Laptop shuts of when playing game

[noxiousCaitSith]

recently my laptop has just starting powering down after playing world of warcraft for a while. sometimes takes 30 minutes and sometimes over an hour. the laptop is a little over a year old and haven't had this problem before. is this an issue with the graphics card or just the cpu overheating? i opened up the bottom and just blew it out but there wasn't much dust at all. after i did that it seemed to work ok for a few days but last night it powered down again while playing wow.
i have also been having problems with the power cord. i have to jiggle it around until it will actually show up that it's plugged in. not sure if that has anything to do with it. probably not since i make sure the light is on showing that it's charging.
i don't have the specs on me, but if they are needed to help diagnose the problem i can get them later.

 

[Awkward]

monitor the temperatures while gaming

 

[-Slacker-]

Sounds like it's overheating.

Do you leave it on your bed, couch or other cushiony surfaces for long periods of time? That blocks much of the air needed to cool the laptop.

 

[hyrule4927]

Definitely sounds like overheating, let us know what kind of temps you're getting? Specs would help too once you get the chance.

 

[noxiousCaitSith]

ok i'll try to figure out the temp thing when i get a chance. i googled it and looks like asus should have some kind of program built in to check that. i used to have it either on my lap or the bed sometimes, but haven't been doing that for a while for the overheating reason.

 

[MrTeal]

Just download Fraps. It can display an overlay while you're playing that displays your temps (and other info).