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Forums have taken a big hit in the past ten+ years, and most of the reason why is because of the rise of "social media"--Facebook, Twitter, etc. Have you acclimated yourself to these new platforms, and do you still prefer forums? I know I might be preaching to the choir, but social media does not compare with forums. Forums are easy to use and seem to bring like-minded people together.

Man, I miss Sal's too - I'm sure there's some rose-tinted glasses going on there but still, there really isn't a community like this on the internet that I can find anymore. The internet is continuously changing but part of me is unabashedly going to use IRC talk and steal the old emoticons to use. I was texting an image to a friend the other day trying to figure out the allowed size over SMS and it brought me back to 500kb sigs and skirting the rules. Heh. @Speedwagon I saw your post and appreciated your insight; I'm not sure if I can formulate a response to contribute but you asked about a discord and it seems appropriate to drop here too. I don't think I've ever posted and the last chat was two weeks ago (is discord dying too? dust to dust I suppose) but here's an invite URL: https://discord.gg/D2xq3GJEwM I ground out some OSRS and got ~150 levels in my log here a few months back edit: I am totally a broken record at this point

I would also argue that hundreds of hours in RuneScape has taught people a lot, from practicing their social interactions, language acquisition, theoretical knowledge, and so on. I, personally, want to learn a few practical skills in real life, such as playing the piano, or learning how to properly be a blacksmith. These are real life skills that I want to learn, because I think I would enjoy it greatly, but probably will not have a practical application for. This year, I have been heavily into Dungeons and Dragons, and finally ascended into complete nerdiness by being the Dungeon Master for two different games. One thing I have realised is that, I have learned quite a bit from that hobby, that overall becomes useful at work, and in other ventures. Just to share something personal, I guess.. A little over 2 years ago, I managed to get so overworked that I got stress-induced panic attacks around the time I bought a house. Apparently, the total sum of stress, tasks, responsibilities, trying to stay ahead of everything, and being in control of everything, made me run straight into an invisible wall, and it had my mind playing tricks on me. I can say this... being trapped in your mind, and being frustrated over how slow your brain is and how you cannot talk properly, articulate yourself, or convey simple messages is... frightening. Stress is dangerous if it builds up, and one should never take it lightly. If playing a video game, or watching television, helps you to relax and lower your stress... trust me, that is far better for your life quality, than doing something "useful". A quality life has to include fun and relaxation without obligations, because without a healthy mind, you cannot have a healthy body. Without a healthy body, you will notice your life expectancy to drop bit by bit. On that note... I think this was such an important question to have raised publically though, because what I often felt in my 20ies was that I just had to go at everything at 100% effort, and then I get to rest later. It took me a very frightening, and painful, breakdown to realise... no, that is not the case. I am not advocating complacency in regards to everything, but one should find a healthy balance in life about what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

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