Video Games have become pretty efficient at activating the joy parts of the brain that brings players back for more. The sudden rush of energy at that height of a tense skirmish or finally solving that challenge that has kept the player stumped for weeks is a thrill that can be repeated through constant replay. The hard part between Video Games as a hobby and more physical activities is the social aspect. More general hobbies involve use of mind, energy, and will to see something created while Video Games set all of that up already so there is less activity required to start it.

Too much of anything is bad though, even hobbies but they have their place in life and are of course good in moderation. > This is what makes me nervous for the arrival of more artificial intelligence and virtual realities.

We are going to see more and more people, large percentages of populations, dedicating their lives to the online world, where there is no place for reality, and people will refuse to take off the headsets and participate in life.

Ready Player One is a good case study of this. Generative A.I. appears to have hit a wall with its creative integrity ATM so we will see what happens and if the players accept what is given to them.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and personal experiences. I've had some rough experiences interacting with more dedicated players during a social event and have even lost some friends over a, to me, minor dispute in-game but how they perceive the game and how I perceive its value are not the same.