Video Game Addiction and Good Uses of Time

Gaming Addiction

There has been a lot of news about The World Health Organization's classification of excessive video gaming being an addiction or disorder.  Some of the links that I provide also give responses to the studies, saying that it is premature or that the research done on the subject is poor, so I am hesitant to believe the studies.  My goal here, however, is not to argue for or against the studies, but to talk about the thoughts this kind of study brought up in my mind when I heard about it.  Namely, I want to talk about video games and wise use of our time.  I will do this by talking about my own experience playing games.  This is mostly a personal story, but I hope it will be helpful to readers as well.

Time Well Spent

Here's a picture from my Steam account

This is showing the total number of hours that I have put into this game.  739 hours is roughly equivalent to a month of my life spent playing this game.  This doesn't necessarily mean that the World Health Organization's criteria for what count as video game addiction apply to me.  I do not neglect work or friendships because of video games, I do not spend several hours a day playing video games, and I have not experienced "withdrawal symptoms" when I get off of them.  These 739 hours are also spread out over a two or two and a half year span of time.

Despite this, I think it is clear that playing this game was not the best use of all of those 739 hours.  I can't help but imagine how I could have spent all of that time.  Imagine the kind of skill or strength I could have developed if I had spent 739 hours practicing something or exercising.  Imagine the expertise I could have in an academic subject if I would have spent those 739 hours reading and studying that subject.  Imagine the kind of job I could have if some of that time went to working towards a career.  There are things I could have done that wouldn't have just been beneficial or edifying for me, but also helpful for others as well.  Studying a particular subject can help make me a better apologist, making me more able to bless others by teaching.  I also could have spent a lot of that time volunteering for a charitable organization that helps people.  When I think back at the time I spent playing this game, I can't help but wonder what might be true of me now if I didn't use all of that time playing this game.

This doesn't mean that I think it is always bad to play video games.  There is nothing necessarily immoral about entertainment.  Video games also don't strike me as any more of a time waster than binge watching a T.V. show or spending a Saturday on a Lord of the Rings or Marvel movie marathon.  Despite this, I think a guy like me can learn how to exercise more wisdom in how he uses his time.

I strongly suspect that what is true of me is also true of others.  What do you think?  Do you feel the same as I do, or are you better at balancing entertainment with more productive uses of time?