Finding Time To Game: The “Hearthstone” Workout!

This article was written by: Stephen Haberman and was originally posted at thegeekyhusband.tumblr.com.

Let’s face it, gaming is not an active hobby and just about anything active takes you away from the games you want to be playing. If you are an iPad owner, you may have found a number of games that have allowed you to play casually while taking care of your chores.

Hearthstone has been one of those games for me. It has allowed me to continue to play when I want while still taking care of life’s other requirements. The player matches, however, don’t easily fit into a tight schedule. Sometimes a match can last a few minutes, and sometimes you are in it for almost a half an hour. It was the uncertainty of the game length (as well as the frustration of losing) that would make it difficult to know how much Hearthstone I would play in one sitting.

That uncertainty led me to pass on playing a match at all, rather than signing in. I did not want to have to quit a player match that was in progress.

It wasn’t until the release of Curse of Naxxramas that I really became aware of the distinct advantage this single player campaign option would offer me. Now I can say that my goal is to defeat the three bosses before I am done. I can either work towards that goal, or quit should something come up.

I have been able to play through the three bosses several times this week, and have put in anywhere from a 30 minute to a full hour long workout on the treadmill. It also solved my problem of looking at the distance I’ve traveled or the amount of time I’ve been working out for.

See?!?

Before:

After:

How it hangs:

So, how do you do this?

Easy!

Log on to Hearthstone and choose your in-game goal (reach a certain level, beat a certain boss, or complete a certain achievement).

Jump on the treadmill and set it to a medium to quick walk so that your focus can be on the game and the walking and not have to worry about keeping a fast pace.

Once you’ve completed your goal, you’re done!

Now, sometimes you will find that you will have completed your goal faster than you expected. Well, you are already on the treadmill and already in your workout close so you might as well keep going for a little longer. I found getting on the treadmill was the hard part, so this worked for me. Maybe it will work for you too!

Cost: $20 for the 5 single player Curse of Naxxramas quests.

Also, there is the cost of a treadmill (or the cost of your gym membership). If you’re nervous about playing Hearthstone in public, think about it this way: the people who recognize what you’re doing will likely be into it and want to chat with you about the game. Meeting new people that are also gamers is never a bad idea.

Good luck!