Q&A for How to End a Video Game Addiction

A really common misconception about addiction treatment is that relapses are bad. This isn't the case! When you're recovering from any kind of addiction, relapsing is normal and expected—it's not considered a catastrophic event.

Tell your friends that you are trying to stop gaming. Ask them to respect your wishes and not try to pressure you into playing games. If they keep putting pressure on you, let them know that you won't be able to spend time with them unless they respect your decision.

Explain to your parents that you want to keep yourself from playing, but the computer is distracting you. They might be able to help you set up a study space in a better location or move the computer. They can also help you install programs on the computer that block you from playing games during your study time, such as Time Boss.

Most parents will love their children no matter what, but some parents are more understanding than others. If you're afraid to talk to your parents about your video game addiction, try talking to another trusted adult, like a relative, family friend, teacher, or doctor.

Stopping someone else's addiction is hard, if not impossible. One of the best ways is to show them what they are losing because of it (time with friends and family, good grades and a successful future, etc.) and what they could be doing instead. However different people require different solutions so consulting an addiction counselor may be best.

Set a goal. Stopping completely is very challenging. Try reducing your playing time daily until you can go on with life without it.

Call a friend. Get outside. Focus on your homework. The key is to get busy doing something else.

Get a phone that does not have a lot of games and get rid of any consoles or gaming PCs. Use operating systems that don't facilitate gaming as much as others (e.g. Linux, MacOS) and use old computers that are too slow for gaming. Then you have to find other things you enjoy doing, like sports, music, reading, etc.

Get rid of your gaming devices. If you don't want to get rid of them completely, you can leave them at a relative's house or something like that, so you can't access them for a while.

Give your items to newbies until you have nothing left.

Try doing something fun with him. See if there are any state parks nearby, or anywhere you could get out and enjoy nature. Try board games or card games. They can require some of the same focus and planning as video games.

Delete the app. Or, don't carry your phone with you.

As with all addictions, the best way to stop someone from playing is to show her better things she can do with life. Try to show her how playing LoL is a waste of time.

You can delete all your games and/or sell your system.

Attempt catching up with friends whose addresses or phone numbers you may know. Or, attempt to catch up with family, read a book or learn a skill.

Join a support group online and use the Internet to find a therapist who specializes in video game addiction in your area.

A good idea is to ask a family member to hide your gaming device somewhere you won't find it, or you can add a password to the App Store that only they know. If you need the phone, computer, or tablet to do work, block or delete the gaming apps and add a family-known password.

Get a relative or friend to change the parental lock password and get them to block the app store, and/or the installed problems.

It really depends on the severity of the addiction. If it is a minor addiction, just attempt to find another hobby. If it is a reasonable addiction, try to distract yourself from games. If it is a severe addiction, then attempt counseling.

Possible solutions are simply removing your method of payment from the game or gaming application, or trying to find something in real life that would take time away from playing the game and that you also enjoy, like a hobby or a sport.

Ask him to keep track of how long he's playing, or if you're with him, start the stopwatch on your phone when he starts playing, and when he stops, show him how much time has passed. If you want him to reduce his time playing, just talk to him about it. Tell him you're worried about him and that you wish you could spend more time together instead of hanging out while he stares at a screen. If he loves you, this is something he should be willing to do for you.

Think of how you were living before knowing about that game. Get on with some good friends, study with them, give importance to what is more necessary for your life and do it first. Take up a new hobby or sport, try out yoga or a musical instrument; anything you do to keep your mind distracted will keep those feelings at bay.

To stop buying games, keep a financial log to keep track of everything you spend money on and gradually reduce the time you play games. Let a trustworthy family member lock your computer away safely, or let them change your password for your PC and/or Steam. Make sure that they remember the password and don't write it down, as it's a risk to your security. In your spare time, do something that you would be genuinely interested in. It could be sports, martial arts (not combat-sports or impractical traditional martial arts), playing, composing, or producing music, reading, learning a language, etc.

Find a game that doesn't require friends, that you can hop on and play and not invite your friends.

There is literally ALWAYS something else to do besides the thing that you are addicted to, you just have to stop thinking about how much you miss the video games and focus on anything else, anything that you can do to pass the time besides gaming. Call a friend, write a letter, go for a walk, bake some cookies, learn a new dance move, song, language, obscure word, etc. Listen to a podcast (just not about gaming), knit, climb a tree, meditate, organize your sock drawer. If all else fails, just lay down and sleep. Seriously, you can't let the game own you.

Follow the instructions listed in the article above.

Set a loss limit. Walk away after a certain number of losses.

Maybe spend your time learning how to develop your own code, as that is educational and could help you create your own programs in the future.

End your addiction. See above.

Tell him that he should just do the Quest lines and leave it at that, or tell him that doing everything else is a waste of time and he can do so much more. Believe me I have been been in the same situation.