Is chasing Nostalgia a bad thing?
This is a topic I’ve had mixed and intricate feelings about. I started playing Yugioh and going on Pojo 22 years ago. I sold my physical collection and stopped playing 10 years ago, but every so often, I come back to play retro formats.
Is it a bad thing I’m returning back to a card game that was a defining part of my childhood?
We all know the stereotype. The guy who peaked in high school, still living in the same hometown, wearing his old varsity jacket from 20 years ago, reminiscing on how his team won football games. Still talking to his friends about the women he dated in college. His friends have moved, changed jobs, gotten married, explored new hobbies, but he clearly hasn’t moved on…
I wonder, to what extent, it’s true in general that people freeze off at a particular age (30’s, 40’s), where. This is often true with music; people tend to love the music that came out when they were younger, and they stop exploring new music as they get older.
But I can’t help but think sometimes. Am I that varsity guy but with yugioh and gaming?
Like with many things in life, it’s subjective. If this is your passion, great.
The question being: Are you indulging in nostalgia because you’re still really passionate about the hobby? If your goal in life is to continue the hobbies you’ve had long-term, you’ve defined what you want, and there is no objective authority figure that can tell you you’re wrong.
But on the other end… Are you doing nostalgia hobbies because you haven’t found new things that engage you and you’re clinging onto old things for comfort? Are there new things you’ve wanted to try, but are scared, and thus resort to familiar hobbies for comfort? If you are continuously using nostalgia hobbies as a form of procrastination to avoid goals you really want to pursue, then it may be a problem.
There is a balance. We can try new hobbies, and still occasionally enjoy old ones. We can complete goals on our to-do list and then use “comfort-food” hobbies as a reward.
