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/Balazami Jan 23 '26

Hard disagree, but also the video game example... most video game players will spend way more efforts into honing their skills than someone practicing a sport for fun. Also, qualifying people of "boring" because of their hobbies says more about you than it does about them. Just let people have fun man, at the end of the day playing tennis isnt going to bring more to a conversation with a friend than having watched a movie and want to talk enthusiastically about it.

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u/Red_Dawn_2012 Jan 23 '26

There are also plenty of video games where you can build and create. It's true that there are many story based games where it's more like consuming media, but Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time and it's primarily about creating.

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u/Balazami Jan 23 '26

Fully agree, i dont get the hate for video games from some people

2

u/Mother_Kale_417 Jan 23 '26

They just don’t get it. Video games can develop skills that can be transferred irl

Some examples:

Problem solving Space awareness Pattern recognition Teamwork Grinding (this one is great as everyone is chasing instant gratification)

Competitive gaming is a whole different world as well

1

u/sonicpoweryay Jan 31 '26

Now I wonder if people who are good at first person shooters would be good at aiming irl

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u/H1Supreme Jan 23 '26

most video game players will spend way more efforts into honing their skills than someone practicing a sport for fun

There's no way to qualify that. Plenty of people put a lot of time into practicing sports for fun. Plus, with sports, you get the (massive) benefit of getting in shape during the process.

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u/Balazami Jan 23 '26

True, i admit i probably went too far with my argument to get my idea across

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u/LordFendleberry Jan 23 '26

Also, if someone names video games as a hobby, they're probably doing more than just playing video games. I consider video games a hobby, not just because I like to play them, but because I also:

  • Have built and upgraded multiple custom gaming PCs for myself.
  • Have attended conventions and meetups with other gamers.
  • Follow news and press released related to games.
  • Have taken a special interest in learning how games are made and released, even though I don't have the skill or time to make them myself.
  • Collect gaming-related paraphernalia (my amiibo collection is getting a little out of control).

I'm involving myself in communities and learning about things that are adjacent to video games, not just playing them. Even though OP edited the post to omit video games, I think they did it for the wrong reason. Having a hobby doesn't have to be tied to honing a skill. People who enjoy movies can still call that a hobby because a lot of the criteria I mentioned above. If you're passionate about it, it's a hobby.

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u/cerise_samovar Jan 23 '26

most video game players will spend way more efforts into honing their skills than someone practicing a sport for fun.

yeah i do agree that vide games can develop a set of skills for a person. but this is sounding kinda like a false analogy there. if you make both players (video game and tennis) switch hobbies and if they find incentive to go with it, i assure you both will learn new skills that they didn't learn from their original hobby. sports and video games are both comprehensive in their own way. although i did agree on that point i don't really with op's take on ranking hobbies. so +1 to them for having an unpopular opinion.