First off: time you enjoy is not time wasted. So, while gaming and watching TV (not just sports) may not be activities which provide some sort of self-improvement, they can be useful activities in providing for relaxation and stress relief. Humans generally don’t do well when forced to be “on” every waking minute of the day. We need downtime to decompress and allow our brains to relax. “Play time” is a useful thing. Don’t just abandon your enjoyed activities because they are looked down upon by some segments of society. Like all things though, they can be taken to an extreme. If you find that those activities were interfering with work, socializing or getting things done, which need to be done (e.g. home maintenance, self-care, etc.) that’s when you should start worrying about addiction.
That said, if you are looking for other “play time” activities you can take up in the comfort of your own home, there are quite a few:
- Reading - find books you enjoy and read them.
- Model building - hit a hobby store and find models you find interesting, buy and build one.
- Model rocketry - Similar to model building, but you get to shoot them into the sky.
- Home brewing - It’s like chemistry, but you get to drink the end products. Check your local laws before starting.
- Home distilling - As brewing, except the results are even more fun. Again, check you local laws.
- Painting/Drawing/Art - Why not make something you like to look at?
- 3d Printing - Learn to hate first layers. Maybe make something cool.
- Wood working - Build stuff, enjoy the smell of sawdust.
- Metal working - Whether blacksmithing or welding.
If you are willing to get out and “touch grass”, instead of watching sports, you could do some. Though, this often costs money and means dealing with people. On the upshot, you might meet some nice people and improve your health.
In short, find something you enjoy doing and don’t be ashamed of doing it. Just don’t let it interfere with the things in life you need to get done.
My all time favorite was Robotech, though it has not aged well.
I also went through a lot of Disney in my youth:
And then there was the smattering of others: