Quit Smoking With Video Games

It has been over a year now since I quit smoking. For me, the hardest part of the quitting process was the first three days. I found the withdrawal symptoms to be at their worst during this time, but I also felt noticeably healthier and happier. While quitting smoking is a psychological struggle that lasts for months or even longer, if a smoker can avoid having a cigarette for three days, they will find that the worst is over with and that quitting permanently is within their reach.

Anticipating an initial period of strong physiological withdrawal, I went digging into my old software and video game library. I gathered together the games which I found to be the most addicting and time consuming when growing-up. The games I would start playing in the morning, and glance out the window later and notice it was dark outside. My plan was to use these games to distract myself from the pangs of nicotine withdrawal. Normally I would be wary of replacing an addiction with another, but in this case, I knew from experience I could quit gaming more easily than I could quit smoking.

Below are the games that helped me to quit smoking and consequently, saved my life! Many of these games can be found on abandonware websites and elsewhere. Warning: this method will require a few days off from work and other obligations but just tell them it’s for a good cause.First, we have Sid Meier\’s early masterpiece Colonization. This was Meier\’s second install-ment (pun obtrusively intended) in his turn-based Civilization series, that now epitomizes computer game nostalgia. I put this first for two reasons, because its entry inclusively represents the Civilization series, and also because for me, this was the first computer game that was noticeably addictive. Colonization takes everything that’s great about turn-based strategy and the Meier format and centers it around the American Revolution. The game begins with the discovery of the “New World,” meeting the natives, and establishing a foothold in America. Eventually, after building colonies, trading, and surviving the inevitable skirmishes when Europeans, tribes, and undiscovered land gets together, independence is declared and you get pummeled by your country of origin. If you built your military up to an unprecedented degree, established a trade system independent of the European continent, and survived the initial punishment brought by the first-wave of his majesty’s troops, you can pretty much start making plans for your new country.Next, I gotta give a shout out to the Final Fantasy series, particularly Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X. These two games are unique in that they actually invoke emotional reactions in the gamer. Rarely have I found myself actually angry when fighting a boss or sad when a character dies except when playing Final Fantasy. In a world of dehumanizing technology, it’s extraordinary to come across something like a video game which calls on the user’s compassion. It’s because of this quality that I put Final Fantasy at the head of the RPG class. It’s clear to see that Squaresoft puts an equal amount of effort into story as they put into mechanics. Forget what censors or moral critics might have said about mature content in video games because it’s all surreal. Final Fantasy comes the closest to demonstrating when gaming is actually serious.In general, I think that RPGs are the most addicting genre of game. Character development through “leveling-up” is an element that hooks the gamer in through a system of frequent incremental rewards which pay-off in gameplay. Improvements to attributes and items provoke gamers to play more just to check out their newly acquired talents. When doing so, gamers often find themselves acquiring yet more levels and abilities and before they know it, the gaming endures a few more hours. Nowadays it’s not uncommon to see this concept used in games outside the RPG genre, especially sports games. For fans of the lighthearted Nintendo style of game, Zelda: A Link to the Past and Earthbound are both very entertaining and intriguing. While the animation emphasizes cartoon over realism (I’m in no way an advocate of realism in video games) and the content sometimes perceivably silly, these games are still celebrated by some of the most mature and intelligent gamers I know.