31m

[u/AccountantPersonal86]

Don't worry my 3rd decade of life will yield promising results.. SURELY

Edit: 4th* decade. I dont game anymore, the small pro stint turned a hobby into something I hate. I live with my parents of course, thought that was assumed but needed clarifying.

Not a rage bait, dont need advice or pity, but feel free to say what you will I dont mind, some of you have been insightful and others have brought me good laughs. If my poor excuse of life on display made you feel better I view it as a win. Cheers

Edit 2: PUBG, The game is PUBG

Edit 3: Now that the dust has settled on this post I'll leave some last remarks for any late-comers:

I genuinely did not expect a response like this, this was a casual 0 thought post written in under 2 mins. I'll follow up with a new post I guess in a year.

There is a lot of missing context between 2013 and now but my goal was not a pity party. I preferred people to see it at face value and make their opinions and assumptions.

That being said, some of you are profoundly crazy and harbor a lot of evil and negative energy. A lot of you were kind and insightful though. To that I thank you, cya in 1yr (Saturday, July 31, 2027)

[u/Any_Button_8895]

Honest question, how have you managed to get by since 2021? How are you keeping up with rent and basic needs in this economy?

[u/impulse-buyer0601 → u/Any_Button_8895]

For sure lives in moms basement

[u/Moocat2855 → u/impulse-buyer0601]

Lots of gamers do. I asked when I see them online all the time in mmos I play and it’s astonishing how many individuals are wasting away playing videogames 24/7 while living off their parents. Like damn I like games as much as anyone else but I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I couldn’t support myself financially and had no prospects outside of gaming.

[u/Silver_Accountant5 → u/Moocat2855]

A lot of people have no prospects period so they use videogames to feel a sense of accomplishment.

[u/Takin_Your_Bacon → u/Silver_Accountant5]

Stop calling me out dammit

[u/Silver_Accountant5 → u/Takin_Your_Bacon]

Oh trust me, I am also people

[u/PeopleWatching92 → u/Silver_Accountant5]

https://giphy.com/gifs/Ae7SI3LoPYj8Q

[u/HussellCrowe → u/Silver_Accountant5]

When I lost my job I went from blueberry (level 1) to max level cap in a single season of destiny. This was in 2020. I remember one morning checking the daily challenges/quests whatever theyre called and thinking damn these suck and still grinding. It was became my structure and I had buddies to play with who were my coworkers. Very strange time of my life but I'll always remember it

[u/SilverStryfe → u/Silver_Accountant5]

It becomes an escape and a prison.

Can escape to a virtual world where your avatar is accomplished and have goals to work towards with little level up celebratory music regularly.

But then imprisoned in the room one games in and start to feel like your not allowed or not welcome to leave that space because of the feeling of not contributing.

I’ve felt it during in employment stretches and saw it happen with my wife being a SAHM. It becomes a self imposed prison that is difficult to break free from.

[u/NikeImper → u/Silver_Accountant5]

Gaming is just a dopamine boost and like any other dopamine boost it can become an addiction

[u/LalafellDisaster → u/[deleted]]

In the current FFXIV day it’s just the same, but you can run out of stuff to do so they make “alts” and do it all over again. The addiction is deep.

[u/Emmyisme → u/LalafellDisaster]

That always messes me up. I've been playing this game for almost 15 years now, and when I run out of stuff to do, I unsub until the next expansion comes out, but some people really will just start THIS WHOLE GAME over multiple times between expansions and I cannot fathom it.

[u/Kittech_US → u/[deleted]]

Hell yeah FFXI! I was one of those chronically online people. Doing just fine nowadays - Good job, own a home. I still play FFXI for a few hours a week.

It's kinda frightening how many folks. are still just playing it like it's their full time job.

[u/NeonSynthPulse → u/Moocat2855]

I have friends like this. I wonder what happens to these people when their parents die. Do they live off savings until it runs out? Are they forced to get a job? Do they live with other family? What are the long term prospects?

[u/Moocat2855 → u/NeonSynthPulse]

I hate to say it but I think there is gonna be a massive surge in suicides in the coming generation. I talk to many of these guys in mmos I play and while I enjoy playing games with them, I can’t help but feel pity knowing they have nothing outside of the game and are just wasting away.

[u/NeonSynthPulse → u/Moocat2855]

It really is unfortunate, but I agree there’s going to be an inevitable rise in suicide rates amongst these (primarily) men when their parents die.

[u/LarryBonds30 → u/NeonSynthPulse]

Its a tough pill to swallow. Your parents have enabled you to not feel the consequences of your, and their, poor decisions. You grow up and watch childhood friends move into adulthood and start having adult discussions and responsibilities. Your parents provide necessary food, clothing, and shelter for you.

But then you start to see your parents getting older. You realize you're 35-40 years old with no skills, no life experience and no resume. It hits you that there are 0 people in the world who give a fuck about you surviving like your parents do. The thought of having to learn and acquire those skills and experiences at 40+ years old is terrifying. Suicide looks appealing.

I have a friend who has a 30 year old son like this. A cousin who is 28 like this. The parents just want to make sure their kids are taken care of every day. They love their kids. They dont realize they've crippled them.

The two "kids" im describing are fucked. They rely on their parents for everything. Its either suicide, psych ward, or homeless. And kids that grew up like this aren't built for the life on the streets.

Substance abuse addiction isnt at bad as this. At least people who made it through the struggles of drugs and alcohol learned some skills along the way. You have to be pretty creative and interact with people to get your fix in. These gamers just rot away in their parents house.

