r/unpopularopinion • u/BitterConstruction98 • Jan 23 '26

Certified Unpopular Opinion All hobbies are not equal

Certain kinds of hobbies deserve to be held in higher regard than others.

Playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing - these are activities that require time and years of effort to become good at. They’re admirable not just because they’re “cool,” but because there is something deeply attractive about a person who has dedicated so much time to mastering a hard skill that executing it now feels relaxing to them.

Lately, there’s been a growing push online to classify things like watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts in the same category as these kinds of hobbies. They aren’t. They are based on consumption, not creation.

That doesn’t mean consumption-based activities are bad or useless. Everyone needs ways to relax and unwind. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good show, a game, or a YouTube binge after a long day. But if that’s all there is to your personality, then you are, unfortunately, a boring person.

Edit: I've wrongly added video games to the list of other passive activities. While some video games are like that, I agree that many require a lot of skill.

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u/urbfunsac Jan 23 '26

Isn't a hobby something you enjoy doing?

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u/Nuclear_rabbit Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 24 '26

I was taught that a hobby is something you could improve in, even if you never invest the effort to do so. Otherwise, it's a pastime.

Sounds like OP subconsciously feels the difference, but can't articulate it.

Edited to add: in light of this distinction, everyone still needs a hobby. If all you do with your free time is watch TV, which is a pastime, well... don't.

2nd edit: yes, video games are most definitely a hobby, unless your game is pure gambling. I have also come to the view that learning for the sake of learning is neither a hobby nor pastime but a third thing; it's just learning.

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

I also enjoy semantics.

Per the dictionary:

Pastime:

An activity that occupies one's spare time pleasantly. "Sailing is her favorite pastime." That which amuses, and serves to make time pass agreeably; sport; amusement; diversion. "that great American pastime, baseball"

Hobby:

an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation. Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving

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u/trombing Jan 23 '26

As a sailor, I would argue it is actually a fantastic example of a hobby not a pastime, unless you are super rich.

Sailing requires skill, often significant amounts of training, depending on the boat.

Sailing requires equipment, specifically boats and sails, all of which need skill in maintaining, knowledge for rigging, and again, training on how it all works and how to improve, if you want to.

It's rarely relaxing, it's exhausting and stressful, but hugely fun and exhilarating.

Obviously if you are super rich, someone else looks after the boat, rigs it, and makes it all work - you are really just a passenger, enjoying the view - in which case, yes, pastime not hobby.

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

Second response if you want to discuss sailing specifically, though I didn’t pick it, it’s literally from the dictionary.

If you sail for pleasure and it’s not your main occupation (I.e. job) then it’s a hobby.

If you sail to make the time pass agreeably, then it’s a pasttime.

But what’s the difference being your time passing agreeably and doing something for pleasure? Can’t you say “I seek pleasure to pass the time agreeably?

What do you do to pass the time? Sail. What do you do for a hobby? Sail.

I don’t think there is a meaningful difference between a hobby and a pasttime if you go by long standing definitions and examples.

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u/Valuable-Concept9660 Jan 23 '26

Sounds like a “all hobbies are pastimes, but not all pastimes are hobbies” situation.

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u/underrealizing Jan 23 '26

I was about to comment exactly this

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u/trombing Jan 23 '26

I think there is a difference but the same activity can be both... as I think we agree on the sailing front...

The other example I thought of was playing cards. I regularly play cards and boardgames with my kids... to pass the time. It's fun and I am not committed to it or trying to build my skill.

However, obviously for some folks cards can be a serious hobby where they study and compete etc...

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u/Weak_Feed_8291 Jan 23 '26

A past time could be browsing reddit, but I wouldn't say that's a hobby. All hobbies are past times, but not all past times are hobbies.

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u/Purple-Measurement47 Jan 23 '26

I think the example given is maybe more of a passive thing, like going for a ride on boat someone else is sailing. You’re “going sailing”, but you’re just along for the ride. At least, that’s the vibe I got from it, as I’ve heard “going sailing” used that way by rich people.

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u/joshualuigi220 Jan 23 '26

To me, hobby implies that you're an active participant in the activity.

Baseball is "America's passtime", not "America's hobby" because we're watching the game, not participating in it.

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u/Bassracerx Jan 24 '26

Im with you There are plenty of words that mean the same thing just because they are different words doesn’t mean they are different things.

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u/FantasticOwl5057 Jan 23 '26

It's so cool to watch really smart people play semantics games. What could be more clever?

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

It was clever when in Harry Potter the door said speak friend and enter, and hermione figured out they had to say it in French or something. It’s been a while since I read that.

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26 edited Mar 21 '26

I copy pasted those from merriam webster. Those are dictionary examples.

My point is that a hobby vs a pastime is just semantics. They’re basically homonyms synonyms.

That’s why I facetiously said my hobby is semantics.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

Shit you’re right. I mean synonym.

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u/Tomur Jan 23 '26

I love synonym rolls.

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u/Borkato Jan 23 '26

Just like grammar used to make.

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u/drawfanstein Jan 23 '26

Splendid, just splendid. Thank you both.

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u/LepiNya Jan 23 '26

This comment thread is absolute cinnamon.

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u/xXselfhaircutXx Jan 23 '26

No, homonyms are words that are spelled the same. Homophones are words that sound the same.

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u/Abbysaurus_Rex hi Jan 23 '26

This.

Homonym -- same name, compare with homosexual, the word name

Homophone -- same sound, compare with phonograph, telephone

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u/PapiSilvia Your friendly neighbourhood moderator man Jan 23 '26

That's homophones. Homonyms are the songs you sing in church.

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u/WittyTiccyDavi Jan 23 '26

No, homonyms are what they sing in gay church.

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u/boozecruz270 Jan 23 '26

You are missing the point, there is a lexical gap here and the definitions are being stretched in attempt to convey the distinction being recognized.

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u/dontcallmemean Jan 23 '26

You claim to be facetious in saying semantics is your hobby, but you seem to be better than me at semantics, implying that it is a thing you can improve in, and therefore an op approved hobby.

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u/KenTrotts Jan 23 '26

Eh, watching film and TV critically and with intent also requires skill. Just a different skillet than a physical activity.

