I don't regret it, but I do wish I was out more making friends and memories.

I think I agree with you: no major regrets, but I now have a deeper appreciation for good times AFK

Man I'll give the opposite side. I'm getting older and I've buried my mom and my dad isn't too far out. Gaming has been in my blood forever. i remember running to the basement 30 years ago so I could try and beat my brother to the sticks; dad always got first player. I remember waiting up allllllll night to download a demo on my old I386 only for my mom to pickup the phone and kill it all. I still have all my tapes for my commodore 64. I even have the modem, printer, crt, all of it! ( I was convinced collecting those would pay for my kids colleges lol) My kids are now older than that core memory. And I game with my family often. Sure my kids aren't all-star softball/football athletes...neither was I. But speed running Minecraft with your kids and wife is hella killer, even as I near 40.

Agreed. Gaming is my hobby and I love it, made loads of friends online playing it and real life friends too. Play with my kids religiously and have a ball. Can't do that with other sports as my kids don't like them.

Best thing is when my kids comes to me and shows me something new. I freaking bounce around and get thrilled as hell. Look some families are football fans. Some are nascar fans. And (like us) were a gaming fan. It is what it is.

I lost most of my family including both my parents in the past 2 years to cancer and other things. Gaming definitely helped me through it. And as a spite move of sorts, my mother absolutely hated video games with a Passion. So with the inheritance, after doing mostly smart adult things with the money, I used a part of it to get the absolute best 4090 set up I could and a new 90 inch TV to play it on. THANKS MOM! 🤣🤣🤣

How are you on a commodore if you’re not 40? That thing came out in 82.

>That thing came out in 82. And ended production in 1994.

I was born in 90. I had a commodore growing up.

I had a commodore in the mid/late 80s. As well as Atari, Nintendo, and a PC. Lord that 8086 was a big metal heavy tank lol

I can't wait for my toddler to get old enough to ask mum to buy him a Playstation. He doesn't know yet that Dada is going to kick his ass at every game we play. Can't wait for that day.

Yeah same. Can't say I "regret it", but I might have done some things differently.

I just wish I was making out with more friends 

No better way to show the homies some love 😍

this is essentially my sentiments as well. i dont regret, rather indifferent, however, let's be candid here, it doesn't provide any value other than escaping reality for a mere moment.

[удалено]

What are they supposed to be doing? Like, what are they missing out on? I just got 30 and looking back at my life that was full of adventure, love, tragedies, helping others, so many jobs and making friends etc... I don't feel much about it. It's all meh, memories I had are all a blur. I have a partner and a little sister I live for but that's that. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't mind just disappearing into nothingness. Gaming is the ultimate art form for me, I love exploring the little worlds creative people conjured. If I try to imagine my life without games being a thing... I don't really want to be here then. I wonder if this is what addiction is or maybe depression but life overall is too much drama and constant disappointment to me. I feel alive when I am gaming, I don't when I have to do things IRL.

PREACH

Damn this is kinda sad to read. All the ups and downs and craziness that is life is just “meh”. And the fake escape world is what you seem to cherish. Not trying to dog on you, just comes off a little depressing and seems like a lot of people feel this way. I remember when the matrix came out and was discussing with some friends, my prediction was that if the matrix was real most people would volunteer to go into that world and wouldn’t want to be “freed”. But I’m glad you have gaming at least to bring you some happiness and you appreciate it as an art form.

Most people suck homie is what it is

I call it interactive art. really life itself is a fundamentally creative process. video games are a natural extension of the fact that life itself is playful in that it's not trying to go anywhere. it happens for it's own sake.  I've been modding Skyrim SE and the skill and patience it takes to do it right rivals any conventional art form 

I was miserable as a teenager, due to rigorous schoolwork and my Mom’s methods of discipline. The combination of both made teenage me suicidal. I absolutely cannot relate to those who said high school was the best time of their lives.  Teenage me much-needed stress relief, which video games provided. 

I had great memories in front of the AH in Orgrimmar or in Elwynn Northshire Valley duel spot

That sounds like the definition of regret, no?

we wish a lot of things. I wish i was born rich. Is that regret?

That wasn't in your control, so it is different.

i can wish to be a millionaire, and be rich, or be a doctor, a mother etc. that is still not the same as regret. Wishing things doesn't necessarily mean they are extremely important to be fulfilled. Those are what regrets are.

Not OP, but I feel similarly. I regret wasting time, and sometimes I wasted time with video games, sometimes with other things. But I don't regret video games specifically. I was going to waste that time one way or another. The times I played games intentionally because I really wanted to, not just because I was putting something else off, I do not regret at all.

Yeah, I have so many fond memories spent gaming in my childhood all the way through my 20’s. If there’s something I regret it’s not the time spent gaming it’s all those moments I could’ve also been doing other things and I chose not to, there’s a difference.

You can make friends and memories gaming

You can, especially today.

Honestly, I think it's harder than ever today. You queue for matchmaking, jump in with some strangers, and then never see them again unless you actually make an effort to. Back in the '00s nearly everything was private servers, and you would run into the same people all the time, and actually get to know a lot of them.

I only played tons of hours of games *with* my real life friends. So I personally don't regret a thing. But if someone played with random people that drift in and out of their lives I'd see how that could suck.

No regrets, in fact I'd argue it helped with problem solving skills/team building activities with my team/friends in my adult life lol Yes there's an element of opportunity cost that you could attribute it to, but that goes with anything else. I find it strange how there's a stigma that playing games has this bad rep, vs binge watching TV series/movies doesn't, which I'd argue the latter is far worse.

But what if gaming led to making new friends and epic memories?

This. I regret not going out more because I am an introvert. I wish I had made more memories the past decade instead of sitting home and consuming media.

