Technology “Addiction” • Hacker News Board

Re: Technology “Addiction”

#111

Post by rasen58 » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 2:14 AM UTC

caymanjim wrote: post #52

rasen58 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any advice for breaking video game addiction? I feel like it affects me a lot.

Only the same advice I have for breaking chemical addictions: just stop already. I don't buy into the idea that any addiction is a disease or that people are powerless over their addictions. I think it's incredibly disempowering, deflects personal responsibility to an unhealthy degree, and does nothing to solve the problem. I don't make light of this; I know how hard it is to stop bad habits, especially if part of th…

Hm I actually think stopping completely is very important. If I let myself watch even one tv show or install one game to play then I'll have the urge to keep doing that action for hours and the next day as well.

I find it a lot healthier to eliminate these dangerous activities altogether.

But curious to hear if you have other thoughts

Re: Technology “Addiction”

#112

Post by rasen58 » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 2:17 AM UTC

kempbellt wrote: post #84

rasen58 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any advice for breaking video game addiction? I feel like it affects me a lot.

I used to play console games a lot, but when I got laid off from a job I pawned my Xbox. Haven't regretted it even for a minute, and I sleep more... PC games are tough because I built my PC for everything - VR, mining, development, etc. It can run just about any game, and I have hundreds in my Steam library. The tough part is that I see it as a valuable asset for other things - makes it hard for me to want to sell it…

Playing games definitely make me feel bad because they're a waste of time and are unfulfilling, but the hard part is that they're also super fun and engaging while you're playing them, which makes it hard to kill that desire to have that feeling.

Re: Technology “Addiction”

#113

Post by louis___ » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 12:15 PM UTC

visarga wrote: post #105

louis___ wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Science should be a tool, not be a religion that you MUST trust. When the voice of the people does not matter anymore because some guy in a white coat said " Science, you know ", this is another kind of bad trend.

There are opinions and personal experiences - valid for one or a few people, and then there are scientific concepts that are universal and generalize everywhere. The Mars helicopter flies OK even though it wasn't designed on Mars. Science works with or without people's approval. My main concern with stories is that they are prone to emotional appeal and cherry picking of facts. We live in the era of fake news and cri…

I get what you mean.

I agree with you, some scientific concepts -at our state of understanding-, may seem universal and generalize everywhere, such as Einstein's work on relativity that the Mars helicopter must be using.

What I wanted to emphasize is that, humans are deeply political and biased animals, and will always use a scientific concept to their own interests, even ever so slightly. Just look on the horror of the stuff psychiatry has done the past century : accusing women of being frigid if their child was autistic, saying that their genitalia made them prone to psychiatric disorders, the list goes on...

In my opinion, the concept of "addiction" falls into the 2nd category. Humans are just so complex, that we will never isolate the gene of addiction, but nevertheless, this is not a requisite to start saying that junk-food or smartphones can damage your quality of life.

Re: Technology “Addiction”

#114

Post by rasen58 » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 12:31 AM UTC

bonoboTP wrote: post #50

rasen58 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have any advice for breaking video game addiction? I feel like it affects me a lot.

Sorry if this is too obvious or unuseful or feels condescending etc. Just a direction. Concentrate not on the games but what it replaces. Is it a lack of community? No other outlet to feel skilled and successful? The goal isn't merely to stop playing games, it is to find more healthy but similarly satisfactory replacements (but maybe in a longer timescale). What thoughts are you avoiding, are you in some kind of guil…

Wow this was definitely the best advice I got on this. Thank you so much for the time you took to share this.

I think my watching of movies or playing of video games is probably due to avoiding other things I don't want to face. I should probably try to address those things or change my environment to be in a more productive state.

Re: Technology “Addiction”

#115

Post by emerged » Sat, Jun 05, 2021, 3:45 PM UTC

rasen58 wrote: post #110

emerged wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See if you can transfer the addiction to a fitness game? Suddenly the addiction becomes a virtue and is strengthened by the endorphin highs.

Any recommended fitness games? I think the idea makes sense but I feel like I'll just be lazy and choose the easier game that doesn't require me to move when it comes to deciding what game to play.

Zwift is great if you like cycling.