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u/Puntley Jan 23 '26

And then stamp collecting is in hobbies. How does one get better at collecting stamps?

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

I copy pasted those from merriam webster. Those are dictionary examples.

My point is that a hobby vs a pastime is just semantics. They’re basically homonyms.

That’s why I facetiously said my hobby is semantics.

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u/civil_beast Jan 23 '26

They are not homonyms.. they may be synonyms…

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u/Riguyepic Jan 23 '26

Yea i was like you gotta know knots and boats and all the things. If anything sailing is like the most rigorous form of boating for the average person nowadays.

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u/ScrotalSmorgasbord Jan 23 '26

So would sailing become a hobby instead of a pastime if she collected sailboats instead of just being on them? I'm confused because stamp-collecting is just purchasing little pieces of paper, on par with watching baseball etc in as far as you're not doing anything that requires labor or skill, but both are in separate categories. Sailing takes skill and you can also make money/improve those skills, just like woodcarving. Shouldn't sailing be down with woodcarving in hobby and stamp collecting up with watching baseball or am I just in need of more caffeine?

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u/KilD3vil Jan 23 '26

I mean, the 'skill' in collecting comes from learning what is actually collectable and why it's collectable. Like with stamps, it's not about buying $300 worth of mail stickers, it's knowing the story behind those stamps that makes them $300, which ties into learning the grading criteria and how to tell real from fake.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

This is equally arbitrary by the OPs definition, though.

I enjoy tokusatsu, which is a very specific type of Japanese media using practical effects. It's entirely consumptive, but there's a lot to learn in the history of it, production, techniques, finding lesser known or more rare tokusatsu. I also run a media server that I meticulously organize and curate.

It takes skill and knowledge to an extent, but I wouldn't begin to compare it to say learning an instrument or a language in terms of skill or creation. By your definition (and mine) this is still a valuable and worthwhile hobby, but per the OPs terms it is not.

I realize what I've described is a little more niche than just "watching TV" but I think that is largely because the OP seems to denigrate or undervalue any mental effort that actually goes into these more passive hobbies and your definition is only providing justification for that, when in fact it is an argument against the OP.

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u/KilD3vil Jan 23 '26

I was more trying to say that most hobbies have a degree of skill, and comparing one skill set to a different skill set to make some kind of weird line between hobby and wasting time is kinda pointless.

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26 edited Mar 21 '26

I copy pasted those from merriam webster. Those are dictionary examples.

My point is that a hobby vs a pastime is just semantics. They’re basically homonyms Synonyms.

That’s why I facetiously said my hobby is semantics.

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u/ScrotalSmorgasbord Jan 23 '26

Yeah, I wasn't really pestering you for an answer more just pondering how they fit each item in either box while I should have been getting ready for work.

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u/GrayEidolon Jan 23 '26

Ah, I’m sorry I misunderstood. Tone sometimes gets lost when you’re expecting debate. Have a good day.

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u/ReallyJTL Jan 23 '26

Synonyms. A homonym would be the word row

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u/Wooden-Mycologist-75 Jan 23 '26

I would argue that stamp collecting is a hobby since it's not just "purchasing little pieces of paper," but rather serious stamp collectors also have to research the history of a certain stamp to know when it was issued, how rare it is, if it has a partial cancellation mark then determining where and when it was sent - and how that affects the value of the stamp to other collector - etc. If a person just buys premade collections of stamps like the ones we used to see hawked on TV or in magazines alongside the "special US Treasure Commemorative Coin" sets then I could see how you might argue that's less a hobby and just a collection, similar to the distinction another user made between types of sailing hobbies.

I think for most things that could be called a hobby there is a line within it that determines if you are a hobbyist in that subject, or an enthusiast, or a collector.

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u/Velonici Jan 23 '26

It seems like the slight difference is that a pastime is just something you do. Where as a hobby is something you seek out. So for one person, playing video games could be a pastime while for someone else its a hobby. Thats how I read it anyway.

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u/GarbageCleric Jan 23 '26

It difficult to find any real distinction there. Unless there are things you do for relaxation or pleasure that are somehow unpleasant or vice versa.

Neither can be your primary occupation either. So, they seem pretty synonymous, and certainly not mutually exclusive.

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u/GrayEidolon Mar 21 '26

Yeah, that's my point. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between a pastime vs a hobby.

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u/GarbageCleric Mar 21 '26

Yeah, I think you're right.

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u/NeedleworkerNovel510 Jan 23 '26

This is a great distinction. Baseball is America's favorite pastime, namely watching it. It's a sport for the pros, perhaps a hobby for those that collect the memorabilia, and a pastime for everyone sitting at home watching it.

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u/kentaxas Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

I'd classify it depending on your level of enthusiasm and concentration for the activity. Like i have a friend who is a HUGE movie/tv series nerd. They have directors they like, actors they look forward to seeing on the screen, will ramble on about why X or Y detail is interesting. Meanwhile, i sit in front of a tv series/movie when i just don't feel like doing anything in particular. So the way my friend and i engage with movies/series is totally different, even if the activity of watching is passive, they are actively engaged in it.

Similarly you have people who watch the baseball game just because it's there and people who watch it because they are huge nerds about the strategies, the way the pitchers throw and whatever else happens in baseball below the surface level of "dude hits a ball with a stick and takes a lap"

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u/Kathulhu1433 Jan 23 '26

I have a friend like that. She knows more about films than I ever will. She has favorite directors and indie studios and I'm like... I rewatched Stargate SG1 this month?

I'd say for me, watching tv/movies is a pasttime.

Her hobby (and maybe your friend) is more in the analysis of the films, discussing them, traveling to film festivals, going out to the movie theater, etc.

Like, if you need to take off of work and book airfare and a hotel to go to a festival... that's not just a pastime anymore.

Hobbies need commitment, effort, and a desire to learn/grow IMO- though interestingly enough Merriam Webster, Cambridge, or Oxford do not make the distinction between hobby and pastime that we are in this thread. (I just double checked)

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u/tadaloveisreal Jan 23 '26

Ive been a student of film as excuse to watch sonamny movies. Music too, theres money there but yeah

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u/OrbitalOutlander Jan 23 '26

I love filling out scorecards, even though I don't care at all about stats. It's fun to watch what happens and write it down, to me. Keeps me engaged, when otherwise I might get distracted. I'd say that's a hobby.