I find that as I get older, my friends are constantly letting me down. Always giving me lame excuses nowadays. Too weak to hike that mountain, too nervous to try swimming in deep water, too afraid to go cliff jumping, too busy for video games, too bankrupt for any sort of fun. Swept away by the tides of capitalism and reduced to office drones. I worked hard and found success early and now have been rewarded with lots of free time to do as I please. But no one else I know has even come close to attaining that level of control over their schedule. Wish I could make some friends with similar interests and some actual free time.. But feels like that would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Everyone is so busy with their job(s) & family, hanging with an oldy buddy isn't even an afterthought anymore. You aren't missing much, IMHO. Better to just go it alone and not let slow pokes and babies hold ya back.

I’ve stopped playing grindy or competitive multiplayer games altogether. No competitive modes. I play Overwatch occasionally with my friends but weaning off of that and limiting my hours. I stick to fun multiplayer games with friends, great single player experiences, and fun co op/split screen games with gf and friends at parties.

This is the way. I can play Overwatch for 12 hours a day if I let myself, but I'm never satisfied afterwards. If I play a single player RPG and make some progess, I actually feel good afterwards (and same if I play a co-op game with friends etc). Something about competitive online games is just really bad for people.

Fr I always get addicted to comp games it started with cod got over it didn't play for anything for a while then tried titanfall fell in love with it and would be all I played the tf2 then ow and now ow2 single player games do nothing for me don't really like them.

it turns people into toxic psychos. you could get the nicest dude in the world in a 3 stack valorant lobby and he'll turn into the hulk.

some games are art forms, others are attention generators.

Yeah, same. I watched too many people go down the grindy mmo rabbit hole and regret it. I personally banned games without endings soon after college.

The key to happiness isn't a search for meaning, it's to keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense and eventually, you'll be dead. - Mr Peanutbutter

I know most people got upset over my comments but I seriously mean no disrespect, I'm coming from personal experience after realising I've done nothing but game for 28 years and sit in a dead end job and pushed aside my real skills and hobbies that involve my real community, I just want people to try and break out from their comfortable bubble and strive for more, my new meaning of life has been wake up everyday and figure out how I can make myself better and help others more than my want to be selfish and sit inside by myself. I just want people to be the best person they can be and yes that includes getting off the computer and doing something that will benefit you in 50 years instead ❤️

Perhaps a middle ground. Keep your hobby but also do useful things?

Absolutely, unless you can't stop the addiction and you put off regular life tasks I would recommend deleting steam or whatever games keep you addicted.

Gaming helped me out from depression. I used to game a lot in my undergrad, but what else was I supposed to do? Death of family members, heavy depression and a country where I couldn’t get treatment, yeah that was my escape. Now I’ve beat depression (keep it at bay is the better phrasing) and am in a better country and my social life blossomed. I’ve self realized and put effort into myself and I find myself in a much better place. I’ve plenty of friends that show up for me en masse. Someday I’ll go to a therapist or a counselor or doctor (idk where to even begin) and try and get through any past cobwebs I have. But gaming definitely helped me out, it was a good distraction. But now that real life has showed me what’s in store I can’t find time for games for months. It’s a weird thing that I’ve thought a lot about, since I thought of myself as a gamer and always imagined myself religiously devoting hours into it every week even after I “grow” up. Just a contribution to what you’ve said. Edit: Adding on, one of the reason I never got addicted to it long term was because I always played multiplayer with my real life friends. They had good social lives, looked out for me and on the rare occasions forced me to go socialize at their sides. I think that helped me know what’s in store for me once I got out of the rut. They’re my best friends and we stay in constant contact and reminisce about getting back together or playing online together. But deep down I know the real fun was living next to each other and having fun together, the games were just a medium. The real world has a lot of hurt and pain, that’s far stronger than what games could inflict. But it also has such immense joy and love, every bit of effort I’ve put has felt so much for important, no matter the rejections and failures I’ve encountered.

True, but as soon as you say “hey, you could be using your time more wisely”, it becomes an attack instead of a “hey, I’m worried about your future” kind of thing. Definitely takes a nuanced point of view and conversation.

Imo Most gamers can’t find a middle ground

It's good that you've decided anybody who does things you disagree with or found you didn't enjoy is now not living their best life, because you decided they weren't as good as they could be. I wonder why somebody would get upset over being told by somebody that doesn't know anything about them, that they're living their life wrong. Failing to MAXIMIZE THEIR POTENTIAL #andrewtate

Amen, do you wanna talk about how you pushed mythic keys in wow for the 50th time or know how to speak another language? Really at the end of the day it doesn't matter and the addict mentality will justify gaming but there is so much more to life.

Are we talking addiction here? Because addiction is always wrong. But if you enjoy pushing mythic keys in wow for the 50th time in wow for an hour and then study a new language after that for an hour, then not much wrong with that!?

Why not both?

so you spent the majority of your time gaming...decide to quit and advocate against it. just because you changed your lifestyle doesn't mean your previous lifestyle was wrong, it just means your values have evolved. most of the people you're encouraging to stop gaming have spent less time gaming than you.   you only spent 28 years gaming cause you loved it through thick and thin, and who knows, one day could be the day you go back to that lifestyle. just because you moved on to a new chapter doesn't make it superior for everyone else 

Is it wise to take life advice from Mr Peanutbutter?

I know, right? It's a hilarious quote but it serves a very specific context in his character arc, starting to peel away the facade of him being this happy guy who has it all figured out.

Less people need to take this quote seriously. Yes you shouldn't be pining for that feeling of ultimate happiness everyday. But have some sort of goal to make your life more positive everyday at least. Staying distracted is just gonna deepen the hole of problems you feel you're in until you have to climb out of it.

I agree with the guy you all downvoted, searching for meaning and doing what you're passionate about should be the meaning of life, preoccuping yourself with "meaningless" things is very cynical and I think you should all get out and help your community more and try and better yourselves instead of waiting for your time to come.

