You hardly sound at a disadvantage OP. If anything, you sound pretty normal.
Anyways.. Once I got into my first MMORPG at age 13 (I had just moved too, so I was an outsider at my new school), I slowly transitioned into a hermit. I was the cool kid back at my old school, had tons of friends - it was like being at a frat at a young age. My friends and I all played sports, we were all great at them, we always went out with the girls our age. I just sort of tagged along because I was athletic. Having to work for popularity in my new school I quickly stopped giving a shit and just played video games - more.... and more... and more. Until they overtook sports and friendships in my life.
Slowly getting addicted to video games in a now broken-home (parents split up when I was 15, and I moved again when I was 16), I just played video games more and more. All my friends played video games. If kids didn't rush home and play video games after school, I never really opened up to them. As a result, I didn't get laid until I was 21 and working full-time in a factory. After getting my heart stomped on, but then bouncing back and getting laid... I realized I didn't really care about getting laid. I felt like the only way to be happy was to just get rich. I started saving money. While paying rent, car insurance, etc, I saved up 15,000 dollars over like 9 months working shit tons of overtime. I'd look at the 60-70 yr olds working in the factory next to me - I knew I didn't want to be them when I was their age. A house to call my own, but bitter as fuck. The lack of respect really got to me. I ended up going back to school, took a severance package when the factory closed down bringing me over 20k in savings. I paid for 2 years of school, graduated with Honors, I volunteered straight out of school and got accepted on well-fare until I found a job 5 months later where I am now, and have been for the last 6 months working in Software Development. I starting hitting the gym regularly shortly before I started working full-time, and I have been ever since. I been practicing game since early November but I stopped a little over a month ago for three reasons:
one, I want to self improve more, I want more raises,
two, I just got my own placed a little over a month ago. It's taken a lot of discipline to keep it maintained, and to not fall into bad habits like endless gaming binges, beating off, and walking around my apartment naked all the time because woot I finally have my own fucking place.
three, I have plates visit me regularly. I don't plan on practicing game until I have more material in my life (I want a new car, I want new clothes, I want to be able to just go to some exotic location whenever I want just because I have cash on hand to do so).
That's sort of me turning it around. I was 22 when I took my severance and left the factory. I'll be 26 in August 2015. I never considered myself at a disadvantage. My parents haven't given me a cent since my 16th birthday when they had both split up.
When you're nothing at all there's no more reason to be afraid. - Samwell Tarly