Welcome to the second installment of The ISB Ethicist, a new weekly column that ISB’s AP Language & Composition class produces. As part of their study of persuasive text types and argumentative writing — and inspired by The New York Times Ethicist column — the class solicited ethical dilemmas from the freshman class and then wrote responses. The project turned out so well that, between now and the end of the school year, PantherNation will be publishing the questions and answers.
“The biggest reason I wanted to do this is that so much of the work students do in high school is written for the teacher,” says AP Lang teacher Tiffany Kelley, who initiated the project. “This is written for an authentic audience and an authentic purpose and has the power to help students master not only the skills of the course but also to influence the outcome of a real situation. We have the opportunity to put our most experienced students in a position of mentorship.”
I was grinding Minecraft late at night when I noticed that there was homework I could be doing. Should I have worked on the homework or continued playing games?
Response by senior Finn A.:
First of all, I understand where you’re coming from. I myself beat the Ender Dragon. While it might have been in creative mode, I still had some fun getting there. However, Minecraft can be quite time-consuming and can get in the way of other activities that would benefit you more, such as homework. I believe deep down you already know the answer to your question, which is that prioritizing school work over video games will lead to a more stress- and guilt-free time in high school. I am not recommending you cut video games out — that would be evil — but believe you would be much better off playing them after your work.
You already know that putting Minecraft over school will most likely lead to more school work later, but it will also lead to less time for video games. While I understand that grinding video games for long periods of time can be extremely fun and entertaining, the choice of choosing hard work now for less work later is one that you will continue to have to make throughout high school. For example, earlier this year I had an Experimental Science lab report due on Monday and had the whole week before to work on it. I ignored it for the entire week while going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and watching TV after school. As the weekend approached, instead of looking forward to setting up my new PC and gaming, I had to spend the majority of my time completing my lab report, which I got a lousy 4 on. The process showed me that by stalling and procrastinating my work, I unintentionally created a larger amount of work later. This is similar to your situation in which playing Minecraft while neglecting your homework will inevitably lead to you having to complete that homework on top of other assessments. Creating this big pile of homework ruins future chances to play video games.
Once you start to prioritize homework, you will notice more successful and stress-free days that are more enjoyable than “grinding” Minecraft late at night and then dealing with the stressful consequences after. Think about one specific consequence, which is Mandatory Study Hall (MSH). During my senior year, I have gone twice because I still struggle with the same issues of time management and procrastination that many other students deal with as well. The first time I went to MSH was simply because I forgot to check the homework, but it forced me to miss an important call with my best friend back in the United States that I would have really enjoyed. The second time, the MSH was assigned due to a similar situation as yours where I neglected homework. The homework built up to where it could not be completed in time, and the MSH interfered with a call I had with the college I was applying to. Although there was another college call, I had to reschedule and go through a whole sign-up process again, which was extremely stressful. In my situation, MSH kept getting in the way of enjoyable events, only to create stress instead. If I had prioritized work, I would have enjoyed life outside of school more. I bet if you went to sleep earlier and played Minecraft only after you had completed your assignments, even if that meant playing the next day instead, you would have a more enjoyable high school experience.
Lastly, it’s good to think about the enjoyment you get from video games, and if it is ever clouded by the looming thought of chores, homework, and other responsibilities that you need to get done. If you do your homework first, you will notice playing video games “guilt-free” is actually more enjoyable and relaxing. I can personally relate to this one. While watching my favorite TV shows, I was aware of the work I had to complete, which led me to fidget, become restless, and even spend more time watching TV than I otherwise would have. This is because I knew once I left my couch I would have to have the reality of my work. Although watching TV might not be as engaging as playing a video game, I believe engaging in entertainment while stressed is worse than engaging in entertainment “stress-free” while using it as a reward for the hard work you have completed. This rewires your brain to use your favorite activities as dopamine rewards after hard work, which is a strategy that has benefited my experience in high school a lot.
Overall, the choice is yours. It’s a choice between short-term pleasure, or a long-lasting stress-free career throughout high school. Keep in mind, the behaviors and patterns you develop now will get harder to fix as you move through grade levels and cement your current ways of being unproductive. I understand your predicament, as it’s one I and all my friends have experienced at some point, and I hope my advice brings some added thought into whatever choices you decide to make.