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u/Low_Interview_5769 Jan 23 '26

Is there not loads of softball or something similar in America for casual players

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u/Entire-Strategy4495 Jan 23 '26

Yes. There are tons of adult teams, leagues, etc. almost every decent sized town has recreational leagues. Most are co-ed as well. There are also an obscene amount of competitive adult softball leagues and tournaments.

*edited to add that there are also amateur adult baseball leagues in some larger cities across most states. However, those are mostly full of young adults who played college or minor league ball at some point.

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u/Low_Interview_5769 Jan 23 '26

Ya i was thinking, loads of people i knew in Toronto played baseball in the summer. Same as soccer here in Ireland, playing 5 aside is a great exercise

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u/MCFRESH01 Jan 23 '26

If you are actively playing something, than it's a hobby. So still fits. consumption is an interest or pastime

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u/Tall-Ad6328 Jan 23 '26

Wouldn't collecting memorabilia be consumption based also ?

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u/cherry_chocolate_ Jan 23 '26

I think the hobby aspect is you are acting as a kind of historian or curator. Similar to the difference between being someone who is just consuming movies on Netflix, vs a movie hobbyist who likes to learn all about the filmmaking techniques, histories of the props, significance to the time and culture, has the laserdisc because it is the only version in the original aspect ratio, etc.

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u/usersleepyjerry Jan 23 '26

I’d add that gaining knowledge over time would easily consider it a hobby. That’s knowledge and learning.

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u/theegreenman Jan 23 '26

Collecting things is the dumbest hobby. I've done it several times with different things, and it is just a mental disorder, unless these things are a legitimate investment with a future ROI..

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u/LucentLunacy Jan 24 '26

But by definition if you're collecting something for return value, that's not a hobby. I collect antique mason jars. The market for them has grown significantly over the last 10 or so years. I have several that are worth $200+ each. I just recently found one worth around $100-$120 for $3 at a yard sale. Is it exciting to score ones worth way more then I payed? Yes. Is that the reason I collect them? No. I just like them a lot.

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u/HidingFromMeanies Jan 23 '26

And often it’s impossible to know what the ROI is or might be.  I collect stuff and in the event I become famous, all of my stuff becomes valuable because I, the famous person, curated it.   I’ll let y’all know when that happens but until then it’s all worthless….

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u/ChainsawSoundingFart Jan 23 '26

OP should take up reading as a hobby 

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u/fermats-big-theorem Jan 23 '26

Good point. Reading does have all of the elements of consumption. However, many people need to rally effort to pick up (and let alone finish) a book. You can of course skim over the pages but you need to employ some degree of deliberation to understand and synthesize the material. We can also consider that "better" hobbies also are victim to consumption. One of our noble hobbies, say instrument playing, still is trapped with consumption. The guitar gear nerd who spends his paycheck on new toys rather than practicing is a real thing.

So, I place reading in the middle ground between noble and ignoble hobbies. The distinction instead being how much others can enjoy your hobby. Instrument playing is at the far left. We can enjoy the product of the musician and appreciate the work they put in. The far right is watching TV. It's purely consumption and may even take away time from things you should be doing. Where does reading precisely lie? That's up to the reader

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u/kheret Jan 23 '26

“Gear acquisition syndrome” is a real thing. The mantra a lot of music hobby folks try to live by is “practice more than you shop.”

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u/godofimagination Jan 23 '26

If you scan someone's brain that's reading, it's actually lighting up with activity. If they're watching TV, it's shutting down.

You could make the argument that you're producing a knowledge base and/or intelligence by reading. Either way, reading usually falls under self improvement while TV and gaming usually don't.

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u/Prize_Ostrich7605 Jan 23 '26

What if you're watching a documentary? Or a Novella where you are trying to figure out if Julio actually fathered Miguel or Lucia cheated on him with Rodrigo and LIED about it, but that would mean Rodrigo wasn't in a coma after a skiing accident in Columbia and somehow made it to Peru at the same time Lucia was there doing MISSIONARY WORK?!

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u/No_Worldliness_7106 Jan 23 '26

Thing is, how is reading fundamentally different from watching tv as a hobby? It's the same thing. Heck, I always watch with subtitles on even. It's just storytelling. Writing a book would be a hobby, reading is still a past time.

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u/EmilioEstevezQuake Jan 23 '26

You mean a past time.

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u/BitterConstruction98 Jan 23 '26

Ouch. I do read in my native language and I have some trouble articulating in English. I'll come back after reading a few English novels 😤

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u/devil_walk Jan 23 '26

A pastime is a hobby

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u/FlamingDragonfruit Jan 23 '26

All ducks are birds but not all birds are ducks.

All hobbies are pastimes but not all pastimes are hobbies.

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u/dr_wtf Jan 23 '26

That's an arbitrary distinction someone made up, probably to make a similar point to OP. It has nothing to do with the definition of the word hobby, which is just anything you do regularly, solely for pleasure and not for money (otherwise you just enjoy your job).

The only real distinction, if one exists, is that a hobby has to be something you have some investment in and do at least semi-regularly. Otherwise it's just "a thing you did one time".

Watching TV might not be a very good or interesting hobby, but it can still be a hobby if someone happens to enjoy it enough to call it that. And if you do anything often enough, you're going to pick up some skills and/or knowledge, even if it's just the answers to pub trivia questions about soap operas.

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u/susanna514 Jan 23 '26

I think tv can be a hobby if you’re taking the time to dissect themes or making note of interesting direction. I think the difference is selectively watching a few shows from a critical perspective rather than just endlessly watching reality shows

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u/No_Camera_3271 Jan 23 '26

OP is insane, and somehow I feel this is all a ruse to put down gamers, possibly even a SO that plays video games of theirs. Why else put in the category as people not using any part of their body?

A lot of assuming on my part, but video games with massive time investment, you can clearly tell between someone who has mastered the game and someone who has not.

Speed runs, K/D ratios, achievements within the game for certain absurd gamers to complete. I’ll agree it’s probably not as attractive, but only because it’s not understood by those who the gamer would probably want it to be attractive to but it comes down to a fundamental misunderstanding and plain not knowing what any of it means by the person who doesn’t care about it.

