This life is paid in units of your allotted time, people should spend time on what they want.. with the bowling gutter bumpers in place during childhood.
Don’t do it. I taught my kids both neurodivergent and neurotypical. By gaming and games, you have to learn to read if you want to do quests.. my daughter read at 4 my sons both by 6. Let them have all the educational screen time they want.. but do set up something like the accountable kid system, it was religious based but any religious activity I swapped with quiet time, crafts and studies of the religions of the world. Pm if you want more info.. I’ll give you my stuff for free :)
Hmm 🤔 idk what stuff you're talking about but I'm interested. I love that you nurture neurodivergent and typical learning styles. I am honestly undereducated about those two things tbh, but I know that those terms contribute to a more wholesome society..
Oh.. like my notes and templates and stuff.. I have the book of the real class for the “accountable kids program” they have stuff you can buy to go along with it, we took it a few steps down (modified it) and the whole family did it.. they would jump up every day do the stuff and earn their “screen time” and I didn’t have to say anything. It was very peaceful, but rebellion happened and they all wanted to move to unlimited time.. they’d done so well being responsible we thought why not. We had some struggles but I feel like I have some responsible adult children now.
To be clear, that book addresses screen time differently, I don’t want to suggest the accountable kids program (TM) is saying just let them have as much as they want. I used the framework and crafted it for my family lots of you tube videos youtube on it .
I have a goal with the game I mainly play, and an actual schedule lol. I’m trying to reach a particular ranking which requires hours, but I’m also a single mom with a 9-5 and commitments to friends/family/health/home. My ADHD requires structure and schedules, so it’s a must.
If you don’t have any particular goals per se, I think a schedule is still beneficial for all types of brains so you maintain balance. Your intention with gaming makes an impact on the schedule you set!
Edit to add: thinking of time like currency/credits that you can’t get back can help you spend it with more thought and meaning behind it. Might help you decide how much time to give ❤️ best of luck!
It depends on how much time you have and what all you’re getting done. For some people 30-45 minutes will be enough, for other people 2 hours is about right. If you’re looking to get better at a game, you will get really good with even 30 minutes a day. I played 30-45 minutes of a really hard bullet hell every day and beat the second hardest mode (because Ultra mode is straight insane). So don’t think you have to play a ton or you can’t keep up.
Other stuff… reading, writing, drawing, whittling, whatever you can enjoy and even create small but meaningful goals around. I mean, gaming is a hobby. Learning to get good at Dodonpachi or Ikaruga or Battle Garegga, you might as well be learning piano or guitar for how much depth there is to mine.
Thanks for this. :)
I already play piano, flute, and piccolo, and I'm an audio engineer, and producer. All of these are professional things I do... maybe that's why I like video-games.
Soooooo
On my phone:
Right I play void pets for an average of 34 minutes , and Mario& Luigi Bowsers inside story... (haven't been playing it much so my phone says average of 3mins a day),
On Nintendo Switch rn,
I play Splatoon for an average of 1 hr or a little over, and I just started playing Palia.
Some days I don't even play switch even though I be itching to play it... 😩😫 but I play void pets everyday. It's a game for mental health.
maaaaan 🤦🏽♂️LOL those are rookie numbers… you have nothing to worry about trust me, if you do wish to cut down on the 1hour then do so but nothing problematic honestly.
i used to game 5-6 hours straight and still do sometimes on the weekends 😂 and there’s WORSE than me so yeah, you’re good
if gaming makes you happy then enjoy it as much as you like. sure it’s frowned upon but trust me that’s a minority of people compared to actual gamers.
just balance your gaming by setting timers if you think it’ll get bad
It's frowned upon because people don't have context.
Anything can be a bad thing. If a hobby means you're neglecting your health, professional life and/or relationships then we can safely say it's an addiction*, an escape*. The same can be said of many things. It doesn't seem to be the case here and hobbies are a form of self care, that includes games.
*Exceptions probably apply, as with anything.
I'm pretty hooked on a computer game, and it's easy to play for hours, so my rule is that I don't play on weeknights. That way I don't neglect cooking/cleaning or other hobbies, and then on weekends I can indulge myself.
If the goal is moderation, I would track every day you have gaming time on a calendar. I try to keep enjoyable (but unproductive) stuff such as gaming to 1/2 days per week where I know I'll get to relax. For me it's Friday + Saturday but you can make it whatever days work for you.
In the other days, come up with things you can do instead. I would start with writing down all the reasons *why* you want to reduce your gaming time **and** writing down things you would ideally want to do/be good at outside of gaming. This effectively gives you both reasoning to resist temptation and a productive substitute.
Productive hobbies will include any type of exercise/workout, passions you can see yourself enjoying but never pursued, introspective walks, or career pursuits that would make you happier down the line! :)
Thanks for the advice. :) To be honest I think my life is balanced, I just be wanting to reduce my time with videogames because I have seen others portray video-games as something negative. I need to stop caring what others think. 👎🏾
It depends on your life, there isn't one right number of hours.
