[inb4 wrong thread]

Ok, so my parents have always told me to stop playing computer games, osu included, as it is seen as a waste of time. But my question is, why is playing video games any different from a hobby like gardening, painting, cooking, or advancing my education. All of Which I'm sure my parents would be happy for me to partake in instead of video games.

Am I right in saying that, whatever hobby you do, eventually your progress in that hobby will disappear.
What I mean by this is that, I always have the worry that whilst I love playing video games like osu and runescape, eventually the games will be gone, and what will I have achieved? However arguably this is still the same for more 'acceptable' hobbies. Gardening (you move house), reading= you forget eventually what you have read. Sports=eventually you will stop partaking in them (and take it from someone who swam competitively for 10 years of my life, you do stop and lose all progress that you have made). Whilst Educational Hobbies also have more merit, unless you end up using this information you generally forget it, I mean I can't remember anything about maths from my GCSE days, even though I got an A.

What I'm trying to say is why are other hobbies valued above video games, when arguably all hobbies end in the same result: Nothing.

The only thing I can think of regarding why other hobbies have merit is the simple fact that you learn another skill in life, whether or not you use however....
Even so, its rare for people to work incorporating their hobbies into their everyday life. But still, I can see why my parents value any other Hobby above video gaming, but my point remains the same.

What are your guys thoughts?

If you have fun playing games, then your time was anything but wasted.

If we didn't live life the way we wanted it to be, and lived by someone else's standards. That'd be a waste of time.

No, just do whatever you want and be happy doing it.

You have to decide for yourself. If you are having fun, it's definitely not a waste of time though.

Your parents value other hobbies above videogames because of these things, most likely:

a) They haven't grown up with video games and they might somehow trust the media that makes them appear like incredibly unhealthy, addicting, nonsensical things.

b) Social contact is less than with other hobbies, for example if you do sport with others etc. Of course you have chats in osu for example but it's not the same as nobody will deny (if you don't believe me, just look at the community: there are so many people being active in the forums and in chat and causing drama and shitstorm over things, and in real life they are afraid to talk to foreign people).

I think you are over analyzing this issue.

But to be honest, I do understand your parent a bit, and even tho I also grew up with video games, and that I play still play them regularly, I still encourage my kids to do what would be "healthier" hobbies for the following reasons.

1. Socialization: For example, allows kids to connect with friends and such, playing on online video game will make you gain some acquaintances but that's about it. I do still believe that human's require a certain amount of socialization to be healty.

2. Health: Of course, doing sports is healthy for you, keeps your body in check, gardening puts you outside, makes you in contact with the sun, both of these arguments are clearly healthier than sitting in a semi dark room with headphones on pressing keys.

3. Education: Reading, yes you may not remember your book, but reading is a key tool to increase your vocabulary. Wheter or not you believe that you are learning something or not, subconciously you are improving your skill at reading, and writing, by practicing it.

----

That being said, am I against video game, and do I tell my kids they can't play them because other hobbies are better?

Or course not.

But I do advise them to keep a balance between educative and healthy hobbies, vs hobbies purely for entertainment.

Sylveon wrote:

[inb4 wrong thread]What I'm trying to say is why are other hobbies valued above video games, when arguably all hobbies end in the same result: Nothing.

no, this is completely wrong.

Most of the spoilerbox has been brought up my Emayecue already, I hand it to him. We even made the same main categories, which is remarkable. Still think he should have come to the conclusion that some hobbies are in fact better than others, objectively, in terms of beneficialness.

There are more useful and less useful hobbies in terms of how great the benefits are that they yield for your future. If that is the sole thing you look at, then your parents are certainly correct: Gaming, in this regard, is one of the most useless hobbies and should be abandoned.
Additionally to that, gaming as a hobby is often pursued in a fashion that isolates the gamer. Like it or not, it is more often than not a solitary activity, if taken to excess.
As a matter of fact, excessive online gaming is a strong predicator for social anxiety and depression, which supports my point.


If you want to make a argument for gaming as a hobby, you'll have to argue otherwise.

Stefan wrote:

No, just do whatever you want and be happy doing it.

Thats shitty advice and you know better.

Railey2 wrote:

Most of the spoilerbox has been brought up my Emayecue already, I hand it to him. We even made the same main categories, which is remarkable. Still think he should have come to the conclusion that some hobbies are in fact better than others, objectively, in terms of beneficialness.

Thumbs up to you, I did tho forget about the cooking, that's one hell of a good point

Perhaps I could have been more clearer about my statements like you suggested, in fact I do agree that clearly some hobbies are better than not, but I wanted to make sure to not diss completely other hobbies that arn't as good.

It's kind of the same thing as saying that a greasy burger is not as good for you as an homemade salad. Certainly one is better, but when consumed with moderation, I have no problem with the greasy burger.

To me, it's all a question of balance, put the "great" and the "bad" together, and you got something "good" going.

Are video games a waste of time? yes

Am I personally going to stop playing them? no

life is wasted on the living

-some dead guy in a book

If you enjoy playing video games, then it is not. Enjoying good sht is not time wasted.

It's only a waste of time if you think it's a waste of time.

.

Pituophis wrote:

In the end, everything is a waste of time. Waste it how you want.

if everything is a waste of time, this attribute loses its meaning does it not? Might as well define it in a way that makes sense by giving sense. Not to say that you aren't making a point here, but at the same time you make the phrase, 'waste of time', really useless.

"You don't forget how to ride a bicycle, no matter how long you last rode." and
"You don't go to school to memorize, you go to learn how you think."

You know that eventually you will stop but the things that remain after a hobby is your mindset and your understanding.

I think of video gaming as a bad lifestyle.
But if I didn't discover gaming as a hobby I wouldn't have a reason to start improving myself. Discovering my weaknesses in gaming, I started to exercise and to practice mindfulness to improve my concentration to use in gaming and in general life.

This is what I think anyway

If you die and regret that you did not play osu!, then it means that it's not a waste of time, and that it's worth spending part of your life playing that game.

Then again, I'm just an edgy college student. You don't have to listen to me.

Well. i am playing if i have free time. But everyday i have around 30 minutes - 60 minutes free time, i make it with Play osu!

The problem with videogames is that it is like crack cocaine. It's brilliant the first couple of times, but then it just becomes a means to an end. Careful, they're probably telling you that you're addicted.

Yes absolutely, but I don't mind wasting my time.

Railey2 wrote:

Pituophis wrote:

In the end, everything is a waste of time. Waste it how you want.

if everything is a waste of time, this attribute loses its meaning does it not? Might as well define it in a way that makes sense by giving sense. Not to say that you aren't making a point here, but at the same time you make the phrase, 'waste of time', really useless.

Idk what I was thinking when I was typing it. I don't really agree with what I said. My mindset seems to change a lot.