Anticipating this challenge in the month before my first year, I made the executive decision to leave my PC at home, feeling as though gaming would become something I no longer had time for.
At first, I felt like I had made the right move. I was having the time of my life in those first couple of months as a fresher, and it felt like life was never going to slow down. The thought of picking up a controller on the odd evening was one I didn’t feel like I had the time for, but that feeling slowly faded.
As I and everyone else started to settle in, I began to have more and more nights where I thought about booting up a game and playing a couple matches, only to glance over to the crappy laptop on my desk that could barely run 3 Chrome tabs at once.
Despite what some people will have you believe, you’re not gonna be busy every single hour of the day at university, and so having something to entertain yourself with on those quiet nights in is only a good thing.
Being able to join a group call every once in a while and game together in a nice way to catch up.
Gaming has also helped me maintain relationships with my mates from home. Especially for friends who might live as far down south as Southampton, being able to join a group call every once in a while and game together is a nice way to catch up inbetween the Christmas and Summer breaks.
Self-discipline is one of the most valuable skills you'll learn at university.
I think the fear of falling behind on assignments thanks to gaming is a valid one, but there’s no real difference between balancing videogames with studies to any other hobby. Self-discipline is one of the most valuable skills you’ll learn at university, and being able to put the controller down is something you’ll have to do when times get tough.
I brought my PC up to Newcastle after the Christmas break in my first year, and although finding that balance between gaming and studying can be hard, I think I’ve got things figured out. I always make sure I’ve got enough time to finish my work for the next day before playing anything, and although that may result in only an hour or so of gaming some days, I’ve learned to enjoy the chances I do get to play even more now.
I've found that balancing the two keeps me from feeling burned out.
As a kid, my teachers and parents would often have me believe videogames were the enemy, and that playing games after school would ruin my grades. But I’ve found balancing the two keeps me from feeling burned out. My degree will always be my priority, but a couple of hours of gaming a day never hurt anyone, did it?
Anyways, thanks for reading. I’m gonna go and queue some Overwatch competitive now instead of working on my dissertation.
