EPTMy name is Xusneb and I have a problem.
I find myself watching streams A LOT. Mostly League of Legends and Starcraft 2. I don't even play these games anymore, I just watch a lot lol.
At first, I would justify to myself that it was like watching sports on TV and an appropriate hobby. However, I would always feel rather guilty after a stream-watching session. I found it difficult to stop watching because the games would come one after another and because of the sheer number of different streams I could jump to at any given time. I would start with an hour ("OK, a few games and then back to reality!") only to glance at the clock 4 hours later.
As an introspective person, I tried pulling myself out of this haze to analyze my emotions and feelings during the moment. I found I felt... nothing. I could not find myself feeling anything. My brain was a blank and I just followed the units moving around - attacking, retreating, GGs and trashtalk - with my eyes and ears while my sense of touch, smell and taste lay dormant. Truly, I was in a stupor during these moments.
It's funny because outside of these streams I have the attention span of a gnat. I tried watching "Planet Earth", an amazing nature series, and was becoming impatient after 10 minutes. I was confused: how could I watch Starcraft 2 games with minimal thought for hours without becoming bored and lose interest so quickly in David Attenborough explaining the natural world through beautiful cinematography?
I've looked into Internet addiction and I daresay I suffer from it, or at least something similar to it. Anyways, I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this way and what your thoughts are on the topic. Cheers!
