I know this is a very extreme case but if you think about it, any time spent on playing virtual games is technically lost time. For inputting real resources (your time and effort), you reap in something virtual.
Of course, like everyone else, I also had my Farmville days – though it was short-lived (just a couple of months!). Haha… The realization came when during one dinner late last year, Farmville was brought up as one started to get restless since it was time for her to harvest crops. The incident started a long conversation about virtual games (which almost turned into a debate) and the group was split between players and non-players. Some players were raving about how big their farms are and how much money they had. Then one of the non-players commented something like, “That’s so ridiculous. You spend a lot of time playing and yes, you’re rich virtually but how about in real life? Why don’t you just spend that time in making real money?”. Good point. Haha…
But for me, the more important realization is the time you put in when you play is a resource that you can never get back that’s why we’ve to spend our time wisely. During my Farmville days, I would stay up late just to plant and harvest! No more time to read and blog at night ... So not worth it. Sleep is more important! I love to sleep so it wasn’t really hard to give up playing after making the realization. Haha… But if you’ve the discipline and self-control to keep your playing time in moderation and you’re not neglecting any other obligations, playing should be ok. :)
For the record, since I have moved on several months ago, I’ve never really missed playing because I like how I chose to spend my evenings better. :)
P.S. The Farmville image above was actually a screenshot of my farm on the day I decided to quit. I just had to keep a screenshot souvenir of my virtual farm at its best. Haha... :)
