Goodbye Gaming

[SL33TBL1ND]

You'll be back.


edit: To add more content, you are the reason you were wasting time. Not video games. It's completely possible to live a productive life and continue to play video games. Just be smart about it.

I have to agree with you. Playing games has never cause me any problems. You just need to manage your time, like with everything else.

I think the thing is, he now sees it as a waste of time, when he could be doing other more productive things. Like learning music.

Well, good luck with teh guitar. If you thought gaming was hard on your fingers , then just you wait.

Strange, I never thought doing something you enjoyed constituted as wasting your time...

 

[tthor]

I've been cutting back more and more as well. I still have my 360, but I'm down to maybe 2 hours a week, if I get on at all that week.

You'll like playing guitar. I suggest Ultimate-Guitar.com tons of tabs and music news to follow on there.

XD, your avatar= WIN

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

My grades have slipped due to gaming... But I've held it under control because I've exercised this one little thing that apparently a lot of you claim to be lacking.

Discipline.

It is very possible to keep gaming while maintaining a certain productivity level, all you need to do is prevent yourself from letting the hours slip away in front of your PC/360/PS3. Place a one-hour timer next to your couch, stick a picture of your inspiration to the edge of the monitor, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that you have control over your life.

If you manage to balance your professional/school/creative/social life with your gaming needs, then there's no telling what you can do. That may sound corny as hell (and exaggerated too), but you understand what I mean.

(Though I am pleased that OP started learning the guitar.)

 

[Android2137]

Sounds like a perfectly healthy life decision to me. Unless of course, you end up being one of those rock stars that ODs yourself to death, but that's a discussion for another day. Good on you for cutting down.

 

[Bigsmith]

urgh... this is why i chose a course work only course at college. Smack out the course work as soon as you get it freeing up the rest of my time for gaming.

But with work... my free time is sadly little, so I'm actualy gaming a lot less as free time is going to my girl friend.

 

[BlueCollarTweaker]

That's great that you're getting into music, but as an experienced local gigging musician as a guitarist, bassist, and drummer, let me tell you, DON'T SPEND TONS ON A GUITAR IF YOU'RE JUST STARTING. Even a big trade isn't a good idea. All you need is a $150 or less starter kit.

Also: Don't slack off if you're really serious. Don't trust online tabs, buy tab books. Practice. Learn every facet of your instrument(s) and learn how to fix small problems. Practice. Start by learning to tune by ear and try your hardest to learn songs this way as well. Practice. Don't neglect an electric tuner, however, as relative (by-ear) tuning will eventually stray from true E-standard/ whatever you're tuned to. PRACTICE. Jam with buddies once you get some chops. PRACTICE!!!

This all assumes you don't already play, though.

 

[zombiesinc]

Eh, I've never understood why some people feel it's necessary to cut something out, instead of back. I s'pose I don't understand the inability to cut back, or maintain control.

Good luck with the music though. I hope it's as satisfying (minus the low(er) grades) as gaming has been.

 

[Squidwogdog]

Good for you, I just picked up Bass guitar and all I can play well is polly wolly doodle (I think thats what its called), still proud though, I ususally game on the weekends and I dedicate weekdays to school, working pretty well so far, but hey aslong as your not completely stopping. I hope it works out for you

 

[Grey_Focks]

I've never really had that problem. hell, in the few months before Halo: Reach came out I was barely playing any games at all, maybe a little Killing Floor once or twice a week was it. Ofcourse now that reach is out...well I do play some games just about every day, but I never do a "marathon" game session. I really almost never play games for extended periods of time, 2-3 hours a session is usually my limit.

 

[Calico93]

I did the same thing 3 years ago
Got rid of my old xbox because I was learning guitar, and that was all I was doing in my free time and i never used my xbox
Learning to play is great, but you'll come back to gaming properly, probably not as much as you used to play but I think you will, in time, i may be wrong
Ive recently got back into it by snagging me a PS3 and I have 3 years worth of games to catch up with, great feeling and its surprisingly easy to maintain a balance between gaming and playing guitar
Good for you man !

 

[Nihilism_Is_Bliss]

...Get what off your chest?

 

[Deguasser]

I do both (play games and music (in a band), while juggling a job as a firefighter.

 

[darthzew]

but there's no one hobby rule

Unfortunately, right now there is a no money rule... I am in college, after all.

 

[Geekosaurus]

Music. Well, it's nice to see you're swapping gaming for a solid, easy to get into, non- competitive business. Good luck all the same!

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

See, if you had already put in as much time learning to play guitar as you probably have spent on Guitar Hero, you'd be Zach Wilde by now, banging chicks on mattresses stuffed with money... Just saying...

 

[CLEVERSLEAZOID]

It's a shame you feel as though you need to stop gaming. I hold down a management job, being in a live band, in a relationship and I still make sure I have time to spend sometime by myself gaming.
But all the best with the music chap