Something I realised after atching a few videos from Josh Strife Hayes is that the world is slowly turning into a place in which if you are not doing something productive or of benefit to yourself then many do not see the point of it and think lesser of you if you decide to dedicate yourself to something in that category. As you might imagine video games are included within that view and yet there has been an increasing trend to monetize gaming to the point that ‘pay-to-earn’ games are becoming a serious idea and that very notion scares me.
In your day there should be two parts, a productive part and a fun part. Being productive is important and is needed for continued growth and happiness in life. This can be something as simple as going to your 9-5 job or selling things that you create. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s how the world works and you will feel better knowing that you are doing something like that to benefit not just yourself but the world around you. Then there is the fun part, this is when you are allowed to be selfish and just enjoy your time on this earth. It can be something like going out with friends, seeing a movie, painting a minifigure or, yes, playing video games. Such notions of having these things be a productive part of your day will lead to only having a singular part of your life as burnout is very much a thing and if you’re not having fun and simply doing something for the sake of work then what kind of existence is that?
Gaming is unfortunately one of the biggest culprits of getting caught up in this idea. Cryptocurrency is still on the rise and many companies are seeking to take control of your gaming life by implimenting those systems into the games you play in order for it to feel like a daily grind or job to be productive for you. For myself I couldn’t care less about which crypto scam is the latest trend and I want it to have nothing to do with gaming and when enthusiasts of such systems tell me that I’m an unproductive member of society or that I simply don’t get adding virtual bank systems into my video games then they are objectively wrong. I like playing games to have fun, not to advance myself in life. Gaming is an art form and the moment you start taking that art form and focusing it purely on money then you will lose sight of what makes it special.
So when someone tells you that you are an unproductive member of society or that you’re ‘too childish’ just for playing and enjoying video games in your spare time be sure to tell them this. Jobs are the thing that keeps us alive on this world, Hobbies are what makes life worth living for. If you do nothing but work or be productive then what point do you have living on this earth that couldn’t be replaced by a more efficient machine?
That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.