Does anyone else get better at life by playing videogames?
I identify as a gamer. Some might say that I have an addiction to videogames given how many hours a week I play, but I don't think they see what I'm trying to do with videogames.
Videogames allow me to try new ways to live. For example, I used to be terrified of following other people's orders or instructions. Obedience to authority was extremely hard for me because obeying my parents as a kid screwed me up as a young adult, or that's how I interpreted it. But I wanted to change. I couldn't hold a job because I would just not subject myself to authority.
Terraria fixed that. I went in as someone completely new to terraria. I asked a friend who was far more experienced to order me around, and he did that for 5 hours straight. There was a pain in my chest the entire time, from the intense fear, but then it was gone and I was able to follow instructions in real life. I now have a job that I would never have dreamed possible 3 years ago.
I want to know if there are people in here that play videogames with that sort of intent too. People who, for example, try to get good at a videogame and then ask themselves "how can I apply that to my life?"
Surely videogames aren't just unhealthy. I see those posts all the time, about getting rid of game addictions, but it's been a net positive to my life and I wonder if anyone else.