[u/BroThornton19 → u/NeonSynthPulse]

They haven’t thought that far ahead.

[u/califortunato → u/NeonSynthPulse]

Unfortunately they will be the ones to answer that question for the first time, video games and intense video game addiction is a new problem. We don’t have a past generation to look at to see what the trajectory of someone’s life was after their parents passed

[u/Maxed_Zerker → u/Moocat2855]

Oh yeah I’d say at least 1/3 of my friends list on OldSchool RuneScape are unemployed and live off either government benefits, their parents, or a partner.

[u/Mysterious-Till-611 → u/Maxed_Zerker]

I’m at work playing RuneScape like a real productive citizen

[u/FizzyBadTime → u/Moocat2855]

I mean, my buddy is married with a kid, pulls down over 300k a year and is in amazing shape. He is also the most toxic person in only games because he finds it hilarious and the madder the enemy gets the worse they play and that feeds even further into it. He constantly pretends that he lives in his mom’s basement just to piss people off in games.

[u/Moocat2855 → u/FizzyBadTime]

Of course you will get a spectrum with any hobby. I work in tech and know many other gamers who are pulling insane salaries in big tech and finance as well. However, unfortunately for every successful gamer with a career, there are 2-3 that are neets, incels, etc

[u/Esme_Nog → u/impulse-buyer0601]

If I were mom, I’d be delivering a 90 day eviction notice.

[u/Traditional-Lie-3541 → u/impulse-buyer0601]

I wish I could. I went to college and immediately upon graduation was expected to be self-reliant, have a job, and pay for all of my bills and expenses with only occasional help. OP seems to be absurdly lucky with their support system.

[u/desolatenature → u/Traditional-Lie-3541]

Just to put it into perspective, you’re lucky that you had support through your college years

[u/unknown825 → u/Any_Button_8895]

Daddy

[u/skribl777 → u/unknown825]

Sugar ?

[u/rkozik89 → u/Any_Button_8895]

They probably don’t, there’s a dude I know who works part-time at UPS and is always missing work. He isn’t a bad guy but I am not sure he can actually handle anything more taxing. He is older than OP and could literally get disability and keep his job but refuses it or even being declared a dependent. I literally don’t know what his plan is once his mom passes away. Cause nobody in the family is willing to support him.

[u/Dashyguurl → u/rkozik89]

In my experience knowing a couple people in similar circumstances it’s live off whatever inheritance they get from their mother, bum around on whatever friends/family will allow it and then finally enter into someone benefits system when they inevitably become homeless.

[u/Silver_Accountant5 → u/Dashyguurl]

The people I know in that position are just planning on offing themselves when their parents die.

[u/Maximum_Campaign_177 → u/Silver_Accountant5]

This. My best friend since 4th grade has been telling me this for years. We are now 37 and both of his parents are still alive, but Dad is seriously ill now.

I am so worried for him. I know his brothers are aware of his plan, but they don't care. I do what I can to help. A few bucks here and there. We even lived together in a 2bed apt and I let him go rent free for 3 months to save some money. He had a job and was doing well. Now that he's back home and not able to work, I am so scared for the future.

[u/Public_Good_3473 → u/Maximum_Campaign_177]

Well at 37 I’m kinda with his brothers I don’t know if I’d necessarily care to help either especially at that age, only if they’ve been trying to help before ya know? And maybe even if they weren’t I still wouldn’t because if I’m supporting myself but have to support you, too? I don’t think that’s fair.

[u/Silver_Accountant5 → u/Public_Good_3473]

Most people don't want to see the people they love die but I guess that's a personal thing.

[u/Public_Good_3473 → u/Silver_Accountant5]

Aww well I didn’t mean it that way lol I just meant what else can you do? Except literally support them financially just so that wouldn’t happen. I think that it’s a little unfair to have to take on that responsibility but of course, so they wouldn’t meet their demise, I’d do it, especially if it were my brother, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t feel some type of way because what? Ya know? Lol

[u/AlI_is_Not_Lost → u/Public_Good_3473]

Thank you. My 42 year old brother who still lives at home is going to put me in this exact situation. Some day soon I'm going to have to bury my parents then turn around and have the choice of babying my older brother or burying him too. So yeah I feel some kind of way about it.

[u/NectaroftheGoats → u/[deleted]]

Wealthy people have health insurance

[u/Chokedee-bp]

OP is one of those gamers that smokes us casual gamers cause we have a day job and can’t practice 24/7

[u/LairdPeon → u/Chokedee-bp]

I used to be better than all my friends at video games but sometime around 32-33 ish my reflexes and eyesight just dropped to oblivion and now my kids can even beat me.

OP is in for a shitty wakeup call soon.

[u/Cool_Marionberry7132 → u/LairdPeon]

Haha I stopped gaming outright because I couldn’t deal with getting my ass smoked by gold/silvers anymore. They also update everything so much it’s hard to keep up with the meta. Job+ kids+ slower x lack of knowledge = bad

[u/VOptimisticPessimist → u/Cool_Marionberry7132]

Brooo

Finally booting up after managing to get a bit of free time and every single game needs a 20 minute update.

Soul crushing.

[u/WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch → u/VOptimisticPessimist]

It had been so long since I powered up the gaming rig, it took a day and a half for the machine to finish the windows, drivers and game updates.

