Students caught up in video game craze

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Sample Student

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A new craze has swept over many Harding boys and for some has even become an obsession: This is the game called Call of Duty 4.

Now that hockey is over, I spend most of my days and nights playing COD, averaging 3-4 hours of sleep a night.

— Dan Rider

The game is played on XBOX Live and is growing rapidly in popularity. There are Harding clans in the game, which usually play each other in teams of 6 on 6. The two games most commonly played are Search and Destroy (S&D) and Team Death Match (TDM). To try to stay alive while killing enemies is the basic point to the game and is how players raise their points.

Gamers are able to play against anyone in the world, and they wear headsets to communicate with each other. “My favorite part of the game is trash talking the British kids,” said sophomore Dan Rider.

Some of the boys have lost interest in other activities, because they love playing the game so much. “Now that hockey is over, I spend most of my days and nights playing COD, averaging 3-4 hours of sleep a night,” said Rider.

Some parents are concerned about the amount of time their sons are spending on the game, and have set limits on their kids. For example, senior Dale Neubeck is only allowed to play COD on weekends now. However, fellow players claim that he is still in the top rankings in the game, even under this restriction.

COD is still spreading at Harding, and even freshmen are joining in the game now. Maybe this game’s hype will die down, but judging by the devotion these boys have to the game, it doesn’t show signs of stopping.