This is more for discussion, maybe some of you can handle it
I didn't even game often, but it constantly occupied my headspace. I spent tons of cash on Nintendo and steam just to barely play game but look forward to them. Or I would play them and it would just feel like a huge time sync and not fun.
I'm 40 now with 4 kids. I always justified it as a way to bond with them or something I deserved. I would say it was not as bad as doomscrolling or social media.
What kept me in the most was just memories of gaming. I just couldn't recreate the happy times. But I kept trying anyway. I tried moderation but I just cannot do it.
I decided to quit them all. It's liberating not to try for achievements or set arbitrary time limits. I no longer spend mental energy seeing what slop is too woke And acceptable.
I feel like this is something I should have done when I had my first kid years ago. It's a complete waste of time beyond some good mental exercises many of you cocks shamed vidya, and I salute you for it.
Everyone reading this under 40. Don't waste years like I did.
There is a strong argument to be made that, if you are actively enjoying yourself *while doing a thing,* you are not doing anything worth doing and thus your time is absolutely wasted. Caveat emptor for procreative fucking, as 'casual' fucking still fails this test.
I don't have time to make it, but generally it goes something like 'there is a cost to be paid for improvement (whether of yourself, your house, your skills, whatever)', and this cost is why the things worth doing are struggles. You remember the struggle fondly once it is over and are happy you went through it, but the actual process of doing the thing is painful. Examples: studying for anything, working out, learning skills, career climbing, maintaining relationships of important people (e.g. your parents), fixing things, making new things, raising anything very young, so on and so forth.
Type 2 vs type 1 fun - if the fun is type 1, you absolutely are wasting your life.