I was talking to my friend a few days ago and said "Wow,we kind of wasted our summers. All we did was play video games." He responded with " Well, video games are fun, and since we had fun, it wasn't a waste of time." That got me thinking, is it possible to waste time having fun? I feel like I accomplished nothing this summer, but I guess I had fun. Thoughts?
Also, it's totally possible this is in the wrong subforum. If so, sorry mods!
Waste would mean that you're losing something without gaining its benefit. In this case, time would be the thing you're losing without gaining the benefits of having it. But, what if you have nothing better to do? Nothing else your time could be spent doing being productive. If that's the case, then you didn't waste your time. If you HAD something to do, and didn't do it and played video games instead, THEN you wasted your time.
I was talking to my friend a few days ago and said "Wow,we kind of wasted our summers. All we did was play video games." He responded with " Well, video games are fun, and since we had fun, it wasn't a waste of time." That got me thinking, is it possible to waste time having fun? I feel like I accomplished nothing this summer, but I guess I had fun. Thoughts?
Also, it's totally possible this is in the wrong subforum. If so, sorry mods!
Ask yourself this question 10 years from now and 20 years from now.
Yes, you can waste time having fun. It's called 'killing time'. If you don't feel fulfilled by it afterwards, you definitely wasted that time.
Balance is important, and if all you did was spend your time playing video games, you weren't leading a very balanced life. I remember a few summers I wasted, but my most fulfilling summers were the ones were I worked to save for school, did an activity or two (Martial Arts, Volunteering) AND spent all my remaining free time playing games with friends.
I blame the invention of RPGs. I recall playing each and every Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest (and Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire and . . . help).
Mostly, however, these were the stay-up-late-at-night-with-friends moments. The days were usually spent doing other things. To echo others, balance is good. But, yes, I do sometimes regret the life wasted gaming. Still, however, what did I miss? Ask yourself that question.
I enjoy video games very much but I would consider a summer filled with video game playing a waste. It’s not that you “wasted time” it’s more that you “wasted opportunity”. If you have a large block of time with very few obligations than that represents an opportunity to do things you normally would not have time for.
I live in Pittsburgh where we get about six nice days a year. I fill those days with as much fun in the sun as I can because I know fall and winter will rear its ugly head and I will have all the time in the world to play video games.
As a side note, I did a college research paper on video game addiction. If you are consistently choosing video games to the exclusion of other experiences you may have a problem. Try and go two weeks without playing a video game. If you are unable to, you may need to develop strategies for tackling an addiction that often goes unrecognized in our culture.
I’m not a psychologist but your post suggests you may be looking for affirmation from outsiders that the time you spent indulging in video games was acceptable because it was “fun”. That says to me that you may be attempting, likely unconsciously, to develop a framework in which to justify an addiction. Vices that are perceived of as harmless can be among the most insidious and dangerous and if your social network is rooted in video games that can be especially seductive.
Like I said, I’m not a psychologist, just something to think about. If *I* spent a nice sunny summer indoors playing video games I might be concerned that I have a problem… no matter how much fun it was.
Yes, its possible to waste time "having fun", though its difficult to define exactly where to draw the line, though maybe discussing it here could help define some of the ideas more clearly.
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You have a finite time on this earth... and the closer you get to the end of it, the more you desperately wish you had more of it. So its a shame to "Kill time" between the "highlights"... it reminds me of that Adam Sandler movie where he finds a remote that lets him fast forward through life.
I went through a period of my life where I found tons of ways to "kill time", by playing videogames and watching movies, just to get through the lonely or boring parts... and really its a shame to waste time that way.
Fill your time with cultivating relationships or cultivating yourself, so that you will GO places and make the highlights that much HIGHER and BETTER.
Killing hours and hours doing nothing just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and choosing it as any kind of lifestyle is no different than TRAINSPOTTING.
Hah, I've been a gamer all my life... back in high school, there was this chick that went on trips overseas to help people in Africa. Though I didn't exactly have the money to do that, I guess she was still making better use of her time than I.
I consider any time spent having fun to never be a waste of time. What else am I supposed to do with my time? Whatever it was, I'd rather be enjoying myself.
