4 ms·
I have a theory that boredom, and specifically long-term boredom, is a resource that gets depleted by being continuously busy. The day-to-day grind of a job can
by eslaught 8y ago
I have a theory that boredom, and specifically long-term boredom, is a resource that gets depleted by being continuously busy. The day-to-day grind of a job can be conducive for productivity, but it can really limit creativity. To date, I think the most creative times in my life have been the long summer breaks off from school. To be sure, a lot of that time got wasted on Diablo 2, but it was also the time when I developed the programming chops that lead me to my current career.
I think it's understandable to look at this and think "what value does this have?", and yet we don't take into the account the costs (especially creatively) of constantly being busy. I think there would be a lot of benefits, certainly for individuals and possibly for companies, by developing some sort of a structured sabbatical program to give people space for alternate pursuits.
- techopoly 8y agoWas your time on Diablo 2 really wasted if you developed good programming chops in that period? Maybe the enjoyable breaks are what help us learn. I had a similar experience -- programming didn't really click for me in school until I went home for Christmas break and figured it out on my own. I was certainly playing video games then too :)
- WhompingWindows 8y agoGaming can be a useful appetizer for young folks looking to get into programming. Starcraft wasn't a waste for me. Granted, learning tons of specific build orders doesn't help now. However, Starcraft taught me to touch-type, it taught me finger-speed, and taught me some of the basics of programming when I created some custom maps with internal logic and triggers. Another friend was a map-hacker on WC3 dota, used to play Riki (permanently invis char) and use map hacks. He started coding for that purpose, for hacks and bots in WC3.