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Would you be willing to elaborate on that a bit? Once upon a time, i played a few competitive games. I'd have to be very aware of my emotional state. Being awar

by jfoutz 9y ago

Would you be willing to elaborate on that a bit? Once upon a time, i played a few competitive games. I'd have to be very aware of my emotional state. Being aware of a sort of sick feeling when i'm falling behind, recognizing that that exists and not letting it affect my play seems like what people mean when they speak of mindfulness. And the converse, not getting cocky when pulling ahead. I also dealt with the random chemical changes of adrenaline. My hands get very cold and a little sweaty, heart races a bit. But that's just a thing that happens. being aware of it, acknowledging it and moving on with what i choose to do next seems like a mindful practice. But maybe you mean something more sophisticated?

posterboy 9y ago
Maybe OP means the eu-stress from gaming is neglectable compared to the emotional trauma described. Getting used to and thinking that's normal stress might numb rather than build mindfulness, because just doing it frequently doesn't promise improvement. EG repetitive strain might hinder that. And it might be distractive in general.
- jfoutz 9y ago
  That's a really good point. the gaming i talked about was in a pretty stable time in my life, more or less every other aspect of my life was working smoothly. Thanks!
sametmax 9y ago
I'm just a beginner since I've been meditating for only 8 years but from my experience, most video games involve at least one of the following: - ego - loosing track of time - loosing track of physical reality, such as bodily sensations - reacting - desiring an outcome - judging Not all of them, and not for all video games. But any of those characteristic seems to be something quite antagonist with mindfulness. Now somebody that is very focused, very selfless and equanimous in a competitive game will have something close to meditation. But first they are rare, and secondly the very existence of the game, being virtual and... a game, seems to be orthogonal the mindful state state. I'm not a competitive player though, and: - when I play dota I react A LOT. - when I'm coding or watching a movie, I completely forget reality. It contrast a lot with my meditation practice. Maybe some people are better at dealing with screens that I am.

by jfoutz 9y ago

posterboy 9y ago

Maybe OP means the eu-stress from gaming is neglectable compared to the emotional trauma described. Getting used to and thinking that's normal stress might numb rather than build mindfulness, because just doing it frequently doesn't promise improvement. EG repetitive strain might hinder that. And it might be distractive in general.

jfoutz 9y ago
That's a really good point. the gaming i talked about was in a pretty stable time in my life, more or less every other aspect of my life was working smoothly. Thanks!

sametmax 9y ago

I'm just a beginner since I've been meditating for only 8 years but from my experience, most video games involve at least one of the following: - ego - loosing track of time - loosing track of physical reality, such as bodily sensations - reacting - desiring an outcome - judging Not all of them, and not for all video games. But any of those characteristic seems to be something quite antagonist with mindfulness. Now somebody that is very focused, very selfless and equanimous in a competitive game will have something close to meditation. But first they are rare, and secondly the very existence of the game, being virtual and... a game, seems to be orthogonal the mindful state state. I'm not a competitive player though, and: - when I play dota I react A LOT. - when I'm coding or watching a movie, I completely forget reality. It contrast a lot with my meditation practice. Maybe some people are better at dealing with screens that I am.