You are my kind of person 😁
The issue here is that he's spent money they couldn't afford to spend and hid it. Games are not that expensive by themselves (i.e. the actual main game, even if with a subscription). If you calculate how much it costs and how long you play them, they are a lot cheaper than meals out, beers after work, the cinema, etc. But in this particular case, it was the in-game purchases that he kept spending on. He has an addictive personality for what OP says, and this was just an outlet. I find so outdated the idea that games are childish, those who think that have clearly not seen a good variety of games. Storytelling, critical thinking, mind puzzles, teamwork, proper collaborative planning to achieve objectives, building in environments that take into account physics, games for relaxation, games to raise awareness of mental health issues, games that consider neurodiversity, games that replicate historical periods and locations in detail, games that force you to think outside the box, games for pure distraction and make-believe, games that force you to move and be physically active, games for fitness... all of these can be really amazing if you know where to look and what to get.