Gaming is an addictive hobby. Plenty of gamers get sucked into a hole when they start playing their favourite games. Before you know it, 10 hours have passed, and you forgot to eat… or sleep.
With that in mind, it is probably tempting to leave your gaming console or PC behind, so you can concentrate on college and really embrace the whole social scene. But is that a good thing? Should you abandon your attempts to level up and learn to love advanced calculus instead?
Here are some reasons why gaming at college needn’t label you as a nerd for all time. Crazy as it sounds, it can actually be a positive thing.
Find Your Tribe
Because gaming is such a popular pastime, there are bound to be a load of other students into the same thing as you. Not all of them will be serious about gaming, but it still gives you an opening to start chatting and make friends. Join gaming clubs and connect with people who love to game. If your gaming setup is better than theirs, it’s a great excuse to invite them over for a gaming session and pizza.
Handle Stress Better
Lots of people game as a strategy for relieving stress. Since college can be stressful, especially around exam time, it’s handy to have a ready-made stress relief solution in your room that doesn’t involve downing vodka or worse. When exam stress gets too much or you need a break from the real world for any other reason, you can fire up your Windows gaming laptop or Xbox and disappear into a different realm, populated with vicious orcs and power-hungry elves.
Improved Problem Solving
Have you ever had that feeling when you can’t find a solution to a problem, but when you stop thinking about for a while, the answer appears? Gaming is a great way to strengthen your problem solving abilities. A lot of popular games feature puzzle solving and encourage players to think outside the box, with Portal being a great example. If you are stuck on a problem related to your studies, it might help if you put the books to one side and play a game for a while. The act of gaming allows the mind to drift away on different tangents, giving you a chance to work through the problem subconsciously. Try it next time you can’t figure out a solution to one of your advanced calculus problems.
Now that we have you convinced that gaming at college is a great idea, is it worth taking a console, a PC, or a gaming laptop?
Consoles are great if there is a large screen in a communal area, as you can invite other people to game with you. A gaming PC might be a more powerful device, but it’s not easy to transport if you have to travel a long way to college. A laptop is probably the most versatile piece of kit, as you can use it for studying too.
Gaming is fun if you don’t game so much you neglect your studies. Try and set boundaries and don’t waste your college years sitting in a dark dorm room.
