exactly. i couldn't remember i fully enjoyed any video game before Twilight Princess and Earthbound. the only reason i enjoyed those was because my roommate was seeing me play them and it was cool listening to what he had to say.

by myself, fat chance.

this brings up a good point that i should have made clear.

yes, they are a waste of time.

so is staring at a wall.

however, when i was playing earthbound and twilight princess, i had someone next to me, unintentionally sharing the ride with me. my roommate isn't into any nintendo video games and instead plays stuff like COD and GTA. the fact that he sat down to look at me play and us talk through the game was fun as hell. by myself, i don't give a crap if Earthbound has zombies or Beatles references. when i listen to my roommate say "is that a fucking zombie?" with a shocked sound, NOW the game is enjoyable.

the problem i had with Link Between Worlds is, as fun as it was, I didn't have anyone besides me playing it with me or sharing the experience with me. as soon as it stopped being fun, i stopped caring about the game. to this day, even though twilight princess and earthbound might not be super fun, i'll still recommend them to others because i had so much fun playing it with someone else.

as i've found out in the last two years, social interaction is a need like eating or breathing. even though i won't directly die if i don't speak to anyone, i'll sure as hell go insane and start deluding myself with my own thoughts. my mental health will go.

having a buddy to share fun times with and even better, a GROUP of buddies to share good times with, is the best. i wish i had that all the time. i don't.

having a video game… that's a lesser way of meeting that social need. it's virtual, it's fake. it's unresponsive and can only give out what the developers put in. it's a one-way interaction where i'm the recepient of a work of art for hours. it's BETTER than just staring at a wall, but it's not going to beat going out with buddies.

this is why i'm not here all the time like i used to when i first joined.

yes, both are "wasteful," but they're as wasteful as eating. i NEED to get it done or else my instincts… drive or whatever you want to call the thing that gets you to meet your needs is, THAT thing. that is not going to let me have a fun time. in the example of food, i'll be hungry and my stomach will hurt. in the case of friends, i will get sad and delusional ("nobody needs me, *cry*") etc.

video games are the equivalent of me being a pothead and smoking pot all the time to be happy, IF i play them by myself. if i'm hanging out with someone else, video games serve for entertainment, but at ANY point in time, they can be thrown out the window if i have someone to spend time with.

makes sense now?

Video games are intended for entertainment whether or not you play with others. It just so happens that your experiences in social gaming outshine those in solo gaming. But that doesn't mean that singleplayer experiences aren't beneficial in some way. Playing video games is no worse in terms of productivity than watching a TV show or reading a book, both of which are often done solo. However, productivity depends on what you deem productive.

If the game, TV show, or book inspires you to work harder for a few days, that's productive. Entertainment, contrary to what you might think, can boost productivity.

There are certain video games I'd deem as unproductive, but the same can be said about many TV shows and books as well. We tend to single out video games as the spawn of the devil when it's really just another form of entertainment that, if implemented correctly, can work the brain just as much as other, more "acceptable" forms of entertainment.

This is a very good point, and it hasn't been brought up to me yet. yes, video games are bad for me because i could be doing more productive things with my time. hell, even if i wanted to say that i use video games for relaxation, that in itself is bullshit because i could just fall asleep.

the problem i have is that i'm a video game fatty. meaning, like a person that's been eating mcdonalds twice a day for years can't give it up right away forever because of the dependency grown on it, and instead has to give it up slowly, i also have to take that route. this is my try at easing into a life without video games after having been playing them since i was 5.

my concern isn't always with being productive honestly. it's with not wasting time. the problem i have with video games is that i'm trying to fill a void that would be MUCH more quickly and MUCH more satisfyingly filled with buddies. video games aren't as efficient that way. same way for books and tv shows. ultimately they try to meet a need I have and only do it to a limited extent. if i know a faster, better way of meeting my need, it doesn't make sense that i keep doing things less efficiently. hence, why my video game "addiction" since childhood is a problem. even if it makes sense for me to drop them forever, it's going to take a while because of how long i've had them, so i'll enjoy the last few pages of this with the wii u :P

I'm playing Serious Sam TSE a 2nd time and i'm enjoying myself :P Also Dark Souls 2 is out, who can complain about that? I don't think i would give up games for any amount of time, i never had a problem with them taking up much time anyway since my responsibilities always come first, i only play games when i have free time and nothing else to do.

I agree with Steven, if you don't enjoy games, don't play em. no big deal really. games aren't for everyone and as we get older, we often grow out of certain things and into new things. i wouldn't worry about it too much.

i can see the issue though, that comes from different people playing games for different reasons. there are video game addicts, and then there are people who simply enjoy playing games on their free time, as well as every thing in between.

also i would be careful with that philosophy of only wanting to spend time on things that are "not wasteful" or that are purely "productive". It's a blurry line and ultimately it's subjective what is and what isn't wasteful. In reality, nothing is a waste if the person finds value in it, likewise from a cynical perspective, one could say everything is a waste since there is no greater meaning to anything in this world except survival and reproduction. this is why i have chosen to go the route of not worrying about it so much and trying to create a fair balance, a calm harmony in life, dedicating a fair amount of time to all elements in life, responsibilities come first, than hobbies and entertainment, in that order.