Playing Video Games: A Double-Edged Sword

Ever since I asked my dad to buy me the trending game Minecraft in the third grade, I can confidently call myself a video game enthusiast. I have been playing Minecraft the longest out of any other games. As a result, I get a sense of nostalgia when playing it; maybe that is why I continue to play the game despite how long it has been out. Other than Minecraft, I have played popular games like Fortnite, Overwatch, League of Legends, Valorant, and other notable titles. Still, I never stuck to one game longer than a year. Whichever video game my friend group was playing, I switched over so we could all have a blast together. My friends are the reason why I never ventured too much into the realm of single-player video games.

Learning to balance my time between leisure and productive activities has been a challenge for as long as I can remember. I found myself overwhelmed with the desire to explore the many video game genres and the hope of maintaining a balance. It was complex to figure out when I should reject the offer to play with my friends one night to study or push it off for the next day. As a middle schooler, I used to think that if I didn’t choose to play one night, my friends would not invite me to the next session, and I would lose them. But this was naive and immature thinking. If they were to unfriend me just because I missed a gaming session with them, then they were not to be considered friends of mine.

One of my most conflicting examples includes my first and longtime childhood friend (I will call him Will for his anonymity). Will and I were neighbors from birth, but I had to move away at the end of second grade. After years, we connected through discord early this year and have stayed in touch through video games ever since. Since Will and I enjoyed playing Minecraft, we shared fun times by playing hours of Bed Wars. However, with college just around the corner, I decided to stop video games entirely to develop healthy study habits. But, when I wanted to stop playing video games this summer, I felt that I would lose the connection I established with him. I realized that video games were not just a method for relaxing but essential for maintaining long-distance and online relationships with my friends, especially during the pandemic.

Even though I used video games to connect with other people, they led me to skip family events and holiday celebrations in the past. I never realized the impact of ignoring these events until I was in high school. All my relatives only knew me for how much I gamed and nothing else. For example, I called my grandparents living in India, and they said, “Hi Shreyas! Do you still play those video games a lot?” After a few similar occurrences, I started to get hurt by those comments even when they did not mean to be hurtful.

Additionally, playing video games during high school led me to earn a few Bs over As. Suppose I just put more time and effort into achieving a better grade instead of satisfying the urge to play. In that case, I could have gotten a better GPA. But, of course, no one can change the past, and my thoughts are all attempts at speculating my mistakes. So, learning time management is crucial for the success of a student.

All in all, video games have their ups and downs, according to my experiences. They have helped me stay connected with friends you cannot meet in person, but they have been the lead cause of my procrastination and unproductive time in my childhood. I hope to limit gaming to special occasions, a tool for connecting with other people during my time as a college student. The above information is how video games have affected my life. However, you may have your own experiences with how they impacted you.