A single father, juggling a full time job, a 5-year-old son and a full load of classes at two colleges for a biochemistry degree – this is not your typical hard-core gamer.

Or is it?

John Tjarks does all of the above, and at the beginning of the 2009 summer semester, he was ranked in the top 100 players on his Final Fantasy XI server.

Final Fantasy XI, a massively multi-player online role-playing game, has more than two million players worldwide on its 33 servers.

A number of the best players are also top-notch college students, and that may surprise some gaming critics.

Tjarks, who has a combined 3.86 GPA at the University of Houston and Houston Community College, plays to relax.

“I play video games as a mode of relaxation from real world stress,” said the 30-year-old, who is working on his Doctor of Pharmacy degree. “I don’t have time for college activities; my schedule is too full as it is. The majority of my playtime is late at night after my son is asleep, or on the weekends.”

Michael Minden is a student at the Oregon Institute of Techology. Ranked 18th on his server, he enjoys the social aspect of MMOs, while keeping a 4.0 GPA.

“The best thing about Final Fantasy is the development of strong lasting friendships that carry over from the virtual realm,” Minden said. “I participate in some college activities, but I’m not a fan of alcohol, parties or sports. Instead I tend to stay home and zone out on the game. With Ventrilo (a voice-over IP program) and high speed Internet, gaming online is the same as being right next to the people you’re playing with.”

Nicolas Ferri, a University International Affairs student, will be spending his senior year as an exchange student in Japan. Although he plays less than some gamers, he’s found a benefit in the cultural aspect of online gaming.

“Japanese is my major, and it’s my goal in life to become fluent in it,” Ferri said. “I really enjoy playing with the Japanese players and practicing the language. Final Fantasy lets me do that.”

How do these gamers juggle game life when school gets tough? They are unanimous in their choice to turn the game off.

Ferri, who has a 3.7 GPA, said school is his first priority.

“I only play when I have the time for it,” he said. “It doesn’t dictate my life.”

Tjarks said he does the same.

“I don’t play when I have to study or prepare lab reports,” Tjarks said.

Minden said self-control is the key.

“When it comes to school, I plan out my time. Without strong willpower it’s easy to lose yourself in these games and fall behind in school,” he said.

And although each of the students have school-related commitments, they still make sure to find time to do what they love.

“It’s fun, time-consuming and sometimes annoying, but I enjoy it,” Ferri said.