Gaming laptop?

I’m going on exchange to American for a semester to study and have been debating when and what to get when i go.

Big question is what to do about my computer as i can’t exactly take it with me so i came the the conclusion of upgrading my 10 year old laptop so i have something i can game/study on when i’m there.

Not ever looked into gaming laptops before and was looking for some guidance on what to look for, when to buy and what to avoid so i can get my moneys worth and also be able to use it without issues.

Would ideally like something with a decent refresh rate since getting a monitor would be a challenge but open to suggestions.