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Comment by Forbo | Hacker News Reader

I often would internalize the idea that I was "wasting" time by enjoying video games when I was growing up. I can trace my entire career back to gaming sparking my interest in computing. However, having experienced childhood trauma and lifelong depression, even though what I was doing was perfectly acceptable behavior, I would spin it into evidence that my negative self-perception was accurate.

I still struggle with this idea, and have been working to overcome feeling immense guilt when I take some time to blow off steam playing a game for a few hours.

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My parents also taught me that video games are a waste of time growing up, and now it is something I am very grateful that they did.

I recall a classmate in college relating to me that he had put in over 8000 hours in various games. I almost pitied him. A year of his life gone, unproductively looking at a computer screen.

Of course plenty of people have similar habits. Older people watch a ton of television, others sink themselves into social media. But I'm glad I never got addicted to gaming.

> A year of his life gone, unproductively looking at a computer screen.

Your perspective and opinion is valuable. But try not to judge or dismiss others' without the full story. Some of us who played so much did get a lot out of it: socially, intellectually, creatively, etc.

i’m sure i’ve spent 8000 hours doing one pittiable thing or another

if time is enjoyed, it isn’t wasted, so they say

It's just a choice of life. I once heard a friend saying playing game saved tons of money for her because of money not wasted on endless night club and parties. Being productive making more money or getting better grades is fine. Other options to enjoy a life are also fine.

> I recall a classmate in college relating to me that he had put in over 8000 hours in various games.

It’s possible that if it wasn’t video games it would have been something else like partying and drinking.

Some people do it to escape, to block out real life, the means can be substituted if some forms aren’t available.

I've dropped a lot more than 8000 hours into reading various novels.

Do you pity me? I'm not entirely convinced Litterature with a capital L is any better than any other form of escapism. Arguably worse than cleaning the floor of a soup kitchen.

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