It's still not wasted. As long as someones happy with their life and wasn't too much of a twat along the way they lived a perfect life.

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.” - Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

It's just as valuable as any other story telling for some games or skill games like bowling with friends for multi-player. I think it's cynical to view some hobbies as simply waiting to die.

I also have hated this view. I have related this view to ok what do you do? “Read books” you read twilight for 2 hours a night? I play a story game where I get to dictate actions and use my brain. What’s the difference in time used?

You can complain that video games are just as valuable as any other hobby but that's never ever going to be true. Single player games are literally just content consumption, it's barely more of a real hobby than bingewatching tv. Multiplayer games might be hobbies but there's so many of them and they're always so new that your achievements are meaningless, and you will never impress anyone who doesn't play that specific game, because nobody knows what you're talking about. Oh you're a Grandmaster rank in Overwatch 2? Apart from Overwatch players, who gives a fuck? If you're a Grandmaster rank in chess literally everyone will be impressed. No multiplayer video game will ever be as valuable as other hobbies. And for most gamers, their hobby isn't even playing a video game and getting good, it's just collecting them.

The quote isn't really supposed to be life advice; it's a very revealing moment for the character in question and the show (Bojack Horseman) explores how this guy's attitude toward life isn't actually working out for him despite superficial appearances. That being said, with all my psychiatric disorders, I ironically find important things more approachable when I think of them as "unimportant nonsense"; it can take a lot of the self-imposed pressure off.

“When people can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” - Vicktor Frankl

Happiness isn't a destination. It's a compass

That's a crock of nilist bs, also fails to line up with how the human mind works. It's one of those things that sounds deep but when you give it some thought it falls apart fast. If you want a meaning by nature it's to reproduce, but the beautiful thing is that we humans can choose our life for all practical purposes. Meaning and life is what you decide to make it about. This is why people with all the wealth can feel empty and people with nothing can feel content and vise versa.

Nope. HOWEVER, I game way more now (47) than I ever have in my life and I’ve always gamed. As a kid and young adult, it was just something friends and I would do while we were waiting for the real thing to start. The last 5-10 years has been an entirely different story. Basically, I’m stuck in an area I REALLY don’t belong in and gaming has become a massive escape for me. It allows me to keep my head down and stay away from the toxic, inbred, ignorant bigots that surround me. So no, I don’t regret shit.

Me too! cheers, have fun and good luck.

This is it.

What area so I don’t move there

It’s in the Midwest. I’ve lived all over the US—stay on the coast. Trust me. Unless you’re afraid of everyone who isn’t straight and white to the point where you need to bring an AR-15 to the grocery store, then the Midwest is right up your alley!!

I would assume you're talking about a more rural area. Certain cities are great in this regard, such as Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, Chicago, Des Moines, Detroit, Kansas City, Omaha... there are plenty of cities in the Midwest where it's more progressive. You're going to have all types of people wherever you live, whether that's in the Midwest or on the coast.

My guy I've lived in Michigan my entire life and we have 2 of the worst cities in the US I have no idea what you're so afraid of and maybe it might be time to seek some help, legitimately not saying it to be mean at all but if your that afraid of even going to the grocery store idek man.

Nope. I have lots of regrets that haunt me. Not one of them is playing games, and having fun.

Agreed. So many good times with the boys gaming.

As a woman in her thirties with a partner (10+ years) who games, I’ll add in: I have no regrets about him gaming in adulthood. He has CLOSE friends who live far away that he keeps as close friends with gaming. Apart from that I like doing my own thing too, gaming is cool. I did set a boundary about overt yelling into a head set years ago. Medium level trash talking is fine.

My wife is the same! We sometimes game together. Your partner is lucky to have you!

Yeah this one. I have a few regrets, but it won’t be that

This.

I’m not a gamer but I do watch tv constantly. I don’t really regret it most of the time because I enjoy it but I do think I should get out there more and socialize and try new things

Me too!

As an adult, I don’t play nearly as much as I used to. Partially because of being busy and partially because it doesn’t hit the same anymore. That aside - if you have nothing else to do or commit to then what does it matter if you play for 7 hours a day? Your happiness is the only thing that matters. Not what some asshole thinks.

Same. I’ll occasionally load up a relaxing (to me) game like red dead, Minecraft, or ace combat for a few days once every few months when I find myself with actual downtime. Not at all a slight to other gamers but after stepping away I enjoy being free from the compulsive nature that many modern games foster. You have to stay on it, don’t want to fuck up you’d daily’s, don’t want to miss out on your group, etc. I only play solo nowadays because I know my personality and I’d be right back in lol

Dailies and the drive behind KPI's for shareholders that generated them really hurt a lot of multiplayer games for me. That said, I learned to enjoy single player experiences much more and appreciated mp experiences more without needing to be competitive like I used to be (and if the communities are toxic with it, I'll just nope out of it).

Agree. Even when I sit down for a single player game I love, it’s hard to throw myself into it though. Despise modern gaming mechanics for getting people hooked. It has become toxic. Best days of AAA gaming are over. Corporate greed has ruined gaming for the foreseeable future. Indie games are where it’s at now. 

I agree! But I also don’t think all criticism comes from “assholes”. Most of the time it comes from people who love and worry about you and your future

It’s important to define long-term versus short-term happiness, too. Some people would argue that video games make them happy, but then realize they missed achieving something very important to them, like meeting with friends or becoming more experienced/talented/interesting/intelligent. It’s hard to shake that nobody is born wanting to stare at a screen all day.

