Dinners done, Dishes are done, the kids are finally asleep. Awesome! some time to unwind and get back into that game you started. Before that you jump on social media to catch up with a few friends, check out some game news, maybe watch a couple of new trailers for some upcoming games. Then it’s straight back to the gaming….
You click on a video, watch another, and another. You check your social media again, a like here, a comment there, the dopamine hits are coming.
You want to game, but now you are comfortable, you convince yourself you are too tired to play, or that controller is too low on battery I’d just have to charge it anyway. You have convinced yourself out of playing purely out of comfort.
You should be playing Doom, not Doom Scrolling and you know it.
Are You Spending too Much Time Looking at the Wrong Screen?
Here’s some crazy facts for you the average adult now:
- looks at their smartphone 150 times per day
- Spends more than 7 hours on their smartphone per day
- Has an attention span of 8 seconds (that’s 1 second lower than a Goldfish)
I’ve always been mindful of social media and phone usage. In fact, I didn’t even join Facebook until a decade after it came out. I never post about my personal life and I only use it for gaming and hobby groups. But social media has changed, it’s a giant algorithm marketing machine that is designed to grab every waking moment of your attention to sell you more stuff you really don’t need. As gamers we are spending more and more time talking about and worse (buying and selling) games instead of actually playing them.
I’ve always been mindful of social media and phone usage. In fact, I didn’t even join Facebook until a decade after it came out. I never post about my personal life and I only use it for gaming and hobby groups. But social media has changed, it’s a giant algorithm marketing machine that is designed to grab every waking moment of your attention to sell you more stuff you really don’t need. As gamers we are spending more and more time talking about and worse (buying and selling) games instead of actually playing them.
Last year I became a parent for the first time, and I transitioned from full time work to a full time stay at home dad role. This has been a major change to my life and although social media really is one of the only ways, I can stay ‘connected’ in my daily routine. I decided to reduce my usage, especially around my wife and my daughter. I was wasting far too much time on my phone especially in those very rare moments where I do have free time for my gaming and other hobbies. So, I decided I needed to change.
Breath Deep, Seek Peace
One of my favourite IPs of all time is James Gurneys Dinotopia, within the world they have a code that their civilization follows, one code I come back to often in my own life is:
“Do one thing at a time”
7th code of Dinotopia, James Gurney
In the realm of modern gaming where it’s not uncommon for gamers to have multiscreen, ultrawide monitors or have a smartphone/tablet on their person at all times. It has become all too easy to feel the need for constant stimulus and succumb to ‘boredom’ and start scrolling. I see far too often people pulling their smartphones out as soon as a loading screen appears, on other players turns, during cutscenes, or the worst offender, when playing multiplayer on the couch with someone else in the room.
I see people literally sweating with stress whilst doing this trying to ‘fit in’ everything in time. Honestly put your phone away in a different room and get fully immersed in your game. loading screens and cutscenes are a time to rest and reflect on the action that’s just happened in game, a time to savour the experience. Do you really need to alt-tab out and watch some dumb video or check your messages again?
Take Control, Alter your life and Delete those apps
Removing yourself entirely from social media is hard decision, however a simple step to start with is to reduce the ease of which you can get on, let’s be honest, it’s the phone that is the culprit, try taking the Doom Scrolling social media apps off your phone. Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram. You know the ones with the literal bottomless feeds.
Curate Your Feed
Take control of the chaos, although social media is riddled with adverts, e-celebs with fake lives and general rubbish, you have control over what you see. Ask yourself, do you really need to have these friends on your friends/following list? It sounds harsh but if they aren’t adding value to your life, why do you bother watching theirs?
Social Media Speedrun
Set a time limit, it could be 30 mins it could be longer, that is a choice you will have to decide for your personal situation. The key is to set a time limit and stick to it. It sounds impossible but when you focus on what’s actually important in your social media and not just ending up watching endless reels, you would be surprised how much you can get done.
Don’t let social media affect your thoughts on a game
Before social media (and the internet itself) you got game news, opinions, reviews and information from places like magazines or your physical social circle. You generally purchased magazines you enjoyed reading, and your friends for the most part share the same tastes/views as you, that’s why you are friends after all. Today we compare our gaming to everyone else, it’s too common to feel the pressure both to play or to avoid games due to bad reviews or opinions.
Recently I’ve gotten my close friends into Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter is a series I have adored since the PlayStation 2. Oddly I’m not one for long haul games, however the gameplay, combat and aesthetic of Monster Hunter just captures me every time and it’s one of the very few games that will have me playing dozens of hours.
Although quite a few of my friends are loving it now the same way I do, I had a friend on the fence about it. So I decided to gift it for him on Steam and see if Monster Hunter was for him. As it turns out for the most part the ‘grind’ of Monster Hunter just didn’t click with him. The thing is, that’s ok, he doesn’t have to like it, and I don’t have to get upset that he didn’t. It’s as simple as that.
Gaming social media accelerates into aggressive debates. Console War diatribe dominates many feeds due to the engagement farming it produces. Most people are unaware Twitter in fact has an algorithm that intentionally puts you in ‘rooms’ of people with intentionally alternate views to your own to create chaos so you feel the need to comment and argue. It’s all to feed a giant algorithm marketing puzzle and sadly we are all gears making It turn.
If a game attracts you just get playing, don’t let the opinion of others detract you from enjoying the game, before, during or after. Homefront the Revolution was absolutely demolished in reviews and it sadly will carry this burden forever. People will condemn it without even playing it due to this.
Whereas I loved Homefront the Revolution, and still do. Why? Because the resistance, Red Dawn theme is right up my alley, I didn’t let the reviews or social media commentary bother me and I have enjoyed playing through the game multiple times now.
Becoming a dad I have even less time to play games than I did before, however since removing my social media apps off my phone and reducing the urge to pick it up, I’ve ensured that my leisure time is quality time and not wasted on endless scrolling. I’m spending more time with my family (and my games) than I have in a long time, and you can too.
All you need to do is Put that phone down, and pick up that controller!
