Have you ever stopped playing video games altogether?

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My son is now 17, and started playing video games as a toddler. For a while it was an obsessive interest, but it never really affected his schoolwork or anything like that. For years, because I was somewhat clueless, I would tell him that by the time he was 16, he should diminish the video games, and by 18 the interest in video games should almost be completely gone and that he should start becoming interested in girls... What was I thinking???

As he grew older, I thought that the video game thing was manageable -- he played a lot during the summer when there was nothing else to do, but during the school year, he played just to relax and never to excess. Schoolwork always has come first for him, even though it's not easy. I couldn't see him stopping the video games, but he was doing it an appropriate amount. Besides, NT guys his age were playing them too, right on into college, and I figured, hey, he'll have something to socialize about in college... Also, I thought that Xbox live was at least social, in that he was talking with other people, so I was happy that at least that socialization was going on.

Funny thing. This year, just before school, my son just stopped playing video games, cold turkey. As far as I can tell, there's no reason for it. He says that he just got bored. He replaced that with teaching himself guitar and learning tabs online. This would seem like an answer to prayers, as this "appears" to be an advancement, a shift. Oddly enough, though, I'm almost wondering if he would be better off playing Xbox live and talking to other guys rather than playing guitar by himself. I would worry, but we just took him to a college overnight at a liberal arts college, and he had a great time socially...

It's just perplexing. Anybody else out there just up and quit video games? If so, do you remember why?

I sometimes take breaks from playing video games for a few weeks, but I don't think I will stop playing them completely any time soon, especially since my current special interest is a series of video games from the 90's.

maybe hes crazy, who the hell would just stop playing video games for other people?

I stopped playing video games when other players lost patience with me.

Yeah, I actually used to play every day, all day, and was severely addicted. I randomly got off my sophomore year of high school because I looked up how the character from the game prince of persia can run on walls, found out how, and just started doing parkour. My gaming life quickly degenerated from there. Every once in a while I would pick up a new game and play it nonstop till the end, then I get completely off again, and don't play anything else for many months. Even then, I've stopped doing that too as far as I know. Your son is also better off having passion alone (For a short amount of time.) then having no passion with plenty of friends. It's good for you short term, and it's even better long term.

To be honest, as a boy with aspergers, I couldn't really blame him for ignoring girls in favor of video games and other interests. No real reason to beat your head needlessly against a wall if you don't have to.

Most games I don't like because the of sensory issues, and my anxiety goes through the roof. I play mostly simulator games (FSX, ETS 2, DayZ) so they help me relax. I go through occasional stages of playing Video games and sometimes I stop all together, but I always go back to it. I've lost many friends to due video games, and however I do agree that is a bad thing, I would rather relax, have a nice soda and relax and play some games rather than "hangout".

I have. Over the past few years, my video game playing has slowed to a trickle. This is even though I was an avid games player as a kid.

As a self-trained technologist I only play them intermittently as I'm currently looking for work and need the money for equipment. I may even go into game development eventually, but I still do plenty of outdoorsy stuff. Keeping everything in balance can be extremely difficult under time crunches but avoiding the games when I have tech work to do keeps me healthy enough when my back's to the wall.

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My video game experience has been in and out. from 1980-1983 I was big into the arcade playing pac-man, donkey kong,etc. from 1984-1986 played no video games. from 1987-1990 I got an NES and played super Sario and Zelda. from 1991-1993 played no video games. from 1994-1997 I was back pumpin quarters in the arcade again playing Street fighter and mortal combat. from 1998-2001 played no video games. from 2002-2007. PC lan gaming was big for me and was the greatest time for video games for me. 2008-present. Have not played any video games since.

Sometimes a special interest changes and we stop just like that. I stopped playing lot of them in my early twenties and got more into computer.

I wouldnt waste so much thoughts on what he does in his free time, as long as his free time interests are no problems for the stuff like school and so on.

Personally I simply do things very intense. If I am right now playing a videogame, then my thoughts are "catched" at that topic and I want to spend every free minute with it and do so. Just like I want give my computer a minute of attention, if my thoughts are right now catched by something else. So as example when I started playing pen and paper roleplay games (in the english area you might know Dungeons and Dragons), my thoughts were focused on that, and I spent every minute on that for a long while. Or if I start reading a book series, then I will be focused on that again.

Right now your son seems to be focused on playing guitar, and there is nothing bad about that. (I just have the guess, that he was playing guitar hero intensely before. XD That game made me start learning drums. ^^)

Just like others have described it as well, I do now play less video games, then when I was a kid, and have other changing interests that I focus on for some time. But real good games, still manage to "catch" my thoughts intensely for a while. Its simply no more 365 days intensive computer / year, but now more 6 weeks intensive book series reading, 4 weeks intensive computer gaming, 3 weeks intensive drumming again, again playing for some weeks a certain computer game, followed by some weeks that I am totally into geocashing... ^^

As said, as long as his interests are no burden for school, job ... I wouldnt spend so much thoughts on that. I may have gotten into different interests, but if you are hoping that his actual disinterest could mean he suddenly could "become normal", the only interest that helped me into socialising was the pen and paper interest, and the only reason why I felt that well around that people, where because of them as well being nerdy people, that additional had the same special interest in that time. ^^ While during that time, I had fun spending time with them, but sadly the moment I dont share an interest with them anymore (because of example them stopping to play) spending time with them becomes annoying, because of me having enjoyed to share that time with people being able to share the same special interest with me, while simply spending time with them, without that interest sadly is boring to me.

I have, but not through choice. I'm too busy during the day, and in the evening my Playstation is in my bedroom, and I'm generally in the front room with my mum so I don't play on it then. I do miss it a lot. I have played Portal with my boyfriend, last year and this year, which I loved. If I could, I would play on it a lot more.

Being able to play a musical instrument, especially one as ubiquitous as the guitar, may open up the possiblities of new social ventures for him with others who share his interest and/or value his skills.

I stopped playing games around the year 2000 just because there's been such a decline in video games and I don't enjoy them anymore. All the games are really competitive, online, and first-person shooters. I hate those games so I gave up on games. Funnily enough and this week actually I started to get back into games again after many years of absence, but now I'm playing the old games again or trying old games I never got around to playing.

I think that all games have to be online now which diminishes the storyline. They do it because you can't really copy a game that requires online updates in order to play it.

Perhaps he just thinks they're terrible like me!