Even though the majority of posters in this thread are either currently active or ex-gamers to varying degrees, there's very much still a stigma attached to the time spent gaming, and choosing other activities in favour or gaming in general is viewed in a positive light.
Is it viewed that time spent gaming is more wasteful than any other pastimes?
This is what really bugs me about the perception that people have no free time to play games anymore, which for most people this simply isn’t true. A recent survey suggested that people of this generation have more than two hours extra free time a day than people of our parents’ generation, we just assume we don’t because we are more “stressed”.
We can shop online and get our food delivered to our front door, this applies to clothes, entertainment and tonnes of other shopping too. On a personal level this saves me hours every week. Hours that I could be spent doing the things I want to do. Hours that I could dedicate to gaming.
Another thing I’ve noticed on this particular thread is people suggesting they’ve ran out of time to play games, yet, have many thousand post counts on this very forum. I will admit, of course, these could be on the train to work, at work, when you’re out and about etc. But I would wager a large percentage of the posts being at home in your free time.
I’ve been gaming all my life. I was born in 1990 and, at three years old, there are pictures of me with a GameBoy and NES. I’ve not stopped following gaming my entire life yet have managed to sustain a healthy lifestyle with maintaining a social, physical and happy life. There have been patches where I will admit I have been addicted to gaming. Through the height of Square’s ‘Final Fantasy’ series I would come home from school, finish my homework (normally) and play Final Fantasy games for the rest of the night.
Flip that on its head, though, and I will offer personal praise to Final Fantasy VII for teaching me how to read to a higher standard. I am positive that my reading ability, being above average for my peers at the time, was credited to the fact I played Final Fantasy VII at great lengths; asking my mother or father what certain words meant when I encountered something I didn’t understand.
There is no doubt in my mind that spending too much time playing video games is bad for you, especially if you are a full time working adult. However I also believe that if gaming is one of your hobbies, and is a way of relaxing and de-stressing, then setting aside time to play is very important.
In my mind, there is nothing to 'grow out of'. Stop watching poor, mind numbing TV, don't start that new box set of Game of Thrones, skip the pub this week, don’t switch the computer on when you’ve got in from work, and grab that game you've been aching to play the last few months. Or not. Just don't moan when you spend time with one activity and neglect the others.
