So Your Roommate’s a Gamer?

So you arrive at college and find a game in your dorm room…that’s not yours?! Chances are, your roommate is a gamer. Before you strike up the choir and rejoice, you should consider your own gaming habits and be prepared to deal with someone with similar tendencies. Of course, their habits could be less, or in my experience, more extreme than your own.

Just because you do or don’t play games past midnight, doesn’t mean your roommate is the same, even if he is a gamer. The tighter the living conditions, the more courtesy you’ll likely have to show or need when it comes to noise and lights. I had to buy a sleep mask for when my roommate was up playing games at night. You should both compare schedules and plan your gaming around each others’ classes and social events. Of course, if your roommate has no social events, this can be a problem for both of you.

The first of many nights to come for this little gamer.

Along with my roommate, I had several friends that I played video games with, but while I was doing school work, studying, or sleeping, they would be up playing games all night. (To be fair, these all-night gaming sessions were often in another room.) These guys were hardcore gamers, while I was just a casual gamer at best. Though I was known to pull off a miracle or two, my skills were nowhere near theirs. Because I was focusing on my work, I often felt left out. My lack of skill and time spent gaming often put me at the bottom of the pecking order, which wasn’t fun.

To the dining hall!

Whether it was World of Warcraft, the latest Nintendo craze or a racing title, video games consumed almost every friend I had at college. When we all moved out of the dorms, I still hung out with them often. Instead of going out to clubs in an effort to meet coeds, they preferred to stay at home and play games all night. I was in a difficult position: I wanted to hang out with my friends, but wanted to do a little more than stare at a TV on Friday nights. Ultimately, I spent some time with them, and then headed home to bed. Eventually circumstances forced me to move, and I had to leave them behind.  Later on, I lost my cell phone which contained all of their numbers, and these guys weren’t exactly the type that went out of their way to call you, so I haven’t really spoken with them in quite sometime.  Frankly, I worry about how they’re doing sometimes.

Moral of the story? You can’t always pry gamers from their PCs or consoles. At least, that’s one thing I can say I learned in college. Gamers have to decide for themselves when they’ve gamed too much. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to help your roommate(s) or friend(s); sometimes simply including someone can make a world of difference.