older guy here. when i was a little kid i discovered c64, amiga, nes and got hooked. now 4 decades later i have conquered worlds, flew tie-fighters, raced expensive cars, built empires, killed gods, hunted ghouls, slayed dragons and all of that for basically free. "free" in the meaning that, compared to other hobbies, gaming is basically a hobby you can run with pocket change when you stay away from some financial scams in the industry that came up in the last few years.  got a nice collection of actual and old hardware, recently upgraded my steamdeck to the oled i have with me on business travel (still cheaper and more entertaining than hanging in hotel bars in the evening)  i was never made to be a "family man", never wanted kids or stuff, also not handsome or good with women, gave up in my early 20is and never returned to that game. gaming made me interested in computers, gaming made me look into 3d modelling which also turned into part of my work (inventor), gaming learnt me scripting and while not a coder made me create some company intern used programms ... gaming made me enough interested in things to make a very decent living by being usefull to others. sex? buying it is legal and better a good show by an professional than lame and arkward one nighters. else, want unconditional love, get a dog. never did regret taking some little pupper in need into my home.
Austria