Regardless of the amount of time you devote to online gaming each week or how many years you have been enjoying online games, it is very easy to go overboard with your gaming life. Pay attention to the top five do's and don'ts of online gaming so you can keep your life well balanced and satisfying.
The 5 Don'ts of Online Gaming:
1. Give up enjoyments of life to play games.
2. Put relationships formed with online friends ahead of loved ones in your offline world.
3. Play online social games at times that will negatively affect your daily life.
4. Play them when you should be paying attention to children or others around you.
5. Spend time in the online community that should be spent doing other things to move your life forward in a positive manner.
There are too many stories circulating today about parents who neglect or abandon their children while playing online games and people who fail to show up for work too many times because they are staying up late playing these games. The solution is for those who enjoy online games to set boundaries and play more responsibly. The do's of gaming listed below will help you figure out how to do that if this could become a concern for you in the future.
The 5 Do's of Online Gaming:
1. Set some boundaries for your gaming life.
2. Make these games the side dish of your life, rather than the main dish.
3. Communicate and enjoy other players, but do not substitute them for loved ones in your offline world.
4. Assume everyone you meet online is exactly who they say they are online.
5. Make time for your families and real friends.
Online gaming can be incredibly rewarding, and there are even some health benefits that can come from playing them. The trick is to enjoy this as a hobby while balancing the game play with the rest of your world.
The last do on the list is incredibly important. It is very easy to bond with others who routinely play online games with you, and that can lead to treating online players as you would friends in the real world. If someone is talking about financial hardships, it is understandable to want to help them. If they are going through a divorce or are in an abusive relationship, you are not wrong for wanting to reach out to them.
The problem is that many people playing games online are not really who they say they are outside of the online gaming world. In order to protect yourself from those few, you have to be smart about how you treat everyone you meet online.
Make a rule that you will never play online games on work nights, and that you do not give out any personal information online. As you grow closer to others you meet in the gaming world, hold fast to those boundaries. You will get more out of your gaming life without negatively affecting your offline world.