Jacob was dimly aware of an annoying buzz behind him. His mom was talking, probably had been for a while. Reluctantly, he pulled his attention away from his game and turned around.
Jacob’s Mom’s Concern
“You have to quit playing that game, get rid of it. You’re eighteen years old and you’ll be out of school soon. You can’t keep playing games when you’re an adult, you know.” This surprised Jacob. He knew for a fact that grownups played video games too, not just kids.
“Why do you want me to quit my game? I love it. I don’t care how old I am.”
“Well, you’re not a little boy anymore. You’re going to have to put away childish things. Honestly, I think you’re addicted. Just quit cold turkey, so you can have a life.”
Was Jacob Addicted to Gaming?
After his mother left, Jacob thought about what she said. He felt anxious and short of breath. He’d never dreamed of giving up his gaming. Why would he? He wasn’t addicted to it. Was he? Just because he didn’t want to quit didn’t mean he was addicted, right? Jacob looked up video gaming addictions online. Was he an addict? He had to know the truth.
Jacob’s Solution
In his search, Jacob found a site for gamers, and somebody had posted they thought they were addicted to games. The comments were unhelpful, negative, and often brutal. He left that site quickly and kept searching. A couple of places had quizzes you could take to see if you were addicted. After taking them, Jacob came to three conclusions:
- He was not actually addicted to video games, he just loved playing them
- Playing video games in moderation was useful for him in reducing stress
- He could balance his gaming with the rest of his life
Jacob told his parents what he’d learned, and how helpful his games were for decompressing after a stressful day. He assured them his schoolwork and chores would be a priority. They agreed to stop trying to make him quit gaming. He was an adult who could manage his own use of video games without parental guidance.
Jacob’s stories originally appeared in the first edition of Wendela Whitcomb Marsh’s book, Independent Living with Autism: Your Roadmap to Success. (Revised as Independent Living While Autistic: Your Roadmap to Success, Book One of the Adulting While Autistic series.) Jacob is a fictional character, not based on anyone, so any similarities to real people are coincidental.