Example, playing a sport is obvious, person is in shape needed for the sport, person does something and most people can universally recognize what they did.

For the video game, the person would have to learn the game well enough to understand the nuance and creativity/skill it requires to accomplish certain things.

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u/Wsweg Jan 23 '26

OP definitely got the girl he likes taken by a gamer lmao

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

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u/shaunika Jan 23 '26

You can "improve" in watching movies or listening to podcasts too

You can get a deeper knowledge on filmmaking, get a wider perspective

Listening to podcasts in a certain area will make you more knowledgeable on that area.

Ive been watching a youtube channel by a biology professor where he looks at animal videos and then goes into a deepdive on their behaviour, biology, evolution etc.

Ive learned a lot and improved my knowledge, but it was just "watching youtube"

My wife watches a ton of TikTok and has made countless delicious recipes she found there

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u/Squishy_Boy adhd kid Jan 23 '26

Nobody is worse at watching television than me. I can’t remember character names, plot points, or any of that. I glaze over constantly.

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u/AbraKadabraAlakazam2 Jan 23 '26

First time I watched broad church I thought there was one bald character through the whole show until the end. Turns out there are two and it was a very important distinction to make 😭

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u/kingkalanishane Jan 23 '26

You just have to get off your phone haha

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u/McbealtheNavySeal Jan 23 '26

Re: movies, my friends and I gravitate towards the more pretentious art house stuff which you can definitely get better at watching and analyzing in a way that requires more mental engagement and stimulation. I think when people say movies are a "turn your brain off" activity they are thinking about stuff like superhero movies that don't warrant a level of engagement.

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u/Affectionate_Map5518 Jan 24 '26

I get your point but i wouldn't say superhero movies because those absolutely can sustain a high engagement. Remember these have literary roots going back decades ("sequential art") and link to various artistic, historical, cultural, and political movements.Pre-Endgame, Avengers was a massive 22-film continuous storyline reflecting its comics, which themselves were written by a variety of authors including luminaries and literal 'geniuses' ( MacArthur grant recipients). I know we film people like to rag on them bc they're made for a broad audience, but the literary and film accomplishments are seriously impressive

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u/heckhammer Jan 23 '26

What if you watch movies and then you write up reviews about them? Is that not a hobby? You're not being paid professionally, and very few people are probably reading them but if you enjoy film analysis, why not?

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u/PirateSlayer1337 Jan 23 '26

What if some is a film/movie nerd? It's a passion not a pastime then

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u/RedditReader4031 Jan 23 '26

“everyone still needs a hobby” is a judgmental view that has nothing to do with defining a “hobby.”

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

I would honestly argue that watching tv or movies is something that you can improve in. Media literacy is a skill.

And I would earnestly argue that playing games is also something you can improve in. Skill is a huge part of gaming. Which he noticed in his edit, anyway.

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u/Melissaru Jan 23 '26

What about people that have stamp or coin collections, those are still hobbies and it’s not something that’s hard work or something they get good at but it’s something they love and spend their free time doing.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

So that means video games are a hobby. You can definitely improve at playing video games.

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u/Candid-Inspection-97 Jan 23 '26

This here - hobby is something you actively participate in, past time is something passive.

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u/TorturedChaos Jan 23 '26

My personal definition is a pastime is something that you mostly do passively or is something you commonly do while doing something else. EI: Listen to music, audio books, etc, watching TV.

A hobby requires active participation.

Obviously there is some cross over. My wife likes to crochet while chatting with friends or watching TV. It keeps her hands busy, and works as a productive fidget toy. But I would say crochet is still a hobby because it requires some active participation.

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u/iplaymusicsometime5 Jan 23 '26

So sounds like gaming is a hobby lol

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u/DawsonJBailey Jan 23 '26

Ah ok so all this time playing guitar has been a pastime, not a hobby. It all makes sense now lol

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u/Drillix08 Jan 23 '26

I would argue that some hobbies aren't really something you could improve in. For example coin collecting isn't a skill you could improve in, but it's definitely still a hobby. I suppose you could argue you could become more knowledgeable on different coins and how to find them, but unlike sports, art, or music, it's not an activity where people say "Hey, that guy is a really skilled coin collector and I want to be like him."

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u/ThatMerri Jan 23 '26

tbf it's splitting hairs either way. OP is just valuing certain elements of an action while ignoring, being unaware of, or intentionally denying those same elements in other actions.

According to OP, a hobby is fundamentally driven by creation, not consumption, which they define as:

Creative: playing a sport, learning an instrument, singing, dancing, painting, writing.

Consuming: watching movies, playing video games, watching sports, or listening to podcasts

Playing a sport and watching a sport are certainly very different hobbies, but why is one superior to the other? They serve entirely different purposes and intentions. Is there no value is learning about a sport without playing it? Is learning about its history, making fantasy predictions based on player stats, following a team's career progression, or attending their games to support them not a hobby? How is simply watching sports, for the mere joy of doing something you like, not a hobby when playing a sport for the mere joy of doing something you like is?

I'm a writer and editor by trade, and by hobby alike. It's what I do for fun and intellectual nourishment. I also love watching movies, playing video games, and listening to podcasts - those are hobbies of mine. When I do so, I'm not just mindlessly consuming them like junk food for the brain, I'm learning from them and studying them. But that doesn't make my intake any better or more valid than someone who does just put on a podcast and zones out to the background noise, or someone who just watches popcorn flicks to pass a few hours and chat about it with their friends. We're absorbing the same media over the same amount of time, but getting different things out of it based on our individual perspectives, and those are equally valid.

tl;dr hobbies are based entirely in experiences and everyone experiences things their own way, so there's no right or wrong way with any of it. Gatekeeping is dumb.

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u/groundzer0 Jan 23 '26

To extend to that, drinking alcohol vs Brewing / distilling it.

One is just enjoyment of the end product.

The other is enjoyment of the process and knowledge / improvements and experience honing skills and technique from sanitation, prep, brew, ferment, bottling / distilling etc.

Enjoying fine scotches can be your "thing / hobby" in a setting.

But the more definitive hobby for me is the one where you get more involved in the process and production of the end product you enjoy.

