Is gaming really worth it?

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Polygon

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<wall of text>

Hey guys,

I am a huge fan of gaming. I remember getting my first game (Quake) when I was 12. The glee on my face, and the feeling of popping the install disc in to my 8x cd-rom drive...I have been hooked since then.

In my teens I started learning programming and built a few 3D engines in hopes to someday make my own games. Something I am still considering doing, but recently am against.

Now I am 23 and still game a lot. However, something has made me rethink this.

Most of what I am going to say is targeted at games that take a lot of time to play (mmorpg's in this case).

Recently, one of my family members told me that they're getting worried I spend too much time on gaming. They actually don't let their kids be around me in fear that some of my gaming addiction rubs off on the kids.

Granted, a few months ago, I usually came home from work and played WoW. Then on the weekends when I had nothing to do, I played more WoW. If it wasn't WoW it was CSS, UT3, etc....point is I filled my time up with games.

Considering what they have said, is it really worth it to put that much time in to games? I think of all the hours I spent playing the odd game of CSS or the grinding/questing/etc... to get my WoW characters to 60, then to 70.

In the end, I have nothing tangible to show for my time (gaming skills don't count!!). If you had to ask me to show you what I did with my time (to a non-gamer) they would laugh.

What do you guys think of this? Do you really think gaming is a time sink? Is it worth it getting to Level X only to later know Level Y is coming. Do you sometimes think your time could be better channeled elsewhere? Or is gaming for you, a hobby, like any other past time (such as movies) which you enjoy now and then?

What made me reflect on this is that recently I have taken up guitar playing and am loving it. I am not so good right now, but I sometimes wonder...hey what if you started this instead of gaming? Where would you be now?

Please let me know your thoughts! And apologies for the wall of text crit. :D

</wall of text>
 
Its all about the balance and time management.

Try limit yourself to 2 hours a night weeknights, and NO gaming on the weekend. Weekends are for beach / partying / "quality time" with gf etc

As for gaming being worth it, I say hell yeah. I'd much rather being playing Bf2 talking **** over voip and having a good time than sitting behind the TV watching the garbage thats on nowdays like the rest of the world does.
 
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I think the thing you should ask yourself is what would you do with your time if you didn't game?

If one of the answers is watch TV then that is basically the same as gaming per me. I game a lot when I am at home and got into gaming as TV was so boring and non-interactive.

But as Brawler says, balance and time management. Set aside certain days to do something out of the house. I like to take a break midweek, Saturdays = gardening and a braai, Sunday = Sit down lunch.

If you have a partner, ask them what they want to do and make a point of doing that at least once a week.
 
Polygon said:
<wall of text>

Hey guys,

I am a huge fan of gaming. I remember getting my first game (Quake) when I was 12. The glee on my face, and the feeling of popping the install disc in to my 8x cd-rom drive...I have been hooked since then.

In my teens I started learning programming and built a few 3D engines in hopes to someday make my own games. Something I am still considering doing, but recently am against.

Now I am 23 and still game a lot. However, something has made me rethink this.

Most of what I am going to say is targeted at games that take a lot of time to play (mmorpg's in this case).

Recently, one of my family members told me that they're getting worried I spend too much time on gaming. They actually don't let their kids be around me in fear that some of my gaming addiction rubs off on the kids.

Granted, a few months ago, I usually came home from work and played WoW. Then on the weekends when I had nothing to do, I played more WoW. If it wasn't WoW it was CSS, UT3, etc....point is I filled my time up with games.

Considering what they have said, is it really worth it to put that much time in to games? I think of all the hours I spent playing the odd game of CSS or the grinding/questing/etc... to get my WoW characters to 60, then to 70.

In the end, I have nothing tangible to show for my time (gaming skills don't count!!). If you had to ask me to show you what I did with my time (to a non-gamer) they would laugh.

What do you guys think of this? Do you really think gaming is a time sink? Is it worth it getting to Level X only to later know Level Y is coming. Do you sometimes think your time could be better channeled elsewhere? Or is gaming for you, a hobby, like any other past time (such as movies) which you enjoy now and then?

What made me reflect on this is that recently I have taken up guitar playing and am loving it. I am not so good right now, but I sometimes wonder...hey what if you started this instead of gaming? Where would you be now?

Please let me know your thoughts! And apologies for the wall of text crit. :D

</wall of text>
Click to expand...

Well if you want to "have something to show" for the time you spend, use the time to, make that game you talking about, then all those hours you spend gaming could be called research :p
 
Screw balance do what gives you pleasure and ignore anybody who questions what you do with your time. Its your life and time and you have the right to do with it what you want.

Gaming is as much part of who I am as golf is a part of who my dad is.
 
As long as it's FUN and you ENJOY it, I see no reason to stop gaming.
 
Hi.

I think gaming is a waste of time.i'm 24 and since i started working 5 yrs ago i could afford the best gadgets,from high end gfx cards to the latest cell phones.but now ,i think it was all a waste of time cos all that hype dies down later.its like,what happened to my 5 years?

