You are lucky. I don't watch tv/play video games, but also don't do side projects. Even if I wanted I couldn't stand staring at a monitor at 10 in the evening

You are lucky. I don't watch tv/play video games, but also don't do side projects. Even if I wanted I couldn't stand staring at a monitor at 10 in the evening to write code. (but to be fair, I also value other things in my life more than my job/money, so I probably 'waste' my time on other things, but I still don't agree with side project hiring. I did a lot of hiring, and I prefer employees that have a balanced life and way of living) (ps: if your hobby is to write code at night, all power to you, but I don't think you should discriminate against people that prefer to watch a show, go surfing or to the gym or just have a beer with friends. A side project doesn't mean anything in terms of your performance at work to be honest)