Am I going to slowly turn into an antisocial slob who remains unmarried, plays lots of MMOs, and has more virtual friends than real friends?
-alivingspirit
- I am a highly social recluse.
- I prefer the term "packrat" rather than slob.
- I am married.
- I don't really play games any more, like I used to, unless they are of the really good puzzle type.
- Yes, I do have more virtual friends that real life ones, but I currently have more real life friends than I used to have, too. Some virtual friendships have made the jump to real life.
So what did coding (and other things I do with my computer) replace?
The only things that have changed is that I don't do as much these things as I used to:
- crocheting
- embroidery
- beadwork
- painting
- sewing
- leisure shopping
- fingernail painting
- tv watching
- playing classic Atari games
- coupon cutting
- crap collecting (the physical type, digital crap doesn't count)
And I don't spend as much money on craft supplies. When I have the urge to be creative, it can now be satisfied, digitally. And my creations don't take up extra space in my house or get ruined in the laundry.
And coding is much better for me than crafts, in another important way...
I could spend $50+ on yarn, crochet for a month straight, and when I am finished I have only 1 afghan, and I am unwilling to part with it because of the amount of money & work that went into it.
It is a one-of-a-kind object. If I sell it or give it away, I have given away or sold a part of myself that I'll never get back, and I will never be able to recover the value of my time & efforts, and most likely not recover the cost of materials, either.
If I create software, I can share it, sell it, and still have it to enjoy, myself.
With coding, I get to have my cake & eat it too.
