I don't think so. Games -especiall when you get introduced first to the concept- are tonns of unique experience, logic and puzzle and bonding with other people and experimenting and exploiting and race for a win.. just to scratch the surface. Reddit on the other hand is mindless scrolling and infinite low hanging dopamine fruit where you can't remember what did you read but can't play games anymore because it's gratification is not instant enough.
In the same way that watching a TV series or a movie is mindless distraction [0], or going for a hike or a road trip is just an "escape" from normality. Reducing experiences to their fundamental value [1] devoids them of any joy they might have.
[0] Not all games are solo mobile games; a good chunk of my gaming time is spent playing online multiplayer games with friends.
[1] cooking is a chore; it's a requirement for being a healthy adult. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the act of doing it.
> Is not wasting time playing games the same as wasting time browsing stuff online? it's all mindless entertainment and distraction.
That was why younger me used to think this:
> When I was younger I often felt I had played too many games and bemoaned the time lost.
Present me realized that if, 20+ years later I still have such fond memories of playing those games, then no - they weren't a waste.
Now it does probably depend on personality and the types of games you play. I don't think I'd think so fondly if all I did was play Tetris for hours and hours.
I'm not suggesting this is true for everyone and everyone would do better playing games. But I do realize that whatever I replaced games with was not even close to fulfilling.
Same with novels, TV shows and movies. I'm fairly selective of the ones I watch/read, and so I have good memories of them as well. If I can't find any interesting ones, I don't watch. Whereas if you just browse Netflix and pick whatever is appealing to fill the time - yeah, probably not a good idea.
Is not wasting time playing games the same as wasting time browsing stuff online? it's all mindless entertainment and distraction.