Last Christmas, I received an Xbox One. Ever since, I've been devouring the latest games and devoting hours to playing them and having fun. But a little thing called college homework got in the way and it very quickly became difficult to prioritize whether to write an English paper or to find all twelve hidden drawings in "Sunset Overdrive."
I blame college for my video game addiction. When I was a freshman, "Halo 4" was fresh off the shelves and almost everyone in my dorm had it and was playing it nonstop. And where was I? Standing outside their doors saying, "Can I play? Can I play? Can I play?" That was when I vowed to get an Xbox and get good at video games. And that was a double edged sword.
On the one hand, playing video games is a lot of fun. It's a good stress reliever, teaches you good hand eye coordination, and gives you an appreciation of the designers and programmers behind the game. And if you want to get into those fields, playing these games is almost like research. But the risk is very large that you will get lost to these games, especially if it's "Destiny." That game will take away your life. As I'm writing this, I have just bought the newest expansion for the game that is supposed to re-haul the game's systems and add new features. Not playing it right now is torture.
But it's also the smart thing to do. When you have a jam packed schedule, prioritizing is the most important thing. If there's a paper due on Thursday and you got a new game on Tuesday, focus on the thing that's due sooner. You'll have the game forever. You'll have all the time in the world to play it and perfect your skills. You'll only have one shot on the paper, so you better get it right.
I always organize myself so that I get my work done first so that it's out of the way and then play games after all of my work is done. It's a great system that's been in place since elementary school and it's worked out great. It makes the fun worthwhile. Whenever you have to choose between work and play, think of it like this: When you get your work done first, you'll have more time to play and it'll mean more. You'll have earned it. Everyone needs a break, but sometimes, if you start the break, you won't be able to stop. "Just one more game. I'll just beat this level. I need to get that upgrade." See what I mean? It's a slippery slope.
Focusing on the important things when so many distractions are at your disposal is arguably the toughest thing about today's students. The thing is that everyone handles their work ethic differently and some methods are more effective than others. Whatever works for you and whatever gets the stuff done is what you should do. And then, when it's time to kick back and relax, take comfort in knowing that you did everything right.