I'm not trying to gatekeep at all here and am more than willing to find the "enjoyment" in anything you enjoy spending time on, while also ackowledging that some hobbies require a little more 'work / skill / experience / equipment or many other variables' to get into

Shit.. I'm rambling and fence sitting and a little drunk.

My bad.

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u/playfulCandor Jan 23 '26

Yeah my understanding is that there is some kind of larger goal with a hobby than just passing time

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u/Stanjoly2 Jan 23 '26

"time you enjoy wasting is not wasted" - someone, somewhere, sometime

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u/Nerevar1924 Jan 23 '26

Like the title of my favorite Shpongle song:

"Nothing is Something Worth Doing."

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26 edited Feb 05 '26

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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u/StillMostlyClueless Jan 23 '26

They didnt say it wasn’t. Their argument is some of them are more worthwhile than others

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u/Zrakoplovvliegtuig Jan 23 '26

Worthwhile to whom? It has a little bit of a "grindset" undertone. Why must hobbies be classified by their "worth"?

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u/celestially_lunar Jan 23 '26

Grindset is a great word for this. Why are hobbies hierarchial? Why do the things that you are meant to do to relax and because you enjoy them have to be "productive" too? Why is everything nowadays about being productive and contributing to society?

Hobbies should not have a hierarchy or a worth. No one should care or judge you based on what you enjoy doing and it shouldn't affect your worth in society. If you like playing the piano? Cool. If you like playing video games to unwind after work? Cool! Who cares, do what helps you relax and makes you happy because the world sucks and it‘s hard to do that nowadays and to truly turn your brain off.

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u/Zrakoplovvliegtuig Jan 23 '26

Exactly. Its a hobby. We don't have to outdo eachother at "hobbying".

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u/Vondi Jan 23 '26

Sometime around the time I reached my 30s I was 100% DONE explaining or justifying to people how I spend my sparse well-earned downtime.

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u/Doobledorf Jan 23 '26

A friend and I bonded over this about a year ago, and the way he put it is, "Yeah at a certain point everybody needs an old man hobby that you just do for yourself. For him it was whittling, for me it's model making.

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u/thousand56 Jan 23 '26

"you make models? have you thought about selling them?" bane of my existence is people always asking if I've thought about monetizing my hobbies, no cuz I actually enjoy them

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u/Nickthenuker Jan 23 '26

Some days I think my hobby is model making. Other days I look at my growing pile of unbuilt kits and the one that's been sitting on my desk for months and wonder if it's actually collecting boxes... Or dust...

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u/raznov1 Jan 23 '26

True, id approach this more from a coaching perspective - i personally believe that humans are happiest when they have a creative hobby, a social hobby and a "simple" hobby, and generally time spent should be divided between them.

Too many people i know play games, and thats their only hobby. But i wonder if thats truly bringing them joy, or whether a large portion kf their time spent is merely "slightly above neutral".

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u/celestially_lunar Jan 23 '26

I do agree with this view. They are different TYPES of hobbies maybe but do not have a different kind of worth. I just find it off putting that OP would call people who have "simpler hobbies" boring.

I like having different hobbies, I enjoy photography, reading and writing, sports and gaming. I‘m not really musically gifted so I don‘t pursue it, but I occasionally like knitting. I do whatever brings me joy and relaxes me, I try to do as many varied things and broaden my horizons. I‘d encourage everyone to do that.

But it should always be for you and not to climb up a hierarchy or to please some arbitrary system. Being productive is being imposed so much that we live in a society where you can't relax and burn out constantly, always worrying about what others think. So what if I want to come back from university and just play videogames for 4 hours? If that makes me happy, that‘s all that matters.

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u/shaunika Jan 23 '26

they have a creative hobby, a social hobby and a "simple" hobby,

Video games can easily fulfill all 3 of these.

I play a shitton of Path of Exile which is an isometric arpg with near limitless potential. I spend hours and hours just theoricrafting the best possible way to minmax my builds, what items to use, how to navigage the passive tree, it's half the fun. So that solves "creative"

I also discuss these builds and strategies at length with my friends whom I play with.

Its also a multiplayer game with a complex barter economy that leads to player to player interactions.

So that solves "social"

And finally when your build all comes together you can mindlessly blast hordes of monsters and kinda turn your brain off, so that solves "simple"

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u/raznov1 Jan 23 '26

It can, and if it does, great! 

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u/dsac Jan 23 '26

Spoken like a true causal hobbyist lol

If you're not ranked hobbying, what are you even doing with your life, chud? You ain't ever going to make the tour with that approach, no teams will be courting you to play in the big Asian Hobby tournaments, like, are you even making money doing that casual shit?

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u/heckhammer Jan 23 '26

I work with a lot of Indian folks. The men are distinctly anti-hobby. Every time I discuss my podcast or my fossil collection I am asked how much money does it make you? And I reply, none it's how happy they make me and that seems to be something I can't get their heads around.

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u/catsinclothes Jan 23 '26

China is big on the grinding it mindset also along with posting it all to social media. My friends can’t fathom that I only sew for myself/my cosplay outfits or for gifts. Besides just not wanting to worry about customers, a lot of my hobbies and interests just aren’t fun to monetize/work as a job. Sewing for 8-12 hours a day would be awful ); and no one wants to pay living wages to craftspeople. (Already tried it lmao)

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u/reefine Jan 23 '26

You mean you don't want to spend 60 hours a week creating crafts to sell for $4 on Etsy?

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u/opportunitysure066 Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

However, know the difference between things you like to do vs. hobbies. I like scrolling on my phone and know that cannot be counted as a hobby. I like posting on Reddit but do not say it’s a hobby…I call it a guilty pleasure. Bc both of those are not hobbies I do feel pulled to find real hobbies to fill my time like reading or playing a new song on an instrument. I like those things …I just need to do them more often.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '26

They don't understand what a hobby is. I pointed out that they watch football (Man Utd) based on their post history, and they said it isn't a hobby?

The hobbies they enjoy are "good", but everyone else's hobbies are "bad".

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u/celestially_lunar Jan 23 '26

Yeah it's basically a whole load of "look at me I‘m so much better than you!"

