When I was little I used to spend a lot of my time playing video games. Pokemon and Runescape were probably the two biggest time sinks of my childhood. My parents would often prevent me from playing too much because they felt like it was a waste of time. Time that would have been better spent reading or being productive in general. Thinking back on it, it seems like a waste of time from the perspective of college student. If I spent half as much time playing games today as I did back then I’d probably be struggling through my classes far more. As a child however, I think there was some value in spending so much time in those games. Video games can be challenging, and by learning to overcome obstacles and challenges, I think I really developed a habit of not giving up on something I really want. Learning a value like perseverance is something that is essential to everyday life.
I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to say that video games are a waste of time, or that they’ll rot your brain. Spending time enjoying myself and learning the value of perseverance is something that I think was time well spent.
