Gaming is destroying my relationship with my son

JoeNew Dad

3w ago1 min read

My 15 year old is absolutely glued to his gaming setup. He's grinding ranked matches until 2am on school nights, failing tests, basically stopped playing sports. I've tried taking the computer away which just makes him angry and sneaks on his phone instead. His mom and I are fighting about how to handle it because I think he might have an actual problem but she thinks he'll grow out of it. Anyone dealt with something like this? Feels like I'm losing him to these games and I don't know what to do.

4 comments209 views

Comments(4)

DDannyRegular3w ago

15 year olds are obsessive about stuff and gaming hits that dopamine button hard. The relationship suffering is the real issue here though. Maybe try gaming with him sometimes instead of just banning it?

RRob H.Regular3w ago

I coach youth soccer and I see this with a lot of teens. They get home and disappear into their setup for hours. The 2am thing especially needs to stop because he's destroying his sleep schedule.

MMike R.Regular3w ago

2am ranked matches on a school night is a problem. That's not about gaming being bad, that's about him not having boundaries. Have you tried setting specific hours when gaming has to stop?

BBrad T.New Dad3w ago

This is tough because gaming is actually social for them but the grinding ranked matches until 2am is excessive. You might need to look at why he's doing it. Is he just avoiding something else or is he addicted to the competition?