Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Is Your Hobby Worthwhile?

My brother-in-law from Canada visited the other weekend and asked me if I still "played". I had to answer "no" because I have other things in my life that I am concentrating on. Such as ending bad habits, starting to form a plan for a counseling private practice, and spending time with the children.

What was he referring to? World of Warcraft (of course!). We started gaming together over Christmas break in 2008. We joined the same guild, a group of people who unite to meet goals, and enjoyed the game together. He still plays periodically while I have had to walk away.

Online games such as World of Warcraft use operant conditioning in order to motivate players. That is, players will earn rewards rather quickly in the beginning, which results in continued play. Starting out in the game these rewards are typically levels and gear for players' avatars. Over time the rewards take more time and in some cases skill to earn. This is evidenced by end game content that takes several hours to complete. Players usually experience a period of burnout in which the effort that it takes to earn rewards becomes too costly.

Players, such as my brother-in-law, often consider video games a hobby. Video games have become more engaging in recent years and now require several hours in order to complete. I have heard people say that a game was "short" because it only required 6-10 hours of gameplay to complete. Ironically, after such an investment there is nothing tangible produced.

When we invest time it should be in worthwhile endeavors that produce something in our lives. Wether it be a finished product, such as a gourmet meal, a table, or knowledge, these activities leave us with a sense of enrichment. Such activities make our lives more worthwhile.
All of us need down time. However, we should be wary that not all of our free time is spent in activities that do not create anything. All of us could do better to focus on enrichment and self-growth. Doing so would increase our own well-being. So, is your hobby worthwhile? Do you gain an increased sense of self-worth? Is there something produced internally or externally? Does it bring enjoyment for its own sake? Can you share the fruits of your hobby with someone else?
Just something to think about.
No one but other World of Warcraft players cared that I have a level 80 character. It was not something that I could share with someone and the knowledge of how to play the game did not help me grow as an individual.

Next week I will begin a series on preparing for the holidays with less stress!
For more information on motivations of online gamers see the Daedalus Project.

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