Do you regret gaming? [Warning - bit of a downer thread]

H

HavocXphere

New member
Context (don't want to hijack Metal's thread):

MetalSoup said:
How do you keep track of how much time you spend in a game? [...]
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This got me thinking...

I've got about 650 hours clocked on TF2 (similar on CoD4 and BFBC2 and BF3). Its essentially what I default to when I'm not playing any game in particular / just want to chill.

Looking back I'm thinking...650 hours would have been enough to say learn French (or whatever). How has 650 hours of TF2 improved my life?

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How would learning French have improved your life? Only reason gaming makes you feel this way is because there's an easy way to count how much time you've spent doing it. You said yourself it's what you default to when you chill - so do you regret chilling? That's not right.

There's more than enough time in the day to chill and work on your goals. So don't have regrets about the time you take for yourself. Be happy and grateful that you can put in so much time into your hobby - plenty of people out there aren't so lucky.
 
No regrets, it all went to improving my hand/eye co-ordination.

I'm on 913 hours for TF2 which stopped there for now while I give some hours for COD.

There are some advantages to spending lots of times in games for example, improves quick decision making and such
 
Look at it this way: if there is something you really want to achieve and you have not because you have spent so much time gaming, then you need to look at your priorities.]

Otherwise, game on.
 
Shrike said:
Look at it this way: if there is something you really want to achieve and you have not because you have spent so much time gaming, then you need to look at your priorities.]

Otherwise, game on.
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Thats good thanks. :)

Ser_Bunnylot said:
How would learning French have improved your life?
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Well how else am I going to talk to French ladies? :p I'm in France fairly regularly so could actually use it to be honest.

Ser_Bunnylot said:
You said yourself it's what you default to when you chill - so do you regret chilling? That's not right.

There's more than enough time in the day to chill and work on your goals. So don't have regrets about the time you take for yourself. Be happy and grateful that you can put in so much time into your hobby - plenty of people out there aren't so lucky.
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That is true. :) Guess I should be seeing it more as a hobby and not as wasted time.

blaaislaai said:
No regrets, it all went to improving my hand/eye co-ordination.

I'm on 913 hours for TF2 which stopped there for now while I give some hours for COD.

There are some advantages to spending lots of times in games for example, improves quick decision making and such
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Fair enough.

Anyway...I'm off to play some Civ V...probably a better use of time than hatfortress.
 
I don't regret gaming, because I'm a very sick individual who is currently unable to do many of the activities I once enjoyed (Working out at home, Kung Fu, going out with friends). Gaming with my friends and guildies allows my mind to 'take a break' from pain, illness, and existential loneliness. I am immersed in vibrant and colourful environments, can share small triumphs with friends, and can battle and defeat monsters in-game (which I suppose represents overcoming my own demons IRL). I don't see this experience as being 'a waste of time', but rather a distraction that has allowed me to meet and befriend hundreds of people from all over the globe, learn about their cultures, and generally have a good laugh at life and ourselves. Having said this, I put 110% effort into my hobbies and interests. Gaming is one of my hobbies, and I strive to do it well. I refuse to let people who spend hours on Facebook or Netflix lead me to believe that MY hobby (in which I actually improve my social and motor skills) is a waste of time.
 
Why single out gaming, you can pick any activity that consumes a chunk of your free time eg watching TV, reading books. With all the stresses of life, down time is good.
 
Pfft I live to game. No regrets.

This year I want to play and in most cases complete 60 different games. We have to live for something, right? Gaming makes me happy. Our lives are short and yes I can take that time to learn French but for what? I want to enjoy my life and I enjoy gaming.

That said, I'm good with time management. I work on my own after hour projects. I don't neglect my wife or my doggy. I gym and so forth.

But, I try to game at least an hour a day. And I think that's something worth living for. :)
 
I live a fairly balanced life so gaming doesn't take away too much of my time (in fact I wish I could play more). I wouldn't trade the happy memories of many lans with my friends for anything. I feel gaming has added to my life in opening me to new experiences - an epic story that I can take some ownership in - a co-op experience that built my friendship with someone as we chatted while we gamed - multiplayer games where I've learnt to work as a team member and how to channel my anger so that it pushes me to do better rather than just rage.

Everyone needs a hobby and I've always been interested in gaming - even from a young age. Games fascinate me, games entertain me. Yes there have been times where I have gamed too much or have felt that maybe I should have done something constructive but in balance I have achieved many things - I did well at school and varsity, I have a good job, I have a family and... I enjoy playing games.
 
Fivel said:
Why single out gaming, you can pick any activity that consumes a chunk of your free time eg watching TV, reading books. With all the stresses of life, down time is good.
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exactly what i was going to say. some people spent hundreds of hours fishing for sport (as opposed to feeding themselves). Same argument of "time wasted" could be leveled against this or any other hobby. bu the way i look at it, its an escape and form of stress relief
 
Some times i do but then i think about it and i game to relax and i have fun doing it, so its not that much of a waist of time.

yes i could have done lots of other things but then its a matter of knowing what to do when.
 
It does not matter what your past time is. There will always be wasted time unfortunately.

Video games are an art form and playing them is art appreciation. For that reason I shy away from a lot of multiplayer games because the art of it all eventually gets taken over by anger, frustration and general human-ness.

Playing through a great story is the pinnacle of gaming and rivals or betters any film or book. Look at Mass Effect, The Witcher, Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption etc etc.

Basically thats what I suggest, put less hours into multiplayer and more into quality story driven games and you will be less likely to feel like you are wasting time.
 
I do not regret gaming at all. I love what he allows me to do, stuff I would not be able to do in reality, Skyrim, Mass Effect, Doom, Quake, etc. I have an overly active imagination, and games feeds the hunger.

I do not game as much as I did before I got married, but that doesnt bother me, everything comes down to balance. I am also not worried about allowing my son to play, although titles for his age obviously. Like me he seems to have a balance too,

Most important thing about gaming, the ability to respawn...oh and quicksave! Imagine if you could do that in real life....ffs, I'd have a save game right in front of many ppl... *evil grin*
 
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