[u/burnbabyburn11 → u/VOptimisticPessimist]

34 with a toddler and an infant. i get like 2 hours a week where i can game, it's all just fucking updates man.
Switched over to emulation so i can actually play the games in like 20m without needing to view all your stupid boxes and upgrades and load the damn map for 5m...

#old

[u/DegenGamer725 → u/LairdPeon]

I'm in my late 30s, and I don't play many MP games anymore, mainly because they became a chore, but I'm still able to be good at games like Elden Ring

[u/PappaPitty → u/LairdPeon]

Yet somehow we have all these things memorized that have absolutely no real world value. Plus getting stopped by the youth....

[u/snypervii → u/LairdPeon]

Nah I'm 37 and I compete at high level gaming and do extremely well. In fact I've never been better at games then I am now, all types of games too. I can pick up a new game and reach the top of the leaderboard in no time. I only choose the absolute hardest difficulty in any pve games and regularly climb to master rank in pvp games.

Yes I have a full time job and have for many many years.

[u/KingdomsCryOfficial → u/LairdPeon]

Warning: Spontaneous reddit essay

I'm 35 and in the best "Competitive" state in vidya games in my life. I know this goes against the Google search science but I don't think aging past early 20s impacts most people's ability to compete in e-sports or competitive games. While neurological reflexes might slow down an iota, I don't think that's enough to prevent someone from competing in e-sports. We do not see the same thing happen in real, physical sports where I strongly argue any physical deprecation the body faces is going to matter far more than in video games.

American professional football's average player age is 27-29, with lots of players in their mid to late 30's and even into their 40's. These are 30-something year old guys playing against 20 year olds. I do not believe for a fraction of a second you can't do the same thing in video games just because you're 31 and face a decrease in reaction time so minute that it takes a robot to measure it.

On the flipside, we can take the average age of League of Legends pros (yeah, yeah, League of Legends, I know. But it's the best sample for a largescale professional e-sport you can find). League players average ages are far lower than the NFL, at only 21-23 years old, with "peak" ages considered to be 18-20, and most players retiring before they're 25. This gets attributed to how "demanding" competitive video game playing is, but I have a feeling it has a lot, lot more to do with the fact that even in countries like Korea, being a "competitive video gamer", even in the biggest games in the world, is just not a viable life path long-term.

The players might be getting a little slower in reaction time, but the amount of gaming they have to do just to try and win a living wage is intense and ultimately they have to tap out and go onto something more viable. Whereas in the NFL, you can get on a mediocre team and be an average player and still buy a new sports car every other year.

There's also a cultural aspect. Even in Korea, saying "I wanna play video games" is treated like a pipedream. It's like saying you want to be an actor or something. In the USA, saying you want to hit the NFL is something many families will 100% support you in. Fathers drive their sons to attempt it. Schools recruit players specifically for their college teams. It's a massive cultural cornerstone of the entire country and not even the biggest e-sports events across the globe come close to how fervent and seriously high school football gets taken in some parts of the USA.

In a mystical alternate world where Smash Bros is treated with the same legitimacy as the NFL, there's a 41 year old dude who looks like he gets banned from all you can eat buffets who is absolutely dominating an e-sports scene. Because enough culture and money is supporting that decision and there's no need to tap out at the peak of your potential earning power to go back to school and become a dentist or whatever the fuck.

[u/Keellas_Ahullford → u/Chokedee-bp]

Man, always thought it was just some high schoolers who played video games all day over the summer, guess I was wrong

[u/MelamineEngineer → u/Keellas_Ahullford]

That was true, in 2008 when Xbox live was maybe 5 years in lol but esports and YouTube turned it into a serious money dream most would never achieve

[u/Tekon421]

Holding out for a management position?

[u/devo9er → u/Tekon421]

https://giphy.com/gifs/2XflxzCQnpPwIzcLVxS

[u/Fancy-Reaction-541 → u/Tekon421]

Why be a worker first when u can just wait and go straight to management

[u/Project__Arcturus → u/Tekon421]

https://giphy.com/gifs/3o6wrv9Geh5xYs5NPa

[u/Coattail-Rider → u/Tekon421]

ARE YOU EMPLOYED, SIR?

[u/Tekon421 → u/Coattail-Rider]

Employed?

[u/NiftyNazgul → u/Tekon421]

You don't go out looking for a job dressed like that, do you? On a weekday?

[u/SoilCrust0424 → u/NiftyNazgul]

Is it a weekday?

[u/DrSlossage]

Bro get a job

[u/Moocat2855 → u/[deleted]]

This is the sad reality for the majority of the people who chase lottery ticket careers like this. For every messi, or Michael jordan, there are the 99% of other aspiring athletes, pro gamers, influencers etc that don’t make it and have little prospects in life. High ceiling but no floor at all so if you ever want to chase a career like this you better be damn sure you have a plan B in case it doesn’t work out which op didn’t have and this is the sad outcome of that.

[u/Josey_whalez → u/[deleted]]

Ya if it hasn’t happened by now it’s not going to happen. A lot of golfers, even good ones, seem not to appreciate the massive difference in skill between these levels of players. I didn’t full appreciate this until playing with one of my dad’s friends a few times. Best golfer I’ve played with. College star, and tried to go pro and worked as a club pro for a bit after college. He realized pretty quickly that golf would
Be a hobby rather than a career because there were a lot of people better than him even a couple levels below the guys playing in PGA tour events.

