Yesterday, both hardcore and casual gamers welcomed back Master Chief.

For those who don’t know, he is a super-soldier in Halo who fights against various enemies in order to protect humanity. It has been nearly five years since we saw him in action. Sure, there have been other Halo games in that time span, but none that featured Master Chief.

While the return of Master Chief has been praised by the media, it still caused some controversy between gamers and politics.

Halo 4 was released Tuesday, the same day the general elections were held. Some people have been waiting so long for the game that they decided Halo was more important than the future of the U.S.

Chicago resident Octavio Valdez said he was going to start playing Halo 4 at the midnight launch and that he really didn’t care who won the election. He went on to say that he asked to get the day off from work just to play the game.

I’m very excited to play Halo 4 too, but I believe the future of our country takes priority over a game. I went to cast my vote and watched the election coverage when polls started to close. I didn’t get to play the game at all on Tuesday. Was I mad about it? No, and neither should anyone else be. A line should be drawn between having fun in the gaming world and focusing on the real world. A game can only get you so far in life unless you make a career out of it.

There is no excuse for someone who is eligible to vote to not vote. This was one of the few times in which your voice can be heard, and by not voting you are wasting an incredible opportunity.