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Why is it toxic? Throwing all your time into frivolous activity like video games is what I would say is toxic. This individual has been averaging 40 hours a wee

Why is it toxic? Throwing all your time into frivolous activity like video games is what I would say is toxic. This individual has been averaging 40 hours a week on this game since it was released. In fact, building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity. Rather, it improves and adds value to your life.

amanaplanacanal 4y ago
I guess that depends on exactly what it is that you value. I would ask: are you happy? If you are, then you are doing it right. If you aren't, then do something different.
haswell 4y ago
If you value health and fitness, and then spend 4-6 hours/day exercising, despite the possibility of still gaining the primary benefits of exercise without spending so much time, how is this any different? Aside from the health benefits, fitness enthusiasts do it for the community, the feeling of accomplishment, the personal satisfaction, and in some cases, literal addiction. Those four hours/day on a bicycle don't seem inherently more valuable than three hours on a game and one hour on a bicycle. But someone spending four hours on the bicycle will be held above the person spending three hours on a game. Why? The two activities can be strikingly similar in some ways (aside from the fitness outcome). - Spending time riding/playing with other cyclists/gamers (community) - Spending time riding alone (solitude) - A sense of personal satisfaction at certain achievements (e.g. riding a century, or unlocking a rare achievement) But aside from the personal fitness gained, spending an three extra hours on a bike doesn't seem intrinsically any more valuable than spending those same three hours on RDR2, if they're bringing the individual a sense of satisfaction. I do think that this is all about balance, and as others have pointed out, addictions come in many shapes and sizes. I know people who are absolutely fitness addicts. > building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity Values are personal, and usefulness is contextual. I know plenty of people who have successful careers, make good money, and then sink inordinate amounts of time into their hobbies, some of which might not look valuable depending on your perspective. For such individuals, it's unclear why they must necessarily spend time learning more skills, and why that is valuable when the bases are already covered. Exercising seems like the opposite of toxicity, but anything can become toxic if taken to an extreme.
odessacubbage 4y ago
most people spend their leisure time browsing mindless content on aggregators or netflix. this guy just really likes being a cowboy. >building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity eh, there's a limit. i spent past 10 years pretty much solely focused on gaining skills & career advancement and my one of my biggest regrets is not playing more vidya. i personally think work addiction is a bigger unspoken problem in society than game addiction. it certainly was for me.
smileybarry 4y ago
Why is a fun activity toxic? Do you just avoid TV/movies too since they don't result in a valuable set of useful skills? You don't have to be productive 24/7, you don't need a value justification for everything you do, and you don't need every expense (whether money or time) to result in a net positive cashflow or whatever.

amanaplanacanal 4y ago

I guess that depends on exactly what it is that you value. I would ask: are you happy? If you are, then you are doing it right. If you aren't, then do something different.

haswell 4y ago

If you value health and fitness, and then spend 4-6 hours/day exercising, despite the possibility of still gaining the primary benefits of exercise without spending so much time, how is this any different? Aside from the health benefits, fitness enthusiasts do it for the community, the feeling of accomplishment, the personal satisfaction, and in some cases, literal addiction. Those four hours/day on a bicycle don't seem inherently more valuable than three hours on a game and one hour on a bicycle. But someone spending four hours on the bicycle will be held above the person spending three hours on a game. Why? The two activities can be strikingly similar in some ways (aside from the fitness outcome). - Spending time riding/playing with other cyclists/gamers (community) - Spending time riding alone (solitude) - A sense of personal satisfaction at certain achievements (e.g. riding a century, or unlocking a rare achievement) But aside from the personal fitness gained, spending an three extra hours on a bike doesn't seem intrinsically any more valuable than spending those same three hours on RDR2, if they're bringing the individual a sense of satisfaction. I do think that this is all about balance, and as others have pointed out, addictions come in many shapes and sizes. I know people who are absolutely fitness addicts. > building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity Values are personal, and usefulness is contextual. I know plenty of people who have successful careers, make good money, and then sink inordinate amounts of time into their hobbies, some of which might not look valuable depending on your perspective. For such individuals, it's unclear why they must necessarily spend time learning more skills, and why that is valuable when the bases are already covered. Exercising seems like the opposite of toxicity, but anything can become toxic if taken to an extreme.

odessacubbage 4y ago

most people spend their leisure time browsing mindless content on aggregators or netflix. this guy just really likes being a cowboy. >building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity eh, there's a limit. i spent past 10 years pretty much solely focused on gaining skills & career advancement and my one of my biggest regrets is not playing more vidya. i personally think work addiction is a bigger unspoken problem in society than game addiction. it certainly was for me.

smileybarry 4y ago

Why is a fun activity toxic? Do you just avoid TV/movies too since they don't result in a valuable set of useful skills? You don't have to be productive 24/7, you don't need a value justification for everything you do, and you don't need every expense (whether money or time) to result in a net positive cashflow or whatever.