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When I think about what constitutes a waste of time, it's tempting to take the retrospective view. Do I regret playing Brood War after school every day and not doing my homework, getting into fights with my parents, not doing as well as I could in school, limiting my future potential, skipping out on learning other more universally applicable skills? A little bit; it is tempting to get carried away thinking about the "what ifs" of life. Many of those hours were "wasted" in that regard.
But not all of them. During one of those hours, I was registering for a league that introduced me to some lifelong friends, our lives becoming inextricably intertwined by becoming housemates, going to parties in the city, and the millions of positive experiences, connections, and lessons that came as a cascading result of that one hour's investment into StarCraft. Hundreds of those hours were spent posting on TeamLiquid, which got me an under-the-table work-from-home job back in like 2008, which in turn got me a consistent consulting gig that put food on the table and paid a meager rent for years, funding my degenerate lifestyle. More recently, I found another job opportunity through TeamLiquid where some of my StarCraft skills actually do transfer (mostly keyboard + mouse skills but still), and it is the best job I've ever had. I fucking love my job.
None of these things would have happened without StarCraft and the thousands of hours I "wasted" on it. You never know when one of those "wasted" hours turns out to be one which changes your life forever - as long as you invest yourself into it, the community, and keep your mind open to opportunity.
Would I have been better off learning guitar, or studying for exams, or investing myself more heavily into my fitness and participation in team sports when I was younger? Maybe. But it's a waste of time to think about that. What I do know is that StarCraft has given me a wealth of positive, transformative, and irreplaceable experiences and memories. So, it wasn't a waste, to me.
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extreme utilitarianism meant to gaslight labourer/salaryman? dont waste your time thinking about that. just do your own goals avoid comparing to others and focus on improving yourself.
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Technically, everything is a waste of time, as all we do and everything we are will be long forgotten, given enough time. Might as well have some fun while we're here :D
As long as it's fun and/or rewarding in any way, I'd say it isn't a waste. But better to spend your time on something else if you feel you want to prioritize something else, though. As far as I'm concerned, to remove BW entirely from my life, would be to remove a part of what I am.
StarCraft is home. StarCraft is life. StarCraft is a bridge on which new friendships can flourish.
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There is problem with playing the game from time to time. But other hobbies build skills or even potentially potential career paths. Also other hobbies involve exercise which is good for you. Going super hard on starcraft like people in the community advise is honestly bad for your mental and physical health. Almost everyone I see that really commits to starcraft accomplishes absolutely nothing and is incredibly hard on themselves and others, holding an very high standard.
So no, I do not think playing the game like a normal game or hobby has any problems. But really committing to the game like many people in here do, I think is an awful waste of time and youll get more fulfillment from doing almost anything else.
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To answer that question, you must answer what the purpose of (your) life is, and then compare that to StarCraft. Does StarCraft contribute to or fulfil that purpose?
I'll get you started with two relevant questions.
1: Is art, or beauty in general (beholding beauty, creating beauty, becoming beautiful), a waste of time? 2: If not, then is StarCraft beautiful?
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On May 01 2023 23:18 vOdToasT wrote:
1: Is art, or beauty in general (beholding beauty, creating beauty, becoming beautiful), a waste of time? 2: If not, then is StarCraft beautiful?
1) no 2) yes
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