Video Game Overload
Because of my dad’s example, I had a glimpse of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for me.
Photographs by Alexandre Borges and courtesy of Isaac S.
Back when COVID-19 hit Brazil, I started playing computer games with my friends between online classes. Initially, I played for one hour a day, but that eventually turned into 10 hours a day. This continued for days and months.
I used my father’s work computer for gaming, even though it wasn’t supposed to be used for that. My parents thought I was in class or studying. Even though I was with friends online, being alone on the computer made me feel isolated, tired, and less happy.
Crashing to Reality
One day during class, a classmate called. We realized we had played all 100 games I had, and we wanted something new. But my father’s work computer had limited memory. When I tried to install a new game, the computer crashed.
I panicked. I was afraid my parents would find out. I took apart the computer piece by piece but didn’t see any problems, so I put everything back in place and tried turning it on. I knew I needed to clean the computer, so I spent hours uninstalling game after game—but nothing changed.
Later that day, my dad needed to do some work on his computer. I was really nervous. After a while, he called me over. There was the computer in front of him. Broken.
I couldn’t lie to my dad anymore. I confessed what I did.
The next day, my dad went to work with the broken computer. Instead of blaming me, he took responsibility for what I did. None of it was his fault, but he chose to lose credibility with his boss and take all the blame without me even asking him to. And that broke my heart.
Running to Christ
I was so ashamed about what I had done that I started to struggle mentally. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t have the courage to talk to my parents.
But that Saturday, my father woke me up around 4:30 a.m., inviting me to go on a run. On the run, he said he had asked me to go with him so I could learn something he never wanted me to forget: resilience. He told me that resilience was the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties, to resolve the problem, and after resolving it, to stand up and keep going forward.
Because of my dad’s example at work and what he taught me about resilience, I had a glimpse of who Jesus Christ is and what He did for me. Christ gave me the opportunity to be forgiven for my sins. I learned that forgiveness is a gift and that the Savior’s expectation of me is to be resilient in the path of righteousness.
Changing My Mindset
After that run, I started changing my mindset and habits. I realized that there is much more to life than playing games all day.
The next three years were challenging as I worked on my new habits, but with my parents’ help, I gradually started focusing on my future. I also discovered that I have a talent for communication and enjoy helping others.
Instead of spending all my time on video games, I began learning about becoming an entrepreneur. I started an Instagram channel and a YouTube page, and now I teach people what I have learned about becoming financially successful and investing in our best investment—ourselves.
Through all these experiences, I saw the hand of the Lord many times, especially finding forgiveness in my Savior’s sacrifice. There will be times that I will fail, but with resilience and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I can become more like Him.
The author lives in São Paulo, Brazil.