Gaming the System: Gaming Addiction & Screen Time

It's time again to talk about everybody's favourite surprise mechanic, loot boxes. 

Parents hate them, governments hate them, gamers hate them, and yet publishers continue to shove them down our throats at every chance they get.

They might seem like harmless fun, but more and more research is being done into their link with problem gambling. So today I'm going to look into what the science is saying and discuss this idea in more depth.

If you haven't already I'd love for you to leave us a rating. It'll help us get the podcast in front of more people, and we can provide as much value as possible!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

Are you someone that rewards themself with a week of hard work by sitting down in front of your computer or TV and spending the entirety of your weekend playing video games?

Maybe you think there's no harm in playing 2 days a week. You've worked hard, so why not reward yourself?

You might be surprised to know that gaming is actually rewiring the internal mechanisms of your brain. It's can cause:

- unfulfilled relationships

and more...

Learn all about weekend gaming in this episode of Gaming the System.

If you haven't already I'd love for you to leave us a rating. It'll help us get the podcast in front of more people, and we can provide as much value as possible!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

It's one thing struggling with video game addiction yourself, but what can you do when you see someone you love destroying their life with gaming?

Maybe they're still living at home, struggling to get a job, overweight and are losing the will to live.

No matter how much you want to help them, the painful truth is that you can't convince someone to change. You can give them all the information you want, but it's not going to help them. If anything, it'll just make them resent you.

So, what can you do? 

We designed our program, Reclaim, for one purpose: To help parents and loved ones to foster a deep understanding of video game addiction and learn how to effectively treat the disorder in someone close to them. 

Over 4 modules, 40 lessons, worksheets, interviews and videos - you'll gain all of the knowledge you need to tackle the modern problem of video games once and for all.

The program was designed in conjunction with licensed therapist, parents coach and program director at Game Quitters - Nadja Streiter. Nadja learnt first hand the effects of video game addiction in her own children, so you can be sure that this program was written specifically with you in mind. We understand what you're going through, but it doesn't need to be like that forever.

If you want to finally beat gaming addiction and Reclaim your loved one, check out the course here: https://gamequitters.com/reclaim/

You might have noticed this episode was released on a Tuesday. Well, we're experimenting with providing even more amazing content for you on Gaming the System, with double the episodes and double the quality. 

If you haven't already I'd love for you to leave us a rating. It'll help us get the podcast in front of more people, and we can provide as much value as possible!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

I don't usually get too personal on this show. I never really thought it was the place to be emotional...

However, a conversation with a friend of mine, shortly followed by him urging me to share my story, prompted me to create this episode. I realised that there are hundreds, if not thousands of people in our community that are in the same position I was just a year ago.

I was horribly depressed, anxious, lonely, unhealthy and lacking any sense of clarity or determination.

I found myself in some horrible situations over the last 2 years, and at my worst point, I was living in a fly-infested apartment contemplating suicide while living a supposed dream life as a Twitch streamer. 

But fast forward to 2019, and I find myself in a position where I can travel the world and I'm waking up every day with the motivation to work. It's incredible.

If I help even one person with this episode then it'll be worth almost breaking down into tears in front of hundreds of people!

As always, thanks for tuning in. If you liked the episode I'd really appreciate you taking the time to give us a rating. It helps out far more than you realise!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

I didn't want to make this episode. I didn't even EXPECT to have to make this episode. But, here we are...

This week I relapsed hard.

Although I had been playing in moderation (5 hours a week) prior to it, I didn't count it as a relapse because nothing had changed in my life. However, just a few days ago something happened that altered my perspective completely.

Listen to the episode to find out what happened. 

Your support has been amazing recently, the podcast is constantly destroying every goal we set for ourselves. So a huge thank you to every one of you that watches and shares our episodes.

If you haven't already I'd love for you to leave us a rating. It'll help us get the podcast in front of more people, and we can provide as much value as possible!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

If you watch internet porn, it might be time to start rethinking.

Regardless of whether you watch it once a week or 3 times a day, it can have long-lasting damaging effects. Effects that today's guest, Gabe Deem, knows all too well.

He started watching internet porn at the ripe old age of 12, and from that, it spiralled into an uncontrollable addiction. It got so bad that he ended up developing erectile dysfunction at the age of 23.

Since then, he's undertaken an incredible transformation to become the man he is today.

His organization, Reboot Nation, offers advice to thousands of people on a regular basis. Not only that, but Gabe also speaks internationally in school, colleges, to professionals and even in Capitol Hill.

It was a huge privilege to have him on the show, and it was one of my favourite episodes to record. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

As always, thanks for tuning in. If you liked the episode I'd really appreciate you taking the time to give us a rating. It helps out far more than you realise!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

If you asked me this question 15 years ago, I'd probably answer it with a resounding no. However, in recent years the gaming industry has shifted towards an approach that focuses on broken, microtransaction-filled, free-to-play games full of mechanics that are cleverly implemented in order to keep you hooked.

As it turns out, there are a load of psychological tactics game developers use in order to get the most engagement (money) out of their users. I can't talk about them all in this episode, but I cover the main points as well as going into what I think the industry needs to do in the future to avoid catastrophe.

As always, thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode don't forget to leave a review. It really helps us out.

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

If you spend any amount of time on the internet you'll soon start to see how prevalent porn is in our modern world.

The rise in smartphone technology and high-speed internet has made porn more easily accessible than ever before in history. This has unsurprisingly led to a huge number of problems.

One of those issues is porn addiction.

As it turns out, gamers tend to watch a lot of porn. So much so, that a large number of people in our community come to us for help on both issues.

In this episode, I explore the relationship in further detail, providing references to scientific research and anecdotal evidence to highlight a rapidly growing problem faced by millions of people around the world.

As always, thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the episode don't forget to leave a review. It really helps us out.

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.

Nadja Streiter is a therapist, parent coach and Director of Programs at Game Quitters. 

On this episode of Gaming the System she joins me in a discussion about whether or not parents are to blame for their child's addiction.

On the internet, the first thing that people criticize when gaming disorder gets mentioned is the parents. It's eas understand why. The parents are responsible for the child's upbringing, so they will have the greatest impact on whether or not a child develops an addiction. Right?

Well, not entirely.

Due to the changing world of gaming, more and more games are being designed to addict and it's only getting worse.

As I mentioned in the episode we're running a FREE webinar on the 31st October at 7 PM PST. It's all about the most common mistakes parents make when it comes to gaming addiction, and if you're a parent struggling at the moment you don't want to miss it. So click the link here to sign up: https://events.genndi.com/register/818720503324746489/f0f86a3a08

Thanks for listening, and as always don't forget to leave a rating, review or comment. It really helps us out! Until next time.

Peace.

Instant gratification is probably the number 1 drug of the modern generation. You really can't escape it.

With smartphones always within arms reach, and an unlimited number of worlds ready to be explored at home or on the move, it's no wonder a human's attention span is now less than a Goldfish.

The problem with instant gratification, or a lack of delayed gratification, is that once you become accustomed to it you'll stop finding enjoyment in other activities. This is why it's so hard for gamers to move on and pick up new hobbies. They expect to get rewarded straight away, instead of doing the normal thing and building up progress over time.

Learn what instant gratification is all about in this episode of Gaming the System. Brought to you by Game Quitters.

As always thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it I'd love it if you could leave us a review as it really helps us out!

Until next time.

Music by Nordgroove from Fugue.