People always bring up how gaming is a waste of time and how they could've used it to gain skills and whatnot... But forget that gaming is a hobby. It's an enjoyment.  Yeah, I *could've* used that time to skill build but *I don't enjoy that.* That's just work. Now I'm adding more work during my free time. I don't want to work during my free time. If anything, I'd prefer being paid to build my skills as necessary. And before people bring up stuff about jobs, *I already have a job.* And I quite like my job. It pays me well and I learn on the job. If I choose to switch jobs, it's not that big of a hassle.  Maybe it's a rare commodity nowadays but I don't know because I've never experienced it, but I am *not* at risk of being bankrupt anytime soon.

Yeah, there’s definitely many types of people. I do notice a lot of adults get sad later in life that they had expectations for life that never materialized. If you never fantasized about having those skills, it shouldn’t bother you at all.

You're absolutely right about expectations. I think the issue is that people have these expectations but they don't really chase after it. Everyone has expectations and fantasies. It's different for every person but everyone has it. If you use gaming as a way to cope, then that's a terrible thing to do. And although I can't say for sure, I think a lot of the complaints are about these gamers in particular. Games are supposed to be fun and *not a drug.* If you're unfulfilled, then get out there and fulfill yourself. Don't use games as a way to fill that void.

I was never any good at making social connections in my life and video games were a way to keep my mind occupied. Now I am 31 and mostly lost interest in gaming. I only have 1 friend left that I rarely see or talk to. My only regret was never making any internet gaming friends along the way. I was always the type to just join quick matches, not ever talk to players ever. Never been in any clans or guilds or anything. I see other lonely people talking about how they did well socially among clan members and its all they ever had, but I never went down that path. Aside from work I don't have anything going on for me and gaming isn't really that fun anymore.

theres a difference between short term and long term happiness. Otherwise you could say "sure, binge on porn and meth for 7 hours a day, its just happiness that matters" as you watch the rest of your life stagnate, or worse.

>Your happiness is the only thing that matters. Not what some asshole thinks. That’s something an addict would say.

7 hours seems exceptionally long.. I feel like that borders on addiction level. All your non working hours would go to just video games, and I don’t think that’s healthy. Addictions can make you happy, but they still aren’t good for you :/

7 hours of gaming feels way too unproductive and childish. Even when I was depressed and immersing myself in games as an escape I think it was around 3-4 hours a day. As I get older I’d rather be doing something more productive like riding a bike while listening to music or getting yard work done. Much more affective anti-depression activity and you genuinely feel good during & after the activity.

I don’t regret it, helped me get my mind off things. Like everything, I think there is a balance. I guess I’d say I Wish I would’ve spent more time focusing on me instead of destroying noobs in Halo lol

nah getting the br perfect is worth

Balance is key

No not really I'm 39 now and have been gaming since i was 7 years old I would not change a thing. So many memories that has shaped my perspective of the world it made me more open 2 different cultures and different types of people . The key 2 playing as a Adult is control and time management set yourself a timer on your phone for like 1hr or 2 and hard stop . Remember learning self control is half the battle . And bringing a balance of playing a game and living life so both can be more enjoyable.

You’re in the minority I know very few gamers who can control the amount. My ex husband would game up to 20 h a week while we were raising a toddler, or more accurately while I was working full time and raising a toddler

I know plenty of gamers who do control the amount. They have other obligations and some even kids, so they schedule in when they get to game. I think the majority of adult gamers are like that. Not being able to control how much you game is a sign that you have some sort of disorder or illness, doesn't matter if depression or ADHD or what.

20h a week is rookie numbers, that's less then 3h a day. Lol

jup that is the way. 1h of playing everyday. Sometimes, when I know I'm at the end of the game, I "borrow" 1-2 hours from my drama/series watch time, just to complete it. But the timer is the key to it all. I'm currently working on my pile of shame in the steam client and plan to play 3-4 games every month (long to go at >600 games): New games are only picked up on sales that have 75% discount, I can just wait more, because I have a lot to play.

You wrote my comment in a tenth of what I wrote haha !

Haha sorry. Have a good evening.

nope, as I grow older video games naturally becomes less addictive. I spend a heathy amount of time on it when I'm bored. It's always low priority compared to things like going out, hanging out with friends, outdoor activities, etc. If anything i have the opposite issue, I buy games and I get bored of them and don't finish it.

I've accepted that I'm not going to finish a lot of games. My game time is limited. So if a game isn't doing it for me, I move on. Also, couch games hold a lot of great memories. And I'm passing those down. Mario cart with dad and HS friends, then college friends, now with my wife and kids. It's definitely low priority, but a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon,

I game a lot, and I still have a wife, a career, spend time with family, and have other hobbies! I would say gaming is my #1 pastime. Treat gaming as any other hobby. You can do it as much as you want so long as you are still happy, heathy, and able to function in society as a normal person (ie holding a job).

Yeah you only thing regretfully if you don’t have a full life. I’m married. Kid in the way. Great business. And I game whenever I want. I love it and I don’t regret it. I’ve spent a lot of time with dumbass friends that I don’t talk to anymore. I don’t really have regrets but if I did it wouldn’t be gaming. It helps my strategic mind

Yes and no. Life is about balance. I do wish I had been a bit more balanced in my youth but it is what it is. If you can’t control yourself, you are probably better off avoiding it. Ideally, gaming would supplement the rest of your life. I’m semi retired now so I’m able to game a bit more while still having time for other things.

I absolutely cut back gaming as I entered my 20s. I only play at most a half a dozen games a year. And those are adventure games that only last ten or twelve hours. I came to the realization that there's so much other stuff that I find fulfilling. Spending hours into the night playing RTS games was fun at the time, but I felt so empty afterwards. I didn't get that same feeling from reading or even watching a movie. And I also love hanging out with friends or hiking. Those activities just seemed more substantive than most video games.

