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Being a healthy hardcore gamer means balancing your real-life activities with your passion for gaming. It's taking care of your physical and mental health and responsibilities so that you can happily game guilt-free. Here's how to do that.
What Is a Hardcore Gamer?
If you've stumbled across this article, chances are you are a hardcore gamer. To define one simply, it's someone who invests a lot of their time into playing video games. Think about the number of hours you game each week. If it's between 20-40 hours, that's almost the same as a full-time job.
There's nothing wrong with being a hardcore gamer as long as you take care of yourself outside of the gaming world. This includes looking after your physical and mental health, giving yourself breaks when you need them, and taking care of your responsibilities. We'll touch on each of these so that you can enjoy playing video games in a healthy way.
Manage Your Physical and Mental Health
Just like with anything in life, it's important to have a good balance when gaming. You don't want to spend most of your time on the console if it means neglecting your physical or mental health. You'll feel much better playing when you also feel good in real life.
Before you hop on the console or computer, stretch for at least five minutes from head to toe. This will warm up your muscles and help keep them flexible, strong, and healthy. By stretching regularly, you're less likely to run into injuries after gaming for long periods. Then after a few hours, get up and do another quick stretch. Do not neglect your wrists as you work them a lot while gaming, especially when using a mouse. If you ever experience wrist pain after gaming, you need to take a break for at least a few days.
Incorporate exercise at least a few times per week also! It doesn't need to be intense by any means. A simple 20-30 minute walk three to four times a week is enough to keep you in shape--assuming your diet isn't too bad. Look for a feasible diet that you know you'll be able to follow for a while. You don't need to do anything fancy. Just choose a fun and balanced diet that you actually enjoy. Don't forget to hydrate yourself by drinking a lot more water. Cut down on unhealthy beverages instead of cutting them out completely.
If you want to get into very good shape, you can pick up running or weight lifting. Just do some form of exercise, as it's essential to maintain your physical health. After a while, you'll notice your energy levels will increase, and you won't feel sluggish after long gaming sessions.
Your mental health is just as important, if not more so. If you're not feeling like your normal self, gaming can be an excellent way to take your mind off things. However, it's crucial not to use video games as a solution. Try other activities such as going for walks, reading, painting, or anything else you might enjoy. Or, consider getting more serious about working out to look and feel your best.
Take Breaks
Taking breaks is essential for hardcore gamers. If you don't give yourself time to relax during long gaming sessions, you may start feeling stressed and exhausted. In the gaming world, people refer to this feeling as being "burnt out." When you're burnt out, playing games is no longer fun. It becomes tiring and unfulfilling. You become unfocused, causing your performance to drop. This isn't a healthy or fun way to play games.
Even if you're a hardcore gamer, you need to give yourself breaks--sometimes a short five-minute break will do. Other times you'll need a long two-hour break. Step away from the game for a little bit and see how you feel when you come back. If you still feel even a little burnt out, take a longer break or consider playing tomorrow. Breaks give your eyes time to relax after staring at a screen for so long. They also help you to recharge your energy levels and clear your mind.
Take Care of Your Responsibilities
You can't be a healthy hardcore gamer if you don't take care of yourself first. If you're neglecting your responsibilities, you're making it harder to enjoy your gaming time. When you take care of your real-life responsibilities, you can game with peace of mind with no lingering or guilty thoughts haunting you.
It's all about balancing your gaming with your real-life activities. If you tend to your responsibilities first, you're far more likely to be a happy and healthy hardcore gamer. It's okay to be excited about playing games. If it's your passion, keep on playing! Just make sure you take care of yourself and those around you.
One of the best practices to follow is taking care of your responsibilities first before hopping on the console. If you have to finish a report for work, do it before grabbing the remote control. Is the house a mess? Get to cleaning before turning on the computer. By completing these tasks first, you're freeing up more time to enjoy your gaming sessions guilt-free. And don't forget to take a nice and calming shower after a long day of hard work and intense gaming.