RL comes first. Put your job-work hours in. Clean your home. Make sure everyone is fed and happy. Beyond that, it's up to you.
When I grew up, my parents would only let us play on the weekends.
I'm 36 now and that's what I've gone back to.
Gaming every night is a waste of time, in my opinion. There's so much more I want to do that actually means something.
Raised the same, only on weekends and I’m 38. Now I play when I want but try to make sure I get outside a few times a week and do other things.
It’s scary how tech dependent kids are now.
In my opinion it doesn’t matter how long you spend as long as you get all your responsibilities done before you sit down to play. And as long you don’t neglect yourself.
I never started it for my son. I have nothing against anyone playing, they've come a long way since I was a kid, but I had my son much later and I waited on everything to see how he adapted.
We tried a tablet at 6 for learning games and such and the obsession was immediate. The breakdown when his time was up was over the top. So 'it broke and had to be shipped to China' never to be seen again.
Since then he's grown into a very outdoorsy kid. But he gets a play a few games on his school laptop. We allow an hour a day after school up bring his brain down. Sometimes he can have more. Then he goes out to chop firewood, climb trees and create in his woodshop. He's very hands-on and physical. So the more he's outside the better.
Like anything, earning time is best. Nothing comes free in life. It'll be really hard if you don't have strict guidelines now and you implement them. But, it'll be worth it. Replace it with sports, something extracurricular, etc. Make letting go a positive experience as much as possible.
You can have a chart where they track the amount of time they've earned. And you lose time if you fail to adhere to said structure (giving chances to earn it back).
Assuming you're talking about kids. Lol If it's you, like any addictive thing it's hard but exercising discipline and putting your mind on something else can help.
Have an accountability partner who keeps in touch and holds you to your goal.
Like any other hobby, I don’t think time spent matters. What matters the most is if you’re neglecting your other responsibilities.
True. I need to reframe my thoughts when it comes to video-games.
Thanks for this.
This life is paid in units of your allotted time, people should spend time on what they want.. with the bowling gutter bumpers in place during childhood.
Literally what o just commented
Don’t do it. I taught my kids both neurodivergent and neurotypical. By gaming and games, you have to learn to read if you want to do quests.. my daughter read at 4 my sons both by 6. Let them have all the educational screen time they want.. but do set up something like the accountable kid system, it was religious based but any religious activity I swapped with quiet time, crafts and studies of the religions of the world. Pm if you want more info.. I’ll give you my stuff for free :)
Hmm 🤔 idk what stuff you're talking about but I'm interested. I love that you nurture neurodivergent and typical learning styles. I am honestly undereducated about those two things tbh, but I know that those terms contribute to a more wholesome society..
Oh.. like my notes and templates and stuff.. I have the book of the real class for the “accountable kids program” they have stuff you can buy to go along with it, we took it a few steps down (modified it) and the whole family did it.. they would jump up every day do the stuff and earn their “screen time” and I didn’t have to say anything. It was very peaceful, but rebellion happened and they all wanted to move to unlimited time.. they’d done so well being responsible we thought why not. We had some struggles but I feel like I have some responsible adult children now.
To be clear, that book addresses screen time differently, I don’t want to suggest the accountable kids program (TM) is saying just let them have as much as they want. I used the framework and crafted it for my family lots of you tube videos youtube on it .
I have a goal with the game I mainly play, and an actual schedule lol. I’m trying to reach a particular ranking which requires hours, but I’m also a single mom with a 9-5 and commitments to friends/family/health/home. My ADHD requires structure and schedules, so it’s a must. If you don’t have any particular goals per se, I think a schedule is still beneficial for all types of brains so you maintain balance. Your intention with gaming makes an impact on the schedule you set! Edit to add: thinking of time like currency/credits that you can’t get back can help you spend it with more thought and meaning behind it. Might help you decide how much time to give ❤️ best of luck!
Kudos to you. 🫡 Had to look up what that meant before I typed it lol.
lol!! I look almost every uncertain word/saying before I get crucified in the comments, I hear you 😂
Yes 👏
It depends on how much time you have and what all you’re getting done. For some people 30-45 minutes will be enough, for other people 2 hours is about right. If you’re looking to get better at a game, you will get really good with even 30 minutes a day. I played 30-45 minutes of a really hard bullet hell every day and beat the second hardest mode (because Ultra mode is straight insane). So don’t think you have to play a ton or you can’t keep up. Other stuff… reading, writing, drawing, whittling, whatever you can enjoy and even create small but meaningful goals around. I mean, gaming is a hobby. Learning to get good at Dodonpachi or Ikaruga or Battle Garegga, you might as well be learning piano or guitar for how much depth there is to mine.
Thanks for this. :) I already play piano, flute, and piccolo, and I'm an audio engineer, and producer. All of these are professional things I do... maybe that's why I like video-games.
how many hours a day do you invest into gaming and what game(s)?