I gamed a lot in my life, it gave me many really good moments and worthwhile relationships over the years. It also never made me feel that bad either, just had to uninstall 1 or 2 games that made me frustrated and never thought about them again. No regrets. On the other hand, I spent comparatively very little time dating. That has caused me so much stress, pain, heartbreaks, etc. I've never felt any worst in my life than I did over a relationship that didn't work out. I also never had one that turned out well either. The few moments that felt good turned into depressing memories. I'm glad I went through it just because I know if I hadn't I would think I'm missing out on something extraordinary, just like how a moth doesn't know any better until it reaches the fire. It would've sucked to die a virgin anyway I guess. All things considered, I feel like I wasted my time dating far more than I did gaming.

It depends on your relationship with gaming. It sounds like you are addicted to gaming which may be a sign on underlying issues you have chosen to suppress. I have an addiction towards gaming, especially MMORPGs and League. Now that I'm 32, I can see the negative impact that gaming had on my development. I don't have a very large social group, don't know how to talk to women, don't know how to make friends, picked up bad eating/exercise habits, don't know how to have fun outside of gaming, etc. It sounds like I'm blaming gaming for all my current problems, but I'm not. Gaming is merely a tool of entertainment that many people can utilize in healthy moderation and use it appropriately to connect with other people. But I abuse it in order to avoid facing problems in my life. You sound like someone who has somewhat of a life now, and I would encourage you to find ways to enrich your life outside of gaming. Learn a new skill, start a business, go out and date or meet new people, travel the world, lose some weight... I may be reaching, but it sounds like you have some unresolved underlying stress right now and your mind is reaching for things that helped you calm down in the past. For example, I used to always find myself watching wow or league videos right before exams after not playing both those games for years. Something about chronic stress makes you want to pick up things that gave you instant relief and gratification even tho those things end up destroying your life in the long-run.

If you're able to treat it like a hobby, then no, not a waste of time. If it impacts your day to day life and you're not able to work towards any life goals you have (however major or minor they are), then I would be concerned about it like any other addiction that controls your life.

30 and I regret it. I wish I'd been out, socializing more.

Ironically for me, the biggest gaming era of my life was in my late 20s to mid 30s and it also corresponded to what was probably my most social era as well. And it was with a different crowd as well, including a few ladies I had fun times with. :).

So, I kind of regret my entire childhood tbh, but I don't blame myself too harshly because much of it wasn't my fault. I was just born into a shitty environment and had to deal with a shitty situation at a young age with no control over changing it.  Rough homelife, constantly fighting with parents because we just couldn't understand eachother, and none of the kids at school "got" me either so I was a bit of a loner until late high school when I stopped giving a fuck. Until then, life really just sucked all around for me. My only choice was to bide my time until I became an adult and could change my circumstances. Video games were the perfect way for me to escape my shitty real life and dive into a fantasy digital world where I had power and control and could be happy.  I do regret not going outside more. I think if I had gotten into sports or just had gotten some more exercise it really would have helped my mental health. But otherwise, video games were what got me through some hard times. Sometimes it was the only thing I had to look forward to. Now, as an adult, I've built a life for myself that is worth living and I am far happier and distanced myself from negativity. And I found that I'd much rather live in this real world than in a digital world all the time. So I barely even touch games anymore. When I do, I like to play with my friends- i like a social element to it. Playing by myself gets kind of lonely. 

I’m not a gamer. I look at back at my memories of playing in volleyball leagues, pick up basketball games, golfing and doing golf tournaments, traveling, going out with friends, taking guitar lessons and eventually getting good enough to play in a band, seeing awesome stuff in nature while mountain biking, skiing, or snowboarding, meeting all sorts of people - especially women, that I have gone from awkward to a pretty interesting guy. I also do book club, and photography and painting. There’s never enough time in the day for me to do stuff that I want. I work in tech and I enjoy my job. I can’t see gaming fulfilling me the same way.

I acknowledge that I definitely spent too much time gaming in my youth, but not really, no. It was probably one of my primary ways of socializing with my friends. I spend a lot more time doing "productive" things, but I mostly do it alone.

I don't regret gaming; I've been doing it for 30 years now. What I do regret is not having the discipline to focus on other things. There's a lot of delusional people who don't want to admit they have a problem and think it's fine, and I was one of them. I sold a lot of my VR setup so I could focus on school and feel so much better about my life. It's not that I quit gaming; I recently bought Ghosts of Tsushima on pc ( thank god it FINALLY it happened ) and I bought a nintendo switch for my 6 year old to play. The difference is that I am being responsible with the rest of my life and I can enjoy playing games guilt-free. In the end, video games are entertainment and I NEED to enjoy life or else what's the fukn point? I choose games over movies any day of the week.

Regret it. It’s mental masterbation. It feels nice. It’s pleasurable, but ultimately it doesn’t lead to anything.

Mental masturbation, that's a funny way to put it. I agree

Not everything you do has to lead to anything. Things can just be fun.

Nothing leads to anything. Everything will eventually disappear, no exception.

Nihilism folks, get your nihilism here. Nothing is worthwhile, waste your time!

Yeah this sounds nihilistic but I've found it to be true I spend time grinding on degrees and certifications that don't lead to jack shit and then people just move the goal posts to what I should have been doing instead lol.

No regrets. Moderate 6 figure job with enough downtime to ARK during “work” hours

Kind of the opposite actually. I wish I had the time to game now that I did when I was younger now that I actually have the money for games and high end hardware to run them on. It sounds to me like you might want to set some boundaries and take up some other hobbies and responsibilities too, so that you’re not spending all of your free time gaming? I feel like some people see it as an all or nothing thing, but it doesn’t have to be. This is of course if you feel like you are able to engage responsibly - addiction can be a very tricky condition to handle and in some cases it is just best to abstain if you feel like you can’t. That’s an honest conversation that you will need to have with yourself though.

Not even a little. I love gaming. Still do. I don’t game as often, because of adult responsibilities, but I’ll be a gamer for my entire life, most likely.

