There’s an epidemic running rampant across college campuses everywhere. It’s not H1N1 or mad cow disease, but it is a serious problem.
Students stay up countless hours almost every night locked in a staring contest with their televisions. What I’m talking about is the distraction called “gaming.” Many have fallen victim to its deadly grip.
You get a new game, take it home, turn on the TV and play. Before you know what happened, it’s 1 a.m. and you haven’t done anything but shout a
few grunts.
Of course, when you stay up late, waking up early becomes a bit of a problem.
If your alarm can’t wake you up, you can’t attend classes, and if you can’t attend classes you can’t get the grades necessary to sustain your academic career. I have personally witnessed this happen to someone I know.
The person to whom I’m referring to would always be either glaring at his TV, controller in hand, or crouched in front of his computer.
One of the biggest beasts in this disease is “World of Warcraft”.
Yes, a chosen few can, in fact, balance the game with studies and social life, but most can’t.
Ask anyone who has played “WoW,” and he or she will tell you it’s a slippery slide that leads to nowhere.
“World of Warcraft is like the meth of video games,” said one witness to the game’s addictive powers. “Once you get started you can’t stop”.
It’s a very addicting video game and a hard habit to kick. But if you can learn to manage it wisely, then it won’t cause much of a problem. But that is, admittedly, very hard to do.
I’m not one to point a vindictive finger at any one thing, so I will say that there are a great multitude of games that have this effect.
“Call of Duty,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Halo” and even Facebook can have similar effects. What it all comes down to is how you manage your time.
These games are dangerous. It is very easy to get sucked in and witness fallout in other aspects of your lives.
We all know that one person who confines himself to his room every night and glues himself to the TV or computer.
It’s hard to understand what goes through his head when he decides to skip class in order to play the game. What makes him think that it’s a good idea?
Video games are a load of fun and are a good stress reliever when the day is done.
But it’s deciding when the day is done that’s important. The way I deal with my “gameritis” is by making sure all my work is done before I can log on to spend some quality time with my character.
Last time I logged on, the “tip of the day” was this: “Remember to take all things in moderation (even World of Warcraft!)”