'Don't waste your time': Ex-gamer shares 8 alternatives to another 100 hour Baldur's Gate 3 play through, pointing out the time-wasting tendencies that plague a gamer's conscience

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Aug 27, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Gaming is a time-consuming passion, but for many, this passion has become an obsession. Forgetting to eat regular meals and spending their cash on in-game purchases, gaming can be a slippery slope of destruction that can bring even the most time-oriented person to their knees, especially when a game is incredible. 

Epic games like Elden Ring, GTA, Call of Duty, or Baldur's Gate 3, are notorious for brainwashing and consuming their audience. After hundreds of hours playing a game that more or less amounts to nothing, gamers can't help but think of all the intrinsically worthwhile alternatives to gaming. As a gamer myself, I personally wouldn't trade my hundreds of hours playing a video game for anything but a crisp beverage on a tropical beach, but for others—people who want to learn a language, write a book, or work out more—video games are stealing a bit too much of their precious time. 

But not anymore… This Redditor has found a few techniques and smart ways to trick yourself into doing something other than gaming. Because technically, Duolingo is something of a game too, right? 

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  • Finished Baldur's Gate 3? You could've done this instead: An average play through of Baldur's Gate 3 is 100 hours. Here's a bittersweet reminder as to what sort of things you yourself could achieve in just under 100 hours.
    via Round_Past7807
  • You could: • Finish an entire first draft of an 60,000-80,000 word novel. • Finish reading 8-9 books of a similar size.
    via Round_Past7807
  • Do 20 minutes of exercise daily for 5 months. Become conversational in a new language.
    via Round_Past7807
  • Speak to 100 new people! Each conversation lasting for an hour. • You could walk the entire length of Hadrian's wall (73 miles/117km) in England four times over.
    via Round_Past7807
  • • Learn 10 new songs on a newly taken up instrument. And what did I get after I beat BG3?
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  • Nothing. Literally nothing but a negative in my bank account and a PC so hot I could fry my morning eggs off the glass.
    via Round_Past7807
  • Keep fighting the temptations people, nothing tangible can come of it, don't waste your time.
    via Round_Past7807
  • Cheezburger Image 10546739712
    via demaerre

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Auspicious Apple ⚫ You can write a novel in 2.5 work weeks? Privat3lce YES! It takes me about 12 weeks to write 120,000 words when I'm on a roll... and I'm slow. My friends who are professional novelists (where they write novels for a living) do indeed knock out 5000-10,000 words/day without breaking a sweat.
    via Auspicious Apple
  • jeffreyc96 Learn new cooking recipes. That's S-tier Round Past7807 OP. Mmm should have added that! Cooking has been a real game changer, it's even better when you're cooking for someone else too.
    via jeffreyc96
  • Salt-Artist-7973 Oof. I have 1300 hours in BG3, so it's timex13 for me! Round_Past7807 OP Then we're cut from the same cloth my friend. The past is the past, learn from it and truly live now, it's never too late to live the life you've always wanted for yourself.
    via Salt-Artist-7973
  • AlivePassenger3859 This is it. The opportunity cost is staggering.
    via AlivePassenger3859
  • TheNoGamer Idk what languages you are learning. But becoming conversational within 100 hours is not realistic, except if they're really similar like Danish and Norwegian
    via TheNoGamer
  • TheHardBack ⚫ I agree that gaming is time consuming but a masterpiece like BG3 is worth finishing. It is an offline game with one time purchased and you can play with your own pace. You can pick up 1 hour after dinner, explore a bit then
    via TheHardBack
  • drop it. No limited time events, no scoreboard, no challenges, no daily quests or attendance. Just a compelling story waiting for you to discover.
    via TheHardBack
  • I'd argue BG3 is like an interactive book. Also a big bonus point if you can co-op with friends.
    via TheHardBack
  • lerax29 I think I took 100 hours just to get to the titular city lol wolfgang7-7 100hrs is just exploring the first half of act 1 for me
    via lerax29
  • Consequence Old6254. This is a great list. Especially learning piano has been a big turnaround in my case. I would also add meditation to the list. Doing nothing for 30 minutes, 200 days in a row, gives your brain the rest it needs to rewire.
    via Consequence Old6254.

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