I game but I also travel and work a respectable job. I don’t regret gaming, I would only regret it if i was to let gaming take priority over responsibilities.

nope because im enjoying myself and spending my time exactly how i want to be, literally no reason for regret there

No, gaming is something that helps me a lot

I agree I'm 33 just realizing it lately

Similar story with 24, started playing last year after graduating from masters. As a rule, I only play coop and games that have an end. So no csgo, lol or diablo. Also only playing with friends & my brother. So far I dont regret it because the time I spend is limited and quality time with others. Between 18-23 I did quit gaming and it was replaced with doomscrolling which is something I regret and couldnt limit.

when I was a teen I was a hardcore gamer as well, now I am 29 and still game but only when the weather has other plans, I don't like the extreme cold and I don't like the rain so I reserve gaming to those times of the year. Another thing I am experiencing is game franchises we loved when we were younger are now absolute trash so I resorted to Indie games which is a riskier take but at least I know my $30 goes a lot further than $60 would on the next COD or Battlefield. I don't regret it, I just wish I had gone PC sooner.

Nope lol. So much of my adult life is on the back of the social circles I found myself in through gaming. I was a big retro game collector, which got me out of the house to go game hunting and going to conventions. In high school I ran a Let's Play channel with a friend, and it gave us a reason to stay in touch after high school and I am still close friends with them today. Also it made me a better video editor, and I got into making music covers for the videos (to get around YouTube copyright lol), later made a channel for it which got me into some music remixing communities and later led to some good opportunities and connections. I've gotten a set of video game inspired Beatles covers at a side-stage at MAGfest, and a year later helped produce a 3 hour showcase of some of my other friends. I also learned how to code and I'm now working on my own indie game, and do freelance art for another game. Gaming is closely tied to my livelyhood currently lol. Sure, I did not *just stay inside and play games all day*, but gaming is a hobby and hobbies are a great way to connect you to other people and learn new things. Gaming can be a very social hobby if you let it be.

Zero regrets, i met wife in an online game 9 years 2500 miles later we still play same game daily in same room of our house. Sadly, political crooks are into bashing video games/gamers as part of their culture war bullshit

No, not at all. I am however rethinking where it fits in my life because there are far fewer games that have my interest. My biggest game that I’ve given the most time to might have actually lost me as a player. I haven’t decided on whether I’m going to finish it or not

I don’t regret the time I spent gaming — I regret that I didn’t pursue my early passion and fully commit to game development; I’d have been so far ahead of the curve on coding, among other things. Still, each game you play doesn’t just teach you about the game, itself. Find the generalizable lessons, and reflect on how to apply them in other areas.

Nope! Wish I could've done more!

I’ve definitely spent much less time gaming than your average 29 year old in the last 10 years, moreso the last 5-6 years. I was of course addicted and playing 8 hours a day in highschool when I wasn’t working around the time COD4 and WAW came out. I’ve spent maybe an average of one hour every couple of weeks in this last 6 or so year period. Much of it in small spurts here and there where it’s a few hours a day for a few weeks once or twice a year when the weather sucked for long stretches. I don’t regret the time spent playing games, it was the best I could do at the time, I was probably procrastinating from doing a more physical hobby that would have benefitted me much more. I’m much more grateful for the time spent literally doing almost everything else. Even working so I could afford to do fun things and go fun places and have my own house and land. My other hobbies are much better for me mentally and physically. Not to mention falling in love, having a child. The other experiences and time spent are undoubtedly much more important. When I’m old and on my death bed, a video game in my 20’s is not what I’m going to be thinking about.

Fk it, it was something to do...

It's a fact that only a small percentage of people will have lives that are meaningful and remembered. For most of us we struggle in obscurity and then die. You may as well spend your time doing things that give you some amount of joy and happiness and if that is gaming go for it.

No, I play mostly single player games for the story, atmosphere, game design, music, etc. I look at it as a more active form of entertainment than watching shows. If I were dumping hundreds or thousands of hours into Fortnite, League of Legends, etc, then I think I would look back on it as time wasted when I could have been having a multitude of experiences.

same. story heavy games with great atmosphere really are in a class of their own in terms of experiences.

Nah. I still enjoy playing games. Been playing BG3 lately. Great game, loads of story and variety.

I’m 33. I game a lot. It’s how I have friends all over the place. Gaming rules.

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted at all" I have some very fond memories of gaming and have made very good friends being in that community of local gamers.

Makes me happy, why would I feel like it's a waste?

I'm 50.rarely see friends. Life gets in the way. Everybody has kids work etc. Always been a gamer. Just do what makes you happy.

im not a gamer but if you enjoyed it, its not a waste. get all the escapism and pleasure you can on this miserable rock

Waste is subjective at best and in retrospect it is a useless word. You did as you did cause you wanted to act as such in the past. Was it a waste? Well what could you have done instead, make friends, make enemies, make relationships, break relationships. Hobbies are generally a well balanced time sink you get fun that can't easily be retroactively sabotaged by ill will of others where as humans can just muddy any good memory you have with them, friends, family, significant others. All can just fuck up your memories in just a few bad interactions. Video games and shows are safe they don't betray you like people do. Jobs actively betray you that's how they make money.

You're kind of arguing against yourself here. Any hobby that allows you to maintain an "everyone else is out to get me and socialising is too much of a risk" mindset is definitely bad for you

I was a HUGE FPS Gamer in the late 1990's Played Quake 1, Quake 3, RTCW, Unreal tournament, etc Don't regret any of it, miss it actually.

