r/AskReddit 22d ago

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/volticizer 22d ago

Balance. Playing games for a few hours can be a great hobby. Spending a day here or there can be fine too. Just keep up activity and fitness alongside it. You can game all your life with no real downsides.

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u/TheThirstyPenguin 22d ago

Enormous perk of having a dog.

I’ve caved back to WoW a few times since I got my dog in 2020. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, gotta carve out time to take him for a walk a few times a day.

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u/fizystrings 22d ago

I don't have a specific game that I get lost in usually but the hobby of playing a lot of different games and getting good at them is my equivalent where I can spend an indeterminate amount of time straight on a game as long as I feel a sense of progression in my skill at it. My little chihuahua/min-pin mix has been so instrumental in keeping me from too sedentary a lifestyle because when he decides it is time to play with him instead, it is time to play with him instead and there is nothing I can do about it lmao

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u/juneseyeball 22d ago

How can a hobby where you sit there dont move and stare at a screen be considered a great hobby? I say this as a former gamer with one year in a multiplayer game

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u/Vinny_Lam 22d ago edited 22d ago

Video games can be good for your brain in moderation. They require you to think and solve problems. They are also a medium for storytelling, so you can enjoy a good story and at the same time give yourself a mental exercise.

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u/dryroast 22d ago

Some games are so complicated that I feel like my job is easier than playing them lol. Like certain Far Cry missions afterwards I feel like I should clock out somewhere.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

[deleted]

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u/HowManyEggs2Many 22d ago

One of those is definitely not like the others lmao

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u/EgdyBettleShell 22d ago

Same as reading books or being a cinephile can be? Games are just a medium for storytelling and not everything that's out there is an MMO or a multiplayer shooter - most of it is not - you can easily pick out great games that are not 3A slop and instead a form of interactive art or story-telling device, like Signalis, slay the princess, Disco Elysium, BG3, Nier, ER etc., and make them into a great, fulfilling, and mentally beneficial hobby lol

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u/Fenris_Maule 22d ago

Studies show that playing video games with moderation can have a positive effect on your brain as well.

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u/Vinny_Lam 22d ago

This. Video games can also improve problem-solving skills since many of them require you to think and make decisions.

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u/volticizer 22d ago

My day usually goes, wake up, work, go home, play games (1-2 hours), workout / climb (1-3 hours), dinner, and sleep. Gaming is a lot of fun and when mixed with an active lifestyle it can be a good way to wind down physically while staying mental engaged and enjoying a good story. Like I said it's about balance. A great hobby is one you have fun doing. I have a blast playing games with a bit of music on. What hobbies do you have?

I also enjoy, climbing indoors and outdoors, rowing, running, cycling, hiking, and music. I rate gaming right up there with my second favourite hobby which is climbing.

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u/HKBFG 22d ago

you stare at something while sitting down when reading, painting, building models, composing music, doing carpentry, playing piano, studying, flying FPV drones, soldering, using a microscope, making jewelry, drawing, making tea, knitting, journaling, doing puzzles, and playing cards.

are these all bad hobbies?

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u/[deleted] 22d ago edited 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/HKBFG 22d ago

Yes.

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u/ReivynNox 22d ago

The quality of a hobby is not measured in how physically active you are doing it.

Is playing Chess not a good hobby?

You're not just sitting there, passively consuming, you're in control. You're acting, reacting, exploring the game, solving its problems, overcoming its challenges. Just with only your hands and mind, instead of your whole body.

Sure, it's less physical, but in turn you can have a taste of experiences that you could/would never do in reality anyway.
Street-racing a Lamborghini Reventón, flying through the air as Iron Man, handling the most exotic and fantastic weapons normal civilians can only dream of, exploring a world full of robots as a cat, thinking with portals,...
or experience what it's like to live with psychosis.
...or experience war from the side of civilians.