What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

So earlier today i was having a serious argument with a some theater kid who was saying playing video games competitively means "you have no life." However through playing video games i have met youtube celebrities, made money, and met awesome friends who i talk to all the time. Not to mention i hang out with friends i met through robotics constantly. So the question is posed, does playing video games mean you have no life? and also in general what do you guys think "having no life" means?

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

I think this is more of matter of a difference between how you spend your time and how this other kid does. He doesn't understand that, by playing video games, you have accomplished many things he may never. He sees it as, since you're different than he, you must therefore be wrong and "lifeless," which is ignorant by nature. Maybe, if you look at a "perfect life" as how this other kid lives his, yours might be lacking. But there is no one way to define what a life is, and it's not right to impose one person's standards on a another. What's important is that you do what you like to do, and it seems you've made the most of it.

Just my opinionated $0.02. Take it or leave it

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

--To me, having no life has no absolute definition--
The problem with what constitutes "not having a life" is that it's completely subjective. In other words, no one can define what not having a life entails. A guy on the baseball football and basketball team at my school might tell me i have no life because i do robotics 24/7. My sister might tell me i have no life because i play video games and computer games at home. But I might tell someone they have no life because all they do is play sports, or read books, or chill at wal-mart :D .
---Point being, it's YOUR decision if you have a life or not. If you enjoy what you're doing, regardless of it's productivity in society's eyes, you "have a life".

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

having 3,972 posts on CD?

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

Good, I still have some time before then.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

The concept of "having no life", in my opinion, is a childish concept. It predicates on the idea that one particular way of social interaction or a particular hobby is superior to another, which is simply not the case.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

One's opinion's about what defines "Not having a life" is going to be biased and highly subjective. I find these kinds of opinions primitive if one who declares such an argument but does not support his or her claims.

I assume the person meant that people who play video games competitively don't really contribute to society, but that's only one perspective.

I must say that there are certain video games that can really influence your life.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

Not having a life is when a small sub-set of things consumes all your tine such that you do not meaningfully participate in other things. I have no life outside robotics, and am happy to admit it. This, like all other things occurs on a continuum, it's not black and white.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

I was joking, I really do have a life. I have 17,231 posts on an old car message board. I'll be playing robots this weekend, but I spent yesterday changing the rearend gears in my 55 Chevy.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

I think 21,214 is the cutoff. At that point, you are legally considered a "bot." :p

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/me...rt=posts&pp=50

Ed is catching up...

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

Not having a life means worrying about not having a life :p

In all seriousness, if you take a step back and look at yourself and don't like what you see, take the steps to change yourself. If you have no problem with who you are, hear what other people say, but don't necessarily listen to them.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

This is a topic that has made me think for many years. I don't often voice my opinion on it because I haven't figured out how to say what I'm thinking, succinctly and clearly. I'll give it a shot today.

I've sat through many Kickoff and Championship events and listened to the wisdom of Dean, Dr. Flowers, and Dave. I've listened and listened and listened. And, I've met and talked with many of our outstanding mentors in FIRST. When talking with them, I have listened and listened and listened.

One of the main reasons that I've stayed involved as mentor is because of all of that listening and the wisdom that I've gleaned from it. There are many parts of the FIRST philosophy that have to do with hope for our futures. Hope for a very bright future. Hope. When I listen, I'm not hearing that we should only associate with our robotics friends. I'm not hearing that we should just think about the here and now and the pleasures that our skills and talents can create for the here and now. I'm hearing more about leadership development and impact on our world in a positive way via our skills development and implementation. Discovery, adventure, problem-solving applications, and thinking are constants. By being involved in a program like FIRST, it enables all of us to constantly look at the big picture and realize that it is adaptable, able to shrink or enlarge, dependent on our thinking, applications, understanding, awareness, and impact. This big picture concept applies to the FIRST community as a whole, the leadership of the FIRST community, the individuals that make up the FIRST community, and the world that we are impacting.

Realizing that the program revolves around the recruitment, growth, and development of our youth, I understand that many (probably the majority) of the people who move through the program and on into careers, may choose to work within the parameters of a smaller picture rather than challenging/pushing the boundaries of the bigger picture. A gaming community, amateur or professional, serves its purpose just as NASA serves its purpose. The career decisions (via education and goal setting) allow the participants of the FIRST programs to move in the direction they choose towards the purpose they want in their careers and lives.

The 'not having a life' opinion expressed by the theater person, could mean something along the lines of becoming comfortable with the thinking involved as students and as professionals, keeping the picture small.

Jane

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

Looking back at the time I spent playing video games, I wish I hadn't played them nearly as much. Even something as mundane as reading (which has the same sitting-still aspect that video gaming does) results in a general increase in knowledge, assuming you're reading some worth-while books.

Evaluate what you spend your time doing, and ask yourself if you're really adding value to your life. If you're spending a lot of time not adding value to your life, then you may want to revise where you spend your time.

That's really the key that I think most young adults don't really grasp. What seems important to you now probably won't be all that important in 5 years when you're worrying about getting your first serious career-style job, or applying for grad school, or trying to secure a loan for your first new car.

Ask yourself where you want to be 5 or 10 years from now and whether or not the way in which you spend most of your time is going to improve the chances of making it there. About 99% of the time, playing video games isn't going to get you very far. Of course, the same could be said about atheletics, or many other pursuits. Being one dimensional almost never pays off in the long run. Perhaps 'having a life' means, for the most part, that you're NOT just one dimensional.

Re: What constitutes "Not having a life"
 

I've always said I don't have a life.
Now I have mathematical proof to back it up!
HOORAY! (aw now I'm depressed...:( )