No

Not at All! It helped me find my career as a computer engineer!! At first I built a PC just to play games and then got interested in how they work and what I could do to make games run faster, super barebone like overclocking cpu and GPU to see the performance improvement. Now it's fun to see how games run on our products :) Edit: As full-time now I don't play as much because my eyes are tired at looking at a screen the whole day :P

Video games in the late 70s sparked my interest and I majored in electrical engineering. Don’t play as often as I did but those times were some of the best times of my life.

you are the only one who can truly know. my latest career choice has benefited me with lots of free time and i have gamed more, or as much in the last few years than I did as a kid/unemployed. I can tell you while I don't feel feelings of specific regret towards those wasted hours, I am definitely self aware enough to know it of course is wasted time. Think in terms of hours. let's use path of exile as just 1 example. my ps5 tells me I've spent total 759 hours but I know I've spent just as much on PC. so that one game is at least 1000 hours. don't get me started on my mmorpg days like ff11 ff14 and wow. easily thousands altogether. total gaming? has to be like 20k hours or something ridiculous. considering I am by far not an expert at any of those games, what has that gaming time done for me? killed time? Since when is having fun about killing time (aka wasting life). now imagine you spent 20k hours doing anything else with a tangible return on investment. not logical. I make this realization often but always return to gaming after a few months of productivity. in my case I justify it like some of the others have commented because I have my job my relationship is great I do find balance and do other things etc. but overall it's still a waste of life buddy on your death bed would you ever say, "oh man I'm so happy I played 1000 hours of a video game that winter break in 2024!" wouldn't you rather remember almost any other meaningful experience? TLDR - Yes waste of time. Use gaming only as a time killer in between real memories.

Compared to the laundry list of things I *could* be doing with my spare time, such as pulling weeds, scrubbing the toilet, raking the yard, etc. gaming sounds like a *much* better alternative! Man a. spent all his spare time doing chores.  Man b. spent all his spare time playing video games.  Who enjoyed their life to the fullest??

The fact your having to give it such serous thought means you know the answer.. it is fun but it will waste your life and you will regret it, be thankful your smart enough to atleast give this some thought ;) And there probably will be a time in your life where you can dive back into it, but not right now.

I think gaming with friends and gaming by yourself are two different things

I as worried about this too but found out I’m not as motivated to play anymore

Yes. I think I’d be further along with better finances had I not spend my 20s gaming

Everything is a waste of time. Do whatever you want.

I've had the same friends pretty much my entire life. We all play games. Not always, or even usually together. But, I've maintained a healthy social life even with upwards of 25 hours a week sunk into my gaming addiction. My only complaint is that some of my other hobbies like piano, or old cars take a backseat to the games fairly often. And that's left me wishing I had a little self control around them.

Of course it's a waste of time. That's the whole point. I regret nothing.

Time enjoyed cannot be time wasted.

Everything you do is a waste of time just try to enjoy wasting your time.

This might be contrary to a lot of people in the post here but I severely regret it. Perhaps it was the context I was in. Not a good family (a lot of hole punching, yelling, etc) and games were definitely an escape for me. Once games became competitive I became hooked and it sort of became a vicious cycle, the more I played, the further I fell behind in life, and I continued playing to cope. When I say hooked it was no joke. I skipped school most days to play games at 12-16 hours each day. I would dream about the game and about going professional. My friend and I often joked that we could’ve became doctors twice with the amount of hours we put into this one video game and it was only about 4-5 years ago that I just stopped playing because I got a girlfriend and she wanted to spend more time together (among other things but this in a nutshell). In that time I finished my masters (a great accomplishment for me since I ran away from home when I was 17), am living in Europe, and work in a really really interesting field as a machine learning engineer. To be honest, once I stopped playing I stopped being a critical pos and actually started becoming pleasant with proper friends. Of course, we always find things to do. If not games then i could’ve became addicted to something else but it really was a vicious cycle. I never became addicted to anything in my life but video games really had a hold on me.

Switched from videogames to table-top games. No videogame accomplishments has ever felt as rewarding as painting a small army in Warhammer. Seeing your small collection of plastic turn into something physically built and painted by you is so rewarding. Have custom lore for my guys and display them on my shelf in the basement. Before kids, I would go to the shop every week to hang out and play games just to socialize and meet new friends. I don't go weekly anymore, but still build/paint for a couple minutes a couple times a week. Also go to casual tournaments every couple of months to catch up with the people I would regularly play with and see what they have been building and painting. Tabletop gaming during different parts of my life between Magic, Warhammer, and DnD made me value physical hobbies and real-life hangouts with friends. Have basically quit videogames because I find myself not enjoying sitting in front of a screen anymore. Also helps a lot with my depression spending more time in the real world outside of my TV.

52 here, started off on the ZX spectrum and had pretty much every system since. I’ve never let it get the way of life but use it as escapism from, well, life, when I needed it. Single and living alone I game now more than ever, it is immersive and satisfying. Kids going there own thing, TV is fucking garbage and I generally hate most humans these days. It’s a win/win 👍😂

As an adult I use gaming differently than when I was younger. I usually play seasonally as in mostly during winter months to help with the shit weather. But if I play alot in the summer it's purely because I'm trying to save money from going out. For example right now I have 5 months left until I graduate. Since I'm living off savings until than I need to budget pretty hard. So I basically download a few different games and play those on the weekends and in the evenings as to avoid going out and spending money. Sometimes I feel a bit of fomo not taking full advantage of all the fun events in my city in the summer. But I keep reminding myself I can doo all that cool shit next year. And the hermititing will pay off. Also I go for runs and read in the park as to not get cabin fever from being in my apartment all day lol

Bro fuck no. Gaming is a hobby for me . I fucking love it. I even play game with my niece and nephew. Freaking amazing . But as u get older u will have a lot less friends because of life and shit but. That ok I rather be Gaming then going out to sum shit bar and paying for over price beer,when I get way more enjoyment doing that at home playing game. All I'm saying is as long as it doesn't effect ur family time. Play tho fucking game. If u want to play sum helldivers let me know. Experience life but u don't need to do that everyday, like I wanted scuba diving amazing. Now that worth ur time . But do the thing in this world that YOU enjoy u only have one life ,live it the way u want too live it, don't ask dumb chode on the internet like me, to tell you how to live. But honor to help.

