Computer Games: When it becomes a case of "Just One More Hour"

by Kaiyang

If you find yourself rationalizing that you’ll play for ‘just one more hour’ on a regular basis, it’s probably a good thing for you to learn from Kaiyang’s experience and apply the suggestions he makes in this article.
My experience with computer games, on the whole, has been a love-hate relationship; love because somehow nothing comes close to replicating the intense rush you get when playing them, and hate because when “Game Over! You Win!” flashes across your screen, you find that little has been achieved in reality.

While I believe many of us out there have not been in the unfortunate situation of suffering from computer game addiction, sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back from what you’re doing and evaluate yourself: “Have I been playing this for too long, at the expense of other commitments like homework, family, and friends?” I suppose the amount of time one deems acceptable varies from person to person, and likewise, what one classifies as addiction another may just dismiss as barely adequate.

While I won’t tell you what’s acceptable and what’s not (that would be just my opinion), I’ll tell you that from experience, there’s so much more you can do with your time. Indeed, I wonder what more I could have gotten out of my childhood had I spent more time reading books which I’d liked, spending more time with my family, and generally treasuring the small but simple things in life.

Perhaps you may disagree with me now and insist that computer games are an integral part of one’s childhood, an argument I cannot disagree with. Also, many of your friends may happen to play them too, and while there’s nothing wrong in socializing with them (yes it is a very good conversation opener) there are many better activities which you could do with them. My advice to you is to cherish your secondary school years, as they are admittedly rather short, and once you’re through with them, chances are you’ll start missing them. So make the most out of your school years, you won’t regret it.