I'll admit, I play a lot of video games. So maybe I don't devote my whole life to it, but I usually play a few hours of Mario or Zelda a week, just to take the edge off after a hard day. Sometimes, if I'm playing something I really enjoy, with an engaging storyline or a steep difficulty curve, I might get a bit obsessive, but these days I have to ration my gaming time carefully.
Why? Well, because real life gets in the way. It's just one of many hobbies that I enjoy, and I have to juggle it alongside my job, my social life, family, exercise (yes really) and household chores. When you know how to divide up your week, there really isn't that much time left to fiddle with joysticks.
But if you're a professional gamer, the kind of guy who takes a competitive video game as seriously as a major athlete takes a sport, then gaming can quickly swallow your whole life. Hardly surprising when eSports are bigger than ever, and there's big money to be made via sponsorship deals for playing titles like Call of Duty, League of Legends, and even Super Smash Bros in tournaments.
The sacrifices that pro gamers make to support their lifestyle can be tremendous, but has one of the most famous ones gone too far? YouTuber Douglas ‘FaZe Censor’ Martin is a pro Call of Duty player, who has just revealed that he and his girlfriend - weather forecaster Yanet Garcia - have broken up so he could focus more on video gaming. Garcia, who is known as "The World's Sexiest Weathergirl" boasts 6.5 million followers on Instagram, while Martin has 1.5 million, as well as 2.5 million YouTube subscribers.
In a series of tweets made to his followers, Martin stated: "I appreciate ALL the support, criticism, etc. Being a YouTuber I know that sometimes you'll get challenged by the decisions and moves you make by people online, but that's what I signed up for. I'm excited for the future," and he then later added "COD is life."
The reaction from Martin's followers has been decidedly polarised. One Twitter user wrote: "He just threw away an entire future family for a game that’s going to die in no less than 2-3 years. He’s delusional. [sic]"
However, other people were more supportive, and one person tweeted: "Self-happiness and focusing on what matters to you is more important than a significant other. Sacrifices got to be made in order to achieve your goals and that’s what Doug is doing ... He’s pursuing what he wants to do by making HIMSELF happy and doing what he feels matters. Also, I agree with Doug. You can’t give a relationship less than 110 per cent when you got other priorities. There is only so much time/energy you can put into so many things man. Girls come and go. [sic]"
Personally, I don't think I would ever dump a girlfriend over a video game, no matter how much I love the medium ... unless I was about to be number one in Fortnite. I do have priorities, after all.
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