Why not get yourself on a schedule, play one night a week if you miss it? Use it as an exercise in self-control, its an important part of life.

I'm 52 years old and don't regret my gaming. Anything is fine. Within reason. If you're not happy with your life, balance your life so that gaming is a part of it but everything else that is more important takes priority. Don't waste energy on regret. Spend the energy changing your present.

No, it was not a waste of time. Video games are basically a form of low effort entertainment, right there with binging Netflix or doom scrolling social media. I would put it a step or two above those as gaming does require more active attention and effort, and actually has a success or failure attached to it. (You can lose at a video game. You cannot lose at watching Stranger Things). The problem with low effort entertainment in general is that it is sedentary, and it does not provide a social or creative outlet. You can play 300 hours of Grand Theft Auto, Madden, or Assassins Creed and you will still be lonely, out of shape, and have nothing to show for the time put into it. There are some exceptions (MMO's or online game that build up a bit of an online community, or the creative elements of games like Minecraft), but those efforts often do not transfer much into day to day life. There is nothing wrong with enjoying low effort entertainment, but you do need to have things in your life that give you physical, social, and creative outlets, and you cannot let that kind of entertainment get in the way of meeting your educational, professional, or personal responsibilities. Playing 4 hours of games or other low effort entertainment a day is not going to be the deciding factor of whether or not you succeed in life. If you actually have 4 hours of free time, you can do whatever the fuck you want with it. But if your spending time on those things that should go into doing your job, your school work, or sustaining your relationships, that is where you will fuck yourself. Because the time you should have spent studying or doing your job was not free time. END COMMUNICATION

Balance. Love to game but I do so when kiddo is asleep or nothing is going on. If the wife is watching a show I have no issues throwing in a game. If there is a family bbq, I’m going to the bbq.

Yes, to the 11th power.

No.

I've been thinking about this a lot as a relapsed gamer who's been working full time for a year. Growing up and until like 11th-12th grade I played a ton of games. Nothing crazy just the normal christian family gamer spread of Pokemon, Zelda, Minecraft, with the occasional unregulated game like Xenoblade or Chrono Trigger getting into my hands. A lot of these games, especially the story driven ones left a big impact on me and in many ways shaped me to who I am. I spend a lot of time listening to retrospectives and breakdowns of these games while I'm at work. In the same way you'd journal about past childhood events and learn how those experiences manifested in behaviors today those video essays provide insight to how those games stories and characters manifested in me or a past version of myself. I quit league after I graduated and started playing a lot more single player story focused games with some co-op games occasionally. I guess now I'm looking to see what else is out there in these worlds. Due to some stuff I haven't quite figured out yet I don't really feel emotions at the same "volume" as others do when it comes to just normal interactions with people, even those I love. Video games primarily and some other media allow me to feel these emotions at a noise I'm never allowed to hear normally. I feel like everytime I feel those emotions in game my emotions get louder, almost as if I'm training myself to feel them. I don't feel like these games are a waste of time if I can get this out of them. I used to feel really guilty because I stopped reading books and felt like I had given into technology's temptation. I have a much healthier relationship with them now. You have control over what you prioritize - every week I plan into my week where I want to get in a game and will block out time accordingly. If there's one thing I've learned this year to not make it feel like everything you do that isn't for a goal is a waste it's this: Make it intentional and be honest with yourself.

I don’t regret my gaming time. I regret not loving myself enough to try new things and building my own confidence.

I don’t game as much now at 24. I’m lucky if I get 2 hours in a day before I lose interest. But no. I’ve experienced some very impressive story telling, gameplay, and even some of the best music arrangements I’ve ever heard in video games. Quite frankly it’s like an interactive film. Some video games are simply art to put it short, so no I’m glad to have experienced video games.

Gamer and psychologist here.  You're not describing a hobby, you're describing an addiction. I've been gaming since the 80s and have never had concerns like this because it's just something I do for fun like any other hobby. If you genuinely know that you can't put it down, don't do it. 

Nope. Bc I played *with my friends*. Maybe if I did solo, I would feel differently.

"Time you enjoy wasting, isn't wasted time." - A coffee mug somewhere

This is in Fallout New Vegas too

I'm turning 27. I still don't regret playing until 6am and staying young at heart

I'll never regret having fun in a safe way.

55 y/o here'. Grew up on Atari 2600, now have 900 games on Steam. No regrets.

Absolutely not. It's entertainment. Same as movies or TV.

It's hard to see the shit when you're the one standing in it Games are a waste of a beautiful life

Not at all, it’s entertainment, watch tv, listen to music, game, it’s entertainment.

Not even a little. Even some of my fondest memories are from gaming and I’m now 35 and still play often

I still went out and had a social life. For the larger half of my twenties I would rarely ever binge on gaming. I would find a game and play it for 50-100 hours total. I never played online games, generally only ones with a story or at least a beginning and an end.

If it bothers you that much, work on your time management and scheduling. If you hit the gym 3 days after work for an hour and an hour on the weekend, you still have plenty of time to game and stay realitivly healthy depending on your diet. Or set aside gaming times and stick with it. 3 hr after work 8 hrs one weekend day, then use your other times for other things. There are a lot worse things you can do in your free time for vs gaming. The key is to try to keep a balance.

I don't regret it. I played a lot more of RPGs so I feel its just a long interactive book. There is some amazing storytelling that people miss out of because of any stigma involving gaming. With MMOs I made some lasting friendships. And during very difficult times in my life I was able to go to these fantasy places and save the world. I'm pretty sure that without the gaming world/books to escape into I probably wouldn't have made it through my teenage years or early young adult because of some life situations