Some of these games are more than games. It's takes a great deal of coordination to do some of the stuff you can do in MMOs like WoW. Coordinate 25-30 people in a single goal. Preparation and search must done to assign each person a specific task. One must pick the right people that have the skills and motivation to get the job done. Then a large time commitment over 20-30 hours a week in an effort that at the end of the week might be a complete failure.
So you start over the next week and prepare a little better, do more research, "adjust" your roster, and recommit again to completing the task.
Leading a cutting edge guild in WoW is something people should put on resumes....
Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.
― Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great
It's only a waste if you could have had more fun doing something else and didn't. If you would have had more fun camping in the woods this summer, then you wasted your time. If you would not have had more fun camping or doing anything else that people consider "acceptable" summer activities, then you didn't. Hell, if you would have had more fun playing Game A but, for whatever reason, played Game B all summer instead, then you wasted your time.
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():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
#define ALWAYS SOMETIMES
#define NEVER RARELY
#define ALL MANY
-=GIVE US SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN=-
I'm nerd enough to link my WoW Armory Though I'll put it in a small font.
I hear a lot of people talk about how WOW raid leader skills can translate to real life, but you know something? Almost every single one of those people I know who lead large raid parties is nothing special when it comes to leading human beings or doing anything practical in real life. Almost none of them will ever lead a platoon, let alone a regiment or a design team. Many are immature 40 year olds who never really grew up, and hate their grownup life.
The main thing that separates these people from those they lead is a Life. The followers are more casual players, and the leaders are hard core.
And no, I'd never recommend putting it on your resume, or bragging about it.
Sure sometimes I tell parents that leading a large group in WOW will enhance certain skills, but the person in question is usually under 13 years of age.
Imo, so long as you understand what you're doing at any particular moment and time, have a reason for doing so, and are focused in it, then it cannot be called wasting time. Anything that does not have any of those three components can become "wasting time" to me.
So, if you're playing video games with the intent and knowledge that you are playing video games for some particular reason, then you're not wasting time.
I do not consider my time wasted when I play Mass Effect or any stellar RPG with the intent of enjoying a (generally) great video game.
I consider my time wasted quite a bit when I play any Paradox Interactive game or anything on SC2 or D3.
In regards to studying,
If I'm studying for the LSAT with the serious intent to study and learn and improve my weaknesses, then I'm not wasting time.
If I'm studying for the LSAT by just mindlessly taking practice tests and without trying to understand and improve upon my weaknesses, then I'm wasting time.
I hear a lot of people talk about how WOW raid leader skills can translate to real life, but you know something? Almost every single one of those people I know who lead large raid parties is nothing special when it comes to leading human beings or doing anything practical in real life. Almost none of them will ever lead a platoon, let alone a regiment or a design team. Many are immature 40 year olds who never really grew up, and hate their grownup life.
The main thing that separates these people from those they lead is a Life. The followers are more casual players, and the leaders are hard core.
And no, I'd never recommend putting it on your resume, or bragging about it.
Sure sometimes I tell parents that leading a large group in WOW will enhance certain skills, but the person in question is usually under 13 years of age.
One of the more 'notorious' raid-leaders runs a stream on Twitch.tv his game tag is Riggnaros. He's verbally abusive as you can possibly be. And if you look at his stream you'll notice that the room he's in has incredibly dirty walls and is generally just a sty.
So i think your assessment has quite a bit of truth to it. I think anyone with a surrounding that they're in change of upkeeping must not really care too much about themselves if they let it 'go' like that.
I hear a lot of people talk about how WOW raid leader skills can translate to real life, but you know something? Almost every single one of those people I know who lead large raid parties is nothing special when it comes to leading human beings or doing anything practical in real life. Almost none of them will ever lead a platoon, let alone a regiment or a design team. Many are immature 40 year olds who never really grew up, and hate their grownup life.
The main thing that separates these people from those they lead is a Life. The followers are more casual players, and the leaders are hard core.
And no, I'd never recommend putting it on your resume, or bragging about it.
Sure sometimes I tell parents that leading a large group in WOW will enhance certain skills, but the person in question is usually under 13 years of age.
For me, the ratio was about 3:1 for mature:immature raid leaders. One of my former raid leaders was a manager of a department of one of the largest corporations in the world and led the guild with his wife. Others were not quite as successful career-wise (as far as I know), but were otherwise good people.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
#define ALWAYS SOMETIMES
#define NEVER RARELY
#define ALL MANY
-=GIVE US SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN=-
I'm nerd enough to link my WoW Armory Though I'll put it in a small font.