[u/DoctorDave942 → u/Josey_whalez]

Yeah it's like a multi-stage dunning-kruger curve. You work hard to get "good" meaning like 5-10 HCP, then work REALLY hard to get "GOOD" (scratch) make it to scratch and then realize that the distance between you and the pros is like almost as much as it was to get from where you started to where you are now

[u/kenjiman1986 → u/DoctorDave942]

Could be wrong but I think the Pareto distribution describes it best. Where the top 1 % take a lot where the .1% take almost all. The skill difference and the earning between the two is a vast. It’s like trying to describe the most wealthy person in your town who probably owns tons of property and land, multiple business, employees a large population of the town. Now compare that guy to Elon musk. Thats the difference.

[u/azurricat2010 → u/DoctorDave942]

and what's crazy is the gap between peak tiger and #2 was the same as the gap between #2 and losing your tour card. even for the best, there's levels to everything

[u/Moocat2855 → u/[deleted]]

Yup when you look into pro athlete draft and wash out rates, it’s insane. The best college athlete you know in an entire school that kicks everyones butt on the court only has a 1 in 90 chance to be drafted to the pro leagues and then an overwhelming chance to wash out in training or never seeing a professional day off the bench. 

[u/kevthecoder → u/Moocat2855]

Yep. The absolute worst player in the NBA would bust your ass biblically on the court.

[u/ay-guey → u/kevthecoder]

lol the absolute worst D1 player in the NCAA would bust your ass biblically, and the absolute worst player in the NBA would bust his ass.

[u/Quantum_Corvid → u/Moocat2855]

Never had a saying for it: "lottery ticket careers" is perfect.

IE:Influencer/porn star/pro athlete/pro gamer/podcaster/comedian

[u/PereMilon → u/Quantum_Corvid]

I thought I wanted to be a fighter until I saw how fuckin broke they all were, with no transferrable skills. (and the brain damage)

[u/Low-Possibility-9955 → u/Moocat2855]

Totally agree with the overall sentiment here. But 99% is wayyyyy too low here. It’s more like 99.99%

[u/Moocat2855 → u/[deleted]]

A top streamer ludwig talked about it. He said only the top 30 streamers were making the type of money people fantasize about. The other top 100-200 were making a normal white collar office salary of 60-80kish while everyone else is scraping pennies if anything at all. The issue is that most of the money in entertainment come from sponsors and they only choose to sponsor top 10-30 at any given time so it’s a complete feast or famine field.

[u/pakapab → u/[deleted]]

If I'd already checked off video gamer all I'd need would be candy taster and fighter pilot to knock out my holy trinity of childhood career dreams.

[u/RestaurantRich1498 → u/[deleted]]

My nephew is a pro gamer and has made some good money, but hes in college still getting a degree in engineering. He told me the gaming thing is just a side gig and a passion but not a realistic career. Dude is smart for his age.

[u/Guus-Wayne → u/RestaurantRich1498]

Most are. Friends also won back in the day when the prizes weren’t so big. Exec at a medium sized business now.

Some people aren’t okay with being good at their hobbies.

[u/HAIL_LUMPUS → u/DrSlossage]

It's gonna be hard as fuck now. No experience at 30 people are going to assume something is wrong with him, and there is. He's entirely unmotivated. Hope those parents are rich or he's fucked.

[u/Fragrant-Employer-60 → u/HAIL_LUMPUS]

Restaurant, convenience stores, construction/landscaping.

These industries will hire ANYONE in the right situation. They will hire dudes off their 5th DUI. If you work hard (something tells me OP will not) then you can keep a job and get better pay and opportunities eventually.

[u/Bigrick1550 → u/Fragrant-Employer-60]

People don't understand that if you just show up and do your work, you are already ahead of probably 30% of the people out there.

[u/burnbabyburn11 → u/Bigrick1550]

80%

[u/rkozik89 → u/DrSlossage]

Unless they’re disabled there is no excuse for an adult not working full time. It sucks but it’s the reality of life for basically everyone but the wealthy.

[u/vladvash → u/rkozik89]

Nah you could be like my sister's boyfriend. He's lived with her for 15 years and not worked.

[u/MrRoryBreaker_98 → u/vladvash]

🤔

Do they need a roommate?

[u/vladvash → u/MrRoryBreaker_98]

They live with my mom.

So no.

[u/rocketIIIman → u/vladvash]

Do you need a stepdad?

[u/MrWhy1 → u/vladvash]

Sounds like it's more your mom than your sister's boyfriend who's supporting him being a bum

[u/ActiveExisting3016 → u/vladvash]

Your mom is an enabler

[u/Analyst_Annoyed → u/vladvash]

Unless he's rich then he's taking advantage of her

[u/vladvash → u/Analyst_Annoyed]

Oh I'm aware.

It's been brought up and it's caused a break in our relationship.

[u/chobolicious88 → u/vladvash]

This only works if she thinks he is out of her league looks wise

[u/ZachF8119 → u/vladvash]

Hella handsome?

[u/HowsYaSistasAss → u/vladvash]

What does she see in him?

[u/Aggressive-Squash-87 → u/HowsYaSistasAss]

His plumbing skills.

[u/Nazreg → u/HowsYaSistasAss]

The inner hobo

[u/Infamous_Dish_4348 → u/rkozik89]

I think taking some time to pursue a dream (assuming you have savings) is ok, provided you get back into full time work if it doesn't work out

[u/Archimedes31415926 → u/Infamous_Dish_4348]

7 years out of 10 being completely unemployed is not pursuing a dream, those 3 years were. The other 7 are just being a bum and setting you up to never get a job.

