Max, Week 11 - I Play Video Games

When I tell people I play Valorant or League of Legends, it’s like they remember it forever. In their mind, I just instantly turn into this guy:

Credit: Medium

Then we have text conversations:

“sorry bro i cant come tomorrow :(“
“yea cus ur prolly playing league of legends…”

“im not free on sunday sorry”
“what r u doing on sunday? satisfying your valorant addiction?”

But no, I’m probably off volunteering, or spending time with my family, or already hanging out with another friend, or dedicating time to schoolwork, or maybe I just want some time for myself. I literally only play video games at night on Friday and Saturday.

I know why people think that everyone that plays those games have a crippling addiction and don’t have a life—many popular streamers tend to have that lifestyle. People literally fly all the way to Korea just to play on Korean League of Legends servers (because apparently people there have higher skill level), which I think is just crazy…

For me, video games are just another hobby—a hobby that is shared by many of my friends, and a hobby that is as easy too coordinate as “hop on.” When we play together, I forget about the stress of CE Precis #1 and the 60% I got on the vocabulary test.

We get to laugh together, laugh about the friend who hasn’t gotten a singular kill in the past 30 minutes, the friend who somehow shoots 25 bullets and hits none, or the friend who confidently dives into the enemy team and dies within half a second. 

We learn how to communicate clearly and engage in friendly competition. We learn how to deal with losses and to keep a balanced mental state—life isn’t all about winning either.


In the end, video games are just an activity that many enjoy. It’s an activity that, when managed properly, has the power to improve an individual’s skills in the game and in real life.


Comments

  1. Colin PhanFebruary 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM

    Hey Max!
    Your blog was really interesting and entertaining to read, especially with that dialogue. Your blog was also really relatable because I know people who just shut themselves out of everyones lives to just play video games over the weekend, and was cool to see a different perspective of this. Maybe they might be like you and want time for themselves, but I’m still set on them being a video game addict lol. I think that playing games is healthy once in a while and can allow you to rest your mind. But being too entranced by games can lead to a downward spiral in grades at school, social life, etc. In general though, I think everything is fine and good to have, as long as it is in moderation. Video games create bonds and can improve your social skills to an extent, and teach many life lessons. Your blog was really fun and entertaining to read!
    - Colin

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  2. Elina FanFebruary 19, 2025 at 8:53 PM

    Hi Max, your experience is so relatable, as people often instantly think of my gaming addiction (which has now diminished into rarely playing) as the reason for my unfinished annotations that I rush during lunch or the necessary rapid speedrun of my POAS for early deadline. However, I agree with you; hobbies are meant to be enjoyed and the fun that comes along with it makes it all the better, separating me from the (possibly immense) amount of work I need to do. Contrary to popular belief, having an addiction to a game (or simply just enjoying it for several hours a day) does not imply that one does not have a life. Just because I played Valorant for hours and hours on end in sophomore year does not mean that I also failed every class; it’s only a stereotype. I would also like to thank games for making me a more social person, but not to the extent of completely losing my stage fright during presentations. Playing games has brought me closer to many of my friends, knowing we all share the same guilty pleasure of coming home after a long week and enjoying a fun gaming session together. I really like your focus on not always winning in life because it's often crippled with obstacles, and it's essential to learn how to face them.

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  3. Nidhi MukherjeeFebruary 19, 2025 at 9:18 PM

    Hi Max! Although I don’t play video games, I do have friends that do. As such, I may be a bit guilty of thinking of them as the guy in the picture. I simply can’t help it. It’s as if I have seen enough “gamers” in entertainment media, usually portrayed as more asocial or introverted with zero people skills, to make that missing link between the fictional gamers and my gamer friends.

    Going back to your blog, I love how you highlighted all the beneficial aspects of gaming, like clear communication and dealing with losses. I have to say, as a non-gamer, I’ve never really thought of gaming as a social activity. For the lack of a better depiction, I just thought it was people cooped up in their rooms in front of their computer screens as they furiously work their mice and keyboards. So, I appreciate your blog for its insight into the reality of gaming.

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  4. Devyani ChoudhuryFebruary 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM

    Hi Max! Your blog post reminds me a bit of one of our past units in Spanish class where we had to analyze the benefits and validity of esports as an official sport. Although there are definitely instances where gaming can easily become an addiction, this is not the case of the majority of players (though I didn’t realize that people are willing to fly to another country just to play!). The truth is, any and every hobby has the potential of becoming an extreme addiction from which a person cannot stop to do anything else, whether it be work, being with friends and family, or even simply taking care of themselves. It is not something that is restricted to just video games, despite the stereotypes. Similar to how video games help you relieve stress from school and upcoming deadlines, reading and binge watching Netflix have become my own sources of solace, allowing me to be sucked into worlds entirely different from my own. I frequently become obsessive over the characters and their different backstories, pondering about the next big cliffhanger, yet it does not consume my entire life. However, it does exemplify how, just as video gamers are wrongly stereotyped as game addicts, readers can be wrongly stereotyped as always being scholarly. I absolutely agree that there is power in having a balanced lifestyle, as it allows us to turn any activity into a point of connection with other people in the community. Overall, I really liked how you inserted modern slang and the text message format in order to speak to your audience! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Choeunchan LeeFebruary 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Choeunchan LeeFebruary 19, 2025 at 9:58 PM

    Hi Max guh, your blog deserves the #1 silly award! It was genuinely so fun to read and that is not a lie because I giggled out loud multiple times while reading it! I think it’s great that you enjoy video games in a non-addiction way and have other hobbies that are more meaningful than just playing games. Just like how you feel about games, I don’t really care about winning or losing when it comes to playing games. Instead, I do it for the pure joy that comes from laughing with your friends and trolling them to make them mad. It’s definitely important for game players to take care of their mental state while playing it to avoid forming an addiction and ensuring it doesn’t get in the way of completing other tasks that are more important. However, when managed properly, one could gain important life skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

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