I stopped gaming at 19 when I started college. In 2013, after coming home from my US exchange, I finally sold all my stuff and gave away DVDs and BluRays.
From 16–19, I was hardcore. Every minute I didn’t spend on school (which were few to begin with) or freestyle soccer went into gaming.
I only regret one thing about that period: Not hitting the record button.
In fact, gaming is still very much on my career list. After I figure out this writing thing, I can’t wait to set up a Youtube gaming channel and play.
I’m really sick of the fact that in 2017, we still practice game shaming.
You can google for 2 seconds and find a random gamer making $100k+/year. There’s thousands of them.
As teenagers, we’re often drawn to games because they’re fun, trigger flow and give us a sense of accomplishment we don’t get elsewhere. What we often don’t realize is that gaming is not an escape – it’s a path.
We just have to be willing to be open about that path and share our journey with the world. But if we do, we have a real shot at creating a life that’ll make us 10x happier than what teachers, peers and parents try to push us into.
Most gamers have enough talent to make $1,000-$5,000 gaming on the side. It might not always be a full-time income, but at the very least, it’ll make you feel a whole lot better about your life.
So no. Don’t stop gaming. Do it on the side. Start sharing it. Start owning it. Be proud.
One day, a high school teacher will ask her class: “How many of you want to be gamers?” and 40% of the kids will raise their hands – and no one think it’ll be weird.
I can’t wait for that day.
