I Quit Video Games & Started Reading Books Instead
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- Six month ago I made the decision to quit video games for good. I decided to fill that time with reading awesome books and building a TH-cam channel. The past 6 months have been much more rewarding than anything I experienced when I was stuck in the video game grind.
YoBiebs' Instagram: / yobiebsreads
YoBiebs' Goodreads: / yobiebs
YoBiebs' Amazon Wishlist: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls...
#books #gaming #booktube
00:00 - Intro
00:47 - World of Warcraft in 2003
2:33 - I finally give into video games
4:20 - Dopamine & gaming addiction
5:55 - Quitting World of Warcraft
7:14 - My cat interrupts
7:44 - Twitch & Fortnite
8:43 - My cat interrupts again
9:14 - World of Warcraft Classic (smh)
9:53 - Quitting video games for good
11:54 - Reading Books & TH-cam
12:45 - Switching from Gaming to Reading
14:00 - Benefits to Reading Books
16:51 - My system for reading and choosing books
17:53 - Outro
I wanted to comment this one weeks ago. I subscribed right in the beginning of your channel, but I was off TH-cam for a while after that. This video, though, this one, really made a number on me. I've been a big Dota 2 gamer for basically a decade now. I've had worst phases but it's been a permanent part of my life. The thing you say on this video, though, about working a lot and seeing all that effort amount to nothing. That's so true. So ever since I first watched this video a few weeks ago I just uninstalled Dota and I've been reading a lot more. The thing you said about the brain taking time to get used to books, which is a different kind of entertainment, makes a lot of sense too. I use to plan these 5h binges of reading it just doesn't happen. So instead I would read for like half an hour and get bored, and sometimes I would play Dota, to "reward" myself. Pf. Now I've been slowly developing a habit where I can read for a lot longer, and I've been enjoying the stories a lot more too. The amount of stuff you're reading nowadays is insane but maybe someday I'll get there. Not now tho cause NaNoWriMo is keeping pretty busy. But yeah, I just wanted to say, thanks for sharing this video and your experience with books and your growth! Keep at it, Biebs!
Thanks for the message. I also had a Dota 2 phase, so I understand where you're coming from. Yeah, it does take awhile for your brain to rewire to less "stimulating" forms of entertainment. But it happens slowly. I'm also doing NaNoWriMo this month.. first time for me. I see you are making videos on your channel, so I subscribed and will be following along. Cheers
@@palebluewave awesome! Good luck for us!
Read Louis L'amour's book "The Sackett Brand."
It will introduce to you a book that you can't put down even if you thought you weren't in the mood to read.
I recently committed to making this change. I guess TH-cam noticed because they recommended me this video.
My parents put me onto video-games at around 3-4 years old (not kidding), and steadily developed unhealthy habits around them until around age 14 where it became a full blown severe addiction. I decided that I wanted to give it up and uninstalled the games that I was playing at a competitive level at the time on july 24th 2019 (age 19).
I've relapsed a few times on other games, but ultimately avoided relapsing long term. I never lost the attention span issues though (The best way I've heard it described is that instead of your brain being able to focus like a laser, it's more like a flashlight or light bulb, unfocused). You describing some of the things I've been struggling with in terms of transitioning and reassuring me that the brain will adapt really helps me stay on the right path.
I was very fortunate to develop some very strong skills that I transferred over to real life from video games, but even in my situation where I'm in the lucky 0.01%; My brain has developed more in a single month from going moderately heavy on books(max I can handle is ~3hrs a day) than it ever could have in 5+ years of video games 10-16 hours a day. Yes you can exercise certain 'muscles' in the brain from specific video-games. However, none of those muscles are more important than having an advanced level of literacy and all of the knowledge you can acquire from that which is simply not on TH-cam.
It honestly horrified me how much my literacy slipped since I was in school, and in the US the problem with illiteracy has gotten so bad that the PIAAC (Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) removed the highest level of literacy because " there were no longer enough people at the highest level to count".
Thank you for the video.
