# I gave up on video games. What should I peruse? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681 "2014-03-02T17:28:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earth001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a6a055/32.png) [@Earth001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earth001)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/1 "2014-03-02T17:28:24Z")
So I recently gave up playing video games and watching TV since they are time wasters. What sorts of hobbies or activities should I pick up? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/2 "2014-03-02T17:34:29Z")
Chasing women (or other people you find sexually attractive). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/3 "2014-03-02T17:44:14Z")
> [@Earth001](#): > > So I recently gave up playing video games and watching TV since they are time wasters. What sorts of hobbies or activities should I pick up? How were they time wasters? They didn’t entertain you? Is that something you are or are not looking for in a hobby? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/4 "2014-03-02T17:44:53Z")
Books. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/5 "2014-03-02T18:14:15Z")
Read–classic Science Fiction is great. Robert A Heinlein & Andre Norton are both nice, for different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/6 "2014-03-02T18:18:48Z")
You can get into the “maker” community. There is a ton of free and open source stuff that allow you to do almost anything. Take a look at [www.instructables.com](http://www.instructables.com) for ideas of what people are making. Maybe there’s a maker “studio” offering classes near you. For example, a very [popular studio in the Boston area](http://artisansasylum.com/) will teach you to weld, blow glass, make furniture or jewelry. Unfortunately they can be expensive. Related to that, check out 3D printers. Right now I think they are largely toys but some day I believe they will have significant impact on society. Think PC’s in the early 70’s. Learn to write software. Computers aren’t going away and are only going to get more important. Learning to program them will help you in so many ways and if you get into hobbies like Arduino you can do all sorts of fun stuff. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/7 "2014-03-02T18:38:14Z")
I gave up on gaming and even TV, not missing them much. … but once _South Park, The Stick of Truth_ is released and then the price is reduced a little bit, I think I will check it out. As for recommendations on what to do, I agree with **Deeg**. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/8 "2014-03-02T18:42:42Z")
Knitting or crochet, or other crafty/productive hobby (woodworking, sewing, jewelry, soap, etc) Cooking - either to improve basic skills or learn some new aspect you’ve never tried (breadmaking, jam, pickles, etc) Take art or language classes or any kind of class that interests you Community sports league in whatever sort of sport you enjoy (or learn a new sport) Pick up a side job for extra cash Basically… everything. You have your choice of everything. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/9 "2014-03-02T18:49:55Z")
Do a play. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/10 "2014-03-02T19:11:26Z")
Moved from General Questions to IMHO, where you find opinions. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/11 "2014-03-02T19:56:10Z")
Chess or bridge. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/12 "2014-03-03T00:02:29Z")
What isn’t a waste of time? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/13 "2014-03-03T00:03:29Z")
> [@Earth001](#): > > So I recently gave up playing video games and watching TV since they are time wasters. What sorts of hobbies or activities should I pick up? Learn to fly an airplane. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/14 "2014-03-03T00:34:37Z")
Have you tried stalking? I hear its the latest hip trend. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/15 "2014-03-03T00:51:44Z")
I had a restraining order before it was cool. She was a really obscure Canadian celebrity - you won’t have heard of her. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/16 "2014-03-03T01:00:16Z")
anything is a waste of time if you deplore doing it. do whatever you feel is worth your time. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/17 "2014-03-03T14:24:02Z")
Music. I bought a banjo a couple of years ago. Stunned my family. I had never played anything. I’m taking lessons and can at least entertain myself. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/18 "2014-03-03T14:32:37Z")
^ This. Learning a new instrument will take up a lot of time, but you come out of it with a skill that you can use not only to entertain yourself and others, but also to make a buck. My son did some busking with a guitar once, on a whim. Just set up in a busy tourist area where we were vacationing and started to play. He made $20 in less than an hour. If you have an instrument and a little talent you are never without a way to make money. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/19 "2014-03-03T15:40:53Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Have you tried stalking? I hear its the latest hip trend. It will help the stalkee too – being stalked will move them up a couple of rungs on the fame ladder. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681/20 "2014-03-03T16:32:59Z")
Write a novel Learn to juggle [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-gave-up-on-video-games-what-should-i-peruse/682681.md?page=2)