We've all heard it in some form.   "Why are you wasting your time playing games?"   "Shouldn't you be working?"   "You're not hardworking and you'll never be successful" (ouch, that last one was rough).   How do people jump to these conclusions based solely on seeing us playing a game?   It has to do with modern day "workaholism" and goes back to the mid 1550's with a man named John Calvin.  (Note: This is history.  I'm not preaching :)

Calvin believed in "original sin," that each human is born morally corrupt.   Unlike some versions of Christianity, which say that one can be redeemed by good acts, Calvin believed that there was nothing a human could do to redeem his or herself.   According to him, God chose who was chosen to be saved, and who was to be damned, and that there was nothing one could do to sway God's judgment.   This belief in predestination is kind of depressing, so Calvinist ministers told their followers that one can find out if God has chosen them through their work.   One who is chosen is someone who devotes their life to unemotional good works and self-control, so if someone emulates a chosen one, and is chosen, they'll be rewarded for their good faith with economic wealth.   In contrast, if one works hard, but loses their farm to a drought, they must have been damned by God all along.   This created followers who are very devoted to their work.

(This is a very short description of Calvinism and focuses only on the part related to work ethic.   I left many things out because I'm not trying to recount an entire religious belief system.)

Fast forward to the late 1700's with Benjamin Franklin, whose father was a Calvinist.   Franklin himself was a "Deist," like many of the U.S.'s founding fathers*.   Despite this, the Calvinist influence did appear in his writing, the epitome of which is his famous quote, "time is money" **.   This refers to the economic view that time spent not working is actually lost money that you could've earned in that time.   This quote has been enormously influential on the people of the United States.   According to Max Weber, an influential sociologist, Franklin had a secularized Calvinist work ethic (secularized meaning removed from religion).

This leads to today's "Protestant work ethic" ideology.   An ideology is a belief that distorts the universe, and is often invisible to those who hold the belief to be true***.   If you've been to Mexico, South America, or Italy, you've probably noticed the huge difference in work ethic between them and those of us in the United States or the United Kingdom.   People in the U.S. seem to be compelled to work too hard, and often feel guilty for not working.   This work ethic is regarded as perfectly normal, and even part of human nature, when in fact it's very recent in terms of the history of humanity, only dating back to Calvinism.   This is the "Protestant work ethic" or "workaholic" ideology.

This "workaholic" ideology can be a good thing.   People working long hours, sometimes working overtime without pay, provide huge profits to businesses and create a booming economy.   Those who devote their lives to working for charitable organizations help the less fortunate with their strong work ethic.   There are many technological advances we can thank to people who were compelled to work late into the night.   However, there can also be a very destructive downside to this ideology.

"Workaholics" can be driven to work long hours in a job they don't enjoy, leading to a miserable existence where they deprive themselves of enjoyment.   They can believe that economic success is equal to moral superiority and create a judgmental attitude toward those who don't devote their life to their work.   They can believe that a hardworking, successful businessman is a better person than someone who doesn't work hard to get rich.

This leads to them calling people out who aren't working.   Their belief that time=money and accumulation of money is the goal in life causes them to believe that time spent playing video games is a worthless endeavor.   This is why they call you a lazy, worthless gamer.

Of course, believing gamers are lazy, worthless human beings is only small part of it.   It also leads to harmful racist beliefs.   In the past, an example is the "drunken, lazy Irishman".   Some believed that because they weren't hard working, self-disciplined people like them, the Irish didn't really matter and could be mistreated.   A more recent example is the "lazy Mexican" who is a lesser person for working less hours than Americans.   This is a particularly dumb belief because many of the same people also hold the wider belief that these lesser, "lazy Mexicans" are coming to America to steal their jobs.

So how does one reconcile the good parts of workaholism with the bad, judgmental parts?   Through self-consciousness.   You can realize you're a workaholic and "own" it without passing judgment on others for not holding the same belief in a strong work ethic.   Someone who enjoys their leisure time gaming is not a lesser person than the businessman working late into the night.

* This controversial statement is contrary to many who claim the U.S. was based on Christianity, which is historically incorrect.   Deism differs from Christianity in that Deists did not believe that Jesus was a savior, nor did they believe in divinely inspired scriptures, the trinity, or the Catholic Church.   Instead they focused on a belief in God without the need for organized religion, emphasizing rationality.

