(Godiva Reisenbichler | Student Life)

So, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” came out. End of column, there’s nothing more that needs to be said. But seriously, why do the best video games come out during the end of fall semester right before finals? “Modern Warfare 2,” “Assassins Creed 2” and “Bioshock 2” are just a few games that have come out or are being released soon. What makes this event a bittersweet moment is that these video games end up being the forbidden fruit in a challenging junior year.

Managing time around school—sorry, I meant video games—is always difficult. I fondly remember freshman year when my friend and I bought “Modern Warfare 1” and ended up doing nothing but playing the game for about 20 hours straight. Right after we finished the game, we went back immediately and tried to finish the game in “Veteran” mode, which, needless to say, was not worth missing 15 classes (between the two of us). More recently, when we heard “Modern Warfare 2” was coming out during the month of November again, we promised ourselves that we would not get lured in by the haunting-yet-fulfilling call of video games. In the end, my friend bought a PS3, and I bought “Modern Warfare 2” the day it came out. Great success!

As we grow up, we are supposed to get a better grip on managing time and money, but as I see it, both things are getting harder to do as time goes on. Among all the time-draining activities students face (like writing papers, performing in Diwali or attending Beta Bubbles), video games seem to be the bane of many students. Yes, you are included, my friend. Whether it’s “Mario Kart” with your freshman floor or a beer pong app on your iPhone, we are constantly looking to video games for distractions. Now, I am in no way going to attempt to tell you how to manage your time effectively, but there is one thing I will say: Go Amish.

Each year around Christmas, video game companies prepare to release a bunch of highly anticipated games that they know kids will be pining for under the pine tree. Little do they know about the damage they do to GPAs across the nation. In fact, I propose there should be a national holiday where productivity can be boosted by having a day (or a week) dedicated to patriotic Americans playing video games. For example, I showed my pride and thanks to the veterans on Veterans Day by finishing “Modern Warfare 2” with great vigor and concentration.

Okay, my hands are hurting from holding the controller, and my eyes are somewhat irritated from staring at the TV for a couple of hours straight, but I definitely plan to play only after I finish my work and after I do the dishes. I look back and realize that even though I have my weak moments, I am becoming more focused on my schoolwork. There will always be video games and lesser distractions as a college student. However, as an immature…sorry, as a mature college student, I realize I no longer have the luxury of playing video games without attending to more important things like school or work. By the way, I finished “Modern Warfare 2” the day after I got it.

Aditya is a junior in Arts & Sciences. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].