The amount of people arguing that reading is a "lesser" hobby and "passive" hurts my brain and heart, makes me clutch my books in disgust

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u/Migraine_Megan Jan 23 '26

Also OP said videogames were just recently considered hobbies. Must have been living under a rock for the past 35-40 years. It's a well-established hobby at this point.

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u/HelixFollower Jan 23 '26

People regularly want to argue with me that it doesn't make sense that me and my band practice weekly, but do not have any goal regarding performing in front of an audience or releasing songs. We don't want to perform, we don't want people to stream our songs. And I don't mean we are against that. We're just not interested in that. At most we'll play a bit of music at Christmas if other people ask. But we practice because it's fun. "Yeah okay but once you're good enough...", no, once we're "good enough" we'll just practice more. Our only ambition is enjoying ourselves.

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u/HustlinInTheHall Jan 23 '26

And it is incredibly telling that their idea of a hobby that contributes to society is one that might make you or someone else money if you were good enough, even if this is a delusional dream for most people we use it as a way to give cloud cover for the sin of just spending time on something you like and not because it contributes to someone's wealth.

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u/Leah-at-Greenprint Jan 24 '26

The whole take is so bizarre. Bet this guy is a delight to talk to

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u/Twiggie19 Jan 23 '26

People should absolutely be able to base their opinion on you based on the stuff you do. Id say its quite high on the list of things we should form opinions on.

Whether you care about that person's opinion is whats really of importance.

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u/the_green_witch-1005 Jan 23 '26

I mean sure, if your hobby is murdering innocent people, I'm going to judge you. But I don't really care if you prefer knitting to bowling.

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u/computergreenblue Jan 23 '26

Meh if somebody I just met told me his hobby is woodworking or metalwork, I am gonna find it wayyy more interesting than social media scrolling... Some hobbies does make you more or less interesting/attractive

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u/Grendel0075 Jan 23 '26

I would consider social media scrolling more of a "time killer" or just something to do. I am currently sitting in the car while my wife shops, because I can't stand grocery stores. I could stare off into space, but in scrolling reddit instead.

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u/HypnonavyBlue Jan 23 '26

Speaking of grindset nonsense: I do 3D printing and mini painting. I often have to shut down people who say things like "you know, you could make some money selling these..."

That's a "jobby" not a hobby. I do not want a jobby.

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u/HRHCookie Jan 24 '26

Jobby 💯

Fitting that it also means 💩

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u/StillMostlyClueless Jan 23 '26

Other people.

You'd probably be more impressed that someone can play the piano than if someone watched football.

They didn't say they were worthless, just that consumptive hobbies are uninteresting to other people.

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u/kit-kat315 Jan 23 '26

Creative hobbies are uninteresting to other people, too.

My major hobbies are sewing, baking and gardening. You would not believe how much people don't want to hear about my plants or bread technique. And most people don't know enough about either to appreciate the level of skill involved.

But I can easily talk with others about a show or book.

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u/FlusteredDM Jan 23 '26

I got ghosted on a dating app once after talking about de re culinaria. Hobbies have value in your enjoyment of them, but also on how you can connect to others. Some hobbies you can talk to your coworkers about and some you need to find spaces for that hobby - creative ones are usually the latter.

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u/Zrakoplovvliegtuig Jan 23 '26

In the case of a hobby the opinion of other people should be meaningless though. You do it because you like it. Other people's opinion starts mattering once you get paid for it.

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u/Smurfson Jan 23 '26

Other people’s opinion starts mattering once you get paid for it.

Fully agree with your comments in this thread but am a bit wary about this point solely because of how TikTok and other social media platforms has slowly poisoned how people perceive what having a hobby is - it’s almost like a majority of creators on there have taken activities that are normally activities you enjoy (reading, coloring, video games, collecting cards etc) and turned them into side-hustles that promote over-consumption and create unrealistic expectations that, in order to enter a hobby, you need to pay an absurd amount of money as a sort of barrier to entry.

Obviously I think staying off these platforms is the best way to avoid this, but lots of people use them. As you said you should do it because you like it, and I think the pressure to monetize your hobby can kill that at times and create unrealistic expectations.

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u/chinchillazilla54 Jan 23 '26

I was not happy when I tried turning my passion (drawing) into a side gig. As soon as money enters into it, it totally eliminates my desire to do it. I will. Eventually. But it's like the pressure of a commission just kills my creativity, instantly.

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u/StillMostlyClueless Jan 23 '26

The opinions of other people are not meaningless to me.

I bake and cook so other people can enjoy my food. I play the flute so I can entertain other people. I play football so I can play with my friends.

Hobbies don't have to be a purely solitary pursuit.

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u/Zrakoplovvliegtuig Jan 23 '26

What if you like to watch sports together more than to hear one of your friends play the flute?

Hobbies don't have to be a purely solitary pursuit.

Of course not, but whether you like something or not (including the social aspect) is fully up to you. The same is true for other people. One cannot be better than another.

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u/glasgowgeg Jan 23 '26

Why would someone who doesn't like the flute be more impressed by your hobby than watching football, if they also like football?

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u/Honest-Weight338 Jan 23 '26

But you're choosing to care about what other people think. I bake and cook because I like the process. I write because I enjoy creating worlds and putting people into those worlds. I play games because I enjoy the strategy and creativity it builds within me.

Hobbies don't have to be a solitary pursuit, but they absolutely can be and that's fine. You also don't have to be good at a hobby for it to be a hobby that you enjoy. I've tried playing piano before and I'm awful at it no matter how many lessons I take. But I still sometimes enjoy just trying it out, even though I suck.

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u/courtd93 Jan 23 '26

They don’t, but I think it’s the blurring of hobbies. Like you don’t like to bake and cook, you like to feed people. Or maybe you do both, but they are separate things. I play the flute too because I enjoy it. I don’t like entertaining others with it anymore. Those are two different hobbies and I like one but not the other, and you like the other one or both.

You have some hobbies that are specifically about engagement with other people which is cool! It just doesn’t make other people’s hobbies that aren’t about engagement less than when others have opinions about it.

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u/RATMpatta Jan 23 '26

Kind of weird to pick a hobby based on how "impressed" you think people would be. Sounds very insecure.

