Saturday, April 26, 2014

Video Game Addiction



Hello everyone.  To the small handful of people who read this blog, I'm back.  Many things have happened over the past year, which are worthy of discussion.  But I feel inspired in a different direction.  I feel to address one of the largest problems that has plagued not only my marriage, but also my personal life.  I wish to speak on the topic of video game addiction.

I got into computer games at a very young age.  To give you some hint as to how far back that goes, these were the days of the Atari 2600 and arcade games at the convenience store and bowling alley.  I continued playing from there all the way to the MMORPG age.  A full discussion of my computer game history would take several posts on its own.  Suffice it to say that I was involved for a long time.

Why did I play them?  Three main reasons.

  1. They were something that I was very good at.
  2. They were something that I had control over.
  3. They were an escape for me.
While all of these are good in moderation, they are very damaging in excess.  And I was playing in excess.  I was addicted.  What began as a way to cope from painful feelings turned into something destructive.  My wife and children didn't get very much of my time.  I tried giving them up on one or two occasions, with some success, but always ended up coming back.

And then I was able to quit.

Through the Lord's grace and mercy, I gave them up completely on March 30, 2012.  I've been clean ever since.

There have been many changes since then in my life.  Some of them good and some of them difficult.  But I know that I have made the right decision.  As I could not play them in moderation, I needed to stop completely.

I recently learned how close I came to losing my marriage and family over video games.  The people that are most dear to me, nearly lost to me due to imaginary worlds and characters.

As I have moved forward in my recovery, I have felt the Spirit whispering to me that others could benefit from my story.  From my recovery from addiction.  Video game addiction is a very prevalent problem in today's society.

And who better to raise the voice of warning than one who has been caught in its coils?

If you feel the Spirit's whisperings as you read this, I beg you to consider what video games may be doing to your life, your loved ones, and your ability to help in the Lord's work.  Ask yourself honestly if the things that matter most to you are at risk.  Is it really a price that you want to pay?

Yes, it is a difficult addiction to overcome.  But all things can be done in the strength of the Lord.

I will post more on this at a later time.  But for now, I leave you with a scripture.

"O be wise; what can I say more?"  Jacob 6:12