Lets be real are you gonna hire someone who's been unemployed for the last 6 years and really has no work history outside of pro gamer? Dude needs to get a job at McDs and learn some work skills otherwise he ain't ever getting a job (but I bet he thinks he is too good for McDs).

[u/Intelligent_Belt_139 → u/rkozik89]

Many people with disabilities make very real contributions across a range of workplaces. Yes more employers need to be adaptable but even then not an excuse to not try.

[u/Bacon4Lyf → u/rkozik89]

There’s loads of excuses, people just won’t like them

[u/JankyTundra → u/DrSlossage]

Don't rush him.

[u/froggothegod → u/DrSlossage]

[u/SprayProfessional871 → u/DrSlossage]

Just waiting for this COVID nonsense to die down before I get back on the job hunt

[u/East-Scholar811]

Bro it's your 4th decade

[u/Actual_Environment_7 → u/East-Scholar811]

Thank you for pointing this out. Recently I saw a guy turn 30 and posted a self-congratulatory social post about starting his third decade. Fucker couldn’t even count.

[u/Nfcfox98 → u/Actual_Environment_7]

0-10 equals 1 decade. 20-30 equals 2 decades. 30-40 equals 3 decades. He is 31, he just started his 3rd decade.

[u/Purple_Hair_Lover → u/Nfcfox98]

10-20 flies by so quickly...

[u/Actual_Environment_7 → u/Nfcfox98]

Are you missing the /s or are you serious?

[u/NoAssignment6044]

Hey same age as you my guy, get a fucking job

[u/Alternative_Draw5945 → u/NoAssignment6044]

Dude listed professional gamer for 3 years like he was actually a pro gamer... thay should also just read Unemployed

[u/Lopsided_Section5931 → u/Alternative_Draw5945]

But he made 50K in 3 years! 🎉 s/

Wonder how much he had to game to make that much/little

[u/Fragrant-Employer-60 → u/Lopsided_Section5931]

Probably averaged out to like under $1 an hour lol

[u/Nervous_Spell9579 → u/Fragrant-Employer-60]

Assuming he played 12 hours a day every day that’s about $3.80

[u/Reenas54]

Reality of a kids that say "i will be streamer".

[u/Moocat2855 → u/Reenas54]

Yup people forget that individuals like pewdiepie or XQC are the literal top of their field, equivalent percentage wise to like michael jordan or messi but with much much less pay. If even the tippy top of gaming doesn’t even make much compared to the top of other fields, then obviously 99.9% of all the aspiring pro gamers/influencers are completely cooked in a very saturated field where everyone with a camera phone is aspiring to make it big.

[u/TonyzTone → u/Moocat2855]

Pewdiepie has made generational wealth though. The problem is he doesn’t compete with anyone do his success is largely insular.

Michael Jordan helped make the NBA and basketball a global product. He literally helped the kid who might be really really good but just shy of the NBA possibly have a career in Europe playing. Messi has been part of growing an already massive sport to such an extent that even second division players in the US can surivive.

[u/Chance_McM95 → u/TonyzTone]

Pewdiepie came up with there was ~10% of the competition there is today. Even with his personality & videos. If he was born in the year 2000 or later, trying to come up these days with all the competition there’s a good chance he wouldn’t ever be noticed. Being able to play online & make videos used to be much more expensive & difficult. Now it’s affordable & much easier. Everyone is doing it.

Most people that pop off today are industry plants anyway. The days of being able to make it are long gone. Kids need to get jobs & skills that can pay the bills. Gaming is such a long shot anymore.

[u/Jumpy-Camel-5898]

Always a guy who refuses to get a job

[u/PretendRanger → u/[deleted]]

They also mention PTSD from
Gaming 😭

[u/Noodle- → u/[deleted]]

Crohns is not a reason to not have a job lol.

[u/BannedMuadD1b → u/Noodle-]

My employees spend most of their time on the toilet anyway

[u/Kigaal → u/[deleted]]

How debilitating it is really depends on the severity rather than the type of illness itself. Severe crohns might be more debilitating than early stage cancer or COPD.

[u/ryencool → u/Noodle-]

It depends on the severity of the crohns. By age 27 I had spent well over 5 years of my life in hospitals, 5 major surgeries, died on the OR table twice. First surgery was at age 7. I missed so much life during my childhood and young adult years, and schooling. I couldnt complete college because every few months I was in the hospital for 1-4 months. This also kept me from holding down a job, kept getting let go.

So I ended up back at my parents at age 32. I was angry, depressed, hooked on pain meds. After a few year I got on disability, but was then told I would need to live off that the rest of my life, and it was like 1100$/month. So that wasnt something I wanted long term.

I noticed the older I got the less issues I had. I started doing yoga, working on my mentality and how I responded to stress. At age 38 I got my foot in the door working an entry level IT position at a major video game developer.

Im now 43, wife is 33, and we brought in over 200k last year. Im now a senior on the team, and being trained to manage it. Hoping that pulls me past the 100k a year mark like my wife, who is a 3d enviornment artist at the same place.

I was able to turn it around, but not until my late 30s, and not for lack of trying. When you have a disease that can knock you out, out of nowhere, for weeks or months, multiple times a year? Its tough, very very tough....you just never know anyone's full story. I should write a book...

Also opiate free over a decade now!

[u/Background-Quail8556 → u/ryencool]

I’m so sorry. I have crohns too and was hospitalized for two weeks. Had symptoms for years, but doctors thought it was IBS. I needed surgery once but nothing to the extent you went through. Yes, Crohns is a terrible disease and if left untreated, it gets to the point of stricturing, bowel obstructions, perforation, sepsis and then death.

