And What Constructive Activity Have You Done Today?

One of the worst part of liking videogames when you grow up is the bunch of even older people (and sometimes younger people) who thinks you are wasting your time playing games while you could do something useful with your life. What those people are missing the point is the fact that games is just a hobby, a past time, something we do when we want to forget real world troubles.

It is not different from watching TV, reading a book or sports. Unless you do any of those things professionally,  all those activities are not constructive activities, are just ways to find yourself busy doing something you like. You can argue that sports are good for health while videogames aren't, but that baseball or football game you play by the weekend with your friends are you having fun, not you doing something with your health in check.

The worst is that the people saying to you to stop playing games and get a life/do something useful are usually the kind of people whose idea of a good past time is sitting their asses all day watching TV, listening to awful music, spending money on clothes or hitting the gym all day. Nothing of that is really 'useful'. You aren't doing anything to make the world better, like curing cancer, building homes for the homeless, helping hungry children or saving puppies from the shelter. You are doing things with your free time to amuse you and to make you happy. Unless you are donating free time to help others or to make more money, you aren't doing something more useful than playing videogames.

Oh yeah, eating and watching the game is totally more constructive than videogames.

Of course, unless you use all your free time to play games, and even your not-so-free time to play it, you have a problem. But I, for example, work all week, get out with my friends and read books, see TV, all that a normal people do. If I was spending every wake second to playing games and having no other social interaction, then I would have a problem and should stop playing videogames. But that is the case for addiction, and many other things, even healthy things like the gym, can become an addiction when all you do is worrying about it.

I am for people spending their time in constructive activities, but what you and I do with our free times aren't reason for others concern, unless it become something destructive to one self. And before someone start, no there is not a thing as getting old for this (unless we are talking about breast feeding and using diapers). There is games for kids and many games for adults. And even if I was playing 'kids games', if I am having fun, what the hell is the problem?

So, for anyone who belittle games as a past time activity, I ask you this: What have YOU done who is so much more constructive than games? Answer this question before asking it. It will make everyone a favor.