Thanks for adding your thoughts & your story here. It sounds like your transition away from gaming is going great. Agree completely on where we are headed with literacy. It is sad to watch it happen.
How dare you
I've watched this video several times now. I love it that much. It's much more inspiring than any of the other "you should quit gaming" type of videos out there because the focus is on the positive. And I agree. There is a joy that comes with reading that's unique.
Thanks for the positive feedback!
I'm a lifelong gamer who started my journey into reading about 6 years ago. I quit video games for a little while, but it didn't feel right because I'm a gamer at heart. Instead of quitting, what I really needed to do was integrate my different selves together. I had to combine my responsible, get-stuff-done, not gaming self, with my old gaming self. So in order to get the most out of video games and avoid addiction/compulsive playing I just set two simple rules for myself: 1) Never play any games that use real life time. I'm the one who decides when and how long I play, not the game. And 2) Any game I play has to have an ending. Any game that asks me to play forever gets cut out. And so with these rules, I have a lot of fun playing games that feel rewarding and not like an obligation. And I still have time to read! I'm able to read 3-5 books a month, and still play about 70% of the games I want to, all while having a successful career (no family yet, I'm sure that would be a much different story)
That's great advice. People complain abut not finishing 'backlogs' but they'd have time if they'd implement your thinking : all they have to do is cut out the time wasting attention exploiting 'games', that are addictive for the wrong reasons.
Speaking from experience family does influence a bit, especially at first, but you can and have to balance and prioritize things.
I play video games and read books. Thankfully I'm not into games that involve playing with other people, so I think that's why I've never struggled with it the way you did. I play video games in intervals the same way that you described reading books. I find achievement hunting with some video games rewarding, but for others I'm just there to experience a story. I just see video games as an alternative way of experiencing a narrative. Again, this probably has to do with the kinds of video games I like to play specifically. I'm really into indie games and those tend to be as short as an hour or two. I do have friends that play games like League of Legends, so I completely understand what you mean about the dopamine hits these games are designed to give people. I'm glad you've found another hobby that makes you happy and that you find productive. Definitely subscribing to your channel.
Thanks for the comment! My choices of games, and the way I consumed them, were definitely a big part of the problem. I am naturally pretty competitive and I tend to find myself attracted to the games that don't have "endings" and tend to be endless grinds with moments of continual upgrades or higher rankings (competitive Fortnite). The problem I have with these games is that it never seems to be enough.. no matter how high I get in the rankings, I always am driven for more, and it's hard for me to be happy unless I'm improving. For whatever reason, single player games never hold my attention.
Do you also olay older Pokemon Games?
As ex League of Legends player, I can confirm single player, story driven games way less addictive than competitive games. Sometimes even a single player game hooks so bad and I find myself grinding side quests or whatever, but at some point game just ends with credits screen. Then I completely detach from game as satisfied.
@@Kaolidas It's the same, I been playing single player games since 2018 and I think every day about games and I aleays buy New games. If I have free time, my brain takes me to the console.
Hey dude. Awesome vid!
I did nothing but play video games throughout lockdown when I was 18/19, and I was never truly happy, just got little hits of dopamine when I killed the opponent characters, but even then it was never enough. Not to mention always having that dreadful feeling when I turned the console off or seeing the sunrise all of a sudden.
Now that I’m 20, I’ve made the decision to quit gaming forever, and replace it with books. I love learning and reading, and currently reading “the new digital age”. I think making this transition like yourself will be one of the best decisions in my life no joke and I know that if I was to continue gaming I would deeply regret it.
Thanks - I like your plan. It's great you're only 20 and making this decision. You have the gift of time and the self-awareness to know it's time to change.
What a great video! I appreciate how genuine you are about this topic, and that you’re not snooty about quitting gaming for books.
Wow, this video really spoke to my situation, especially the illness part/chronic pain. You're life really does change once you get ill and can really eat your time. I'm in my late 30's, have had two main health battles the last five years and these years really feel like "the lost years". I'm not a gamer at all, but my poison is videos, mostly TH-cam which I've increasingly watched over the years to the detriment of other hobbies because I've been just too exhausted to do anything else. Finally starting to feel a bit stronger and having surgery soon which will hopefully help a lot and want to replace all that video watching with reading and studying. I've made a book list much like yours! I've started reading more but like you said it's been super hard so far because my attention span is almost destroyed. But I'm glad to hear from you that it gets better.
Congratulations on starting your reading journey! That's really wonderful. You're going to discover so many amazing stories and authors.
Inspiring and it makes me speechless.
Thank You for all your words. :D
I'm a Nurse Chief. I'm a professional. I save lifes for living in a cardiac ICU, and I have tons of responsabilities at work. But I am not good because I'm addicted to League of legends since i was like 16. These dopamine centered systems have ruined my life. I'm close to 30 now and last week I saw this video. I knew it was the moment to quit. I uninstalled and started the Journey. I'm starting to feel better and I'm way more energetic than when I played League of Legends for 5 to 16 hours/day. Thank you for this video. It helped me a lot.
This is a great video! Lots of really good points and no fluff. Thank you! Subscribed and would love to watch more of your stuff!
Alex
I’m a college student who has been very into the gaming scene since I was a little kid and I don’t think you have a problem with games, just a problem with addictive games. There are so many artistic passion project games and that have amazing stories and emotional moments that it feels weird to lump them all up with the “AAA heavily monetized grind simulator number 87” type games.
Beating the Souls games changed my life, Hollow Knight helped me cope with a bad life situation, I’ve made friends and strengthen’d existing friendships through games like Smash, Minecraft, Deep Rock Galactic, etc.
Also I’m a college student with a part time job, a girlfriend, a large active social circle, a consistent gym schedule, and I still am able to engage with my gaming hobby. It’s definitely possible to be a healthy person and enjoy gaming with the boys.
Not all games are healthy or worth your time of course but I just don’t like the sentiment that gaming as a whole is a worthless hobby or a worse waste of time then other time wasters.
Yeah, I feel like I've been posting this around TH-cam lately as it's really that so much of the issues surrounding modern games from monetization, addiction, time-wasting only actually apply to a specific kind of game that ironically brought gaming to the supposed mainstream: the progression system video game.
I've been gaming since the NES and I honestly think games are the source of most of my success in life. Games used to be locked based on your skill. There was no dopamine ding unless you actually improved your skills. And the reward was an increasingly difficult challenge until you beat the game. It's exhausting like playing a sport. You can be addicted to it, but it's pretty hard to ruin your life with such games simply because of the high level of tension and challenge. Like a sport, however, it teaches you a lot about how your brain works and the incredible things you can be capable of if you apply the effort and practice. Not just getting rewarded for showing up, but for drilling, thinking creatively, improving perception and reaction, thinking tactically, understanding limitations of code and AI, etc.
Every gamer like me that I've known has been similarly successful at work and other areas of life. They are well rounded like you described yourself and tend to have a variety of interests and successes. Games taught me how to get my brain to work to acquire skills and how rewarding it is simply to increase in skill at the most obscure tasks that would otherwise seem boring.
Including reading. It was in games that I learned there's a skill to reading to create immersion and this made me a better reader and increased my reading comprehension and enjoyment, fiction and non-fiction.
I'd love to see progression system dopamine games separated from traditional gaming in discussions like these. Traditional games like Mega-man, Contra, Metroid, etc have evolved into Hollow Knight and Elden Ring. 90% of "gamers" that play gacha games and mmos have never played any of these types of games and probably could not or would not for more than 20 minutes or so since they do not have the dopamine for having the mechanical motor skill sophistication of a slot machine system. It really is COMPLETELY different nearly like comparing watching action movies to reading novels.
"Addiction problem with games". Fixed that for you.
Thanks for giving a different yet important perspective. Makes me think more critically.
I'm a student, full time sysadmin, full time dad and husband, and also have a dog.
I make time to play amazing story rich, atmospheric games like System Shock (2023). I sometimes casually play stuff like Chivalry but try to limit it as much as possible.
