Setting the Game Down

Have you ever picked up that one game that you could never put down? More and more children around the world are experiencing this every day. As the gaming industry releases new video games, gaming systems, and things of the like, kids put off things like homework and friendships to play their favorite video game.

Now I’m not one of the angry mother video game critics saying all video games are wrong and should be destroyed. I love video games and everything about them: buying the newest releases, checking out the new game consoles, and overall everything about them in general. But one day I decided to check out a few things about this topic.

I bet you didn’t know that the average teenager plays 3 hours of video games a day. Once again, I’m not saying video games are wrong, it’s the problem people have with prioritizing their lives. World of WarCraft is an MMORPG, or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. One of my friends got into this game about a year ago, and it went from a simple game to an addiction.

He would come home and play for hours, not bothering to touch his homework, socialize with his family, or hang out with his buddies. Sometimes he played all night without getting any rest. His grades slipped, his family was worried about him because of this game, and eventually he even started using real money to purchase Gold (the games currency) off websites like eBay.

One day I asked him, “Why do you play World of WarCraft? What’s so good about it?” He said it was just like real life; if he worked hard, he would be greatly rewarded. In doing this, he failed to realize that though he was winning in the game, he was losing in real life.

Now I know most of you readers out there don’t want me to keep ranting about all the mistakes he made, but eventually he quit. Now he’s doing much better in school, has been getting involved in family activities, and frequently does things with his friends. He hasn’t played this game in a year, and he is doing so much better. Video games aren’t meant to be played every living minute, it only causes problems. I don’t play any video games on weekdays so I can focus on work, and rarely play on weekends. I’m not doing so well in the game I like playing, Runescape (also an MMORPG), but I’d say in real life I’m doing pretty well.