Gaming = waste of time?

[Daedius]

Gaming is a hobby. Hobbies are what people do to pass the time, keeping themselves occupied.

Anyone can consider any hobby a waste of time. That is irrelevant to you as long as you enjoy it, and is done in a manner that isn't harmful or done compulsively. The fact that it is all YOU do is an issue with you, not gaming.

[InTheEnd]

Technically, doing any activity that consumes money rather than one that generates money is a waste of time. However, we are not machines that should be working all the time and it's good for our health and well-being to do things that we enjoy, especially creative things. I imagine some might envy the OP that he can get away with not working and playing games all day, but that does not sound healthy.

[procne]

Also the people who say gaming is a waste of time are most likely watching several hours of TV every day, or at a bar getting so shitfaced that they won't even remember half of the night... They have no ground to stand on.

And there are also people with ambitions and goals in their life, who actively work towards them, and when they see a gamer with no goals, who spends all his free time playing games they say he wastes his time.

Really, your argument reminds me of "they are mean to you because they are jealous of you" explanations from kindergarten. It's just a lie to make you feel better and stop crying.

I don't agree with Lennon. Drug junkie also enjoys himself when he's high. It's all about balance. Everyone needs some downtime and relax, that's true. But when his life is all about it, and he has no goals to work towards then yes, he's wasting time.

[Schattenlied]

And there are also people with ambitions and goals in their life, who actively work towards them, and when they see a gamer with no goals, who spends all his free time playing games they say he wastes his time.

Really, your argument reminds me of "they are mean to you because they are jealous of you" explanations from kindergarten. It's just a lie to make you feel better and stop crying.

I don't agree with Lennon. Drug junkie also enjoys himself when he's high. It's all about balance. Everyone needs some downtime and relax, that's true. But when his life is all about it, and he has no goals to work towards then yes, he's wasting time.

I'm not talking about how long a person plays games, I'm talking about people thinking any time spent playing video games is wasted time.

[Nerevar]

Living is a waste of time because you'll die anyway.

[McNeil]

Do people still actually say this? With gaming having gone more and more mainstream over the years, I could've sworn that people got past this already.

[Halicia]

According to the Foreign Service Institute of the U.S. it rakes about 2,200 hours for an english native speaker to go from 0 to fluent in Arabic/Chinese

Looking back at my >10k played hours of WoW
Did I enjoy them? Yes
Would I do the same if I could go back in time? No, I would rather have done something more "useful" such as learning Arabic

Yeah, looking back at things, I wish that more mainstream games had educational or productive facets to them.

I remember "back in the day", I played (and completed) a few games where I couldn't understand a word of the language. The Civilization and Paradox games were also great for teaching me about geography, history, and all sorts of things that constantly come up in modern politics.

But sadly, most "historical" games I see being produced nowadays rewrite history so that they can present the world in a politically correct light instead of actually giving people the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past.

[WinningOne]

John Lennon famously said that time you enjoy wasting is not wasted. Do you agree? Most people think gaming is a waste of time, and either they don’t care or they quit.

I’m aware that my time playing games is time I could spend having a life. Except that’s hard, and I like easy. I don’t like other people, and I have no job. So I have nothing to do but game or sleep. That’s why I choose gaming.

Is gaming a waste of time? If so, why do you do it?

If you're using gaming to avoid difficult situations then yes, it's a waste of time. Not in the sense that you're purposely doing something wrong but that you're holding yourself back by retreating into gaming. If you're just using it to unwind or explore your interests then it's no more a waste of time than learning an instrument or going skydiving for fun.

[Stonecloak]

Nobody is 100 percent productive and has no leisure time. So, if you are even productive 60 hours a week, you’d still have time for some hobbies. In other words, you need some downtime. Everybody has different amounts that are needed. The stigma of games comes from gaming junkies that do nothing but play games. So, gaming itself is no worse than enjoying a movie, or any other type of entertainment. If you don’t have a job. I wouldn’t play at all until you find something. Usually the guilt of doing something comes from a gut instinct, and if you just play WoW, and it’s not profitable in any way. Then you probably feel bad.

[Onikaroshi]

If you aren't working.... you are "wasting time"

Technically working is the ultimate waste of time. You're doing something you (generally) don't want to do so you can afford to do other things to waste time, life is nothing but finding out which way you prefer wasting the time you have here.

[zlygork]

As much as every other hobby. Unlike certain hobby, certain kind of games can help you develop certain cognitive capacities, in fact.

[Stonecloak]

Technically working is the ultimate waste of time. You're doing something you (generally) don't want to do so you can afford to do other things to waste time, life is nothing but finding out which way you prefer wasting the time you have here.

What job is a waste of time? Generally jobs are profitable because they serve a purpose. You think a surgeon’s job is a waste of time? You’d have a point if you said some jobs are not as important, but not a waste of time.

[Onikaroshi]

What job is a waste of time? Generally jobs are profitable because they serve a purpose. You think a surgeon’s job is a waste of time? You’d have a point if you said some jobs are not as important, but not a waste of time.

No, they're still a waste of time, you think that surgeon doesn't want to be somewhere else? Certain times yes, people do enjoy their jobs so they enjoy wasting that time, but it's still a waste of time.

Life as whole is nothing but a waste of time, you waste time for up to X numbers of years, then you die and barely anyone will remember you, the cosmos definitely won't.

Might as well just enjoy the time you're wasting.

[Stonecloak]

No, they're still a waste of time, you think that surgeon doesn't want to be somewhere else? Certain times yes, people do enjoy their jobs so they enjoy wasting that time, but it's still a waste of time.

Life as whole is nothing but a waste of time, you waste time for up to X numbers of years, then you die and barely anyone will remember you, the cosmos definitely won't.

Might as well just enjoy the time you're wasting.

That’s bologna, and wrong on so many levels. Basically just convincing yourself in a hedonistic Idea of life, because you choose not to see meaning. Meaning exists, whether you believe it or not, and thank goodness for that.

[Onikaroshi]

That’s bologna, and wrong on so many levels. Basically just convincing yourself in a hedonistic Idea of life, because you choose not to see meaning. Meaning exists, whether you believe it or not, and thank goodness for that.

No, not really, at all. I eat what I want, when I want, work as little as possible, just enough to do what I want to do, and generally only do things I enjoy doing. We're all going to die anyway, why bother doing things you don't want to do, best to waste your minimal time here doing things you like.

[Nerevar]

"Be careful, or you might cut yourself on that edge."

It was supposed to be funny, make fun of "gaming = waste of time?" phrase, and not to be taken seriously. So keep that "edge" to yourself.

[Calfredd]

That’s bologna, and wrong on so many levels. Basically just convincing yourself in a hedonistic Idea of life, because you choose not to see meaning. Meaning exists, whether you believe it or not, and thank goodness for that.

Life doesn't really have a meaning but that's what allows people to do what they want whether it's a chemist, mechanic, artist, or olympic athlete.

[Djaye]

every hobby is a waste of time to somebody. fuck them and do what you want and makes you happy...

[Kontinuum]

Gaming is for children and manchildren.

[articuno998]

I dont think its a waste of time if it relaxes you, you cant be too productive for too long