[Tom Line]

Looking back at the time I spent playing video games, I wish I hadn't played them nearly as much. Even something as mundane as reading (which has the same sitting-still aspect that video gaming does) results in a general increase in knowledge, assuming you're reading some worth-while books.

Evaluate what you spend your time doing, and ask yourself if you're really adding value to your life. If you're spending a lot of time not adding value to your life, then you may want to revise where you spend your time.

That's really the key that I think most young adults don't really grasp. What seems important to you now probably won't be all that important in 5 years when you're worrying about getting your first serious career-style job, or applying for grad school, or trying to secure a loan for your first new car.

Ask yourself where you want to be 5 or 10 years from now and whether or not the way in which you spend most of your time is going to improve the chances of making it there. About 99% of the time, playing video games isn't going to get you very far. Of course, the same could be said about atheletics, or many other pursuits. Being one dimensional almost never pays off in the long run. Perhaps 'having a life' means, for the most part, that you're NOT just one dimensional.