Adulting & Gaming - Can They Coexist?

I have been playing video games since the 80s. My first video game was Pac-Man. Donkey Kong was a favorite at the arcade when I was about 8. Video games have been in my life in one way or another for the better part of the past 45 years I’ve been on this planet.

Music, Movies, and other forms of entertainment have also always been a huge part of my life. In fact, for most of my childhood entertainment played a big part in my survival.

In my adult years, I worked and went to college. I partied hard and stayed up late in my 20’s. I became a mother, and a wife, and did everything I could to take care of my family.

Adulting - like everything else in life - isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Some adults work two-three jobs while others don’t or can’t work. We often refer to adulting as the things we do that we don’t want or like to do. Like work and paying bills.

That’s not all that adulthood is though. I became a legal adult at age 18. I worked and went to school, busting my ass for a society that could really care less about me. I was no one. I did it anyway because I had to eat and keep a roof over my head.

I also partied in my early 20’s. I felt I earned it. I worked hard all week ADULTING so yeah, going out to a club on a Friday night and getting wasted was a thing I did to leave the stress and pressure of the week behind.

As I got older, my hobbies changed many times. Gaming became more and more of a hobby over the years and now gaming is my favorite way to kill time, have fun, and relieve a lot of stress.

Gaming also helps me express my creativity. I record my gaming, mod a few games, and create videos of different sorts - from music videos to Let’s Plays - Gaming is pretty central to my life these days.

It’s not everything. I have adulting to do, after all, but it's a pretty important part of my life.

So why is it that other adults think they can “diagnose” me with depression if I play more than 4 hours?

To be fair, these adults are total strangers on the internet and they aren’t talking to me personally, so they don’t have any bearing on my life whatsoever. However, I saw someone talk about this on Twitter a few weeks ago (mind you, this wasn’t a professional Psychologist or anything) and there was this whole conversation around Adults and gaming.

Most of the people responding to the post were in agreement that adults shouldn’t spend their time playing video games because, for whatever reason, they seemed to think gaming either leads to depression or is a sign of depression.

Also pointing out that none of them are gamers, which also plays to their own bias.

I do not understand this mentality at all. Gaming is just another hobby. Maybe it has to do with sitting inside all day and not getting any activity. Then again, some people sit inside all day putting puzzles together, reading books, or even watching TV.

What makes gaming so different? Years ago, I may have agreed with this. I was pretty depressed when I started really getting into gaming. I will take this moment to mention that depression has been with me my whole life. I just mean as an adult when I was about 25 or 26.

I was a new mom, going to school full-time, working part-time, and married. When I had free time, I spent it gaming. When I first started on my journey of healing from past trauma, gaming helped me a great deal.

Did I spend too much time gaming? At times, yes. I also had someone there to pull me back when it got to be too much and I NEVER forgot to do the “adult” things.

I understand where this sentiment is coming from though. Most of the time it's us adults noticing our kids gaming too much and maybe struggling with some mental health issues.

The problem lies in that society seems to have a certain - RIGID - ideal of what adulthood is supposed to look like. That once you become an adult, it’s all about responsibilities. All work and no play - especially here in the U.S.

Yet, everyone is okay with going fishing for an entire day out on the lake. It’s a totally boring hobby for me but others seem to really enjoy it. Others like to work on their cars or decorate their homes or collect stamps.

Many different people have many different hobbies. At the end of the day, Gaming is no different. I guess if there is a difference, it’s that gaming is an indoor activity while many others are outdoors.

Gaming is not the ONLY indoor activity though, as I already pointed out. And nowadays, people can even take their games with them wherever they go. So they could enjoy a nice day at the park while playing their favorite video game on their phone or other portable devices.

So, with that logic, it’s not different.

We, adults, are capable of enjoying our hobbies, including gaming. I love gaming. It is a solace for me. It is a way for me to get creative and expand my gaming experiences through videos, pictures, and even writing.

I think there are people out there that are depressed and may spend too much time gaming but here’s the thing: A depressed person can spend too much time on anything. They can spend too much time sleeping or eating or watching TV.

Gaming doesn’t mean a person is depressed.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all thing. Why do we, as a society, insist on pigeonholing groups of people and trying to force everyone into a box?

That’s now how we humans operate. No two depressed people are going to behave in the same way and do the same thing for long periods of time.

Why?

Because NO TWO HUMANS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!!

We really need to stop forcing each other into a robotic type of existence.

Gaming is fun. Gaming is stress relieving and yes, Gaming can even help a depressed person escape their problems for a little while.

But just because some adults play games for say, a whole day ( I rarely get that opportunity but it does happen), doesn’t mean they’re depressed. They could just be enjoying their favorite hobby.

Thanks so much for reading!