The Art of Balance: Life vs. Gaming By Elliott Anderson Elliott Anderson is a college student from Portland, Oregon studying History and Photography. He's been a gamer since he was a young teenager, initially interested in First Person Shooters, strategy and console gaming. As he gained experience, the draw of playing with tens of thousands of other people became to great and he succumbed to games like Planetside, Everquest and World of Warcraft.

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Massively multiplayer games are addictive. Game designers have come up with such outstanding modes of gameplay that modern games are possibly too fun. Absurd amounts of game content and continual updates can keep us busy for literally thousands upon thousands of hours. We find ourselves in a situation where we want to play as much as possible and shed ourselves of actual reality. Our gaming avatars become us; our bodies, as well as our social life, begin to fail. Getting that next level or that next item consumes us entirely. But there is hope! Striking some sort of balance between gaming and RL is really the only hope you've got. Your friends will thank you, and god-forbid you have a girlfriend, she'll hopefully not throw you out like turned guacamole. I've heard too many stories in "General Chat" about a persons girlfriend, or even wife, walk out the door. Yet they are still chatting and playing away like nothing has happened. A gamer would call that person prioritizing his life. But in all actuality, they will most certainly live to regret it. Balance doesn't mean quitting the game entirely. It just means getting your life together, finally taking that shower you've been putting off for two weeks and considering some sort of playing schedule.

"But Mom! You just don't understand!"

It's true. Most people who aren't gamers just don't understand. They don't understand that there is a social element to online gaming. That you are playing with actual people, just through a sort of conduit. To your parents, your friends and your girlfriend however, you are just sitting in front of your computer gaining weight. To these people it looks downright unhealthy, because in truth, it is.

It's just a game...

It took me years to figure this one out. Raiding and grinding took precedent over everything and I consistently looked forward to getting on my computer at all times. I acted as if gaming was the most important thing in my life and my friends and relatives took notice. The best way to beat this situation is to look at it in the third person. Calculate how much time you spend in front of your computer in a day. Or better yet a week. Consider what your actually doing for that time. Six hours a day or more of sitting in front of a computer, mashing buttons is absolutely unhealthy. You spend all that time, getting your character to X level, and for what? One day it will dawn on you. And I guarantee that it will happen. You will finally lose interest and cancel your account or whatever and realize just how much time has been wasted. How much of life you actually missed. The one way to avoid this horrendous epiphany is to learn to play in moderation.

But how?

It's really pretty simple. Rearrange your priorities. Actual relationships come first and foremost, then responsibilities, then gaming. Relinquish your video games to hobby status. This serves a multitude of benefits, including keeping your actual game time far more enjoyable. In my opinion there is no worse crime than being logged into your game, and just wandering aimlessly, bored. If your bored of a video game, stop playing and go do something productive.

Establish a simple set of rules as to when you can play. Fulfill your family obligations and your main responsibilities first. Talk to your girlfriend or significant other to help build a reasonable and compromised playing schedule. When your in the fits of a true gaming addiction, these things sound unimportant and borderline ridiculous. But trust me, you'll feel better about yourself and your gaming, and the people around you will feel happier about it too. You can also use gaming as a sort of reward for some sort of achievement. Even doing your homework, or actual work can be something that you can reward yourself for. Menial tasks like cleaning up around the house can get done faster and with a smile as long as you know you can go own up on some noobs in the battleground afterwards. Limiting the total amount of time spent spent playing also serves to enhance the overall enjoyment of the experience. You tend to be more focused on getting that quest done rather than wandering about pointlessly. If your into raiding, try and get your life in order before you start that 6 hour instance. It's all a matter of efficiency and balance.

And for those of you with girlfriends or boyfriends who actually play the game with you. I hate you. Just simply out of jealousy of course. If you can achieve this, not only are spending countless hours of "quality time" with your lady (or man), but you are fulfilling your gaming addiction at the same time. This is truly the holy grail of relationships for the intrepid gamer.

In the end...

On a level of importance in life, the universe and everything, gaming is so minutely important that it is really quite remarkable that we can throw so much of our time at it. It's fun, it's an escape and we love to do it. But, its still just a game that really does nothing more than offer you up mounds of instant gratification. It serves no long term value other than your happiness at that very moment. It's important to keep that in mind in your next argument over play-time. And if you've ever considered quitting either your job or school to help free up more time for gaming, you need  to go purchase a shotgun and put a big gaping hole in the side of your computer. You have failed and you should be done with gaming before any more harm comes of it.