Podcast king Joe Rogan set the internet ablaze this week when he said that playing video games is a “waste of time” because they suck up countless hours and give nothing back in return.
Speaking with fitness guru Joe De Sena on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the pair discussed how a lack of role models will lead children to become hooked on video games.
“Video games are a real problem,” Rogan said, as reported by The Independent. “They’re a real problem. You know why? Because they’re f***ing fun. They’re [addictive], I have a real problem with them. You do them, and they’re real exciting, but you don’t get anywhere.”
Rogan compared playing video games with practicing martial arts, the latter being a skill that one acquires after repeated practice while the former gives nothing back.
“You could be doing something exciting and fun, or you could just be playing f***ing video games,” he said. “Three years later you could just be that same kid, just playing video games, waiting for the next whatever the f*** game is… and you’re gonna waste your time.”
On the subject of gamers who make “a lot of f***ing money” through streaming, Rogan said that their main skill is adaptability.
“You have to be adaptable, you have to be able to play multiple video games, because the one video game that you get really good at, what are the odds it’ll be around 5 years from now?” he said.
“Video games a real problem. You know why? Because they’re f**king fun. You do them, and they’re real exciting, but you don’t get anywhere.”
Joe Rogan has described video games as a “waste of time” for 'most people': https://t.co/8phVgmGYP9 pic.twitter.com/HGVgCfr7mh
— DEXERTO.COM (@Dexerto) July 26, 2020
Naturally, the gaming community did not take kindly to Rogan’s denunciation of their sacred past time and responded forcefully.
“Joe doesn’t really understand the full context of what the gaming community is and how many different avenues you can be successful in gaming,” said streamer Ninja.
“Listening to this podcast is a waste of time… Generalised bad take is bad. Anything can be harmful in excess. Video games have made many people successful, they’re the cause for a majority of my friendships, etc.” tweeted Twitch and YouTube creator DrLupo.
Other commenters supported Rogan’s take.
“People are getting upset over this Joe Rogan video like he isn’t right, if you’re just playing video games constantly without advancing yourself in other aspects of your life, you need to re-evaluate your time management, which is one of the most important skills you can have,” tweeted “Halo” champion Snip3Down.
“Yep, [Rogan] is spot on here. I suddenly realized this in 2006 or so while playing World of Warcraft—that I was making my character awesome, ‘awesome by proxy’ —when I could actually just be leveling myself up. Quit on the spot, walked away, never wanted to play a game again,” tweeted one user.
“Joe Rogan is fundamentally right on video games; they essentially trick your brains’ reward center into rewarding you for something which is not actually productive at all- that being said it doesn’t matter. Gaming is not a problem. Humans have always had ways to accomplish this,” said another user.
RELATED: World Health Organization: Video Games Addictive Like Crack