Recently, I relocated to a new city and found myself with no job, no (local) friends, and little to no cash. I realize this is a situation that a lot of people are dealing with (particularly the not having a job part). However, it can be an even greater challenge for gamers. For many of us unemployment means more free time for gaming. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it has the potential to be a giant hindrance. I've watched friends neglect their job search for months on end, just so they could be geared up for the next raid in World of Warcraft.

So what causes this? Well, everyone's experience is different, but games are first and foremost escapism. Being unemployed can be an incredibly depressing experience, especially if the job hunt isn't going well. Playing videogames in these circumstances can be an effective method of avoidance. They let you ignore the problem and forget about your situation, just for a moment. The problem is that as soon as you "come up for air" for whatever reason (maybe because the energy company is holding your electricity hostage*) you realize that nothing has been solved.

*Yes, this happened to a friend of mine. Turns out they get upset when you don't pay your bills.

Another reason that people turn to "abusing" videogames during joblessness is an obvious one: boredom. It's a simple and relatively cheap way to fill the hours of an otherwise empty day. Being unemployed means that you're most likely home-bound during the week. Being social isn't an option if your friends are at work (or in my case in a different state). Doing anything outside of the home costs money, which is a problem for most jobless people. That leaves watching daytime television and videogames...not much of a choice.

Any game is capable of taking up so much time that it hinders the search for employment. However, there are factors which make some videogames more likely culprits than others. Sandbox-style games are notorious for being addictive time wasters. I would be afraid to know how many hours I sank into GTA: Vice City during college. The reason I kept coming back to it wasn't the plot or the missions, it was the open world that I could cause random mayhem in. Another, more recent, example of such a sandbox game is Minecraft. It's lego-like building mechanics make it extremely addictive.

Games that require hours upon hours to complete are also ripe for being an unhealthy distraction. RPGs are the classic example of this. The Final Fantasy series alone could keep a jobless person busy for weeks if not months on end. MMOs are also notorious for taking up an inordinate amount of time. In general, MMOs can't really be "won" and don't necessarily have an end. World of Warcraft is the most famous example*, but there are plenty of others. I spent more hours playing Star Wars: Galaxies during a previous unemployed stretch than I'd like to admit.

*And as a recovering WoW player I was in even more danger of falling into it's trap.

That's not to say that it's impossible to find a good balance. After moving I was able to finish multiple games* while still having a steady stream of interviews and callbacks. I found the key for me, personally, was to always put the job search first. I didn't allow myself to start up a game until I had checked my job search agents and applied to good prospects. I had to use gaming as a reward in order for my my days to stay productive instead of devolving into a XBox-melting gameplay marathon.

*I played through Red Faction: Guerrilla, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and I finally finished Assassin's Creed 2 (which I had quit playing awhile back).

Two months after moving I found employment that would keep me busy and pay (most of) the bills. Not a dream job by any means, but better than nothing. I would never suggest that finding a job and playing games are mutually exclusive. But, it is important to remain aware of the ratio between the progress of your job hunt and the progress made in your shiny new RPG. Gaming while unemployed can be a slippery slope if you're not careful.