How I overcame my gaming addiction and bootstrapped a business to help others

In increasing digital world, where do you draw the line between a healthy hobby versus an addiction? From the article, it seems like you would like to stop people from video games altogether versus curtailing their addiction to healthier levels. Organizations such as MADD have faced similar problems where they started as a way to rehabilitate people, but turned into organizations with an extremist agenda.

Interesting article. I feel like I had a problem with gaming, but I didn&#x27;t necessarily have an addiction. When I got an Xbox 360 (and by extension Xbox live), I was able to hangout with my friends without going to their house. Even when they weren&#x27;t playing, it was because I made friends and connections to people all over. Towards the end of my Xbox Live days, I mostly played without my &quot;IRL&quot; friends.<p>Now, I rarely game alone, but I play games with my friends in person (Fortnite, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Smash etc.). I think for me, gaming was a substitute for social interaction. Most of my interaction is in person now, so gaming has fallen by the wayside.

I know that computer and video games are designed to have some level of attraction in order to obtain and maintain engagement, but I still have to ask the devil&#x27;s advocate question: what is missing in contemporary life such that makes computer and video games so appealing?<p>My parents would probably describe be as an addict now and then, so I&#x27;m not asking this question in a holier-than-thou manner: I&#x27;m genuinely curious about what characteristics games have that real life doesn&#x27;t.<p>Is it escapism? Is it compelling gameplay? Is it granularity of control?

Thanks Channing for sharing my interview here.<p>Hi everyone, my name is Cam and I&#x27;m the founder of Game Quitters - the website profiled here.<p>If you have any questions let me know.