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This is my take as well. I had a few periods when I was spending time trying to get good at chess, but after the initial enthusiasm evaporated, I realized that

This is my take as well. I had a few periods when I was spending time trying to get good at chess, but after the initial enthusiasm evaporated, I realized that it's just a waste of time and energy. You only have a limited amount of peak mental performance per day, why use it for something that has questionable benefits over playing video games or watching Netflix? It's better to use my mental resource to learn and make stuff that has long-term value.

slothtrop 6y ago
Ultimately when it comes to craft, one has to find some value in the work, not just the product which ultimately doesn't matter much. Making trinkets, music or software no one needs is no more valuable than a game. I like the general trend of a push toward creation vs consumption, but a sport/game can have a higher level of engagement and challenge, which is a nice mental workout and also offers social outlets. Add to the fact it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. You can make shit and play games too. There have been similar threads actually about reading, e.g. "don't waste so much time on literature, it's overrated, do other rewarding things". You can extend the argument to anything you want. The question of "value" seems personal.