The last time I posted to this blog, was at the beginning of last year. I wrote about my desire to focus on marketing my already published books and my family. I had hoped to become a tighter-knit family and be able to earn more income with the two books I have already published plus work on my novel. And I did do a little of that, but mostly, I did nothing at all substantial and I wasted a year of my life doing it.

Over the years, technology has expanded and blossomed at an alarming rate. We have gone from computers that take up an entire room of a building to one that can fit in the palm of your hand in just the lifespan of the Baby Boomer generation, and while that technology has been amazing in some ways– we are now more connected than ever, have more access to better information, and we have been able to make advancements in other fields more effectively and efficiently due to the computer technology that we now possess.

But it has downfalls, too. On the flip side of being more connected to our friends and family, there is now an expectation that we will be available all the time. An expectation that texts will be responded to promptly, that social media posts will be commented on immediately. Not so very long ago, you had to call a landline and hope that the receiver was home at the time. It’s amazing how quickly we can adapt. Additionally, while it’s true we have more access to better information, we also have more access to very bad information than ever before and that has had a very polarizing effect on our society.

But the most concerning downfall for me in particular is the highly addictive nature of many mobile app games. And in 2022, I was sucked into one in particular that I’m still struggling to find a balance with.

If you look in your mobile app store, no doubt you will find hundreds of match threes, rpgs, gatcha, idle, and a whole host of other varieties of game. These games can be an enjoyable way to pass a bit of time while you’re waiting for your doctor’s appointment or in line at the DMV, but the problem is that many of these games are designed in such a way that tricks the brain into continuing to want to play even after the novelty and enjoyment of the game has worn off. And the ADHD brain is especially susceptible to this. This is where I’ve been stuck for the past year.

And what’s interesting is that I saw many people echo a sentiment similar to mine. That they want to quit, but just can’t seem to stop showing up. And in fact, we would often cheer for a person who decided that they would not be logging on again. But getting to that point can be quite difficult, as some of these games have created what seems like the perfect storm of continued play. And the reality is, some gaming companies have a psychology department dedicated to figuring out how to accomplish just that.

For the game I’m struggling with in particular, that perfect storm included a very quick progression in the beginning that tapered off and slowed down immensely (very common for many games) as well as forming friendships with other players of the game, which made me feel that I needed to hold myself accountable to them despite that I was not in the mood for it that day. This was only deepened by the fact that many game players are now creating associated Discord channels for their alliances or their game server. And for many, there is the addition of the money-spending aspect. Many people have spent quite a bit on this game, some even into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, which makes it an investment. I, personally, did not spend a lot on this game, but even the small amount that I spent made me feel like I had made an investment in my account and should continue playing so I “wouldn’t lose it.” And kudos to the creators of this game because despite having ADHD, I have a surprisingly high ability to resist impulsive spending and have never spent money on any mobile app game prior to this despite having played several.

In short, I still don’t believe in resolutions, but if I did, I would simply resolve to curb the amount of time I spend playing games such as these so I can get back to my life and the people and things who should be holding my attention. Also, here is a YouTube video that goes into further detail about how playing these games actually decreases your enjoyment. Please give it a watch if you have time. It was very eye-opening for me.

I hope you had an amazing holiday. I will try to post more often this year.