Can anyone please explain the nuances between ～てばかりいる and ～てばかりだ?

I've come across several sentences like:

> カップラーメンを食べてばかりです。

> カップラーメンを食べてばかりいます。

and

> ゲームをしてばかりだ。

> ゲームをしてばかりいる。

but don't understand what the difference is.

Someone told me ～てばかりだ is rarely used. Someone else said that one is more
formal and objective than the other. Websites have said that they're both the
same. I'm so confused.
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2021-04-24T14:09:14.257
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question
grammar jlpt
Difference between ～てばかりいる and ～てばかりだ?
IMO both are interchangeable. I can agree that the form ～てばかりだ is perhaps used
less frequently. Perhaps it's only used by relatively skilled
speakers/writers. That said I wouldn't say it's "rarely used". E.g. both
あいつは菓子食ってばっかり！ or あいつは菓子食ってばかりいるね would be a common pattern you'd hear in
daily conversations.

I can't think of any difference in nuance between the two. If I'm forced to
come up with something: ばかり generally gives the act a negative connotation.
However, one _can_ use it to describe something positive. I think ばかりいる is a
tad easier to use it in this way (あいつは子供の面倒を見てばかりいる), whereas that feels a bit
harder with ばかり(あいつは子供の面倒を見てばかり).
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2021-04-26T16:33:20.807
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I couldn't find a proper reference. But ultimately it seems like the
difference in meaning should be the same as the difference between だ and いる.
The difference between being and existing.

カップラーメンを食べてばかりいます。They eat ramen all the time.

カップラーメンを食べてばかりです。 They only eat instant ramen. And maybe they will do so
forever. They're _that kind of people_.

It seems to me the ばかりだ formulation is more judgemental regarding the very
nature of the target of the affirmation. Whereas the ばかりでいる is merely an
observation, though with a negative connotation too.

うちの子がゲームをしてばかりいると言われても否定できないが、だからといって将来なんてないとはとても言えないと思います。

あいつは、ゲームをしてばかりで、将来のない人ですよ！
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2022-09-20T21:12:43.073
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2022-09-20T21:29:02.543
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answer