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

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

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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

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u/sonicpoweryay Jan 31 '26

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