What If You Played Video Games for a Year Non-Stop

It all started a year ago when I got a new job. I have to admit I’m quite a gamer. So when I saw the ad in the paper, I called them immediately. Wanted: Video Game Player. It turned out the offer wasn’t that simple. Yes, my job was to play video games. But all day long. 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days in total.

I’d have 8 hours to sleep and half an hour in the morning and in the evening to eat and shower. No days off, no vacation. Take it or leave it. It scared me, and I was reluctant to agree. But then the employer told me my yearly salary, and I was in. If I did it for a year, I’d never have to work again. So, I decided to give it a try.

Day 1.

They said I’d work and live in some sort of office, and I’d have everything I need. At 8:00 a.m., I arrived at the address. The place was huge and beautiful. A woman met me and took me to my room, a dark room in the back of the house. It had a huge TV with a game station, speakers, and controllers. There was a comfortable couch, a table, and a bathroom.

It looked like a gamer’s paradise. I was going to stay there for a whole year, probably never even leave the room. According to the schedule, my day had to start at 8 a.m. I had half an hour to take a shower and eat the breakfast delivered to my room. At 8:30, I had to start playing — well, working.

Every day, the system would generate a gaming selection according to my employer’s requirements and make me follow them. There were some snacks on the side table to eat if I got hungry, without interrupting my game.

I also got a 10-minute break every 5 hours to go to the bathroom and exercise. At 11:30 p.m., the system shut down, and I got my dinner and shower time. Midnight till 8 a.m. Sleep. Well, it seemed pretty easy and straightforward, and I was crazily excited. Exactly at 8:30, my first game started. The first 8 hours flew by in the blink of an eye.

I wanted to exercise a little, but I had to wait another two hours before my 10-minute break. By the end of the day, my neck started to hurt a little, but it didn’t matter. After getting some snacks, I kept playing for another two hours before I got my well-deserved break. 10 minutes was actually enough to fully recover and get back to my game for the remaining five hours.

To be honest, it was one of the best days of my life. My dream had come true. I could play all day long, make a lot of money, and no one would bug me.

Day 2.

A piercing siren woke me up. I had to clasp my hands over my ears while I looked for some kind of off switch, the noise was unbearable. Finally, I figured out that I had to get up, walk to the TV and press a button on it. To my relief, it worked. Okay, figured that one out. I went to take a shower, and when I was done, breakfast was served.

By 8:30 I was ready and excited about my second day. And life had another surprise for me: when I saw the schedule for the day, I almost screamed. I was going to be playing a brand-new game that hadn’t even been released yet! It was just too exciting, I was sure I had the best job on the planet.

Day 4.

Today was a little bit harder. I got blisters on my fingers, and I had to bandage them. Playing 15 hours straight was a little hard, and I needed an extra break.

I tried to cheat and take a short pause after the first three hours, but it didn’t work. As soon as I hit pause and put the controller down, the system went crazy. It didn’t turn off until I picked up the controller and started to play again. Okay, no pauses. Got it.

Day 15.

I had to bandage my hands as well as my fingers. Now I constantly have blurry eyes and can’t see straight anymore. And my legs feel like jelly. I keep reminding myself to move around as much as possible, but I’m always way too tired. What if I forget how to walk?

Yesterday I fell asleep right after work. I didn’t even eat. I just fell asleep. But my sleep hasn’t really been that restful recently. In my dreams, I’m always racing, playing soccer, building houses out of cubes, fighting battles, and searching for objects. My job is haunting me, and it feels like I work 24 hours a day, not 15.

Morning came. The siren woke me up, but the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. And what I’d do for a normal dream like a normal person... 350 days to go. Tonight, before bed, I have to come up with a plan, something to make my life as normal as possible, I can’t go on like this anymore.

Day 32.

One month down. My first small victory. I’m more organized, and I managed to come up with a nice system that keeps me from going crazy. I try to play standing up as much as possible and move around when I can. I spend all my breaks outside, enjoying the fresh air and doing vision exercises. I still have blurry and itchy eyes though...

And the bad news. Today I realized that... I’m seeing things, video game things. They’re creeping into my actual life. I was in the shower last night, and I saw a car crash right in front of me. I totally lost it, but it’s not real. It’s. Not. Real.

To make things worse, I’m starting to imagine that I’m actually a video game character. Strength: 70. Intelligence: 90. Health: 50.

Day 100.

Being active was a good idea, but now I think I have a serious sleep disorder. I can’t sleep well, and I never get enough rest. I feel like I’m turning into a, well... I don’t even know anymore. I’m getting so tired, I don’t even have the energy to exercise. I haven’t been doing my workouts for a week now, and whenever I’m on the couch, I can’t feel my legs.

Well, at least I walk to the bathroom and back two times a day, so my legs aren’t totally shot. That’s something at least... I don’t remember not having all of my body hurt. It hurts all the time, but somehow I got used to it. My wrists, my neck, my back. Everything hurts. I constantly have headaches. Health: 30.

Day 260.

I’m having trouble getting to the bathroom these days. I can barely walk a couple of steps, because my legs just don’t move. And I feel like I never leave the game, it’s my life now. Even if I’m on break, the games are all around me. My real life is just a crazy mix of all the games I’ve been playing.

Today, I saw a chest on the table. I’d never seen it before, so I wanted to see what was inside. I was trying to grab it for ages, then I realized it wasn’t real. It was just in my head. And I think I’ve doubled in size, because now I need to double the time on the couch that I used to. Health: 20.

Day 366.

For the first time, no siren. The woman woke me up at 11 a.m., handed me my paycheck, and said I should go. The number on the paycheck was truly impressive, but I didn’t even have enough strength to be happy. I can’t believe it’s over. I did it.

Planes crash down right in front of me, but I’m so used to it that I don’t even pay attention. With my diamond sword in my hand, I waddle to the bathroom, crushing everything in my way because I’ve gotten way too big for this little room.

My pals are on a mission to capture some castle, but that’s not my quest anymore. They’re not even real. Are they? To be honest, I’m not even sure what’s real anymore. The woman takes me down the stairs to the front door. When I step outside, my eyes seal shut. The sunlight is so bright I can’t see a thing. The woman gives me a pair of sunglasses, and I’m on my way.

I see people and other weird creatures running around, cars driving and cubed sheep grazing past me. It takes all my energy, but I get to a taxi and, finally, head home. So, now I’m rich and super unhealthy. I guess I’ll need the rest of my life to recover from this marathon. And I’m never playing video games again.