I also lived in Las Vegas for a brief period, but being in the military I lived a lot of places. Las Vega is like many other places I lived, it is all what you make of it! There is a lot to do and see in/around the Vegas area without concentrating on the casino scene. The casinos were nice for an occasional meal, or for a show, but I mostly steered away from the gambling. You don't have to be a genius to figure out the bright lights of Vegas don't remain on from giving their money away, all games, including the slots are in favor of the house, with the exception, perhaps, of poker. While there, I worked part-time on slot machines, after spending some time inside one I reached the conclusion that I would never again feed a machine.
Life in Vegas can be as pleasant as any other place if you stay off the strip. I enjoyed the hunting, and the fishing was also fairly good. I am a rock hound so it offed a great opportunity to seek out semi-precious stones, pan for gold, and look for artifacts. As I said, I lived a lot of places around the world, and didn't find Vegas that bad, all things considered.