In five days the much anticipated Xbox game, Halo 3, will be coming out. For the past two weeks, I have been quietly counting down the release date. I cannot wait to play. Playing Halo 2 was fun, but Halo 3 will be better. There will be new maps, new weapons, new characters, and most of all, more playing! Sadly, after remembering my experiences of playing Halo 2 about a year and a half ago, I am nervous playing video games again. The reason is not because I am a girl and therefore I am considered to “suck” at video games, I am worried I will be addicted to playing Halo 3.

In my opinion, Halo is best played on Xbox LIVE. Xbox LIVE is where gamers can hook up their Xbox to the internet and play with other gamers around the world. Gamers will find Xbox LIVE convenient and more addicting because there is always someone to play with. When I started playing Xbox LIVE at night, I did not realize I would play until sunrise. Not only does time go by fast while using Xbox LIVE, it is hard to resist using it. I remember trying to force myself to not play for a day, and it did not work. I would leave my Xbox LIVE account on throughout the night so I can play when I woke up the next morning. When my friends called me, they did not have to bother asking what I was doing because they could hear the sounds of Halo 2 in the background. After realizing what Halo 2 and Xbox LIVE has done to me in the past, I do not want to imagine what Halo 3 and Xbox LIVE will do to me now. I ask myself if I will be able to resist the urge to play when I have to and will I play as well in Halo 3 as I did in Halo 2? My friends expect me to play and they expect me to be addicted to it again. I do not want to let them down.

My decision to push playing Halo 3 to a later time has made me realize how busy my life has become. Balancing school and work is already difficult for me. I find myself devoting much of my time to school and work which I do not mind because those are my top priorities right now. I cannot afford to mess them up. When I do have some free time, I like spending it by myself. However, I find that time with myself is also impossible because my friends either want to go to a club, bar, watch a movie or eat at a restaurant. I know we need to have fun in our lifetime, but all the time? A little relaxation would be nice.

I wish I could live in a society where human robots exist and can do my work for me. Hopefully, in the next ten years my wish can become reality but as for now, my time will have to be used for school, work, friends and family. Sorry Halo 3, but I guess you just have to wait.