Ask HN: How do you avoid video game addiction?

I used to play a lot of videogames (specifically LoL but also any big anticipated titles I was interested in). I think for me it was for a few reasons:

* I had far, far less stuff to do. I was in an easy degree path without a job, and surrounded myself with people in similar circumstances, so I had time to play games for 6-8 hours a day and a wealth of validation from my peers.

* When I wasn't playing games, it was to do other things that I was either obligated to do (schoolwork), or that also had an element of skill progression (music), or that were social activities (also music).

* I had no real need to remain available on short notice for anybody or anything, so unpausable games with 40+ minute match times were easy to fit into my life.

When I started working as a SWE, suddenly most of that stuff was no longer true, and in the USA no one looks at someone who works 8+ hours a day as a degenerate. So I'd wear myself out doing that, and constantly read up on bettering myself as a programmer. Being good at competitive videogames started to become less and less of my identity, and it was supplanted by becoming better at my job and finding financial success. That addicted me in its own right (I used to also spend way too much time watching lines go up on stock trading apps, though thankfully I've managed to curb that too).

During my busiest time (working + master's + in a relationship + fostering kittens), I went weeks/months without ever touching a videogame. I'd still read about them or watch videos, but I always felt like there was something either better or more important for me to do at any given time.

It helps too that the social aspect of LoL for me was also dying at the time. The people I played with were on less and less, and I was also getting fed up of the game's formula after so many years.

Sometimes you can't help but have a bad addiction and need to go cold turkey, but for games that don't have such an addictive quality I find that just having a lot to do at any given time helps curb my tendencies to binge.

Carpal tunnel syndrome forced me to stop playing for hours on end. I dont recommend it for anyone, but its a great way to ensure you're only playing in small chunks.

Install the games inside a Qemu virtual machine. Put the VM file inside an external drive, connect it only Thursday nights

Maybe start a new game. All games that I play over and over, alone, similar matches, like CS, I just uninstall it. And try something new

Maybe a different style, puzzle like Portal, Talos... Or open world like Valheim, or Raft, great to relax. Sea of thieves 50% at the moment

I gamified "real life" by using task tracking apps like Todoist. The dopamine hit from completing a real task was like that given by completing a quest in a game. Completed changed my relationship with gaming to a much healthier one.

Not sure if this helps. Before you were born I wanted to become a game developer. But I found both games and (primitive versions of) social media to be so addictive that I went into another area and avoided games and social media for the next 25 years. I have tried to get into games since then b/c I have more time, but the spell has been broken.