Do you ever regret spending a lot of time playing games

[FeralTurtle]

The only game I regret spending a lot of time on is Runescape, which is an MMORPG. I have over 21,000 hours logged into that now and I barely play it anymore, aside from checking out new updates here and there.

 

For the most part I did enjoy playing, but the problem with spending all your time on one game is that when you lose interest in it, you either feel like it was a waste of time or force yourself to continue playing in an attempt to convince yourself it wasn't. For the last few years I did the latter until trophy hunting finally weaned me off it.

 

Then there's the game's developers making all the achievements I earned during those hours trivial by introducing overpowered training methods and pay-to-win. For example, I spent several months playing all day every day to reach the experience cap in the Defence skill, but thanks to updates, that can now be done in a two weeks of completely AFK training - one week if you buy bonus experience. So I can't even say I achieved anything worthwhile on it anymore.

 

Now that I'm having so much more fun trophy hunting, it feels like even more of a waste of time. If I had just gotten a PS3 when it was released instead of continuing to play Runescape, I could've experienced hundreds of other games and actually had something to show for it by the end

I also played Runescape heavily for about 4 1/2 years and felt the same exact way. My biggest (and probably only) regret is missing out on a ton of console games because all I would play back then is Runescape. Still, if you think about it it doesn't really matter that much if you had a blast playing that game. I know I did, those memories with the friends I made and playing the game are countless. Experiences like that are unique, especially when the game is alot different now. Anyone who plays Runescape now won't ever able to be enjoy the game the way we did when both the community and the game itself was alot better. Console games get released and they stay there, however, MMORPGs evolve: both the game and the community, so don't feel like your time was wasted, those trophies aren't going anywhere, but times change in the world of an MMORPG. As for getting 99 for a skill (I had 99 Fletching and magic) you can just brag about how you got it to 99 in the older Runescape and look down on the newer scrubs who would dare think a 99 skill in the new RS is an achievement.

[Lillia]

No, why would I?  I'm having fun. 

Buuuut, if I have a test the day after, so yeah, that sucks. 

[savageamusement]

Literally never

[DrHambone]

Hell no.

Video games are passion/hobby for me, so why would I regret any second spent on it?

As long as I'm doing what I love that's all that matters to me.

AMEN!!

[Condemned09]

Nope video games are my life

[LastPisTolman]

Not at all, and never will.

 

I've always had a small amount of jealousy even for people that found World of Warcraft speaking to them so intimately that it becomes their world for the last decade and beyond.

 

Imagine finding the one thing that makes you deliriously happy, and it being so readily available to you.  Millions of people never even come close to that and there are so many consumers of games that experience their dreams every day.

 

It may seem a bit sensationalist, but the only significant thing regarding our existence is the enjoyment of it.  By virtue it is a self serving and self defining thing. If you enjoy games, more power to you and don't shoulder any regret.  Society has a habit of trying to railroad everybody down the same "normal" path, and whereas it isn't as in season as it once was, degrade things seen as niche.  To find your calling is not something to be scoffed at.

 

My passion for games goes so far that if I won the lottery, the only thing that would change is that I build a monolithic library of as many games as I could source and have my home basically be a tomb of everything gaming - with my days filled with playing games and going to the gym to stop my muscles atrophying.  Having not to work would definitely help me in clearing my backlog - maybe after a decade I'll come close.

 

I'd even go so far as I regret stopping playing games at certain points in my life.  Final Fantasy XI, with all things considered, was probably the most consistently enjoyable period in my life.  It didn't reach peak enjoyment, but the average enjoyment was the best.  But being young, I thought having a girlfriend was the most important thing in the world and I quit the game and spent two years with her.  

 

She wasn't for me - so what of the time I spent with her?  I definitely didn't enjoy her company as much as I did with the group of people that I obviously had more in common with that I befriended ingame.  I look back very fondly of that game, but I allowed pressures of society to force me out of it.

 

It may be for the best, and has cemented it as spectacular rather than fizzling out to great and the eventually done with.

