go visit a friend and he has the latest fifa game I will not hesitate to whoop that ass on them sticks

Bump_it_bro · 2014-03-29T04:47:47+00:00

I feel like a lot of these posts about self improvement basically say, "I had an unsatisfactory life and then I improved it by lifting weights and socializing.... Improve your life too." Which provides pretty much no information what so ever and is a waste of time to read. Give us some details on how you improved your life. Did you join a martial arts class? Did you start volunteering somewhere? Give me something. I understand the point of this post was to say videogames used to be something preventing you from improvement and you don't need it anymore, but it would still be cool if you fleshed out the area as to how you came to be who you are now and why you don't need this former hobby.

10199 · 2014-03-28T05:08:12+00:00

Almost all of my old friends play videogames. They are exactly like I was a year ago. They come home from work, and play for hours on end, eventually falling asleep during the early hours of the morning (3,4, or even 5 am). I remember my days doing this, and they aren't really pleasant memories. I remember being bored as shit, but still playing games like League of Legends for hours, just because that was the only thing I felt there was to do.

modern games suck.

2014-03-28T07:51:40+00:00

I play video games competitively and while I haven't made much money (~500$ in several years) it's extremely satisfying to compete in something and actually be good at it. Before gaming I never had that feeling and I certainly won't ever give it up unless I replace it with something equally competitive.

Mooshaq · 2014-03-28T07:37:35+00:00

I don't play video games, all my friends do.

They where all sitting in our study room playing games while I was fucking a chick in the unisex bathroom. (Literally only 30 mins ago)..

Speaks for itself, losers play games.

2014-03-28T10:22:38+00:00

The problem here is not video games. What I mean is that if you do anything the way you played video games then you've got yourself a problem. It was controlling you and now it's not. Whatever you're doing you cannot let it control it, be it video games, alcohol, women, etc. you have to be the one that controls it.

This applies to everyone.

engage117 · 2014-03-28T11:51:31+00:00

fucking casual

0ringer · 2014-03-28T13:36:31+00:00

for me it's not about escaping reality, but getting a false sense of accomplishment, and in a way (sort of) feeling a sense of control over something in my life. I realize I'm doing this, but I have to habitualize other more important things before I ween myself off of games, or risk relapse.

Right now I'm going to the gym before work. Once that becomes habit, I'll work on other habits that'll take up my gaming time.

KaribouLouDied · 2014-03-28T16:20:01+00:00

Although playing games is a hobby of mine, ever since I started seriously lifting and taking care of myself, I see where you are coming from. I can only really play games for around an hour and a half a day. I play pretty casual shit too, diablo 3, LoL (as a casual). I make sure not to get wrapped up in crazy time consuming shit like WoW. After a day of hard work, an hour two of gaming is much needed.

Abroh · 2014-03-28T18:17:49+00:00

Good job man, games are for kids.

Title	Video Games
Author	datpen
Upvotes	103
Comments	105
Date	March 28, 2014 1:56 AM UTC (12 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/21k5sj/video_games/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/video-games.13198 https://theredarchive.com/post/13198

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