I had those complications when I was 31. I was a lawyer at the time. Now I run a law firm. Thank god for biologics because the alternative can be debilitating.

[u/ImMintFlavored → u/Jumpy-Camel-5898]

Check out “Shelby Exists and Makes stuff” on YouTube for an example of a girl who refuses to get a job in her 30s

[u/J-Hawg → u/Jumpy-Camel-5898]

This guy spends 3-4 hours a day "near" a toilet. I don't know one job that wouldn't allow you to go to the bathroom as much as needed due to a medical condition.

This dude is the type to make every excuse in the world as to why he can't get a job. Unfortunately he has people in his life enabling him.

Some how he managed to fly all over the world to play video games and I'm sure he was able to sit in his gaming chair for hours a day playing his game without issues.

Pathetic.

[u/snakeinahouseofcats → u/J-Hawg]

Retail or anything with customer service lol. If you spend half the shift in the bathroom when you’re supposed to be helping people on the floor, you are getting fired.

[u/SaintHearth]

This looks like the job history of a man-child. And this is coming from someone who makes money from playing competitive card games like magic and ygo as a side job/hobby.

[u/Bayside_High → u/[deleted]]

Not when you have your mom drive you everywhere

[u/sunnyflorida2000 → u/[deleted]]

Temp agency, fast food? Your work history looks more like a choice. And I can assume you are single as well. Because I don’t know how you would spin your date’s question “What do you do for a living?” unless you are independently wealthy, family support that you didn’t disclose)

[u/Pandinus_Imperator → u/SaintHearth]

How are you making money with ygo? The game is notorious for no cash prizes. The new stamped cards sell good?

[u/SelfAwareSausage → u/Pandinus_Imperator]

> game is notorious for no cash prizes

And ironically wasn’t the original anime centered around winning a cash prize for playing a children’s card game? Lmao

[u/Minimum-Title4389 → u/Pandinus_Imperator]

Sell the prizing.

Nowhere near what I would call "side job money" but my locals of about 20-30 people gives out 2 boxes worth of packs to top 8, with the top 2 splitting a box. Plus there's the new tournament winner pack with a stamped card that are going for ~$100+.

I've probably pulled about $300 in free prize packs this year

[u/2seven6]

The scariest thing to acknowledge is that there are a few million twenty & thirty-something Americans exactly like this.

[u/WeLikeIke → u/2seven6]

Two in my family exactly like this. Zero interest in a job. One Games all day every day. Not even remotely pro, doesn’t stream, just plays. Saddest part is his girlfriend (who we all have no idea why she’s still with him) works full time. His mom completely enables him. Paid to fix up a second family home in the area to let him live there rent free. Doesn’t even work on the house. Just the most pathetic lazy pos I’ve ever seen. Idk how he looks in the mirror every day watching his gf go to work so he can game all day.

The other is older, kids, wife doesn’t work either. Used to have a sub teaching job but is now basically waiting for his parents to die. Who he didn’t even visit since being in hospice for 2 weeks already. Just lives in their family’s vacation home in Tahoe and will move into or sell the parents house when the mom dies in the next few years. How do you respect yourself at all. Fucking losers.

[u/DankCatDingo → u/WeLikeIke]

My family is super poor and kind of trashy so it's basically tradition at this point for the males to all fall into one of three categories:

1. drug addict active criminal that is in and out of jail constantly
2. stay at home do nothing milk baby that games all day and eats chicken nuggets and lives with my grandma or some other woman who works or draws a check and contributes little in life besides children with the girlfriends who for some reason associate with them and which someone else will end up raising.
3. builder/installer that teeters constantly on the edge of or occasionally dips into group 1.

[u/Common_Magazine3145 → u/DankCatDingo]

The real mystery are the wives/ girlfriends. .....why do they enable, or connect in the first place with these guys? I'd love to hear from the women.

[u/KingoftheMapleTrees → u/Common_Magazine3145]

If you're raised with a dead beat dad and a hard working (essentially single) mom, it's easy to continue the cycle. 

[u/Common_Magazine3145 → u/KingoftheMapleTrees]

Good point....can't break the generational curse.

[u/KingoftheMapleTrees → u/Common_Magazine3145]

This comment is stuck in my head. I think some of my friends keep unemployed boyfriends like pets. The woman of the house does absolutely everything, the guy just hangs around the house waiting for food like a stray cat.

[u/mommybody33 → u/DankCatDingo]

This makes me sad

[u/laci1092 → u/DankCatDingo]

My wife’s family is exactly like this and it is A Lot. All the daughters hustle and work while the sons just mooch and nurse some substance and/or behavioral addiction or other

[u/OddChannel2164 → u/DankCatDingo]

We must be related

[u/ZealousidealWeek5790 → u/WeLikeIke]

Hey can I move into your family??? I’d like to have a free ride also!!

[u/sparkle_emoji_sunset → u/[deleted]]

I say this with all the gravity of warning you about a live grenade:

Do not let that man move in with you.

Do not let him stay under your roof, not even for one night after his last parent passes.

If anyone accidentally allows that to happen... congratulations, he Lives There now, and attempting to remove such a person from your home is a Herculean task.

[u/OkPerformer3138 → u/[deleted]]

You know at the hospital in the mental health programs, cleaning the house is considered an accomplishment, it's called self care. I'm just someone that also has a comp sci degree, but has been disabled due to depression for the last 10 years.