 

Not sure what my missus would say to my life plan, but I'm sure she could amuse herself with infinite spa treatments.  Would certainly make for a modest existence I strive for.

Edited January 20, 2016 by LastPisTolman

[DistantFox]

Nope, I've never felt any regret. I don't have any social skills, and nothing else to do. So video games are probably the best things to me :/

[30 Year Old Boomer]

Nope. Gaming is a hobby that I enjoy so why would I regret it?

[LadyTonberry]

Nope, I've loved every second and I've met some amazing people thanks to them

[thepeaguy83]

I think playing too much video games is detrimental to your health if you don't exercise moderately. I try to balance both now.

[Hoshi]

I regret not having enough time to get through the games I want to. Why would I regret playing them? It's an enjoyable past-time and helps me unwind, 'specially after work. I've noticed just a little bit right before bed is a great way to calm down.

 

Time wasted having fun is time not wasted. Everyone needs recreation, no matter how they go about it.

[Senbon Kaguya]

If a game ends up eating hundreds of my hours, then it is a fantastic game and I don't regret every second of it.

[thegirlruka]

Not at all, and never will.

 

I've always had a small amount of jealousy even for people that found World of Warcraft speaking to them so intimately that it becomes their world for the last decade and beyond.

 

Imagine finding the one thing that makes you deliriously happy, and it being so readily available to you.  Millions of people never even come close to that and there are so many consumers of games that experience their dreams every day.

 

It may seem a bit sensationalist, but the only significant thing regarding our existence is the enjoyment of it.  By virtue it is a self serving and self defining thing. If you enjoy games, more power to you and don't shoulder any regret.  Society has a habit of trying to railroad everybody down the same "normal" path, and whereas it isn't as in season as it once was, degrade things seen as niche.  To find your calling is not something to be scoffed at.

Idk... heroin is pretty readily available in my area and I've heard it makes people deliriously happy. I wouldn't advise it though because even though it can make you feel good, it's pretty bad for you.

Edited January 23, 2016 by kuuhaku

[ab4h4r4k1]

Not at all, mostly because I make a good use of my time between playing, reading a book, watching anime/series and regular life (working, sleeping, etc).

There are worse things that I could regret doing, but gaming is and will not be one of them.

[Izzy-_Splash]

I've spent 100's of hours on some single games like GTA V and COD BO2 just for fun, even though I would stay up till 3am or 4am on school nights I regret nothing especially if I stay up late trying to get a Platinum trophy even though I don't have a lot.

 

[Superstarmaste1r]

Even though I have my first job on working with some days plus school, as long your life is fun I don't think it is a waste of time at all where I like playing video games as a hobby and I honestly don't care of how in some parts my family sometimes say do something else where at least my majority of the fun after some hard work with dealing with people who are nice or annoying as hell where without trying to not forgetting about them or somewhat, my free time is long enough to either play video games all day except if I don't work really which us understandable or sleep and chill.

[geenjay3]

Kind of regret the time I spent on games like Sim City; spending countless hours building cities only to get bored and then start all over again.  That's PC gaming though which is something I no longer do.

Edited February 1, 2016 by geenjay3

[Shaowsintzu]

Yes I've felt like I wasted time whenever I replay games all over again when there are so many games i could be playing in my backlog of games I haven't played yet that needs to be played but it doesn't feel like an entire waste as a 2nd play through of a game can offer me a different perspective on whether or not I truly enjoy that game or not when I look back at the games I've played, many games have brought me joy and entertainment and reminded me of the early days of when i started gaming, I grow extremely thankful for the people that make these games and the characters they've created that have struck emotional cord with me. Online Multiple and local split-screen are a true blessing as its a reminder that games are alway a good time with friends, family and sometimes randoms you run into in matchmaking, it also has expanded my creativity, I once use to have an immense imagination at one point with solid and free flowing ideas but those have stopped coming to mind and now it seems to be growing again with the influence of all the games I've been playing lately I'm glad to get that back and it's been a longtime since I had an a bevy of creative ideas and that's the beauty I see in the time I've spent with video games but Hey what about Movies and TV Shows I believe they can also be deemed a waste of time as well, I wish I could get a some hours back from a few Flims and TV Shows I've Watched in past.

 nice topic y6ner, Thank You!