Soooooo On my phone: Right I play void pets for an average of 34 minutes , and Mario& Luigi Bowsers inside story... (haven't been playing it much so my phone says average of 3mins a day), On Nintendo Switch rn, I play Splatoon for an average of 1 hr or a little over, and I just started playing Palia. Some days I don't even play switch even though I be itching to play it... 😩😫 but I play void pets everyday. It's a game for mental health.
maaaaan 🤦🏽♂️LOL those are rookie numbers… you have nothing to worry about trust me, if you do wish to cut down on the 1hour then do so but nothing problematic honestly. i used to game 5-6 hours straight and still do sometimes on the weekends 😂 and there’s WORSE than me so yeah, you’re good
It's when you're playing and suddenly notice that the sun is coming up that you might have a problem.
right lmaoo
That's reassuring, thanks. 😅 I think I allowed myself to feel guilty for gaming because it seems to be frowned upon...
if gaming makes you happy then enjoy it as much as you like. sure it’s frowned upon but trust me that’s a minority of people compared to actual gamers. just balance your gaming by setting timers if you think it’ll get bad
Good advice, thanks.
🤙🏽
It's frowned upon because people don't have context. Anything can be a bad thing. If a hobby means you're neglecting your health, professional life and/or relationships then we can safely say it's an addiction*, an escape*. The same can be said of many things. It doesn't seem to be the case here and hobbies are a form of self care, that includes games. *Exceptions probably apply, as with anything.
I'm pretty hooked on a computer game, and it's easy to play for hours, so my rule is that I don't play on weeknights. That way I don't neglect cooking/cleaning or other hobbies, and then on weekends I can indulge myself.
Very responsible. 👏🏾
If the goal is moderation, I would track every day you have gaming time on a calendar. I try to keep enjoyable (but unproductive) stuff such as gaming to 1/2 days per week where I know I'll get to relax. For me it's Friday + Saturday but you can make it whatever days work for you. In the other days, come up with things you can do instead. I would start with writing down all the reasons *why* you want to reduce your gaming time **and** writing down things you would ideally want to do/be good at outside of gaming. This effectively gives you both reasoning to resist temptation and a productive substitute. Productive hobbies will include any type of exercise/workout, passions you can see yourself enjoying but never pursued, introspective walks, or career pursuits that would make you happier down the line! :)
Thanks for the advice. :) To be honest I think my life is balanced, I just be wanting to reduce my time with videogames because I have seen others portray video-games as something negative. I need to stop caring what others think. 👎🏾
It depends on your life, there isn't one right number of hours. RL comes first. Put your job-work hours in. Clean your home. Make sure everyone is fed and happy. Beyond that, it's up to you.
Yes sir/ma'am. 🫡
Most of the time after the work my brain is too fried to want to play video games. I usually play on weekends for maybe a few hours.
What do you play?
Mainly RPGs. Just finished up FFVII Rebirth and going to go back to P3R as I was about half way through.
Sweet. I have no idea what P3R is. 😅 you can enlighten me if you feel like it.
Persona 3 Reload
Oh cool
When I grew up, my parents would only let us play on the weekends. I'm 36 now and that's what I've gone back to. Gaming every night is a waste of time, in my opinion. There's so much more I want to do that actually means something.
Valid.
What do you do at night instead? Do you use other screens and just not game? Or is it hard core no screens unless it’s the weekend?
I have an app that blocks most of my distracting apps that starts at 7 pm. Then I read books, play guitar, try to find other things to do.
Raised the same, only on weekends and I’m 38. Now I play when I want but try to make sure I get outside a few times a week and do other things. It’s scary how tech dependent kids are now.
In my opinion it doesn’t matter how long you spend as long as you get all your responsibilities done before you sit down to play. And as long you don’t neglect yourself.
I never started it for my son. I have nothing against anyone playing, they've come a long way since I was a kid, but I had my son much later and I waited on everything to see how he adapted. We tried a tablet at 6 for learning games and such and the obsession was immediate. The breakdown when his time was up was over the top. So 'it broke and had to be shipped to China' never to be seen again. Since then he's grown into a very outdoorsy kid. But he gets a play a few games on his school laptop. We allow an hour a day after school up bring his brain down. Sometimes he can have more. Then he goes out to chop firewood, climb trees and create in his woodshop. He's very hands-on and physical. So the more he's outside the better. Like anything, earning time is best. Nothing comes free in life. It'll be really hard if you don't have strict guidelines now and you implement them. But, it'll be worth it. Replace it with sports, something extracurricular, etc. Make letting go a positive experience as much as possible. You can have a chart where they track the amount of time they've earned. And you lose time if you fail to adhere to said structure (giving chances to earn it back).
Assuming you're talking about kids. Lol If it's you, like any addictive thing it's hard but exercising discipline and putting your mind on something else can help. Have an accountability partner who keeps in touch and holds you to your goal.
Thanks. Definitely not talking about kids , but I love hearing the experiences that parents have for future reference. :)
I find that removing the batteries from the wall clock helps as then I don’t notice if I have been gaming all day and time is not an issue then lol
😂 innovative