3 Reasons Why So Many Young Men Are Unemployed Gaming Addicts

It‘s Much More Than Just Laziness

I have a friend in Colorado who has never held a full-time job despite recently celebrating his 21st birthday. Let’s call him Cornelius IV.

Cornelius IV never went to college. Instead, he spends all of his time doing whatever he pleases, from exploring new hobbies to the most addicting hobby of them all: video games.

He probably games at least 10 hours each day. That’s almost two full-time jobs every week.

You’re probably expecting me to go on about how miserable and depressed he is and how he can’t pass any job interviews no matter how hard he tries. But that would be a glaring lie.

He’s an absolute blast to be around, both in-person and digitally. Cornelius IV is witty, extremely bright, and, most of all, happy.

But he must be incredibly lonely, right?

Wrong.

After thousands of hours playing online multiplayer games, he has amassed a fleet of friends in his city and from all across the globe. Cornelius IV has even gone on a few vacations with them, flying across the country to be with his digital brethren.

I know this won’t keep up forever. Eventually, my friend will find a career path that genuinely intrigues him or go the freelance or entrepreneur route.

But it always puzzled me why he seemed so full of life compared to my 9–5 friends who “achieved the dream.” And he’s not the only one. I know of several others who have rage quit the “American Dream” altogether and most genuinely seem… happier. Many Medium articles also back up this claim.

After observing this growing phenomenon for the past several years, I can identify at least 3 reasons why quitting your job to play video games can be infinitely more enjoyable.

#1: The Rat Race

Many people are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the typical 9–5 life-suck that many white-collar jobs truly are.

We have watched our parents grind away for decade after decade, sacrificing their time, youth, and energy for corporations that discard them the second it’s financially beneficial to do so.

Many of us are looking around and thinking, “there has to be a better way.” And “better” heavily depends on the person because we all value things differently.

But I believe most young people see the“rat race” as a system that keeps us financially dependent on powerful institutions that exert total control over our time and energy.

We waste our best years generating wealth for those in their worst.

#2: Knowledge That Leads To Envy

Millions of us watch helplessly as teenage girls and video game streamers make more money from donations than we’ll ever see in our entire lives. A recent leak revealed top Twitch steamers pulling in millions of dollars each year. And that doesn’t even count their other brand deals and countless revenue streams.

I’m not saying that everyone is quitting their day jobs to become the next Twitch star. Instead, I am highlighting how demoralizing it is to realize that teenage girls dancing in 5-second videos are pulling in millions while you’re barely getting by with $30,000 in student loans and your car keeps breaking down.

Your subconscious mind is constantly evaluating your position in the social hierarchies around you. We benefited immensely from this when we stayed with the same few villages throughout our entire lives. However, it has led to severe psychological problems now that we’re aware of the whole world every second of the day.

If you’re on the lowest rank of the totem pole, every little problem causes immense stress and angry outbursts. If you’re wondering why people break controllers so much, this is likely why. You’re clinging for dear life, and the slightest issue has the potential to destroy you.

#3: The Juice Isn’t Worth The Squeeze

Many of us feel like there is simply no hope for eventual financial success, let alone financial freedom.

With housing prices expected to increase by 14% this year, the idea of homeownership seems to be nothing more than a fantasy for most Americans.

According to the article linked above, the average value of a home is $316,368. In cities like San Francisco, this number is $1.5 Million .

Compare that to the 2020 median household income of $67,521 (which decreased 2.9% from the year before, by the way). After paying federal income taxes, you’re left with $54,514 (assuming you’re paying no state income tax).

So, if the average household managed to save half of their paycheck each year (which is wildly unrealistic considering student loan debt, rapidly rising inflation, etc.), it would take them a whopping 11.6 years to buy the average house outright.

Of course, you can always take out a mortgage, but be prepared to spend entire years of your life just to pay the interest on it.

Just think about it. If you get a 30-year mortgage on a home priced at this year’s median value of $316,368, and you put the typical 20% down and get a 3.67% interest rate, by the end, you will have paid $418,034 in total, which includes $164,939 in interest alone.

Tons of young men are looking at these options and wondering why the hell they should even bother. Why work an unfulfilling job for decades of your precious time on this earth just to hand it over to a bank, so they don’t kick you out of your home.

So What?

I’m not saying that we’re all hopelessly f*cked. Believe it or not, I think there is plenty to be hopeful about in the near future. However, there are plenty of issues that require immediate attention before it’s too late. These include the growing epidemic of celibate men, dystopian levels of wealth inequality, and a dying planet.

But since this whole piece is centered around the emergence of unemployed men who have willingly opted out, I think it’s important to address something crucial: maybe there’s nothing wrong with the millions of young males who have chosen this path. Instead, perhaps there’s a problem with our current economic system.

Life is like a giant game, and in order to win, or at least keep playing, you are forced to choose the options that benefit you the most. If millions of guys all around the world are opting out of society despite the severe social shame that accompanies it, then maybe the problem isn’t simply laziness or just “men.”

Maybe there are deeper issues with our social and economic structures that desperately need to be updated.