Gaming, a memory from the past
I used to play video games, quite a bit of them actually. Often at least 6 hours a day, every day.
It was one of the only things I could really care and think about, a place where you don't have to worry about anything.
This dysfunctional lifestyle started when I was bullied out of my soccer team at the age of 15, before that I didn't have the slightest interest in computers and anything that happens on a screen. Except for movies, did I like movies.
Playing through massive online games such as Runescape, World of Warcraft, Everquest II, Rappelz, Aion Online, Voyage Century Online, Mabinogi, Age of Conan, Final Fantasy XIV, etc.
The list could literally go on how many MMO's I played. Quite a few of these has been played for at least 100 hours, but games such as Runescape, Warcraft and Everquest were played a lot longer. When I say a lot longer, it really is a lot longer.
After getting bored by Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlayling Games, I mostly got into singleplayer RPG and combat games which I played mostly for the stories. And I would stay connected to other players through games like Starcraft II and Dota 2, which I have spend so much time in.
I used to be in the 1st position of the sliver league in Starcraft II which pleased me to a great extend. For Dota 2 I had a group of friends with whom I'd meet on a regular basis to play some matches as a full team of 5, like the pros do it. We just never had the consistency of practice to join tournaments.
Change was imminent!
The point when I started going to the gym to lift, and practice yoga, is when this old habit of doing nothing behind a computer with my mind tuned to channel Lalaland started to fall apart. I still spent a lot of time behind my computer, but it wasn't in an imaginary world anymore.
I started to listen to some people who influenced me greatly in the past 5 years.
All in all my name is still Erik, my hair is still curly and I still love to read or listen to a good story. What I'm trying to say is that I didn't become a different person, my priorities have just shifted to a lifestyle that is sustainable and raises my standards towards an even better me in the future.
There has been a mantra revolving in my mind for the past few months.
If I keep doing the things I am doing right now, the only result can be to see improvement in everything I do。
It feels good to be back on Steemit after a little absence :)
What are some influencing factors that brought you to where you are right now?
Follow @erikdenoorman for more
and lets have some fun together!
Commander Keen!!!
Those were the times
If gaming is important to you (even as a casual gamer), you might look in to "gamification" which is the idea of using game mechanics (elements of games) to boost productivity
This is exactly what I have been doing unconciously!
Whenever a task is at hand, I check in with how much experience I have at the moment and how long I need to "grind" for me to get to a level where it becomes effortless.
really awesome post :)
can totally relate to this, since I was playing a lot when I was in my teenage years.
Especially Starcraft 2, Diablo 2, Morrowind and many more^^
Luckily I was doing still a lot of sports at that time and I guess sports, mediation and my mom, brought me back to real life :D
I quit playing about 5 years ago, but had sometimes relapses...
Since then I made a lot of changes and approved upon many aspects of my life :)
Let's continue to improve our self and steem on! :D
You are absolutely right. Real change is definitely one of the most important factors in life.
People who have never really changed since they got a dysfunctional habit just kind of feel like children still, even though they are 5 years older than me.
yeah so true :)
They say you should always wake up and be a better version then you were yesterday, keep moving forward every single day.
Well written post, I hope many more will follow :D
Nice post Following you now @kingjan
Thanks @kingjan!
No problem
I like those guys too... I also like playing videogames for 6 hours a day and wish I could do that occasionally still.
I don't miss playing games at all, a cpuple of years I sit down with my old friends and we have a day full of entertainment together, I love it but it really wears me out fast.
You just described what happened to me. But I have no one I use as reference to what I'm doing now. I started activities for helping others, as myself, improve themselves. =.)
Loved your post. Following assap!
Thanks for reaching out @macevidal, love yourself 100% so you can love the people around you even more.
I was a kid in the era of the original Atari. That was lots of fun, but nowhere near as addictive as what came later.
Fast forward 25 years and I'm playing Warcraft with my buddy. (It was actually a cool way to hang out from different states.) He tells me I can type /played to see how much time I've logged. 4 days, 12 hours... Holy crap! That's over 100 hours I've spent doing this.
He had several characters up over level 50. He wouldn't admit how long he'd been playing.
One of the games I played the longest was Everquest and this was over 1200 hours, that's many many days :p