Thought this was interesting

[TheMuffinMan]

YouTube - The Only Thing I Know

[Tim]

This video captures a really valid and true concern that I believe faces youths of society, and even the former youths, today.

From a very high perspective, people really only have so much life to spend on experiences. Consider "life" a form of currency. You spend your life buying experiences, friendship, family, goals, and real world achievements.

However, people today are spending far to much of their life playing video games, missing out on the big picture of what it means to live.

Imagine for a moment, you're 75 years old, with just a few months left of life to live. When you think back to all the things you've done, all the fun summers you've had, and all the exciting winters you've had planning for fun summers. Will those memories instead be empty voids that were consumed by playing video games?

[Ualaa]

Sort of.

The number of hours you spend playing video games, over the course of your lifetime does add up. But it is better then the number of hours you spend in front of the television, because you are at least doing something and thinking.

The message could be applied to a lot of things, basically everything we do for entertainment is a waste of time, when you could be doing productive things. However, I don't know anyone who would want a life without anything that was entertaining, even if working a second job is getting you a benefit which your "entertainment" is not. One of the examples, is that you could read all of "War and Peace", but if you were to spend all of your free time reading, instead of gaming, and were to look back at your life, would you consider reading that much to have been a waste, when you could have been making friends and doing things instead?

With boosting, you can go from 1st to 80th, in 24 hours played. Not sure you could drive from LA to NYC three times in 24 hours. Depends how quickly you drive, and if you have a cop pull you over for speeding or not.

Still can give you a bit of perspective I suppose.

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Ualaa

Sort of.

The number of hours you spend playing video games, over the course of your lifetime does add up. But it is better then the number of hours you spend in front of the television, because you are at least doing something and thinking.

My point isn't that you should replace 1 useless life-draining action for another. Instead, it is that you should evaluate your life's potential, and judge whether or not it is worthwhile to be "spending" your life on video games.

Instead of playing video games, people could be...

... learning about science and mathematics
... learning languages
... exploring humanity
... learning about the world around us

Basically, instead of wasting life away, people instead could be learning and applying that knowledge to the world around us in a helpful way.

Of course that would mean that nobody would multibox and buy Pwnboxer, nobody would visit my other gaming websites, and my businesses in general might go belly up. However, I would give all those things up (and more) if it meant that people would endeavor to enrich their lifes and those around them to the highest potential.

Society and human behavior in nearly all aspects is pressured and subjugated based upon the marketing whims of for-profit entities. These external pressures are really hard to fight against as a normal person, and sometimes this pressure can build up so hard that seeing the "big picture" of life is near impossible to clearly ascertain. That, in a nutshell, is the problem.

[Poyzon]

Coast to coast: 31 hours 4 minutes

Source: The Pedal-to-the-Metal, Totally Illegal, Cross-Country Sprint for Glory

[Smithnweson]

This video hits home for me. As I am nearing 30, I'm the heaviest I've ever been at 225lbs, (should be around 130-140), and I am divorced.

The thing is that yes video games can eat up a lot of time if you don't regulate it. So easy to get lost in the fun that when you actually have to get up to be "responsible" it feels more of a nag and a bother. Gaming can cause a euphoric high that people need to feed. Pwning is an addiction.. what can I say.

Now at the end of the day it is up to the individual to look at their priorities, their goals, and how high their ambitions are.

I've been a gamer most of my life, and MMOs are definitely (at least for me) the most addicting. Get that next level, that extra gold, achievement, piece of gear etc.

Well for me, I've thought about a lot on this subject, and more so in recent years. Watching this video did make me take an extra step back and ask if this is really what I want to do every day until Blizzard shuts off the servers... is this worth it... to sit in a chair for hours (breaks of course) and just stare at a screen trying to reach a goal that never will come.. just minor victories along the way.

I've cancelled all 5 of my accounts today. For me, I think its time to try something else. 5 years of this game, and most of the time I was miserable when I couldn't log on or play. I do have an addictive personality... whereas I don't drink,smoke, or do drugs... women and video games are another story.

I wish nothing but the best for you all! I'll pop on the forums from time to time to see how you are all doing!

--Rob aka Weson

[Tim]

As with everything in life, caveats and exceptions will exist everywhere. One specifically I can think of with video games is if you can turn it into a worthwhile business, short term, or long term.

I know a lot of people who have taken their gaming fantasy and turned it into well paying jobs, some of them extremely well paying. These types of things I think are completely acceptable, because in the greater view of life, you really must have a source of income. So in that fashion, you spend portions of your life in exchange for currency to buy things, provide shelter for your family, educate your kids, etc.

I hear what you're saying Weson, and I know you more than most on these forums I would guess. Sometimes life requires a drastic change with an imminent focus on moving forward. Luckily, while you may not be in a good situation in life right now, comparatively speaking, you have plenty of time to set things on a good course. Judging from our conversations on Skype and in-game, it is obvious you're intelligent enough to do so. I don't have any doubt you'll right whatever needs righting.

[Ualaa]

Was not replying to you, Tim.

Basically I open all the threads that look like they're worth checking out. And then reply to them as I get to them. When I made my post, there was only the original post and no replies.

Ultimately, you want a balance in your life. Games are fine, so are books and so is most other activities. A little here and a little there is better then all your time into one thing.

[Heartspark]

I don't agree with anything in the video. He confuses time and entertainment as equal.
In fact, I would argue that other things you do besides games, are equal as a waste of time.
If i'm 75 years old looking back on life, i would say out loud for all to hear "I had more fun than you suckers."

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Heartspark

I don't agree with anything in the video. He confuses time and entertainment as equal.
In fact, I would argue that other things you do besides games, are equal as a waste of time.
If i'm 75 years old looking back on life, i would say out loud for all to hear "I had more fun than you suckers."

For sure other things in life can be a waste of time. But look at those people who play 4 hours a day, across 10 years, that is almost 15,000 hours.

Now take those 15,000 hours, spread it across a group of say 100,000 people. That is almost 1.5 BILLION hours of work.

That amount of invested work towards a singular cause could have species-wide impact. I'm talking about moving the human race forward, advancing ourselves as a civilization.

But instead, vices like video games, hold people, no, our entire species, back from what we truly could accomplish.

EDIT: This thread and my responses are getting really depressing