There’s a lot going on in the news right now that’s pretty terrible, most notably the oil spill in the gulf. It’s a horrible, unmitigated disaster with consequences that will linger over the environment for years to come. No one is playing down how big a deal this is. When I look around the internet, though, it seems a lot of people feel it’s necessary to complain that other things are being covered in the news that aren’t quite as big a deal as this.

I’m referring to things like the World Cup, the LeBron James media circus, things like that. You can argue for days over “How are those news when such horrible things are happening in the world right now?” Well, to you, they aren’t news. However, they’re still important, just in other ways.

I know people who only watch news on TV. They are constantly taking in information, trying to always be informed of the latest happenings in politics and general goings-on the world over. That’s fine. Knowing what is happening in our world is important. It’s still important to have other things going on in your life, though.

I can watch coverage of the BP oil spill for 24/7, know every little detail about the cleanup effort, the horrible things they’re doing to endangered species, and what consequences the company will be facing. Once I know everything, what can I do? Nothing, really. I can be upset and that’s about it.

That’s why it’s important to cover inconsequential things like what team LeBron James is going to and things like that. It gives us something else to focus on. In a world where there is an unending waterfall of bad news at any given moment, sometimes it feels good to escape into a world when the burning question is “How the hell is anyone going to be able to beat the Miami Heat next season?”

You guys know this, you’re all gamers. Games are another way to be able to take a breather and not have to worry about all the bad stuff for a while. We all go to school and have jobs and personal lives. We all need an escape from reality sometimes, and as long as we are able to moderate ourselves, it’s healthy. It’s important to be informed, for sure, but not to the extent to where you lose yourself in it.