Gaming, the other drug.


So maybe some ppl have been wondering what's been going on, and why I've been MIA for the last two weeks. And for the others who couldn't care less, oh well. Anyway, I find it isn't very common of me to not post anything on my blog for more than a week, let alone 2 weeks. So, Wassap wit dat dawg?!

Well, the answer lies in one word and one word alone: Games. If I were only allowed to use that one word to write my entire blog, it would pretty much describe my last week or so as well. But for entertainment's sake, I'll refrain.

Yeah pretty much after the midterm week was over (at the beginning of November), the school bag has hit the floor and it's been an all out gaming/lazing out fest. Somewhat expected of course, as I am notorious for taking long, and in my mind, deserved breaks from school and feverishly cramming for midterms. Also as expected, it's come back to kick me in the ass.

With Halo 2 officially released, along with the World of Warcraft Beta, it's not hard to see where all my time has went. And in addition to that there was the Project Halo 2 day that I'm sure all of you have either heard about or was a part of. So I can easily say that my addiction to gaming has come back full steam, which is definitely not a good thing for the finer parts of my life (ie: school, friends, family).

The good news about it all is that I now know the full extent of my addiction, and I can now tell when I'm going a bit overboard. The bad news is that with Half Life 2 just around the corner with many other releases this month, the prognosis is not looking good. (I like to use big words, it makes me feel like a big boy).

But I mean the whole experience really brings you back to seeing what's important in life. I know that the last week or two have been a complete waste of my time, and energy, and I've learnt from it. Especially after my two month hiatus from gaming starting at September, I can really see how great the power of gaming can be on someone's life, and to tell you the truth, it's kinda scary.

Okay okay, it seems like I'm talking about the issue as if I was addicted to Crystal Meth or something, which I'm totally not. But the point, and my big realization, is that the task of gaming can really turn into addiction if not looked at seriously. I think the problem with half the "young adults" (18-24) in the world who are stuck at dead end jobs, or who have no future plans, is that they look at things as simple as gaming, with such disregard. They almost figure it as normal to spend so much time on a game during the day because it's deemed harmless and just for fun, which it is. But the reality is that if whatever mindless task you indulge in becomes your primary task for the day/week/month/year, then you're on a fast track to failure my friend.

Moral of the Story: Luxuries such as TV, Movies, Video Games and such were meant for relaxation time, not a strenuous 9-5 daily scheduled process to go through.