Classes have ended for the day. You just failed your history exam even though you studied for it last night. You trudge back to your apartment through snow drifts and twist your ankle in a pothole. You open the door to your apartment and see your roommate sitting on the couch in his underwear eating the last of your potato chips. You storm into your room and slam the door behind you.
Today was a bad day.
It's OK though because you strap on some magical armor, pick up a battle axe and begin swinging it into the skulls of goblins to let off some steam. You join up with one of your best friends, who is an all-powerful, level-75 dark wizard, but is actually a 13-year-old schoolgirl on the other side of the globe. You spend the rest of your evening battling trolls and imps, and you rescue a princess or two.
Everything feels better.
The fantasy worlds in online games, such as "World of Warcraft," serve as an escape for some to relax and socialize with others from around the world. This stress relief can come with a side effect - 12 percent of those who play become addicted.
Online games are not the only potential online addiction.
As you surf through Internet pages to check your e-mail, be wary. There is a notorious distraction only 11 letters and a punctuation mark away: Facebook.com.
Checking your e-mail to see the assignment your professor sent you can wait a few minutes.
Wait. Your friend just changed her profile picture. That e-mail can wait a few more minutes. Hold on, your friend just slapped a bumper sticker on your profile. That e-mail will need to wait another 10 minutes. Oops, don't forget to see what your friends thought about the movies they saw last weekend. That was a fun, hour-long diversion.
The social networks Facebook and MySpace are only two of countless distractions the Internet can provide when students have more pressing computer work to do. Fantasy sports, viral videos and online auctions abound.
The wonders of the Web can serve as a great escape when needed. There is something else that is more important than entertaining yourself on the Internet - a good education.
These diversions are fun and help students reduce stress, but like any diversion, they are only good in moderation. Friends' Facebook profiles and fire-breathing dragons can wait.
No employer wants to see "level-75 dark wizard" written on a resume.
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