**Note that this quote was written under one of Franklin's pseudonyms: Poor Richard.   It's not clear if Franklin was writing his actual beliefs or a satire. 

Thanks to Professor Barbara Goodrich.   A much deeper recounting of the "Protestant/Calvinist Work Ethic" can be found at her website here.

Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding.

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

 This is a particularly dumb belief because many of the same people also hold the wider belief that these lesser, "lazy Mexicans" are coming to America to steal their jobs.

" @Manhattan_Project:  I think what's happening here is that you didn't mean to make your first post a reply to Zithe, and that's what's causing this confusion. "

" @Manhattan_Project:  I really have no idea what argument you are even making. Please make a post that is more substantial than just questioning mine.  Edit: Ahh, if FlyingRat is correct then that makes some sense. "

I think the work ethic thing comes from the fact that a lot of Spanish dudes take a nap in the middle of the day.
 
 When I hear about workaholics, I want to hear about those Japanese dudes who drop dead because they won't stop working.

Well, success is measured individually, so it's impossible for someone else to say if I'm successful or not because they don't know what my goals are. And it's well known that the whole Calvinist movement helped jump-start capitalism in Protestant countries and has lead to the many messed up priorities. Catholic countries are thankfully more laid-back about this whole "work" thing, in that they don't see it as an absolute imperative moral value by which you can judge people. Anyway, the majority of people who don't see worth in games don't play them (duh), so it's kind of a moot point.

John Calvin's Xbox: An Historical Analysis of Modern Day Gaming
 
By renowned author CatsAkimbo

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

As others have said, you are definitely over thinking this. Basically, focusing on/doing any one thing, whether it be a hobby, job, relationship, ect, for too much of your time can be unhealthy. Then combine that with this stupid stereotype that most people that play games are nerdy, lazy, and socially awkward people that do nothing but play games all day long makes it hard to shake off the whole "playing games is a waste of time" sentiment. That being said, I do think this entire sentiment and stereotype is starting to slowly go away as video games are growing and growing. Think about how many people are playing shooters like MW2 and Halo. There are a whole hell of a lot of people that play games, even if they dont play a variety of games like most of us here at GB, games and the people that play them arent being looked at the same way that they used to. 
 
Now, I will say, there are definitely people that need to get off their ass, stop playing games for a bit, handle their business, and get a life. It's one thing to do what you love and have a great hobby you're really into, but it's another to do something so much that other parts of your life become pathetic.

I get that "why are you wasting your time on games" a lot. And really it's mostly from people who don't play video games or believe they are too old for it. They don't see what games have to offer and believe you could spend time doing something else more constructive. I think those people who say that are just ignorant in the gaming department, but not because their work ethic makes it seem we are wasting time.

In my experience, those who say gaming is waste of time usually spend hours watching TV. I sometimes wonder how they can't see what is wrong with their logic...

" In my experience, those who say gaming is waste of time usually spend hours watching TV. I sometimes wonder how they can't see what is wrong with their logic... "

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

@Manhattan_Project

" @CatsAkimbo:
" If you've been to Mexico, South America, or Italy, you've probably noticed the huge difference in work ethic between them and those of us in the United States or the United Kingdom.   People in the U.S. seem to be compelled to work too hard, and often feel guilty for not working." 
 
That right there, made your entire post worthless. 

@DoctorWelch

" As others have said, you are definitely over thinking this. Basically, focusing on/doing any one thing, whether it be a hobby, job, relationship, ect, for too much of your time can be unhealthy. ..."  

The Protestant Work Ethic was about the substitution of actual worship for work. It regarded work as a form of worship.... and yet that's not really how work in the modern western economies has turned out. Work is almost devoutly secular if not atheistic in its belief of leaving God out of the equation.

I would also go into a discussion on Usury, the impact of usury on western countries and the secularisation of societies, but this ain't the thread and I'm busy.

" @Zithe said:

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

Trumps OPs post in spades. "

" @Zithe said:

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

Trumps OPs post in spades. "

" @EveretteScott said:

" @Zithe said:

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

Trumps OPs post in spades. "

That doesn't mean the post is bad; it just means that the post is largely irrelevant to gaming. Also, Zithe does have a point, but with one major oversight: this is exclusive to gaming. Movies and books are far lazier, yet what do you think when you see somebody reading a book, and hours later, see them reading the same book? Certainly not, "That worthless, lazy fucker! Look at him there, just staring at those words. He should be doing something worthwhile instead of just turning pages!" Instead, reading is seen as worthwhile in itself. Same with movies, to a lesser extent. "

X + Y = Total Time 
 
Where X = time spent gaming, Y = time spent "working" and where Total Time is a fixed quantity.
 
