When is Roleplaying Taking Too Much Time?

Everyone knows that a little roleplaying can be healthy. I don't mean always gamewise, I mean in general. People roleplay to change stances on something and then can perhaps see a way to work through a problem where normally they wouldn't. Such as walking a mile in another persons shoes. That is a type of roleplaying. However, one popular form of roleplaying for those unable to subscribe to monthly fee games are IRC roleplayers. Just like World of Warcraft, for instance, these roleplaying games can be overdone - and I don't mean buildingwise. I mean when it starts to take over your life. Here are several ways to tell IF you are addicted to a game or if someone you care about may be spending too much time in the land of 'fantasy'.

Coming on from work to play

Most bosses frown on gametime at work unless you are told specifically, "If you aren't busy you may play a game" However, I don't know many bosses that are all for you playing games at work. However, people do this and I've gotten to witness it. I'm not talking a brief five to ten minute game session, no. I'm talking long, drawn out ones for three to five hours. This seems rather odd and addictive. Getting away from a game is nothing to fret about, however, it seems that you're quite addicted if you have to come online to play from work just to 'keep up'. This is unhealthy and can land you in a heap of trouble if it happens regularly and your real work suffers from it. No game, period, is worth losing your job over.

Skipping School just to play

Skipping school to sleep in isn't a good idea and skipping school to be a part of a 'plot' is equally as bad - if not more. I've seen this on numerous occasions - where even when they do go to school they 'sneak on' to play during a computer class. It seems really insane to have to be connected to something practically 24/7 because of some need to be on in case something important happens. A game should never be your life and will most definitely not get you as far ahead in life as a decent high school or college education. Never ever be guilt tripped if you miss out on an important plot. School work should always come well before any online game, be it a visual rpg or a text-based rpg. While your input to the game may seem mandatory, in actuality the game can and will go on without you.

Sacrificing sleep to play

The last report I heard stated people need on average around 7 hours of sleep a night to function in a healthy way. For younger people and the old, I can imagine this requires a little more or less sleep depending on the person and activity levels during the day. Games, I feel, are meant to be addicting in a small way so that you want to play them in your free time. However, if you're a busy person with school, work or both, sleep is needed to be productive. Never should you sacrifice a sleep schedule to play a few extra hours on a game. You're causing yourself harm and if you have to drive anywhere, you may be endangering others due to exhaust. Sure, everyone can be guilty of overplaying a game once in a while, but when you do this nightly and end up with less than 3 hours of sleep to function on in a day - your hobby just became a serious addiction.

Ignoring Family

Sadly, I've heard of a few friends separating and divorcing due to games. This is rather disgusting in my eyes, selecting a game over your own loved ones. This seemed even more true when World of Warcraft came out. People who make these 'guild' members or other game mates their family need to open their eyes and see the damage they are causing to those they know and love in real life. I'm not saying game mates are always just online far away people, there are those who play with their spouses. But if you find yourself spending time on a game after work, after school or in all of your free time then you may lose something more important than a job or school. Your family. Sure it's a keen idea for some, however when your husband or wife walks out because you're neglecting them and/or children - maybe you need to open your eyes and accept that you may be addicted.

Only you can open your eyes and realize if you may be overplaying a game. Be sure that nothing else is suffering because of your gameplay and IF one thing is, maybe then that's your signal to stop playing for a while. Games can become dangerous addictions - just as costly as drug use, just in different ways. Please be careful when playing games. They aren't your life and never should become a priority.