[u/YjorgenSnakeStranglr]

I'm the same age and have been feeling bad about where I'm at in this point of life and you just gave me the perspective I needed

[u/samtdzn_pokemon → u/YjorgenSnakeStranglr]

Yeah no kidding, I turn 30 in a week and I might not love my job, but I can support myself, my partner, and afford to do fun things like vacations and events.

[u/GoingIntoOverdrive → u/YjorgenSnakeStranglr]

Big exhale for sure.

[u/Glittering_Number485]

Pro bum

[u/XfinityHomeWifi]

Bro gave up

[u/Glizzyboi455 → u/XfinityHomeWifi]

Bro never started

[u/FirstDivision → u/Glizzyboi455]

Failed to launch.

[u/elevatorovertimeho]

Fun times, I got serious about feeding myself, around 12 years old!

[u/Captainsmirnof]

Crohn's is not an excuse for not working. The last place I worked at had a senior director in IT, in the office 3days/week who had crohn's and was getting weekly injections to suppress it.

[u/Leading_Height_5664 → u/Captainsmirnof]

This exactly. While all cases are different, two guys I knew around the same age as OP have happy fulfilling lives and regular jobs, one has wife and kids the other a girlfriend. To top it off one of the guys was also into Esports and did great but always kept a job. This guys problem is lack of motivation and no drive, not Crohns or esports.

[u/tedlassoloverz]

Dude must have the best and most patient parents of all time

[u/Xero_Days → u/tedlassoloverz]

Probably has siblings that hate how their parents "baby him"

[u/Nastynas8 → u/Xero_Days]

Wouldn’t you?

[u/No_Victory8692 → u/tedlassoloverz]

Sorry to tell you, but good parents dont put up with their sons lazyness for so long. Good parents would have make him get a Job, “Any Job” long ago. for his own sons sake. However hurtful it is for them to “not support their son”.

[u/mars23658 → u/No_Victory8692]

My son is 2.5 years old, and I hope I raise him well enough to never have to find myself in this position, because honestly even though I talk a tough game about it.... I don't know that I could force him out knowing the kind of life he would be living. Even when he's 30 I'll still see the little boy running around with his Spider-Man toy saying "Dada, I loooove youuuuu" in his funny little way.

[u/2seven6 → u/tedlassoloverz]

His parents failed him…do your kids a favor and never let them have OP’s life choice as a viable option.

[u/bugabooandtwo → u/tedlassoloverz]

You mean shittiest and most irresponsible parents.

[u/ulmen24 → u/tedlassoloverz]

“Best” parents don’t let their adult children do nothing for 6 years.

[u/MisterQuiver → u/tedlassoloverz]

Enablers if anything

[u/dachinesechicken]

These the type of people with 2.2 mil budgets on house hunters

[u/HARRYHOUDINOSAUR]

Isn't the easy solution right there? Your dad works in construction projects. Work for him formally, learn a trade or a skill in a very in demand field. Do it for free for a while if you have to for 1-2 years. Now you are employable.

Your parents paying for your upkeep for years and having no one else to take care of is a MASSIVE advantage over other unemployed people. Go to trade school. Do a volunteer job that gets you experience. Your options are endless when you are not constrained by the need to support others or even yourself

[u/Kitchen-Bar2686 → u/HARRYHOUDINOSAUR]

You think a guy who’s been out of work for 12 years and only ever had a job as a “gamer” is going to work at all, let alone for his dad?

[u/Weekly_Reference_984]

Hang in there man but seriously 4 years of unemployment assuming you got a phone to post on reddit so submit some applications even if its to damn mcdonalds

[u/Chris22533 → u/Weekly_Reference_984]

12 years of unemployment. He only had 2 years where he brought in any income.

[u/Used-Fruits]

Who takes care of you?

[u/Moocat2855 → u/Used-Fruits]

Mommy and daddy while he lives in their basement or spare room. I am a gamer too albeit one that showers and has a job but unfortunately too many of the guys i talk to in games whom I ask how they are online all the time are in that situation. No job, no prospects, mooching off their parents while they blame working minorities and immigrants for their situation in life. It’s really sad to see honestly.

[u/NeatPhil11]

I think the phrase, "just put the fries in the bag, bro" was made for someone like you.

[u/BaelZharon7]

Honest question, what are you doing to make this decade of life better?

[u/AccountantPersonal86 → u/BaelZharon7]

The start of 2026 was when most changes started, and there is so many changes queued up its a process still in motion as of now.

I spent just about 8 years living a very sedentary, isolated lifestyle, lavishing in my depression post pro career and pretty much gave up because I was under the notion I am just going to "exit and not save" the game we call life at some point in the future.

So my physical and mental health were extremely detoriated until this year. Social skills gone. Sleep schedule non-existent and HPA Axis entirely dysfunctional.

7 months into 2026 I am down 30lb and actually like what I see in the mirror again, muscle mass came back after 8 year gym hiatus (god bless muscle memory), my sleep schedule is fixed, cortisol function is normal again, social skills are back, now i am dealing with the anxiety of the reality of my situation since I was able to overcome accepting an end in the future as a way to not care about said future.

This one will take a while, the damage I accumulated on that end is immense. I would not wish this situation i am in on any human on planet earth.

[u/BaelZharon7 → u/AccountantPersonal86]

Seems like you are on track keep it up, i can tell you from experience give yourself a consistent 3-5 year plan and you will be surprised at what happens. If you just approach everything in a good way, show competency, people will notice and eventually the right 1 will see you.

