Is Gaming a waste of time

I thank my opposition for an interesting topic.As the negative did not disbar it, I will begin the debate this round.I will set out to prove that gaming is a waste of time. Before I begin, there are 2 observations that should be put on today's debate Despite it's negative connotation, a waste of time is not an inherently bad thing. A time wasting activity can actually be a good thing, for example, look to my the Neg's example of relaxation. Relaxation is important for maintaining mental and physical health, but I will touch on this more later To establish the best use of time, I purpose a cost benefit analysis to weigh the use of time. Lets start with a rebuttal. The negative puts forward 2 primary claims. First, it deals with stress/its a way to relax, and second that it makes people happy. Since these are similar, I will rebut both now. Just because something makes me happy, reduces my stress, and/or relaxes me doesn't mean it isn't a waste of time. I enjoy listening to the sound of rain hitting my window, so I will often sit in my room doing nothing but listening to the sound of the rain hitting my window, but this is a fairly big waste of time. There will be 2 arguments for the affirmative.Now the first argument of the Affirmative here is that just because something makes you happy doesn't mean its a positive use of your time. To support this stance, I offer 2 examples. The First is cigarettes. Cigarettes waste time in three ways. First, they take time off of the users life. Second, they require time to smoke. And Third they cost money, and as everyone knows "Time=Money". Therefore, by all accounts, Cigarettes are a waste of time. But many people would say it relaxes them, reduces their stress, and makes them happy. They meet all of the same attributes given to games by the Neg, but there is little reason to say "Cigarettes aren't a waste of time" because they literally limit the time you have on this earth. My second example (warning to anyone under 18) is masturbation. Masturbation also meets all the criteria the negative establishes, but isn't a productive use of time because it is inherently anti-social, doesn't benefit your career or education, and doesn't have significant positive health impacts The second argument is that there are comparatively better uses of time. It is important to remember that time is limited. Any time you spend is lost forever. If you chose to play a game, you use time that you could otherwise use bettering your career, health, or social status. There are 3 better ways you could use your time than gaming. Socializing. You could interact with coworkers, friends, family, or go out and meet new people. In a healthy individual, socializing has no harm and many benefits. You could better your career or education. You could work extra hours, pick up another job, or attend classes to help better your position, earn more money, and ultimately lead a better life as a result. You could also go back to school and begin a new career, learn a trade, or just read a book. All of these would be a better use of your limited time. You could better your health. You could go to the gym and lift weights, you could take a bike trip, or you could just go for a walk. Epically in the midst of an obesity epidemic, and especially when said epidemic has such major harms (1). Now none of this is to say that gaming is a bad thing. I myself have logged more hours in front of my PS4 than I care to admit. But the point of gaming is to waste time and have fun. I thank you for your time and I strongly urge an Affirmative vote.(1)http://www.letsmove.gov...;