As X increases, Y decreases, yielding lower total time spent "working". There is a positive correlation between time spent working and achievement in this work. 
 
I'm pretty sure this is what people are getting at when they say, "you're not working hard and will never be successful."

You should listen to A life well wasted podcast

" X + Y = Total Time  Where X = time spent gaming  Where Y = time spent "working"  As X increases, Y decreases, yielding lower total time spent "working". There is a positive correlation between time spent working and achievement in this work. "

" @RsistncE said:

" X + Y = Total Time  Where X = time spent gaming  Where Y = time spent "working"  As X increases, Y decreases, yielding lower total time spent "working". There is a positive correlation between time spent working and achievement in this work. "

And the only reason you care is Calvin. You know how much more we work than people in other cultures? They routinely are allowed to take months off at every level. Different causes, different effects. "

tl;dr, too busy playing and making games.

" @Ragdrazi said:

" @RsistncE said:

" X + Y = Total Time  Where X = time spent gaming  Where Y = time spent "working"  As X increases, Y decreases, yielding lower total time spent "working". There is a positive correlation between time spent working and achievement in this work. "

And the only reason you care is Calvin. You know how much more we work than people in other cultures? They routinely are allowed to take months off at every level. Different causes, different effects. "

I was strictly explaining why people say that if you don't work hard that you won't be successful. Of course successful is relative term, so let's say "return". Your "return" on your work is less the less time you spend actually doing the work. I think most people would agree that is a fact. "

" @Ragdrazi: 
 
Because it was the only option, right? I imagine if the Bible was on the Game Boy, attitudes would be different.  I understand not. Care to explain a bit more? "

Workaholics are jealous of people who have the time to spend hours doing what they love. 
 
p.s. John Calvin was a moron.

you're out of your fucking mind if you think ill read all that

" @Ragdrazi:   The elaboration part? No, I wanted you to elaborate on gamers' shortsightedness. I understand why people put so much respect into books: for very stupid reasons. "

" @Ragdrazi:   How do you know my culture? I'm from the Moon! Also, still a bit more elaboration. Are you talking about American culture, and how people only know stuff from the Cold War, even though a lot of modern American history is like a row of dominoes starting with World War I? "

" In my experience, those who say gaming is waste of time usually spend hours watching TV. I sometimes wonder how they can't see what is wrong with their logic... "

" @SpikeSpiegel said:

" In my experience, those who say gaming is waste of time usually spend hours watching TV. I sometimes wonder how they can't see what is wrong with their logic... "

Yea... that's what pisses me off the most when people say "gamers are lazy" or something of the sort.  Sure, I'm lazy when I'm playing games, but if I'm doing a job I have great work ethic. "

" @Ragdrazi: I have an honest question: Do non-gamers in China think gaming is a waste of time? If so, does the "Protestant work ethic" ideology apply to them as well? "

" @Ragdrazi:   Clearly, I don't. America is anti-King, and, being a King, I wouldn't live there. I'm from the Moon.  I think I understand now, in that no issue is localized to one time; it all dates back a long time, even if it concerns things only recently possible, like abortion or robot sexual rights. (I say "robot sexual" because "robosexual" is something completely different. It's like sex dolls.) "

" @Ragdrazi: I have an honest question: Do non-gamers in China think gaming is a waste of time? If so, does the "Protestant work ethic" ideology apply to them as well? "

" I imagine it's yes and no, respectively, but I know that I'm probably wrong. "

" Seems like you might be over-thinking here. I believe most people consider gamers to be lazy and wasting their time because of the way gaming looks from their perspective. When I am sitting on my couch playing a game for 3 or 4 hours and people walk by, all they see is me sitting there looking at the screen with a controller in my hand. When they come by hours later, they see the same thing. I don't think they must be workaholics to call this lazy. You could chalk it up partially to their ignorance, and partially to the fact that it's sort of true. Being a gamer might not make you an outright lazy person, but the act of playing a game is rarely demanding. "

" @Ragdrazi:   Should robots have genders, or would it be unsettling as hell? "