5 ms·

i would say there are 2 axes here: 1 is creation vs consumption continuum, where you have e.g. designing a course as an expert (you're likely to derive little

i would say there are 2 axes here: 1 is creation vs consumption continuum, where you have e.g. designing a course as an expert (you're likely to derive little value other than financial but has huge value adds to those interested) vs. watching tv (purely passive). so this is clearly not purely passive despite being a sort of passive activity, more towards active i'd say, which is healthier/more fulfilling imo. another is real life vs virtual life, which i think you're more interested in here. i personally agree in so far as i've "wasted" many years of my life on virtaul things (key differentiator) that were sort of fun, but when i look at what could have been with 10% of that time i just feel utter disgust. long story but no matter: it may be in 10 years time he feels the same, or not. obviously he kept a job and whatever else, so in some sense it's well earned leisure time.

em-bee 7y ago
why do we read fiction books? they are just as virtual as exploring the EVE universe (or playing any computer game) i would add a third dimension: how does the activity enrich my daily life. people watch TV to get informed, entertained or to unwind. if you explore EVE with the goal to get informed, you'll surely waste your time. but if it's entertaining/unwinding, then why not. it's visual fiction.
- maximente 7y ago
  not a bad line of thought, and covers some of the non pathological cases. but, we know these non-fiction book things are designed to be addictive (ladder climbing/achievement elements for games, timing elements for television, reward intervals for both) and so the pathological case is important to examine. key question then in this case is, imo: to what extent was this driven by pathological vs. non pathological behavior? in my personal case, which is why i have so much regret, is that it was so darn easy to plow more hours in, to the detriment of the rest of my life, due to the design of the game. if it's genuinely not for him, then i agree, not an issue. i would personally consider it exceptional however.
  - em-bee 7y ago
    i suppose you mean non-"fiction book" or non-book fiction. took me a moment to read that correctly. i agree. fortunately, for myself, when i made that experience i realized how much of a waste of time it could be, and i paid attention to that ever since. (always planning and deliberately choosing what to watch on tv, or read, etc) i don't get motivated by points in a game but by experiencing adventures, solving puzzles, etc. these things can be valuable (engaging your brain away from work, etc) ironically, the most mindless (that is, not planned and less deliberate) thing i do these days is reading hackernews.
    - galaxyLogic 7y ago
      > reading hackernews. You often find enlightening and inspiring and educational comments here, also entertaining ones :-)
      - em-bee 7y ago
        oh sure, i would not be here otherwise. mindless doesn't refer to the content but to the approach of reading, as in not paying attention to how much time is spent here, and letting it turn into that pathological behavior that the poster above is concerned about. and i am not the only one. there is a reason why there is a feature to limit your time here :-) got to keep an eye on that.

em-bee 7y ago

why do we read fiction books? they are just as virtual as exploring the EVE universe (or playing any computer game) i would add a third dimension: how does the activity enrich my daily life. people watch TV to get informed, entertained or to unwind. if you explore EVE with the goal to get informed, you'll surely waste your time. but if it's entertaining/unwinding, then why not. it's visual fiction.

maximente 7y ago
not a bad line of thought, and covers some of the non pathological cases. but, we know these non-fiction book things are designed to be addictive (ladder climbing/achievement elements for games, timing elements for television, reward intervals for both) and so the pathological case is important to examine. key question then in this case is, imo: to what extent was this driven by pathological vs. non pathological behavior? in my personal case, which is why i have so much regret, is that it was so darn easy to plow more hours in, to the detriment of the rest of my life, due to the design of the game. if it's genuinely not for him, then i agree, not an issue. i would personally consider it exceptional however.
- em-bee 7y ago
  i suppose you mean non-"fiction book" or non-book fiction. took me a moment to read that correctly. i agree. fortunately, for myself, when i made that experience i realized how much of a waste of time it could be, and i paid attention to that ever since. (always planning and deliberately choosing what to watch on tv, or read, etc) i don't get motivated by points in a game but by experiencing adventures, solving puzzles, etc. these things can be valuable (engaging your brain away from work, etc) ironically, the most mindless (that is, not planned and less deliberate) thing i do these days is reading hackernews.
  - galaxyLogic 7y ago
    > reading hackernews. You often find enlightening and inspiring and educational comments here, also entertaining ones :-)
    - em-bee 7y ago
      oh sure, i would not be here otherwise. mindless doesn't refer to the content but to the approach of reading, as in not paying attention to how much time is spent here, and letting it turn into that pathological behavior that the poster above is concerned about. and i am not the only one. there is a reason why there is a feature to limit your time here :-) got to keep an eye on that.