Seriously, I don’t get it. It’s just a thing people do. Sometimes to an extreme… but if you are a extreme sports fan or extreme traveler… that’s ‘cool’. Meanwhile your mild dorky video game habit makes you persona non grata if people find out or you talk about it in public.
It’s 2025. I don’t understand.
People generally view constructive hobbies more favorably than consumptive ones. As long as gaming isn’t interfering with their responsibilities and relationships, I view it as just one of the ways people unwind in their spare time. I haven’t noticed strong negative reactions to gaming unless the gamer begins to neglect important parts of their life for it.
anytime i mention that i play games it illicits are very negative/suspicious reaction. but if i say i spend 10 hours riding my bike or reading or going to restaurants that’s seen as worthy and legit. i guess i don’t see any of those as more ‘constructive’ than any other activity.
Riding your bike is exercise, so I’ll give that one a pass as a healthier hobby. Reading just depends on what you’re reading I suppose. Going to restaurants is generally looked at as a bad habit in my experience. Waste of money basically.
Regarding what makes video games special, I will say that they can develop bad personal habits a little easier than a lot of other hobbies. I think they have greater addiction potential than say, reading or bike riding. More on par with sex or gambling. They also create a temptation to oversimplify/misunderstand things about real life in the same way tv/movies do.
But yeah, overall I don’t think its a particularly bad hobby if you don’t go overboard with them.