SRJC freshman Daniel Gubsa, 18, has been playing video games since he was 5 years old.

 “I like to play video games because it keeps me away from drugs and violence and I can have a fun time with my friends over Xbox Live,” he said.

 Gubsa was one of the 5.6 million gamers who purchased “Call of Duty: Black Ops” on release day. On Nov. 9, 2010, hundreds of thousands of gamers lined up at video game retailers across the world at midnight for the release of the highly anticipated game.

 The game sold 5.6 million copies and racked up $360 million in sales on its first day, setting a new record for the video game industry, according to Activision Blizzard.

 With an epic single-player campaign, acclaimed multiplayer, and a four-player co-op zombies mode, “Call of Duty: Black Ops” is every gamer’s dream game that will have them glued to their televisions.

 However, being a full time student and playing “Black Ops” non-stop isn’t necessarily good for grades.

  “It’s so fun! I can’t stop playing it!” Gubsa said. “As soon as I get home from school I immediately jump on and play it for hours and hours non-stop.” Gubsa said his addiction to “Black Ops” has caused him to get less sleep at night and skip classes, lowering his grades.

However, others like SRJC freshman Yonas Abraham, 18, say that “Black Ops” hasn’t affected him at all.

“It hasn’t taken over my life because as fun as the game may be, it’s just another game,” he said. “I do all my homework first before I start playing so I don’t fall behind in school.”

Abraham isn’t affected by “Black Ops,” but knows people whose lives have been taken over by it.

“My two friends from my English class attended almost every day of class up until Nov. 9 when ‘Black Ops’ came out. Then, they never showed up to class again,” he said. “I know the game is the reason for their absence because every time I sign on to play they are always on.”

But all this play time on “Black Ops” could lead to a well-paying career.

According to The Entertainment Software Association, the average professional gamer makes $48,000 annually, but some make up to six digit figures by signing contracts with companies like Major League Gaming, getting sponsored, and winning tournaments.

Tom Taylor, better known as “Tsquared,” is one of the best paid professional gamers in the world, making well over $100,000 every year as well as winning money from tournaments that have top prizes up to $25,000.

He dropped out of high school to focus more on a career in gaming, earned his GED and hasn’t looked back while he continues to win tournaments and earn sponsorships with companies like Dr. Pepper.

But the odds of becoming successful like “Tsquared” are near impossible.

Gubsa realizes that his addiction has only made things worse and says, “I’m going to focus on school instead of ‘Black Ops,’ because that game is leading me nowhere.”