I spent more hours occupied by the EA Sports Madden franchise than I care to admit. My goal to build a powerhouse franchise superseded personal goals at times, as I equated gaming success with life success. Only when I realized a series of negative results did I admit to myself gaming was setting me back in multiple areas of my life, and my grasp on reality was slipping. These are my fantastic four dividends of putting the controller down for good.
1. Pounds melted off.
It was unhealthy for game characters to be more active than I was, but such was the case as I sat sedentary on my couch, controller in one hand and snacks in the other. Getting off my couch allowed for time to exercise and invest more time in my health and less money in games. I am down two jeans sizes since I stopped gaming, and my wallet gained some weight.
2. Goodbye, carpel tunnel.
Gaming might be the only way a person could sit stationary and still injure himself, as I did when I punished my right arm from wrist to elbow. Hours of game play caused throbs in my hand and wrist and sharp pain in my elbow, but like a champ I played through it until my hand was a balled fist. Since I gave up games, all functionality has been restored to my arm, and I am pain-free.
3. I am closer to my wife.
Video games were the “other woman” for a time, as my wife was relegated to our bedroom to watch TV or text while I mapped out a Madden draft strategy. Since I retired from the digital gridiron, we talk more, we get out more, we fool around more. Excessive gaming was divisive in my relationship, and the mere act of going to bed with my wife instead of staying up all hours playing has reaped huge rewards.
4. I started writing.
I had desired to write for years but always told myself I was incapable of doing so. Gaming was a perfect accomplice to my self-doubt, serving as a sub-par replacement for what I really wanted to do. Once I put my controller down, I started making time to compose personal essays I was thrilled to have accepted by creative nonfiction journals. Coupled with becoming a Huffington Post contributor, being the writer I always wanted to be is the most personally satisfying benefit I have received ― and fortunately, my gaming console can be used to stream movies and TV shows my wife and I can enjoy together.
