longevity of alienware laptops tips?

hi there fellow dell users

i recently bought an alienware m18x laptop and i must say it has been really great to start off with, and i really enjoy using it. but sometimes when i am playing games it can heat up really fast and then it reaches a point where it just shuts off and its really annoying, are there any ways to avoid that?

i have tried to leave alot of space behind the laptop for ventilation, i have also raised it from the wooden desk with a small peice of wood so air can circulate underneath and i also have a small desk fan blowing right behind it. I just want to make sure i am doing evrything fine so i dont prematurly destroy my laptop, it was very expensive and i dont want to be spending that much money on something that can potentially become a useless paperweight, thanks

jonnyronny