Balancing Gaming and Studying: Is It Possible?

Video games are a completely safe hobby. They help you take your mind off real-life problems and relax after a hard day at college. In the game, it is easy to become anyone; you can try to play the role of the main character and save the whole world from evil forces.

But we don’t always understand how dangerous excessive gaming is. Virtual worlds entice and make you forget about reality. And after playing League of Legends, you go to bed and realize you haven't done anything productive. Most likely, you didn’t even leave the house, forgot to write my essay or any other assignment and canceled a meeting with friends.

By diving headlong into video games, you risk your personal life, studies, and self-development. It's essential to find a balance where you can enjoy the games you love without compromising other aspects of your life. As practice shows, radical measures don’t work. You can delete everything from your laptop, hide your PlayStation, and try not to think about starting a CS match. But sooner or later, you will fail, and the consequences will be dire.

Let's work together to find a balance between games and studies. Is it possible to combine this hobby with real life?

Accept That Gaming Isn’t Your Whole Life

It’s unlikely that you are a professional eSports player or make money from streaming on Twitch or YouTube. Most users play video games to have fun, get distracted, or become someone else. In other words, you are not doing anything useful. You aren’t gaining real experience, knowledge, or anything to help you in real life. Let’s agree that game experience points or the fact that you are a magician of level 3845945 are unlikely to help you pass exams or pay the bill.

Once you realize that video games are unproductive, giving them up will be much easier. At this point, giving up everything that is unproductive is a good solution. You can even delete your Steam account and all games from your mobile phone. And it will work. But only for a while. After a while, you will return to games with even more desire. Forbidden fruit is sweet.

Therefore, it is worth radically changing the approach to video games. It would help if you perceived them as something necessary. We all need to be distracted and not think about everyday problems. Someone watches TV or reads books. Some people use various substances to abstract themselves from the real world. We use video games. It's like a cheat meal while dieting. Cravings are greatly reduced if you have a day to eat whatever you want.

Video games are an optional, unimportant activity that brings pleasure. And at the same time, it can be addictive. That is why they need to be minimized. We mean minimize it, not to get rid of it completely.

You need to pull yourself together and control how much time you play. Do you want to spend the day playing Dota2 or get a scholarship? Determine which of these activities are a higher priority for you. And after completing all your homework, you can reward yourself with a game.

How to Plan for Unproductive Time

You will never complete a task if you don't plan when to complete it. In other words, if you don't set time limits, you'll play video games all day.

Most likely, you are familiar with this situation. You start the game thinking you will only play a few matches. As a result, after six games, you know that you haven’t done anything productive and just say, “It’s a lost day anyway; we can continue playing.”

It is the main danger. You start doing something unproductive without setting a time frame. Some games make it difficult to determine how long the game will last. In this case, you can give yourself two or three rounds. It is enough to enjoy the game and not waste the whole day on it.

You can experiment to find the optimal working window for yourself. You just need to be realistic and understand that 8 hours of gaming time isn’t about relaxing but about wasting a day.

Also read: Want to be Good at Doing Business? Check Out These Business Game Recommendations For Learning!

The Less You Play, the More Fun You Have

The less often you get something, the more enjoyable it is. This rule applies to everything, and video games are no exception. Limits and intelligent planning will help you get the most out of your favorite games.

This approach will help:

• Reduce the amount of time spent in the virtual world;
• Enjoy your favorite games more.

Weekends are a great time to relax. On Saturday or Sunday, set aside a couple of hours for your favorite game. This way, you can reward yourself for a productive week.

Stick to a Schedule

Just because you have a plan doesn't mean you'll stick to it strictly. Video games are addictive, so you need to figure out how to counter this. There are two options:

• Use a timer. You can install it on your phone and put it somewhere away. As soon as the gaming session ends, you must get up to turn it off;
• Ask for help. If you live with someone, ask that person to tell you when the time is up.

Also read: Game-Based Learning: Developing Critical Skills through Video Games in Education

Last words

Managing your gaming time is a great decision that will positively impact all areas of your life. Undoubtedly, video games are a relatively simple way to relax, get an adrenaline rush, and take your mind off routine matters. But it is essential to maintain a balance and properly integrate this entertainment into your life.

You don't have to give up your favorite games completely. You can use them as a reward for a productive week. Or play for a couple of hours on the weekend. Proper time management and control will help you enjoy the virtual world without harming your work, education, and relationships.