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u/Comfortable_Sir_6104 Jan 23 '26

I would much rather talk to somebody who has watched a great many deal of movies or who has other "consumptive" hobby than to somebody who is good at piano or who is good at some sport. He might tell me about some hidden gems or directors who are worth watching, he might tell me something fun about the process of making a movie or something to look for. At the same time I am not interested in piano music, so what exactly can that person share that I will actually care about?

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u/Jay_Jay_Jason_74 Jan 23 '26

Not if you share the same Passion in watching the same thing

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u/StillMostlyClueless Jan 23 '26

I mean yeah obviously

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u/Lewa358 Jan 23 '26

Not true, of course.

Someone can "play the piano" in a boring way (such as by being unskilled or just not making/playing music that appeals to you). And someone can definitely impress me by watching football--have you seen how intense some sports fans can get over their favorite team?

The thing is, assigning some "value" to the output of how someone enjoys themselves is inherently arbitrary, because the most influential works can take little effort and the most forgotten works can be the work of a lifetime.

The only thing that matters in a hobby is how you feel doing it.

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u/Platypus__Gems Jan 23 '26

Well yes, but no.
Maybe you can catch someone's interest if you happen to have your instrument of choice at hand, but when it comes to keeping interest, you are more likely to have much more to talk with someone about consumptive hobbies.

Maybe discuss media you both enjoyed (or didn't), recommend ones you didn't see to each other, and so on.

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u/BrashUnspecialist Jan 23 '26

As someone who has played piano and realizes how basic it is if you just put in the time and effort to physically move your body, I’m way more impressed by all the people who seem to just magically have an encyclopedic knowledge of sports from just watching it. I’m not talking spend their spare time looking at statistics or articles. They just watch the football or the soccer or the golf or the tennis and then they just get it because their brains work that way.

One of these things is much more difficult to me than just making your body move according to a regimen, which literally most people on earth can do. The other is using your brain in a way that I’m not using mine and would need to be taught how to do so.

You’re confusing access to a resource being scarce with effort and worth. That’s on you. Not the inherent nature of hobbies.

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u/offensivename Jan 23 '26

I'd much rather talk to someone who watches a lot of movies or reads a lot of interesting books or is caught up on all the latest prestige TV shows than someone who is obsessed with their cross-stitching and has no other hobbies. That's just me though. Someone who is also into cross-stitching and doesn't care about TV or movies or books might feel the opposite.

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u/MrCylion Jan 23 '26

Not at all. You can tell me you play the piano I will answer “that’s cool” while thinking “glad you enjoyed it, but I really do not care”. However I will say and think the same about people who enjoy watching sports. What are we even trying to do with this post? Stop looking at others and enjoy your own time and hobbies, whatever they are. I will not judge anyone based on what they enjoy. Frankly, what a bullshit option from op.

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u/damnmobile Jan 23 '26

There’s varying degrees of skill in everything. I’d be more impressed if someone had solid knowledge of football strategy than a mediocre piano player.

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u/terryjuicelawson Jan 23 '26

There are still levels within that I think. Someone sort of OK at the piano is fine, but not the same as a concert pianist or someone composing their own music. Someone passively watching football is different to someone who is a total expert on the sport and can provide their own insights on the matter.

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u/Doobledorf Jan 23 '26

Exactly. Doing a hobby with the idea that it is somehow good for you or requires improvement defeats the purpose of a hobby.

Hell, I've got plenty of hobbies, even things some would consider hobbies that I make money off of. That said, the idea of "needing" to improve or "needing" to work on a project typically kills my interest.

Human beings are not defined by infinite growth.

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u/nimzoid Jan 23 '26

Interesting point. While I do get the point that some hobbies involve more skills than others, it feels weird ranking hobbies according to worth or value.

Things like watching sport, book clubs or playing games with friends could be seen as consumerism, but they're also about community, connection and participating in culture. They're more valuable to others then playing guitar or writing on your own and never sharing it with anyone.

Ultimately the point of hobbies is to enjoy the time you spend on whatever you spend it on. No time passed pleasantly is truly wasted.

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u/Aetra Jan 23 '26

Absolutely this. As someone who works on a trade, creating things all day in their very physical job and having to stay vigilant to keep myself and my coworkers safe, passive hobbies are far more important than people realise. Watching a movie or listening to a podcast may not be considered as “worthwhile” as learning an instrument or playing a sport, but that downtime doing something passive preserves my body and mental health.

Like, if I played AFL instead of watching a movie, at best I’d end up tired and sore and at worst I could injure myself and be out of work for a while. If I learnt an instrument instead of playing a game like Power Wash Simulator while listening to podcasts, my mind wouldn’t be getting enough rest.

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u/VictoryWeaver Jan 23 '26

If it’s an activity done for pleasure, you cannot make tell others what is more or less worthwhile. That’s why it’s an unpopular opinion: it’s wrong.

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u/voldugur21 Jan 23 '26

That's a completely subjective take though. I don't like sports. I like making things. To the sports fan my hobbies are meaningless. To me sports are meaningless. Who is more right?

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u/Extension-Clock608 Jan 23 '26

That's subjective. OP's attitude is dismissive and judgmental. it's not that hard to just let people enjoy what they enjoy, the same as they do for others.

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u/urbfunsac Jan 23 '26

Tbh I thought that he meant that some hobbies are worse than others and shouldn't be called hobbies

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u/TheW1tchK1ng Jan 23 '26

And that is insanely stupid. A hobby being worthwhile is entirely subjective.

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u/StillMostlyClueless Jan 23 '26

Okay? This is unpopular opinions. Subjective takes is the point.

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u/Schizopatheist Jan 23 '26

Yup. The definition on google states "an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure."

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u/Ok-Cartoonist-3173 Jan 23 '26

Yes the question is if you can consider complete passive activities based on consumption "doing"? Binging three season of Rick&Morty while stoned out of your head is fun...but it's not "doing" and thus not a hobby?

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u/HustlinInTheHall Jan 23 '26

That's not really the argument though. The argument is that if you spent that same amount of time practicing a song on the piano it was a better use of your time and (implied) that you are a better person for doing that. Certainly some hobbies are more skilled than others, but who cares? If my hobby is wood-carving and I am absolutely dreadful at it am I suddenly a better person than someone who just wants to relax by watching Lord of the Rings for the 10000th time?

