Takes me back to playing blizzlike private servers back in the day. I miss those times, as much as I felt that was time I could have spent better. I didn't have the dread of wasted time then, I could simply be present in a way that feels closed off to me now.
I relate to this. So many hours burned on WoW in my teens and twenties…
After hitting 25 or so it progressively more difficult to play with a clean conscience. Despite having a good job and secure finances there was an ever-present voice in the back of my mind prodding me to do something productive any time I played for more than a few minutes.
Recently I’ve been able to spend time playing again guilt-free, which I’ve done by accepting that there’s only so much productivity I can squeeze out in a day without risking burnout. When I sit down to play it’s after I’ve hit my “quota” of productive activities, and so I don’t get the impulse as much.
I still don’t play nearly as much as I did back in the day, so I’m not raiding or anything like that, but it’s enough time to mess around with alts and such.
