It's either me or the game.

Video games are part of everyones lives now.  They are are on your phone, tablets, PCs, TVs, and everywhere in between.

They are fun, exciting, and can help past the time while you're waiting for something.

I've been playing video games since the birth of the first Nintendo Entertainment system.  I am part of the early gaming generation that has watched video games grow into the ultimate expression of art. Video games can touch 3 of the 5 human senses and can really engage us in the story telling or interactivity for hours and hours.

But, because of how engaging video games are now, they can also take up too much of our lives. For me, I make sure that it doesn't take up more than 5 hours a week of my life because of how I was in the past.

I was addicted to World of Warcraft for 3 and a half years.

I remember when I first got beta access into the game.  I was so excited because I didn't know what to expect or know fully understand what a massively multiplay online role playing game (MMORPG) was.  But since it was made by Blizzard and was set in the Warcraft Universe, I was immediately sold.

This was bad since I have a very addictive personality.

After playing for a week, I was slowly getting addicted to virtual quests, gold, weapons, armor and mounts.  I would play for hours on end just to get my character to level 60.  Then, once that was achieved, I kept playing for even more quests, gold, weapons, armor, and mounts.

I remember staying up until 2am just to do quests with 39 other people online then having to wake up the same morning at 6am for work.  I slowly started to get fat, stop caring about things and people around me, and just focused on gaming rather than my career, skills or loved ones.

I needed to stop, but how? I can't pass up sweet, sweet virtual things. They mean more to me than real life!

Before my World of Warcraft days, I was fortunate enough to met my then girlfriend, now wife.  I remember when we would stay on the phone and I would "half-talk" to her.  While playing the game, I would just have a headset and chat with her about each other's days.  But she knew the whole time that I was only paying half attention to her.

After 3 and a half years, and 2 arguments getting close to us separating, she finally game me an ultimatum.

It's either me or the game.

I chose her and never looked back.

Video games are fun and safe. But just like any drug or form of entertainment, too much can be a very bad thing.  With those 3 and a half years I could have done so much with my life. But I chose to play a video game.  I cannot get that time back and I have to deal with that forever.

If you love video games, play them. But make sure to give more time to something productive, like AGL. With AGL, you might not when at gaming, but you'll win something at bigger. Life.

To my wife (who is sleeping at the moment), thank you. Thank you for giving me a third chance, your heart and your hand. You have given me a new life and I hope to win at it with you by my side. <3