Goal Progress - Farewell Facebook Games

There is a fine line between entertainment and addiction. It is also easy to ignore things that you don't want to see. When I started this blog one of the goals I set for myself was less time wasted on the computer. I said I wanted to do it, but maybe didn't really want to commit to it. You know how we do that. We know what is good for us, we know how to make good choices, yet we still do things that aren't healthy. And then we cover it up, or lie about it, or delude ourselves into thinking it isn't so bad. A theme I have mentioned here in my blog before. Today's evil I am talking about? Facebook. Now, Facebook itself is not evil (although my husband is convinced it is). No, honestly, it is an awesome site where I have been able to connect with many family members and friends. Some from high school, some from through out my life. So, how could it be a bad thing? How could staying in touch with friends and family be bad? Take a look at the games. Those time consuming, all invading, addictive games. Farmville, Hidden Chronicals, Fish World, Words With Friends. Just start, invite a few friends, add another app, and before you know it - it will take over your life like a drug. Before you know it, days of your life disappear. There was one woman who even killed her child over a Facebook game. No way. Not me. I could never be that bad. Right? I can handle it, just one game, just a few minutes a day, just a few games, just one more. Yup, gone. I was a goner.

Hi, my name is Kimber, and I was a Facebook Game Addict. Recovered. Yes, recovered. I took a step back and truly analyzed my time. Now, here's the thing. Working midnight shift at the hotel is generally boring. I have 8 hours to fill, and about 1 hour worth of work. So, that's 7 hours of staying awake. At night. Alone. When I was taking online classes, that wasn't enough time. Now that I'm not taking classes, yeah - it's an eternity. But, I was lucky, some of my friends are insomniacs. They stay up at night for various reasons. So I got invited to the games. So heck, why not. It passes the time. Then, a few more, then, more. Then, I would leave work, come home, play the games while I got my son ready for school and go to bed. Then, I would play them all night, come home, play them in the morning, put son on bus, and stay up awhile to play some more. THEN, get up in the evening, log on and play, pack up, go to work and play, then come home and play. Um, how many hours is that? Yeah, took over my life. Now, I have felt sad (and laughed) at those people who get addicted things like World of Warcraft or Sims. I mean come on, we live in reality, right? Um, yeah, I was obsessed with imaginary fish, in an imaginary fish world. Now, that being said. It is not evil. It is not the game. It is the mind set. When my priorities changed. When I started delaying life to play a game. That's when it became a bad thing. And, I was shocked, when I resisted changing it. But, I prevailed. I have over come. I have kicked the habit.

When I did finally realize it (for real) that I needed to get rid of the games, I did make a clean break. I got rid of the fish, the word games, the hidden object games, the friend games, the "friends". I cleaned out so far over 100 people I didn't know, didn't talk to, didn't even realize were on my friends list. And there are more to go. They were "game friends". People who needed more friends, to get more stuff in the games. More gifts, more coins, more energy. Yeah, when I look at it now - I have no clue how it all happened. So, I emerge victorious from Facebook, into the light of day. One small step for man, one HUGE step towards my goals. I am strangely proud of myself.