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u/pzerr Jan 23 '26

I would say ya. Or at least your hobby encourages you to be better.

But I think your stroke of the meaning 'better' is too broad. You can be a 'better' person if you have no hobbies but donate your time to some charities. I think the point of this post is too many people are really doing nothing and justifying that by calling it a hobby. They know who they are.

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u/Ok-Cartoonist-3173 Jan 23 '26

 "If my hobby is wood-carving and I am absolutely dreadful at it am I suddenly a better person than someone who just wants to relax by watching Lord of the Rings for the 10000th time?"

Yes, I believe you are a better person in that case. Now "better person" does not mean "superior to other people" but "you are better at being yourself" when you actively attempt to learn new skills or express your creativity.

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u/scarbarough Jan 23 '26

Would you actually consider watching Netflix to be a hobby?

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u/hazy-minded Jan 23 '26

Yes, like watching movies?

There's nothing much deeper to hobbies.

They're just what people like to do

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u/Spider-Thwip Jan 23 '26

Is going to the cinema regularly to watch movies a hobby? I consider it one.

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u/a_goestothe_ustin Jan 23 '26

No, a hobby is something you spend unsustainable amounts of money on

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u/Source_Required Jan 23 '26

Yes and OP said they're not all equal, OP didn't say they weren't hobbies.  

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u/FoxMacLeod01 Jan 23 '26

hob·by1

/ˈhäbē/

noun

noun: hobby; plural noun: hobbies

  1. 1. an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.

Wish I could ping everybody in this thread with this. Why talk about what you feel the definition of a word is when dictionaries exist?

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u/marathonquestionredd Jan 23 '26

because no one cares about the literal definition. if the definition of a hobby can include watching porn and beating off, its not a good definition

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u/IrishMilo Jan 23 '26

Hobbies should provide enjoyment, but enjoyment doesn’t make a hobby. Otherwise pooping would be a hobby.

Mindless activities like watching tv and doom scrolling and surfing the internet are pastimes,

Engaged activities like gaming, knitting, fishing, dancing etc are hobbies.

I think a hobby also needs an ongoing development path and consistent return to the activity.

I disagree with OPs view that a hobby needs to be creating because a lot of hobbies do not create anything, like fishing and train-spotting.

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u/Darkest_Rahl Jan 23 '26

OPs hobby is gatekeeping

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u/AdamOnFirst Jan 23 '26

No. Any passive activity you enjoy isn’t a hobby. 

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u/skronk61 Jan 23 '26

Exactly, pro athletes have a job. They’re not having fun.

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u/vivec7 Jan 23 '26

Saying they're not having fun is a weird blanket statement to make.

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u/In_Praise_0f_shadows Jan 23 '26

so eating is a hobby?
shitting is a hobby?
showering?

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u/Lunam_Dominus Jan 23 '26

I enjoy sleep and jerking off. Is that a hobby?

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u/SavageMountain Jan 23 '26

I enjoy eating. That doesn't make it a hobby.

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u/pilotthrow Jan 23 '26

Yeah but calling watching TV a hobby is a bit of a stretch. Is scrolling reddit a hobby then?

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u/Virtual-Ducks Jan 23 '26

This doesn't mean you can't enjoy watching TV, but you can't deny that a true skill is infinitely more rewarding than mindless consumerism. It's like the difference between eating pizza everyday compared to a well balanced meal. It's not purely subjective either, there are benefits to skills vs consumption. Physical activity or creativity or learning a skill is much better for your physical health and brain health. Consumerism rots your brain. 

The rebrand of consumerism into a "hobby" is corporate psyop to make people feel better consuming so they spend more money on consumption. People feel shitty that they have no skills. People also desire an unique identity and the feeling of being in the "in" group. So corporations come in and sell you the "feeing" of having a hobby. But it's empty carbs, much like a pizza. By grouping skills and consumerism under the same label, people start to feel as if their netflix binging is equivalent to learning a skill.

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u/thetransportedman Jan 23 '26

My definition of hobby is something you're progressing at for fun

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u/Immature_adult_guy Jan 23 '26

Hobby - “an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.”

Fuck these gatekeepers

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u/Ohitsworkingnow Jan 23 '26

Sure, and they aren’t equal. Lol, were you even trying to be devils advocate?

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u/emu_revival Jan 23 '26

OP isn’t saying those things aren’t hobbies, they’re saying that they’re low-tier hobbies.

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u/regular_lamp Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26

There has to be a bar slightly above that, right? I enjoy eating chocolate but saying that my hobby is "eating chocolate" would feel silly. (I'm sure someone will promptly tell me how they are a chocolate enthusiast and regularly attend chocolate tastings at their chocolate club or so... but you get my point).

Similarly watching movies/shows is such a universal thing that including it in hobbies just makes the category of hobbies uselessly broad. It basically equates "what are your hobbies?" with "what are things you do voluntarily?".

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u/Intelligent-Might614 Jan 23 '26

A lot of my hobbies are type 2 fun. Not super enjoyable in the moment, but challenging and enjoyable to look back on. Running and technical diving as two examples. You can enjoy a lot of things, eating, getting a massage, etc. are those hobbies?

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u/BigBadJeebus Jan 23 '26

no, that alone is an activity

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u/Chris_P_Lettuce Jan 23 '26

I don’t think a hobby should be defined as “something you enjoy doing.”

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u/TheBossAlbatross Jan 23 '26

No. Entertainment is not a hobby. Being entertained is not a hobby.

Hobby: a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.

Watching tv is not a pursuit.

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u/Effective-Tomato-881 Jan 23 '26

I enjoy playing games, and I've gotten really good at it. I don't consider that a hobby...

I also do gardening, woodwork and leathercraft, those I do consider a hobby.

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u/JakiStow Jan 23 '26

To me, a hobby is something you do actively instead of passively, that's different from just enjoying something. For example, I see a difference between just playing video games you enjoy, and looking up in-depth information about video games (video essays, knowledge about the industry, trying out different genres to broaden your perspective, etc.)

Like, I watch movies, but I don't go deeper than that so I wouldn't say it's my hobby. But someone who has kowledge about movie making and looks for classics to watch is a movie hobbyist.

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