(08-23-2011 11:00 AM)Mark Wrote:  It's actually strange how many high-level gamers I've met in this community. Also, a number of professional poker players (I think we have one on the board).

At least one.

(08-25-2011 03:38 PM)Extropy Wrote:  For me, stop watching TV and playing computer games vastly improved my lifestyle and general happiness. If you wanna improve your life, you often have to first cut out all the elements of your life that pull you down like TV, computer games, smoking, fast food, etc.

That's the reason I quit online poker. It just made me unhappy and unsocial.

(08-25-2011 03:38 PM)Extropy Wrote:  For me, stop watching TV and playing computer games vastly improved my lifestyle and general happiness. If you wanna improve your life, you often have to first cut out all the elements of your life that pull you down like TV, computer games, smoking, fast food, etc.

Fair... I don't watch TV. And I'm not even interested in most video games anymore...I agree that these things are pretty much complete wastes of time other than maybe escapism.

But games like SC2... it's the challenge of it, the competitiveness, the forcing yourself to learn, the progress, the community. It's not just mindless entertainment. It's a mental sport. Strategy, tactics, skill, style, hard earned victory, glory...

That being said, it is true that unless you're at the top there isn't a huge amount of direct practical benefit to being highly skilled at a game like SC2.

However I think there is more transferable benefits than people realize to becoming skilled at anything. Even if they aren't direct or obvious. Which was the overarching goal of this post.