Okay, so last February I started a journey in which God enabled me to put down video games. There were fallings off of the wagon, regret, pain, honest prayer. Now I’m on the other side, for the time being. It’s been two years and two months since the decision to cut that stuff out of my life. My primary motivation was my animals. I have 5 dogs, and they need attention and loving, and they weren’t getting enough of that when I gamed.
Am I saying gaming is evil? Is alcohol evil? No. However, compulsive behavior is. You can making gaming your god, but it is a poor substitute. The only thing you get from playing videogames that you can hold onto for any length of time is the skill, getting better at playing them. Your favorite game now won’t be your favorite in six months. It’s a hobby that continually demands the sacrifice of money and your precious, limited time.
The game ends, and you have to go back to your life. That’s not how I want to live my life, at least if I’m thinking rationally. I worshipped games for 30 years. I worshipped God, but I struggled to keep gaming in check. 500+ hours on a single game over a span of a few years. God was so patient with me. I guess he knew that I would reach this point in my journey. Not that it’s over. I’ll be tempted for the rest of my life. My friends play it, my girlfriend has a 3DS (that I got her). I have a friend that thinks playing Mario is harmless. Mario leads to other more addictive games for me, so that’s probably not going to happen, Lord willing.