Avoiding the game
I used to online game a lot. A real lot. My games of choice were FPS and I started on Ghost Recon 1 and through to 3, then moved to Battlefield. Once upon a time, I was pretty decent too and ranked highly on stat pages.
The amount of time spent playing was very high in my opinion and for 10 years I must hav clocked 2 or 3 professional careers worth. Funny to think that a specialist doctor spends less time getting their degree and residency.
Though with all that time spent, what did I actually get out of it? Yep, I ranked highly in stats pages, but no one knew who I was or cared about it if they did know me. I really don't have anything to show for all that time "invested".
After I broke up with my ex, I essentially went cold turkey and stopped playing. Instead, I went out and learned to dance better and date better. It was a lot of fun and I met my wife at a dance event. I have only put a fraction of the time I had played games into learning to dance, but the rewards were much better.
I wonder sometimes with how many people that play games, what else they could be doing that would bring them more value to their life. It is their life of course and they can choose as they please, but I wonder if we could see an alternative outcome as to how we spend our time, would we choose differently.
Would you keep gaming if you discovered that the person or career of your dreams was the cost?
I think the dopamine hit we get from playing makes it appear more important than it actually is, and more enjoyable. I reckon that if we had jobs and we're surrounded by great people, we wouldn't feel the same urge to bury ourselves into gaming.
I guess we all need some form of entertainment, but I wonder if there should be a better return for the time spent being entertained, considering it is taking time away from something that might carry a great deal more value.
For over three years, Steem has been my entertainment, my outlet, my investment and my therapist. I think regardless of price, the time spent here has been far more rewatding than my gaming experience. This is probably why I have spent on average, far more time writing than I ever did gaming.
There are lots of fun ways to spend time in avoidance, there are also lots of fun ways to spend time participating. Some carty higher costs than others, some carry gains also.
Are you playing, or avoiding?
Perhaps a better balance is needed between the two.
Taraz
[ an original ]
Good Morning @tarazkp
I hope this finds you and your family in good health and good spirits.
I just read your post with my morning tea. I use to game a lot also. It started as something I only did with my son for fun because he was into it. Then when I started working away from home I did it during my downtime. Many hours were thus consumed in hotels. But I just decided one day to use that time for part time work or reading and now I game very rarely. I write a good portion of that time now and read. I think I alternate between sometimes working a second job and earning and other times reading, writing and learning.
I think the link or comparison you draw between Steemit and gaming is valid. I think Steemit supplies some of the same dopamine rewards as Facebook or gaming, but on a much much smaller scale as your labors here take much much longer to bear fruit. The rewards here are also much more sporadic. I think what I learned in college psychology class suggests that ironically intermittent reward behavior is much stronger and addictive then consistent reward behaviors.
Ironic isn’t it, that if you reward people consistently and then stop for a couple cycles they stop the behavior quickly. But if you reward them intermittently and randomly they persist in the reward seeking behavior much longer.
Humans are an interesting species indeed.
You have a good day, I know times are tough, but I keep counting my blessings first each day now and it keeps me grateful and happy.
✍️ Shortsegments.
P.S.
If I keep writing such long comments I may have to change my name. 😂🤣😅
yes, but I think that the monetary reward is a greater hit than gaming or FB
I can believe this. I call it the lottery effect. =)
@longpassages ?
well, you can make a career in gaming now as well but like in anything else only the top players really make money. And the blockchain seems to be providing opportunities as well, I have 5 decks of splinterlands accounts that are being played by others and is providing them with a nice (extra) income (most of the players are from Venezuela)
But I do agree that learning a skill or something social (not right now though because social distancing tango is really hard) is better for most people
And there are something like 2 billion others in the pool.
it is more fun and adds life values that can't be had from behind a screen.
How are you coping with the social distancing?
well, we live in a small city in the mountains so its not that bad here. And especially for us its not either since all our family and most of our friends live far away and we are used to "skyping".
We have our dog and take long walks.
How is Finland?
Did you see that haejin is back?