Gaming is not worth my time anymore.
 
Stopped reading at the word "glee" ur not a gamer, gamers dont use the word "glee"....

Gotta be a hardcore gamer, do you know what went through my mind the minute I heard Starcraft 2 was only going to be a 09 release? "Oh god, hope I dont get murdered or die in a car crash before that baby drops!" Yes, that really happened.

At the end of the day we all die alone mate, our opinions wont matter, it all comes down to this: did you have fun?

Im 24, and like pcgig, i do game less though, but the fascination with gaming is still strong with me, i like to imagine myself going to big gaming conventions overseas for holidays etc instead of driving the fam down to Cape Town or any other god awefull undertaking.
 
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games just cause me to get irritated and i get addicted to it,

As of late i have realised that I'll take more time doing things that will help someone or give me something to show for the work i have done...

Maybe thats just me, games have never been my thing since it feels like i was doing nothing for hours, although i can mxit for hours on end... funny aint it?
 
well, I think it's all hypocritical... If say, you played sport, and you were good, but never that good to get into professional sport, and you spent hours playing etc... surely that's the as pc gaming, as you are both doing something in your free time, and enjoy it...

I don't understand why people have this negative persona about pc gamers... it's not like you hurting anyone(unless you pirate games...) and you are still keeping a social life... but yes, spending to much time playing pc is "bad", just like playing to much sport (you will then sacrifice social life for sport etc) or drinking(to much drinking = alcoholic)
 
I would say that most of the anti-gamer folk, are the types, when faced with a post on a forumn would read the date and time the post was made, make a comment about the stupid nick the poster choose, ask what the post count is all about .... In other words, they expect more from it, than it gives. This is because we as gamers tend to rave a lot about how great it is to play games, and their "simple" lives makes them believe that things they hear about are larger than life. So, forgive them, for they play not.
 
pcgig said:
Hi.

I think gaming is a waste of time.i'm 24 and since i started working 5 yrs ago i could afford the best gadgets,from high end gfx cards to the latest cell phones.but now ,i think it was all a waste of time cos all that hype dies down later.its like,what happened to my 5 years?

Gaming is not worth my time anymore.
Click to expand...

Must be a console gamer.. LOL :D:D:D

I say f*ckit!
If you enjoy gaming then do it... At least you meet other gamers & other people online or at LAN's, so you are busy socializing & not just parking off behind a tv.. can't talk to people on the TV unless ur just a crazy person.:D:D
 
I spend alot of time playing wow...and at the same time im socializing,im talking with other people on wow aint I?(and im maybe on mxit sometimes...)But if someone ask me to come to movies or something il leave my nice lv 70 and go 2 da movies...also i find it easier 2 talk 2 ppl that share my same interest and are level headed (ppl that play wow..well most of em)whereas if i go out in the real world theres all kinda nasty stuffies and ppl that are jerks.So yes gaming is worth it and if u enjoy it **** the ppl stereotype againts us gamers...AND GAMING DOES NOT MAKE PPL VIOLENT!!!...kk bad grammar and spelling is done typing
 
Magnarmalok said:
I spend alot of time playing wow...and at the same time im socializing,im talking with other people on wow aint I?(and im maybe on mxit sometimes...)But if someone ask me to come to movies or something il leave my nice lv 70 and go 2 da movies...also i find it easier 2 talk 2 ppl that share my same interest and are level headed (ppl that play wow..well most of em)whereas if i go out in the real world theres all kinda nasty stuffies and ppl that are jerks.So yes gaming is worth it and if u enjoy it **** the ppl stereotype againts us gamers...AND GAMING DOES NOT MAKE PPL VIOLENT!!!...kk bad grammar and spelling is done typing
Click to expand...

So far, thanks for the reply guys.

What 'worries' my family is the fact I play in a world 'outside' reality. They believe I am distancing myself from them which is true to a point. More so, when they see the games I play (say CSS or something with guns/violence) they believe I will escape in to said role and act upon said game.

These are the same people who believed that slipknot and games nonsense about the samurai sword kid story a couple weeks back. So yeah we leave them to that.

It's also sad, because they're so strict they won't even let their kids play a game in fear of them 'acting out' or even touch a PC. And you can't reason with them because they believe you're 'dillusional' and 'out of touch with reality'.
 
:D
Polygon said:
So far, thanks for the reply guys.

What 'worries' my family is the fact I play in a world 'outside' reality. They believe I am distancing myself from them which is true to a point. More so, when they see the games I play (say CSS or something with guns/violence) they believe I will escape in to said role and act upon said game.

These are the same people who believed that slipknot and games nonsense about the samurai sword kid story a couple weeks back. So yeah we leave them to that.

It's also sad, because they're so strict they won't even let their kids play a game in fear of them 'acting out' or even touch a PC. And you can't reason with them because they believe you're 'dillusional' and 'out of touch with reality'.
Click to expand...

Shame dude maybe u should start playing The Sims then.. :D:):D:):D:):D
 
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