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Shaowsintzu

[HandsomeVenom]

Sometimes yeah, but then I realize I don't have a social life to begin with in the first place. Then I get judgemental stares and comments for playing video games all day... that adds on to the regret.

[jman217]

Well, given the fact that the town I grew up in had two options of entertainment, which was either get wasted and risk alcohol poisoning or a DUI, or dabble in some meth and scratch you face off or something. I was quite content with my video games, and they've since prevented me from committing any major felonies. So, do I regret it? Not one bit.

[SilkyJay86]

yeah, but I also regret the amount of time it takes me to take a dump on average and to braid my dingleberries.  As well all the time I've spent taking in commercials and every moment in which I've heard the word yolo, swag, or a seen a hashtag used seriously.   I also regret leaving that party last year when I sharted, instead of just tucking my jeans into my socks.

Edited March 1, 2016 by SilkyJay86

[Mayhem91032]

Sometimes i do ,but not really. Besides i don't play videogames that often these days ,maybe around 2-5 hours a day .

[AJ_Radio]

On 1/19/2016 at 4:18 AM, Shadiochao said:

The only game I regret spending a lot of time on is Runescape, which is an MMORPG. I have over 21,000 hours logged into that now and I barely play it anymore, aside from checking out new updates here and there.

 

For the most part I did enjoy playing, but the problem with spending all your time on one game is that when you lose interest in it, you either feel like it was a waste of time or force yourself to continue playing in an attempt to convince yourself it wasn't. For the last few years I did the latter until trophy hunting finally weaned me off it.

 

Then there's the game's developers making all the achievements I earned during those hours trivial by introducing overpowered training methods and pay-to-win. For example, I spent several months playing all day every day to reach the experience cap in the Defence skill, but thanks to updates, that can now be done in a two weeks of completely AFK training - one week if you buy bonus experience. So I can't even say I achieved anything worthwhile on it anymore.

 

Now that I'm having so much more fun trophy hunting, it feels like even more of a waste of time. If I had just gotten a PS3 when it was released instead of continuing to play Runescape, I could've experienced hundreds of other games and actually had something to show for it by the end

 

This +1000 times.

 

I have probably spent over 365 days playing Runescape, or at least 8760 hours on it. I loved the hell out of this game back in 2002 - 2006, when it was actually worth going for a level 99 skill, since it took many dozens if not hundreds of hours to get.

 

Getting 99 in all Combat skills back in the day was no small feat. Anybody who remembers Classic (2001 - 2004) or early RS2 (2004 - 2006) knew that finishing such a task was going to require a LOT of willpower. If you did have all combat skills to 99 you were in the top 100 in the rankings. Back when Runescape had many thousands of players, that was a true accomplishment.

 

It was so much fun playing this game when you didn't have Achievement Diaries or Skill Capes, because people didn't feel a need to train constantly in order to enjoy the game. Grinding is what Runescape is about, but there is a difference between being the Hardcore player trying to make the list of Most XP Earned in a Day to just casually training your stats to a high level.

 

I missed out on a lot of Playstation 3 titles because of World of Warcraft and Runescape. Definitely would of started years earlier and had a more built up trophy count. While I did enjoy Runescape, I just cannot get into anymore. I of course am talking about Old School Runescape, because that pile of shit they call Runescape 3 isn't really Runescape anymore.

 

2002 - 2007 was definitely the era for Runescape. God I miss the old community.

[Bloodytears1666]

I regret I had social life before, with each day. No.

[RevengeancePrime]

I regret it when I spend hours grinding for a trophy for any game because it's pointless. I also regret wasting time on half the games I've played because I could have been doing something far more productive.