Video games have always been a grand staple in my life, from the thrill of beating a new level or upgrading my weapon to be stronger, gaming was more than just a hobby but it was a part of who I was. But now, more than ever, my priorities have shifted. Video games have always been a staple in my life, from the thrill of beating a new level or upgrading my weapon, gaming was not only a hobby, but it was a part of who I was. But now, more than ever, my priorities have shifted.
In the past, my brothers would show me the ropes of playing basic video games like Halo and FIFA. I wasn’t the best, but I would still put the effort in, it would get real when my brother would ask me for a fair 1 on 1 match because he would whoop me every time. As the years went by, I would get better with new video games coming out left and right.
As the video games progressed, so did the quality, that being said getting introduced to Fortnite was no surprise. I fell in love with the game and slowly got hooked. Everyday I would get on and just play for hours whether it was with my brothers or friends I just found everything fun and enjoyable.
Eventually, Fortnite took a toll on me during my 8th grade year. I stopped caring about school and just dedicated myself to playing Fortnite all day long. This lasted for a 4-5 months, and in those months my grades, my soccer career, and my social life were gone due to the unhealthy hours playing Fortnite
Once I found out how badly things have become, all of my hours going into Fortnite were immediately shifted to school.
The last 3 months of school I stayed attentive and did all my work, but it was too late. The damage was already done and I couldn’t walk the promotion line.
The one to break the news to me was my mom, she was in utter disappointment that I wasted my time on video games instead of school. My dad was also disappointed because he thought I could do so much better.
Most of my friends made fun of me for not promoting, which kind of hurt, but I dug myself my own grave. I took this time to realize what I was doing wrong and I slowly started working on myself.
For example, I would start eating healthier, going outside more and reduce my time playing video games, usually saving them for the night. This made me want to get my act together school-wise because this is really my own responsibility and as long as I keep up with all my work everything will be a breeze. I found it as a way to disprove someone that I actually am worth something.
Nonetheless, when freshman year arrived I was set on the goal of finding new people to call my friends and passing all my classes.
I really thought it would be easy, but I failed some of my classes due to me being lazy and I slipped up sometimes by playing games instead of doing my homework. This took a toll on me since I wanted to prove everyone wrong.
Starting this year, I decided to fully dedicate myself to school. I set a better mindset of just passing my classes with a C or above and to ask questions when I really need help.
While my time playing Fortnite has ended, my love for video games hasn’t. I have come to realize that I will have to balance my hobby and school, which at first I thought was going to be difficult but I ended up overcoming by doing my work at school when I can and having most of my assignments turned in or half done then that was a green light for me to start playing.
I usually play for an hour or two depending on how my day has been, and along with my anger issues while playing video games it usually ends within the time limit.
Gaming will always be a part of who I am, but now, it is only one element of who I am. In embracing both my love for video games and my commitment to my future, I realized that it’s never too late to rewrite your own story.