The way I see it, you can waste your time having fun only if you do not value having fun. A lot of people needlessly work themselves up over 'wasted time,' as if their own lives were businesses that need to maximise profit. It is an extremely unhealthy mentality, in my opinion.
I feel like there are productive and unproductive ways to have fun. Sitting underneath the clouds and making shapes for 7 hours is unproductive fun. Making your way through a video game you're really enjoying is pretty productive, if you ask me. Fun is relative though, so you might think looking at clouds is actually a really good use of your fun-time and beating a video game is stupid.
The moral of the story here is to not have regrets about how you're spending your leisure time and just enjoy it.
About Frox: for nearly 10 years, Frox has been helping women look good and feel great in easy-fit, mix-and-match, and work-to-weekend with just a few pieces by helping them make the right choices when it comes to clothing and accessories.
I'm both a musician and a gamer (non video game variety these days). I get about equal pleasure from both. Some in society would dictate one tantamount to a waste of time and the other an artistic and meaningful endeavor. To me they are both outlets for creativity and thinking, and I enjoy that most of all, and certainly get lots of value out of that.
In fact If I had to define what a "waste of time" is I would probably state that its time spent doing something without value. Considering pleasure or happiness certainly have value (and according to some philosophers is the true purpose in life, of course how to pursue it is a subject of great debate!) I wouldn't quantify seemingly frivolous activity as wasted. However if these activities begin to impact the overall value of your life (say playing games to the extent that you can't find employment or engage in relationships) then its value may be negated if you perceive those things to be equally or more important (which most would). It is all relative to your own view, but I think its good to ask oneself does this hobby, job, relationship, have genuine value or does it negatively impact my goals and happiness in the long term.
I can see the point your friend was making, but yes, you can absolutely waste time having fun. You can't have fun all the time - you have to balance it with work and productivity.
You can spend a whole summer having fun playing video games or whatever, and then look back on those few months and you'll realize you're the exact same person you were before. You haven't advanced at all in anything. Did you make money, finish classes, learn new skills, get a new job, meet new people, go new places, get a girlfriend? Anything?
Did you do anything that you could look back and say, "Yeah, I got **** done this summer"? If not, then yeah you wasted your time. I can understand a week or so of just goofing off, but a whole summer?
As long as you have some balance I'd say things are good. And if you're fortunate enough that whatever your "work" is is actually something that you enjoy doing, then you're golden.
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Also, it's totally possible this is in the wrong subforum. If so, sorry mods!
Ask yourself this question 10 years from now and 20 years from now.
Balance is important, and if all you did was spend your time playing video games, you weren't leading a very balanced life. I remember a few summers I wasted, but my most fulfilling summers were the ones were I worked to save for school, did an activity or two (Martial Arts, Volunteering) AND spent all my remaining free time playing games with friends.
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Mostly, however, these were the stay-up-late-at-night-with-friends moments. The days were usually spent doing other things. To echo others, balance is good. But, yes, I do sometimes regret the life wasted gaming. Still, however, what did I miss? Ask yourself that question.
I live in Pittsburgh where we get about six nice days a year. I fill those days with as much fun in the sun as I can because I know fall and winter will rear its ugly head and I will have all the time in the world to play video games.
As a side note, I did a college research paper on video game addiction. If you are consistently choosing video games to the exclusion of other experiences you may have a problem. Try and go two weeks without playing a video game. If you are unable to, you may need to develop strategies for tackling an addiction that often goes unrecognized in our culture.
I’m not a psychologist but your post suggests you may be looking for affirmation from outsiders that the time you spent indulging in video games was acceptable because it was “fun”. That says to me that you may be attempting, likely unconsciously, to develop a framework in which to justify an addiction. Vices that are perceived of as harmless can be among the most insidious and dangerous and if your social network is rooted in video games that can be especially seductive.
Like I said, I’m not a psychologist, just something to think about. If *I* spent a nice sunny summer indoors playing video games I might be concerned that I have a problem… no matter how much fun it was.
