GRcade

There's an interesting side discussion in the best value console topic that some people feel guilty about taking time doing a hobby they enjoy so I thought it may be interesting to see how widespread this is?
Obviously if you're having to look after a baby there's a reason that you don't have time for hobbies but apart from that I really don't see why anyone should be made to feel guilty for wanting to spend time either playing a computer game, reading or any hobby.

I find it very odd that simply wanting to spend some time doing something you enjoy is seen as selfish as long as you're not completely neglecting the family. I see many people who are forced into giving up hobbies they love by partners simply because they say it's frivolous or childish and then those same partners expect them to watch gooseberry fool like Eastenders with them or some bollocks.

So, do you feel guilty for wanting time to relax?

If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

Peter Crisp wrote:

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

Unless you're doing it as a profession, yeah

Hexx wrote:

Peter Crisp wrote:

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

Unless you're doing it as a profession, yeah

Does it become a sport if enough people are involved?

I never feel guilty for soing my hobbies unless I'm meant to be doing something else, but I do feel guilty not doing my hobbies when I have the time to be doing them

Peter Crisp wrote:

Hexx wrote:

Peter Crisp wrote:

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

Unless you're doing it as a profession, yeah

Does it become a sport if enough people are involved?

Only if one side loses

Peter Crisp wrote:

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

It's like stamp collecting but with more licking.

Generally - no, not at all. But it does depend on lots of other factors.

If there is something more important that I should be doing - if I'm indulging a hobby as a form of procrastination when I should be working or engaged in something of more tangible "benefit" then obviously I would feel some guilt.

If it's resulting in me neglecting other aspects of my life to a certain extent - family, friendships, personal development etc. then again I would start to feel a bit guilty.

If I've stayed up far in to the night playing a game to the point where I know it is going to have a negative impact on my next day - being tired or moody as a result for example, then again I would feel some guilt about it.

In none of these situations would I say that stops me having enjoyed the activity, and it is in no way an overwhelming feeling of guilt. But I don't think feeling a pang of regret at these sorts of things is "wrong" as such. There is generally a valid reason why our bodies/minds make us feel that way and we should probably pay it a certain amount of heed!

Reminds me of this bit from Peep Show. Gaming Guilt by Mark Corrigan, a tale in 9 GIFs:

Most of the people who have given me grief for playing video games watch hours and hours of telly it's funny how they can view two similar pass times so differently.

Hexx wrote:

Peter Crisp wrote:

Hexx wrote:

Peter Crisp wrote:

Moggy wrote:If it is something you enjoy that doesn’t hurt anybody else, why would you feel guilty?

One of my wife’s workmates has said before that she wouldn’t stay with a partner who plays video games. She says things like “oh I don’t know how you put up with that!”, even though her husband plays golf all the time. And she is almost certainly banging her boss at the moment.

Does sex count as a hobby?

Unless you're doing it as a profession, yeah

Does it become a sport if enough people are involved?

Only if one side loses

Oh well. I wasn't expecting it at the Olympics anyway. I guess we'll just have to continue to just rely on beach volleyball for the sexy component.

kerr9000 wrote:Most of the people who have given me grief for playing video games watch hours and hours of telly it's funny how they can view two similar pass times so differently.

This is what I find most interesting. The same people who will happily watch hours and hours of soaps then complain that a partner is using that time to do something arguably better with it.

I don't feel guilty at all.

kerr9000 wrote:Most of the people who have given me grief for playing video games watch hours and hours of telly it's funny how they can view two similar pass times so differently.

I had to bite my tongue around a former colleague of mine who would regularly tell me I needed to get out more at the mere mention of video games before regaling me with all the bollocks she'd watched on TV during the past week.

Jenuall wrote:Reminds me of this bit from Peep Show. Gaming Guilt by Mark Corrigan, a tale in 9 GIFs:

Thank you Peep Show for articulating my own thoughts better than I ever could!

Just to confirm from the previous thread, I don't feel guilty if I somehow manage to spend eight hours on a game when I'm completely alone. There are just so many other things I would have liked to have done at the same time but I'm only one man with an average amount of limbs and I can only indulge in a small percentage of the activities I would like to in the time I have in this world.

Also, Mark winning the war for the nazis Peep Show

I don't feel guilty about my main hobby - Airsofting - but there is a large element of shame, or embarrassment about it.

I'm not really allowed to do much of it in my spare time at home (Fiddling with my guns, and gear) because the wife doesn't like the kids to see or know about it at all because she doesn't want them to "Get into guns".
And of course, talking about it outside of airsoft circles can end up being quite embarrassing .

• "So you dress up like army men and play toy guns in the woods?"
• "Pretty much yeah, and in old buildings and that"
• "Why don't you just play paintball?"
• "Paintball guns aren't as cool, really, I suppose thats why"

But I've always loved it, and not going to stop loving it just because people think it's gay

I must say I find the fetishisation of guns that seems to go along with airsoft extremely disturbing, but as long as it's not affecting your everyday life, fire ahead.

For me - yes, absolutely I feel guilty when I play videogames or spend time doing things that aren't a job, because there is always something productive that I should be doing. Marking essays, preparing classes, writing up articles/book or a conference speech, etc all have to be done in my spare time, outside of the full time job I do. So really, I shouldn't even be on here right now.

I do worry that I spend too much time playing games or streaming when I should be spending time with my wife instead, so I try to find a good balance.

But when she's not around all bets are off.

Some guilt about feeling we should be doing things that are in some way more important or valuable is reasonable I think, there usually is something of greater value that most people could be doing with their time than a hobby, but ultimately like most of life it's a delicate balance.

Enjoyment and downtime are hugely important for our health and emotional well being, most hobbies provide elements of mental and physical development that improve us in some way, they offer opportunities to learn new things, allow us to interact with others and offer social opportunities etc.

kerr9000 wrote:Most of the people who have given me grief for playing video games watch hours and hours of telly it's funny how they can view two similar pass times so differently.

I think its because a lot of non gamers still see gaming as something exclusively for kids, they don't realize that there's loads of game's that are squarely aimed at adults.