Gamers, did you ever regret all the hours spent on playing?

I should add, that I did find myself becoming engrossed in the virtual world which did affect my real life in a negative way. I cared more about what my character did and how well it grew rather than my real life. This is when it becomes a problem I think. I have a friend who is so addicted to World of Warcraft that he spends more time on growing his character than he does improving in real life. He has no girlfriend and hardly any friends due to him being so addicted. He can tell you anything and everything about the game world, but not too much about the real world. I realized I had a problem when I saw I was more focused and interested in what my virtual life was like rather than my real one.

 

The thing that makes MMOs and games addictive is that they give you a rewarding experience. It's a high that's hard to get off of. Real life isn't as rewarding as a game. There's bills to pay, unrewarding jobs that most people are stuck in have shit pay and filled with shit customers and shittier management, you have no sense of accomplishment. Games on the other hand give you a lot of progression and accomplishment so it's easy to get sucked into that lure.

 

Not really. I find most gaming experiences pretty rewarding, even if they're meaningless. I think it's also worth noting that working hard is important, but feeling good is important, too! Games give me a well-deserved break, and it's important to take care of yourself.

 

For me it's definitely been an enjoyable ride. I think I definitely could have used less time playing and more time doing other things.

 

Yes and no. I used to think that video game addiction was something that could be easily overcome, but then it happened to me. I was 14 and my home life was pretty awful, I won't get into details but it was nothing too serious. I got into a virtual world as an escape and lost a lot of friends, because I was so obsessed with this fake world. I got over it eventually, and I did meet some online friends there, but for now I stick to casual gaming.

 

A wise man told me time spent doing the things you like, isn't time wasted. That said there are some games that I tried to get into, but after a while I didn't enjoy it but I was still playing it. I still regret that, and that is time lost.

 

Never. Every hour I have spent in any game, mmo or otherwise was well spent in my opinion. I have so many memories and experiences from it, that I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm sure any outside interaction IRL i could have had would have been great, but you can't beat doing stuff in a game that you can't do in real life.

 

You can't live your life with regrets. It may only be a video game, but it's still an experience. It's allowed to do things in game that we could never imagine doing in real life. I find that gaming is a very rewarding hobby and I don't regret a single second of it... well, maybe I regret spending the time finding all of the kittens in the Superman Returns game.

 

Only gamers ask themselves these questions. People who binge watch reality shows or watch the same Disney movies 10 times in a row don't question themselves. No I don't regret the time I've spent gaming. It is interactive entertainment and has just as much value as the movies and shows that other people enjoy.

 

I just watched a video from Game Theory recently that dissected the ending of Minecraft- for those of you that don't know it's basically a 10 minute long text-scroll of two gods discussing the player. In the end he concluded (or at least seemed to agree with the game's conclusion) that games can be viewed as a sort of 'short dream' in the 'long dream' of life. Any reality one chooses to partake in is just as valid, and just as pertinent.

IMO, as many have said on here previously, time enjoyed is not time wasted... though sometimes I do wish I would have spent my time on a better game.

 

Do people regret playing sports? Or watching tv? No. So, why should I feel any regret.

Its the same thing. I play to relax, maybe chat with a few friends, i have my "tribe", and its really fun. Life is supposed to be fun and so I love every second of the time I spend playing.

 

The issue with comparing video games to sports or TV is the stigma that video games have. When you're playing sports, you're doing exercise so there's usually a benefit to your body, or at least a benefit that's easy to quantify. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with you, but that's why (for example) an older person will assume that those blasted video games are a waste of time vs. playing sports outside.

 

No not really, I enjoyed at the time and I still find something redeeming from the hours that I spent on games before. It also helped that I was at an age and in position in which I was able to. At my most "addicted" I was 14-16 had no real responsibilities outside of maintaining my school work for me to get Grade C or higher to guarantee a spot in my school Sixth Form. I had a fairly stable home-life with both my parents who both had secure work with decent salaries. Not middle class but not scraping by either. Lack of friends was annoying so MMO's filled that void until I realized that the reason I didn't have any friends was because I was an arrogant jackass

Its not like I didn't attempt to get a job, the amount of CV editing and emailing I did was time consuming. Got my first Part Time job last year during second year of Uni

 

I've got over 1200 hours logged in TF2 as of today. Still no shame. Maybe if I were actually good at the game I'd feel ashamed of wasting so much time trying to actually become good, but not today. As long as you have fun for all those hours, there's no shame in doing what you love. Though I do sometimes feel mild shame for taking a long time to beat a game that I've seen people clear in under 3 hours while I have 20+ logged and am nowhere near the end.

 

I regret the hours I've spent gaming but at the same time don't regret them. The thousands of hours I've spent playing video games......it makes me think of all the things I could be doing other than that. Such as getting a job outside the internet, going to parties, making more friends outside of the virtual world. But then i also think of the amount of fun I've had gaming and meeting people online off these games, which makes me instantly stop regretting the time I've spent playing video games and makes me want to play them even more.

 

I have over 2,500 hours on TF2 (spent from when I was younger and into that game), as well as hundreds of dollars that were invested into the items the game had. I also have over 3,000 hours on CSGO which I have also put hundreds of dollars into. As well as hundreds of hours on games such as GMOD, CSS, Speedrunners, hearthstone, etc......

 

I admittedly feel a bit guilty for spending too much time on games sometimes but for the most part I never really spent that much time on video games and have only started to get more into it recently so as of now I don't regret much of it at all. Maybe if I spent all of my spare time on just playing games I'd be a little more regretful but thankfully so far I feel it's still a bit balanced and I do consciously try and keep it that way so I don't end up feeling too guilty about it.

 

If you enjoyed your time with the game, then there's nothing to regret about. It's as simple as that!

 

I am 21 years old, disabled and am not allowed to get even a part-time job. There are times where I have played for 12-16 hours straight. I realize there are tons of gamers that have gone on longer streaks, but I share a bed/TV, so I can really only play while my girlfriend is at work.
That being said, there are times where I have regretted not getting up and cleaning the house. But I'll never regret spending my time doing something that relaxes and makes me happy.

 

Dude, those are some crazy numbers