-
You have a finite time on this earth... and the closer you get to the end of it, the more you desperately wish you had more of it. So its a shame to "Kill time" between the "highlights"... it reminds me of that Adam Sandler movie where he finds a remote that lets him fast forward through life.
I went through a period of my life where I found tons of ways to "kill time", by playing videogames and watching movies, just to get through the lonely or boring parts... and really its a shame to waste time that way.
Fill your time with cultivating relationships or cultivating yourself, so that you will GO places and make the highlights that much HIGHER and BETTER.
Killing hours and hours doing nothing just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, and choosing it as any kind of lifestyle is no different than TRAINSPOTTING.
Just saying there are far better things you can do with your time than the "ALL YOU CAN EAT GORGE-FEST" of videogames.
Especially if you play by yourself.
There are people out there that think playing video games can be a very good thing if you can...aim it.
http://blog.ted.com/2010/03/17/gaming_can_make/
Some of these games are more than games. It's takes a great deal of coordination to do some of the stuff you can do in MMOs like WoW. Coordinate 25-30 people in a single goal. Preparation and search must done to assign each person a specific task. One must pick the right people that have the skills and motivation to get the job done. Then a large time commitment over 20-30 hours a week in an effort that at the end of the week might be a complete failure.
So you start over the next week and prepare a little better, do more research, "adjust" your roster, and recommit again to completing the task.
Leading a cutting edge guild in WoW is something people should put on resumes....
― Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great
Though I'll put it in a small font.
Please stop hijacking my reply box.
The main thing that separates these people from those they lead is a Life. The followers are more casual players, and the leaders are hard core.
And no, I'd never recommend putting it on your resume, or bragging about it.
Sure sometimes I tell parents that leading a large group in WOW will enhance certain skills, but the person in question is usually under 13 years of age.
So, if you're playing video games with the intent and knowledge that you are playing video games for some particular reason, then you're not wasting time.
I do not consider my time wasted when I play Mass Effect or any stellar RPG with the intent of enjoying a (generally) great video game.
I consider my time wasted quite a bit when I play any Paradox Interactive game or anything on SC2 or D3.
In regards to studying,
If I'm studying for the LSAT with the serious intent to study and learn and improve my weaknesses, then I'm not wasting time.
If I'm studying for the LSAT by just mindlessly taking practice tests and without trying to understand and improve upon my weaknesses, then I'm wasting time.
One of the more 'notorious' raid-leaders runs a stream on Twitch.tv his game tag is Riggnaros. He's verbally abusive as you can possibly be. And if you look at his stream you'll notice that the room he's in has incredibly dirty walls and is generally just a sty.
So i think your assessment has quite a bit of truth to it. I think anyone with a surrounding that they're in change of upkeeping must not really care too much about themselves if they let it 'go' like that.
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Though I'll put it in a small font.
Please stop hijacking my reply box.
The moral of the story here is to not have regrets about how you're spending your leisure time and just enjoy it.
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About Frox: for nearly 10 years, Frox has been helping women look good and feel great in easy-fit, mix-and-match, and work-to-weekend with just a few pieces by helping them make the right choices when it comes to clothing and accessories.
In fact If I had to define what a "waste of time" is I would probably state that its time spent doing something without value. Considering pleasure or happiness certainly have value (and according to some philosophers is the true purpose in life, of course how to pursue it is a subject of great debate!) I wouldn't quantify seemingly frivolous activity as wasted. However if these activities begin to impact the overall value of your life (say playing games to the extent that you can't find employment or engage in relationships) then its value may be negated if you perceive those things to be equally or more important (which most would). It is all relative to your own view, but I think its good to ask oneself does this hobby, job, relationship, have genuine value or does it negatively impact my goals and happiness in the long term.
You can spend a whole summer having fun playing video games or whatever, and then look back on those few months and you'll realize you're the exact same person you were before. You haven't advanced at all in anything. Did you make money, finish classes, learn new skills, get a new job, meet new people, go new places, get a girlfriend? Anything?
Did you do anything that you could look back and say, "Yeah, I got **** done this summer"? If not, then yeah you wasted your time. I can understand a week or so of just goofing off, but a whole summer?
As long as you have some balance I'd say things are good. And if you're fortunate enough that whatever your "work" is is actually something that you enjoy doing, then you're golden.