As an adult player, why did you not "grow out of gaming"?

[dsheinem]

I just finished reading Chasing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost

Such a great book. One of the best on games ever written...

[Stark]

I can't wait for Ian's next effort where he talks about the insecurities of his youth called Bogost in the Shell.

[J T]

Also how to define waste of time ? You could say that any hobby is a waste of time.

Mr. X: "Playing games is a waste of time!"

Me: "What would be a better use of my time?"

Mr. X: "Do some work towards your job! Do something that will make you money!"

Me: "What will I do with that money?"

Mr. X: "Buy yourself something you've always wanted."

Me: "Like a video game? Seems like I could have saved a few steps and just played games to begin with. Who's wasting time now?"

Mr. X is based more on an internal voice in my head rather than an actual person.

[Exhuminator]

I have a similar internal dialogue. Mine goes like this:

Good Guy Shoulder Angel (GGSA): "Hey fucko playing games again I see."

Me: "Yeah so, what's your point?"

GGSA: "You could be doing something actually useful for society."

Me: "I am, I'm playing games instead of being a serial killer."

GGSA: "Seriously Peter Pan, you could be volunteering at a soup kitchen right now, or being a Big Brother, or helping some old lady cross the street. Anything other than playing a hentai game in your underwear."

Me: "Listen up. I do my time. I put in 42 hours a week of taxable income, which benefits social welfare programs. I am in fact, in a roundabout way, helping out the needy. Every week."

GGSA: "Well you could still spend more time with your family."

Me: "Or they could come over here and spend more time with me..."

GGSA: "Turn the stupid game off and read a book. Seriously. You know practically nothing about the Byzantine Empire for just ONE example of your embarrassing ignorance."

Me: "Surely being an expert in the Byzantine Empire will get me far in life."

GGSA: "Like playing with pixel toys is doing for you? I mean yeah, you get by okay. But you could have done so much more with your intellect."

Me: "Oh so now I'm intelligent huh? Glad you realized that."

GGSA: "Okay then prove it jerk, if you spent even 25% of your brain time on something actually important, you might truly accomplish something amazing. I mean, damn dude, YOU might even be the one to finally crack the Voynich manuscript. Or cure cancer. WHO KNOWS because you DON'T EVEN TRY."

Me: "I'll have you know, that I in fact wrote the Voynich manuscript in a past life. I intentionally created it to troll the entire world for generations. It's gibberish. Pure gibberish. The plant pictures were a nice touch, no?"

GGSA: "One day when you're old, and on your death bed, you'll look back at all the years of time you wasted playing video games, and deeply regret it."

Me: "Nah. I'll probably be too busy regretting vomiting all over myself, whilst shitting on my own bed sores, you know, the immediate concerns."

GGSA: "I hate you. Seriously. I hate you."

Bad Guy Shoulder Devil: "Stop listening to that retard and push the tentacle rape button. PUSH THE SHINY BUTTON"

[Anayo]

I have a similar internal dialogue. Mine goes like this:

Good Guy Shoulder Angel (GGSA): "Hey fucko playing games again I see."

Me: "Yeah so, what's your point?"

GGSA: "You could be doing something actually useful for society."

Me: "I am, I'm playing games instead of being a serial killer."

GGSA: "Seriously Peter Pan, you could be volunteering at a soup kitchen right now, or being a Big Brother, or helping some old lady cross the street. Anything other than playing a hentai game in your underwear."

Me: "Listen up. I do my time. I put in 42 hours a week of taxable income, which benefits social welfare programs. I am in fact, in a roundabout way, helping out the needy. Every week."

GGSA: "Well you could still spend more time with your family."

Me: "Or they could come over here and spend more time with me..."

GGSA: "Turn the stupid game off and read a book. Seriously. You know practically nothing about the Byzantine Empire for just ONE example of your embarrassing ignorance."

Me: "Surely being an expert in the Byzantine Empire will get me far in life."

GGSA: "Like playing with pixel toys is doing for you? I mean yeah, you get by okay. But you could have done so much more with your intellect."

Me: "Oh so now I'm intelligent huh? Glad you realized that."

GGSA: "Okay then prove it jerk, if you spent even 25% of your brain time on something actually important, you might truly accomplish something amazing. I mean, damn dude, YOU might even be the one to finally crack the Voynich manuscript. Or cure cancer. WHO KNOWS because you DON'T EVEN TRY."

Me: "I'll have you know, that I in fact wrote the Voynich manuscript in a past life. I intentionally created it to troll the entire world for generations. It's gibberish. Pure gibberish. The plant pictures were a nice touch, no?"

GGSA: "One day when you're old, and on your death bed, you'll look back at all the years of time you wasted playing video games, and deeply regret it."

Me: "Nah. I'll probably be too busy regretting vomiting all over myself, whilst shitting on my own bed sores, you know, the immediate concerns."

GGSA: "I hate you. Seriously. I hate you."

Bad Guy Shoulder Devil: "Stop listening to that retard and push the tentacle rape button. PUSH THE SHINY BUTTON"

[samsonlonghair]

GGSA: "Okay then prove it jerk, if you spent even 25% of your brain time on something actually important, you might truly accomplish something amazing. I mean, damn dude, YOU might even be the one to finally crack the Voynich manuscript. "

This seems like a job for Daniel Jackson.

[Kaneda]

Comedy Gold.