[pruetj]

Thank you for the article. ~7 years ago, I realized I have a similar disposition - my best mental state is when I’m in a state of learning and being challenged. The struggle I’ve run into is when I look back and consider what “good” that thing I’ve been learning about has produced.

For instance, I too love video games and have found immense enjoyment in them for many, many years but if I add up all my play logs and realize I’ve spent something like 5-10% of my life playing video games, it begs the question if that time could have been better spent? Has that really helped anyone, myself included? Has it made the world a better place in any way?

Lately, I’ve uninstalled all games and am seeking hobbies that still challenge me but also can bring joy to others. To list a couple: Cooking - An art really but also quite a bit of science involved. Chiefly though, food brings people together and there is nothing quite like feeding people with your very own creation and hard work. DIY - DIY helps with my engineering itch, saves a lot of money for the family, and also can greatly benefit others who might otherwise not be able to afford something they really do need.

I have nothing against video games, I’ve played far more than most my age. I really just wonder when it comes to hobbies, is maximum satisfaction achieved when not only you satisfy your own needs but are also able to add to others’ lives? FWIW, this can be achieved in video games through friendships and community formed… I’m just not good at making that an important part of why I’d play a video game.

[zemvpferreira]

I find a lot of comfort in the idea of unintended consequences. I spent the majority of my youth playing games: CounterStrike, Magic: The Gathering, D&D. I paid a lot more attention to useless hobbies than to school.

In hindsight, I attribute my strongest mental skills to all that gaming. Abstract reasoning, strategic/tactical thinking, english fluency...things that separated me completely from my peers once I began my career.

Life's long and you never know. If you enjoy cooking, sure, it stacks with a lot of other benefits. I think that's a good framework to keep in mind. But there's no reason to believe nothing good can ever come from some hours spent on Call of Duty. Heck, if you enjoy them that's enough good gotten.

[pruetj]

Totally agree, some of my best friends today were found through Halo/dota/RuneScape/Dark Age of Camelot/etc. These are not regrets I have - just more of a point forward perspective in what I do with my time now.

I have a family of my own now so that has played no small part in shifting my perspective.

[zemvpferreira]

Understood. I think that as we get older we move to a different point of the explore-exploit continuum naturally. Nothing wrong with that either.

I moved from gaming to tennis and the gym myself.

[dev_tty01]

Reminds me of a favorite quote:

“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. ... There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.”

― T.H. White, The Once and Future King