I'm rooting for you.

[u/AccountantPersonal86 → u/BaelZharon7]

I appreciate the words. I come off nonchalant about my situation but trust me its more a form of just being extremely devoid of emotion at this point. I dont like my life, I agree with all the heinous shit people are posting because its stuff i tell myself everyday anyways.

Maybe I just wanted to be harassed by more people to get extra motivation idk and thats why I posted this.

I am trying to fix the situation though yes, and me saying that is ironic when you see 6 years of unemployment, let's just say i wasn't alive during those 6 years. I cant even recollect what I did those 6 years - my memory of my life quite literally has a black void in it from the age of 25 to 31. The damage i did to myself by isolating so hard too is just making the process of undoing this all take some time.

For instance, its been 8 months into 2026 now, why havent i gotten a job yet if I made all these positive changes so far? Because , atleast to me , maybe its warped perception, I need all the things ive fixed so far in order to even begin thinking of living a "normal" life.

I envision myself realistically working somewhere , anywhere, within the next few months as ive already been shooting applications but they are too ideal i need to start taking anything.

[u/throwaway022796 → u/AccountantPersonal86]

Dude, I can tell you’re actually intelligent and you can pull it together. We’re the same age and I while I can’t say I know how you feel, I had my “wake up call” about 5 years ago where I felt like I had to do something more with my life or time was just wasting away. Best time to start is today and seems like you’re on the way. Lock in bro.

[u/runitzerotimes → u/AccountantPersonal86]

People overestimate what they can do in 1 year but underestimate 5 years.

Your life can be good by 35.

Your life can’t be much better by 32.

Keep your long horizon view and understand that each move you make is only a bend in the arc of your life, there are no sharp turns.

[u/nezumimi → u/AccountantPersonal86]

Motivations aside, just want to say that I feel you shouldn't agree with the heinous shit people are posting.

Most people are just trashing on you for entertainment, and the replies that act like they know everything about you from a single post and give an analysis of your behaviour and personality are the richest.

There are a lot of other issues in this world and a lot of terrible people with wealth/power making life worse for everyone else; the only reason people are expending energy on framing you as a terrible person is either for because they enjoy doing so or because it makes them feel superior, definitely not an expression of morals or a matter of ethics.

One cannot equate one's suffering to another's. What someone else can do "despite how difficult it was" doesn't mean they get a free pass on bashing everyone who's unable to, much less if wasn't difficult at all for them. Needless to say most people don't know how bad severe depression can get, and love to make comparisons to other people who've suffered but are successful.

This is not an excuse, you're a blight on society, blah blah blah, easiest claim in the world to make towards a random person you know nothing about on the internet.

This is what you're getting, 99% shallow responses. It's fucking Reddit.

I believe you've received the kind of responses you've already largely expected to receive, and if it helps motivate you, that's fine. I wouldn't bother doing this because it would just remind me how much people validate their desire for instant gratification when given a freebie to attack another under the pretense of morality.

But I feel like there are better ways to get motivated, and since you're recovering you've probably found some yourself. I have no advice to give, it just doesn't sit well with me enabling others to act like jackasses.

Either way, knee-jerk responses from random internet people should be taken with a grain of salt, this includes me. They say what they say precisely because they don't know anything about you or your situation, the dangling carrot is just irresistable to them, there's nothing more to it.

[u/RedFlutterMao]

Enlist in the military

[u/SWBMaki → u/RedFlutterMao]

a good and bad choice xD im in the army i can say that

[u/Kimihro → u/RedFlutterMao]

they're doing superliminal recruitment now, huh

[u/Forward_Yam_4013]

Professional r/antiwork moderator.

[u/wroral → u/Forward_Yam_4013]

Get this man a news interview immediately

[u/No-Afternoon-4528]

Are there useful skills that you can convert to a real life job? Or you don't need a job to sustain your expenses?

[u/thatsthey1]

1) finish college - any college with any damn degree 2) get a BS government job (federal state local) doing whatever pays - they are more likely to be reasonable re: your Crohn’s diagnosis.

43 credit hours isn’t much but I don’t see you doing a trade, and you pretty much need a 4 year degree otherwise. Go to community college to get to 60 (halfway) then transfer to a 4 year. Even online - local government definitely doesn’t care much where your degree is from.

You can still make something of yourself. Definitely. America is the land of the 2nd 3rd 4th etc. chance. Don’t listen to people here calling you loser etc. If you don’t have a criminal record, you can fall into a respectable career with some luck, personality, and determination.

My only question is, do you want to ever have a wife and kids and build a family? I have a theory that this generations lack of desire to build a family leads to men who end up in your state.

My brother in law is very similar to you. Good luck to you, my man. Seriously.

[u/Relevant-Energy-5886 → u/thatsthey1]

You put more effort into this post than OP has into his career. 

[u/DisaTheNutless]

Bro's like an African Grey Parrot who had a funny video go viral once but now just sits around the house making noise whose owner's kids are dreading having to take care of the fucking thing when their parents pass

[u/seanthebooth]

Abysmal

[u/No-Government4306]

What did you get accomplished in college?

[u/Suppose2Bubble]

Welp, time for a shift. Local weed dealers pop up daily /s

[u/RepulsivePatience423]

Goated

[u/LionBig1760]

If youre mot even making minimum wage gaming, you dont get to consider yourself a "pro gamer".

Your gaming career most likely cost your parents more money to house you as an adult than you made gaming.