I substitute socialising with small streaming channels. Like the ones that have less than 5-10 people watching ever. You can come and go as you please and no one cares, and you can make real connections and have actual conversions with both the streamer and other viewers. People with channels that small aren't doing it for the money, they're doing it to have people to chill with while they play.
Some would say they aren't real friends but I think there's a point you can get to where I would disagree.
I don't know, I was unemployed for a while and literally spent every waking hour gaming for many months straight. It was the happiest time of my life. I'd give up a lot to be so financially stable I could do that again.
Having one thing be your only hobby will get boring for the majority of people, so just have some extra hobbies. I could definitely spend 75% of my time gaming and the rest on other hobbies and feel great.