When I was super addicted to swg, I was also in college and ended up failing the semester cuz I'd just play so much

I quit Mmos for a while but came back to tor recently and already addicted. Sucks cuz every second I'm not playing

I think of the game, use calculators and visit forums.

And feel miserable because weekends are my only time i can play. Weekdays I get maybe 3 hours to play

A day unless i stay up all night but i need sleep for work.

And weekends i can play all day but as soon as Monday comes I'm all grumpy

And I don't progress much at all on weekdays

How do y'all do it??

Most the people in my guild are teens who have summer off

Or are retired or don't have a occupation ATM.

What are some mental tips to stop playing when it's time and get mind off the game?

To work when it's time to work and not want the game?

When I was in high school had a few friends who were basketball players, straight a students; active outdoors , and we played wow and they were amazing at wow too. Idk how they got the time, seems like when I play I focus on what I need to do and the whole day passes very quick.

Help!

I used to have a similiar problem with wow.... I realized I was playing it more hours a week than I was working (full time). I finally came to a point where I decided I wanted my life back and I just started setting limits for myself.

On the weekends, write down a list of things you want to do - go to a movie, lunch with friends (whatever) and make sure you do that BEFORE you get on the computer. Also try setting a time limit for yourself... "I'll only play for 3 hours and then I'm going to take a break until 8pm" - and then set your cell phone alarm to go off when you're time is up.

EDIT: In WOW, I'm in a top 50 ranked guild (for US 25 man) and we only raid 12 hours a week - so you can be good, and accomplish things in game, but stick to a schedule.

When I was super addicted to swg, I was also in college and ended up failing the semester cuz I'd just play so much

 

I quit Mmos for a while but came back to tor recently and already addicted. Sucks cuz every second I'm not playing

I think of the game, use calculators and visit forums.

 

And feel miserable because weekends are my only time i can play. Weekdays I get maybe 3 hours to play

A day unless i stay up all night but i need sleep for work.

 

And weekends i can play all day but as soon as Monday comes I'm all grumpy

 

And I don't progress much at all on weekdays

 

How do y'all do it??

 

Most the people in my guild are teens who have summer off

Or are retired or don't have a occupation ATM.

 

What are some mental tips to stop playing when it's time and get mind off the game?

To work when it's time to work and not want the game?

When I was in high school had a few friends who were basketball players, straight a students; active outdoors , and we played wow and they were amazing at wow too. Idk how they got the time, seems like when I play I focus on what I need to do and the whole day passes very quick.

 

Help!

Once you finish a couple of 50s the addiction should wear off quickly. The cure is nearly fool-proof.

Lol! Yea... I've ran into similar problems. For me, it simply came down to changing my perspective on things. After having to miss a few days of play due to work and a related business trip, I realized coming back that I had not missed anything. Everything was still there, the guild, the fleet, the content... nothing had changed. lol! I don't know why I was in such a rush to get through everything, but I was.

And so... once that clicked everything else seemed to fall into place. Don't get me wrong, I still would rather be playing generally, but time away isn't that impactful. And, I look forward to PT more now, but can walk away from it after a few hours knowing that when I come back everything will still be as it should be, just a whole hec of a lot of fun.

BTW, scheduling play time and working it in to your daily routine is not a bad idea. It helps get your fix in while still taking care of those other things RL requires.

Step 1: Press esc

Step 2: Click "Quit Game"

Step 3: Turn off computer

Step 4: Call friends and get together to do something

Step 5: If you have no friends in your real life, then go out and do something on your own

You should just quit. Some people cannot balance MMOs with their real lives. You sound like one of those people. It is exttremely unhealthy for you to continue playing.

With all due respect that sounds incredibly harsh. The OP loves the game and is addicted but he asked for help. I don't think its fair to say he quits completely, as that well be a solution but only a short term one. I say this because even if he quits he will still think about it and want to play which means rather than just quit, start setting limits and if possible seek help from a professional. One the OP can curb the addiction he can still play the game he loves just with limits. Also it will only truly get unhealthy if the OP turned played every hour of everyday which according to his post he doesn't.

I sort of have the same issue you do. Back in the SWG days, I would regularly log 12 or 14 hour days into the game on days off. Course I was in high school back then, so I had that kind of free time during the summer.

These days, I'm a senior in college. I still play probably five or six hours minimum on raid days and maybe half that on non-raid days. The trick for me on days I have an assignment or a paper or something due the next day, is to just make sure I get whatever I have to get done, done BEFORE I log in. Or, if it's a longer assignment like a paper, set myself some kind of goal to reach, like write five pages. Once I reach that goal, I take a break to do, for example, my daily quests, or two warzones, and once I finish that, go back to working on whatever it is I have to work on. Granted, I'm not a particularly social person; I can't stand going to college parties and in general I don't make any effort to get involved on campus. Most people here party for fun, I'd rather play SW:TOR. Maybe that makes me a dork, but just because I spend my leisure time differently than most people doesn't make me wrong... And my liver is probably thanking me.

Like you, I also spend a whole lot of time on forums or blogs or websites about the game when I'm not playing. Again, there's not necessarily anything wrong with that (I know plenty of people who spend as my time on Facebook as I do on these forums). As long as it isn't distracting you from your job or classes or whatever it is you have to do, there's nothing wrong with that being how you choose to spend your time on the internet. If you do find that it keeps you from doing things you need to do, there are browser add-ons out there that will block certain websites for a certain amount of time. Perhaps look into those.

The trick is making sure you stick to the goals and limits you set. If you find that you have serious trouble doing that, or that once you start playing you just don't stop, then perhaps you should seek help from a professional counselor. Gaming addiction is a real thing and a serious problem for some people, and they can help you with it. So if you really do feel it's an issue, don't hesitate to take advantage.

But the bottom line is that the average American spends between 3 and 5 hours a day watching TV. If you choose to spend that time playing games instead, that is totally your prerogative and you have nothing to feel bad about.

I really feel for you too mate. I'm the same way with some games. I can start playing and before I even notice anything it’s six hours later, I haven’t eaten or sometimes even moved much from the desk.

I guess the key is perspective - after I’ve had a period of game playing I realise the other things I neglected: Work, Study, Friends, Family, Going to the Gym and so on. Maybe we should both start trying to make a balance. How about we both start setting a goal of doing a few mundane RL things before we start the game and then setting a time limit, maybe 3 hours? We can always just QT to the local Cantina (instead of going back to the fleet as it’s very distracting there) and then log off. Maybe line up something else fun up for the log-off time – seeing a movie, or catching up with friends at a bar.

I’m starting now – I’ll let you know how I go after a few days.

With all due respect that sounds incredibly harsh. The OP loves the game and is addicted but he asked for help. I don't think its fair to say he quits completely, as that well be a solution but only a short term one. I say this because even if he quits he will still think about it and want to play which means rather than just quit, start setting limits and if possible seek help from a professional. One the OP can curb the addiction he can still play the game he loves just with limits. Also it will only truly get unhealthy if the OP turned played every hour of everyday which according to his post he doesn't.

You wouldn't to tell an alcoholic to drink only in moderation would you? An addiction is an addiction and, as this one has already had a negative impact on his life, it's likely it will again. That's my advice and it's in his/her best interest. I realize it came off as harsh, but sometimes that's what it takes.

When I was in high school and college, I used to play pc games way too much, especially mmos. Since stopping to game wasn't an option for me, I had to find a compromise. I came up with the "4-1 Formula". For every 4 hours where I do something productive or useful (e.g. work, chores, community service, budgeting, studies, learning, reading, exercising, eating, etc.), I allow 1 hour for pc games (including SWTOR of course). That means I can game nearly 5 hours on average everyday. 5 hours seems a lot but that includes all the time spent on gaming websites/podcasts/forums.

I hope you'll find something that works for you.

You wouldn't to tell an alcoholic to drink only in moderation would you? An addiction is an addiction and, as this one has already had a negative impact on his life, it's likely it will again. That's my advice and it's in his/her best interest. I realize it came off as harsh, but sometimes that's what it takes.

Actually my mother is a recovered alcoholic, and she knows all to well the dangers of a addiction, but because she has recovered from the negative effects she does indeed drink but in true moderation and never when she is alone. The point I am making is while I understand what you are saying and I agree that the OP needs some help, I still believe that with the right amount of assistance and effort one can overcome the negative impact you mentioned and thus still be able to enjoy the things you love. Kudos to you for caring:) we need more like you.

Actually my mother is a recovered alcoholic, and she knows all to well the dangers of a addiction, but because she has recovered from the negative effects she does indeed drink but in true moderation and never when she is alone. The point I am making is while I understand what you are saying and I agree that the OP needs some help, I still believe that with the right amount of assistance and effort one can overcome the negative impact you mentioned and thus still be able to enjoy the things you love. Kudos to you for caring:) we need more like you.

Grats to your mom, but the statement you rebutted holds true. Some people need to quit, and no offense to your mom or you. She's not recovered, she's recovering. It never goes away. If you have an addiction and you contain it to a certain extent it can at some point turn around on you. Your mom if she truly only drinks when you say she does has a cast iron resolve. That's the exception not the norm.

If the OP truly can't balance his life with gaming, then he should consider quitting. I was recovering from a long term injury so I played WoW alot, I don't play SWTOR like I did WoW, but I also realized if I had time for gaming I had time for the gym. Maybe the OP needs to quit, they will have to pick their own path. Besides no one has ever sat on their death bed saying. "Man, I was good at video games".

Grats to your mom, but the statement you rebutted holds true. Some people need to quit, and no offense to your mom or you. She's not recovered, she's recovering. It never goes away. If you have an addiction and you contain it to a certain extent it can at some point turn around on you. Your mom if she truly only drinks when you say she does has a cast iron resolve. That's the exception not the norm.

 

If the OP truly can't balance his life with gaming, then he should consider quitting. I was recovering from a long term injury so I played WoW alot, I don't play SWTOR like I did WoW, but I also realized if I had time for gaming I had time for the gym. Maybe the OP needs to quit, they will have to pick their own path. Besides no one has ever sat on their death bed saying. "Man, I was good at video games".

I suppose your right, I guess I love my mom to the point of forgetting that addictions as you say never truly go away. I guess I am just a believer that even when your addicted or show signs that you are addicted one can get help and still do the things they like to do. However I now realize that perhaps in the OP's case perhaps he should indeed put gaming aside for the sake of his health. Thank you for enlightening me.

Ps No offense taken not about my mom nor about me

Step 1: Press esc

 

Step 2: Click "Quit Game"

 

Step 3: Turn off computer

 

Step 4: Call friends and get together to do something

 

Step 5: If you have no friends in your real life, then go out and do something on your own

^ This.

Or, pending if you are in school / college, focus on that instead of games.

It's quite funny, before I started to play WoW if I came across a thread like this I would have chuckled to myself about how someone can become so addicted to a game their life suffers.

But after WoW.... I can seriously see how games like this were so addictive, I played with some real life friends and we would be on all night every night, if we met up we would talk about WoW, looking back its quite crazy how something as simple as a game can asorb someone so deeply.

I did eventually kick my habit by unsubbing and uninstalling the game, but every now and again I have to resist going back. I appreciate this advice doesn't help with balancing the two, but what I would suggest is just picking an evening or two where you don't play the game.