Submitted by YoBiebsReads_YouTube t3_xwvfc7 in books
I had always played video games casually - LAN games of Counter-Strike, drink some beers, have a good time with my friends. But around the summer of 2003, something changed. My friends started playing World of Warcraft when it was first released.
Not only were they playing a lot, they were also trying to recruit me into the game hardcore. "Dude, you gotta play this game. It's the best game ever created."
And I was always like, "no, no, no. Not me dudes." Those guys were nuts about this game & back in 2003 I was headed into my sophomore year of college, and I was an extroverted dude. I lived to go out, drink beers, and meet tons of people. That's what I loved to do.
And then we went back to college after summer break, and it was Fall in the Pacific NW, and it was raining, and it was probably a random Tuesday and I had nothing to do. I was bored. My friend said, "Why don't we go down to Gamestop and pick up WoW for you!?" I had responded with a "no" to that about 100 times, and for whatever reason, this time I responded with "aight, I'll play the game." Went and bought the game, installed the game with like 4 or 5 different disks (before anything like Steam guys..), and started playing. It was a problem right away.
I pulled an all nighter. Maybe slept 2-3 hrs during the day the next day, and then was back at it. I was "behind" my friends who had already been playing for months, and I was addicted immediately.
I played for ~1 year.. maybe 1.5 years, and then Blizzard announced they were releasing the first expansion.. and something clicked in my head. All that time I had spent grinding for the best level 60 gear is going to be meaningless once this expansion goes live. And they are just going to release another expansion after this one.. and then another. And it's never going to stop. (I was right about that one.)
And then I made the best decision I probably ever made as a young adult. I straight up quit WoW cold turkey.
I didn't play video games for 15 years after that. Focused on my career. Moved to a new state. Built my life up.
And then Twitch and Fortnite got big, and for whatever reason, I decided to buy all the components and build my own gaming computer again. This was probably 5 years ago, when I was then around 32 years old. I can only imagine the lengths I went to to shut my subconscious up about buying that rig... knowing deep down what I was headed into.
I fell down the gaming rabbit hole again hard with Fortnite. And then WoW Classic was released and I became a straight degenerate again. But, I've always been something like a functioning alcoholic with my gaming. I somehow am able to hold my relationships and career and life together while binge gaming (with something much like a fraying shoestring).
And then my hip went out on me (I was actually quite active through all this binging as well - lots of jiu jitsu and running and lifting - as you can probably guess I don't have kids). I dealt with chronic pain and a lot of dysfunction around my hip and pelvis for over a year. I finally got surgery, and then was out for the count for about 1.5 months - barely able to even get out of bed due to the pain. I had no urge to play video games during this time.
Once I could walk again, I went to my computer for the first time, turned it on and loaded up Lost Ark. I was logged in at a spot to complete some daily quest. And then I just exited the game and was like "yeah, I'm done with video games." I haven't touched one in the last 6 months and have no urge to return ever again (maybe give me another 15 year break and we'll see..).
I now had a whole lot of time, and I decided that I was going to use it in a way that was more rewarding and productive. So I decided to go hard into reading books, while also building a YT channel to document my process.
Well I'm at the 6 month mark and wanted to share a few things I've learned and all the books I've read.
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I was hooked on the constant dopamine rush that gaming provided. These people who build these games are geniuses at using the reward system that is inherently built into humans to make their games as addicting as possible. They hijack the reward system and it works exceptionally well. The good news is that the brain is adaptable. It took many months for my brain to rewire itself. At first reading was very difficult for me. I had to take breaks often, mainly because I was bored easily, even if the book was excellent. After ~4 months, my brain had settled, and I started feeling a ton of pleasure and relaxation while reading. I started reading outside, shirtless under the sun for hours at a time. I started feeling happiness that I never experienced while gaming.
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Back in my WoW Classic playing days (~35 yrs old), this was a common occurrence: girlfriend walks into the room while I'm playing WoW. "Hey, want to walk to this new restaurant downtown?" "Ohh.. well, you see, tonight is raid night. So I'm going to have to be glued to this chair for the next 4 to 5 hours playing World of Warcraft, so, yeah, I can't do that." First of all, that's a pretty ****ing unattractive thing to say as a 35 year old man. I mean no offense to other gamers, but I'll just be honest that I never felt good having to respond like that.
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Now that I read, this is how the conversation goes: girlfriend walks into the room while I'm reading. "Hey, want to walk to this new restaurant downtown?" I look up at her, and raise my finger. "Let me finish this chapter, and then we'll go."
Much better imo!
So the most I had ever read prior to jumping into books was 12 books in a year, and that was probably 7 years ago. I had to really force myself to read 1 book a month. For the past 6 months, I'm averaging 6 books a month (excluding the month post-surgery - with the pain and the drugs I couldn't do any reading).
Here's all the books I've read in the past 6 months:
- Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
- Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
- Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
- The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
- The Shining by Stephen King
- The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
- The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
- Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
- Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson
- Pet Semetary by Stephen King
- Timeline by Michael Crichton
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Half a King (Shattered Sea 1) by Joe Abercrombie
- Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
- Disclosure by Michael Crichton
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
- Recursion by Blake Crouch
- 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
- Upgrade by Black Crouch
- Replay by Ken Grimwood
- Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
- The Green Mile by Stephen King
- Reilly's Luck by Louis L'Amour
- The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
- Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Reading more has been the BEST decision I have ever made for myself. My imagination, reading comprehension, reading speed and ability to analyze books have improved tremendously. Reading books has been far more rewarding than any of my gaming "accomplishments" by a wide margin.
I'm so excited with all the books I have queued up to read.. although that queue is currently 135.. I mainly buy my books through Goodwill and thrifting runs, but also will eBay as needed. Sometimes an audiobook here and there, but I prefer having a book in my hands.
I'm currently about half way through Open Season by C.J. Box, his first book of the Joe Pickett series (22 books... what I have gotten myself into!?). But, loving it so far.
That's my story, thanks for reading.