It's games like CSGO DotA and LOL that I regret wasting time on, I was good enough at shooters proven through much faster games like Quake, but I felt I had something to prove like most teens who get sucked into the rabbit hole do, and after I did I didn't feel more content or enlightened as I do after playing a good singleplayer game, or watching a good movie or reading a good book...
I dodged a big bullet, I've also said no but more consistently to WoW - A good reason was because it ruined the chances of a Warcraft 4 ever coming out, and playing a time consuming RPG it was inferior to custom maps made by me, my friends or strangers online who put passion into them, from my perspective.
Play games that are made with passion, learn the difference and skip the attention money grabbing schemes entirely, you've got nothing to lose really.
@@yamchayakunope. Idk how these people struggle with this. Play games in short burst. Simple
Ive been really depressed latly and unhappy with the way things have been, i realised playing games left me mad and empty afterwords, wishing i had done somthing better with my time. This video hit me really hard in the best way possible!!! Great video!!!
Best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second best time is today
I appreciate it, thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I don't know how I got here but I'm glad about it. Thanks for your confession, I feel it is much needed not only for me but in general.
Thank You so much for this video!
Thank you for sharing this, I would like to try reading books again. Thank you for sharing Pale
GREAT video man!
Your story resonates with me very well. I've been playing videogames for pretty much my whole life (I'm 22) and I've finally realized over the years the gaming industry really has gone so downhill in many ways. So many games like WoW, LoL, and Overwatch have eaten so many hours away from my time and I really had a moment of clarity very recently with why I play these types of games that predominantly make me so frustrated and am only stoked on receiving such little in return, especially since microtransactions are in full swing these days.
I've picked up reading again recently and am developing a huge love for the fantasy genre right now and I feel so much more creative and immersed than I ever have in a long time. as of right now I have quit all competitive/MMO games and just casually play my RPGs like Oblivion and dark souls. but who knows, I may just quit completely too. I've stopped playing competitive games for a few weeks now and I feel so much better about what I'm doing in my life.
sorry for the winded comment but you earned a new subscriber for sure here! :)
Whatever you decide to do w/your gaming, I hope for greatness for you. Cheers
Cant believe how personal and nice this video felt.
Was just hoping for a guide to stop myself from the cycle of grinding every season in different games. Just having that though in the back of my head that "oh I haven't logged in yet to complete my daily quests (or something)" in the back of my head EVEN WHEN SYUDYING. Its so annoying.
And what you said is right, at the end you get nothing from gaming except maybe very special memories, which maybe you can get from other more healthier places as well?
Although Im not to sure about that, memories from gaming will always have a nice big space in my heart to stay.
Yet, I think its time it comes to an end, or at least get less.
Wise decision !! Reading is nourishment to your mind.
Thanks for sharing your story!
4:23 My wife has been addicted to the mmo The Old Republic for about 10 years now, playing progressively more often. I walk by her home office and she is just glued to the flashing battle effects and explosions. She spends every spare minute playing that game and there is no talking to her during her day long sessions. I've tried (without success) everything I can think of to get her to cut down or maybe play something else. That game is like heroin to her...suggest cutting down or quitting and she gets hyper defensive and aggressively denies that it is a problem. I've given up and have accepted that she cares far more for that game than anything else in her life...including me.
I just subscribed! Thanks for the video.
I subscribed! Great video, thanks for making it. I quit playing video games about 15 years ago after I got burnt out playing Halo 2. I have gotten a lot more accomplished since I quit playing them. I read, write, and publish books on my imprint Post-Asemic Press. I mainly just watch educational videos on TH-cam now for entertainment outside of books. I also collect books now, autographed copies and first editions, so I have more to show than I got from playing video games. I will look forward to watching more videos by you.
That's an awesome story. It's amazing how much productive time is freed up when you quit gaming.
I've been insanely addicted to video games through my life, and last year I was finally able to quit for good. I still play single player games on sundays, which is my relaxing day, however I've noticed that playing anything that isn't story driven will truly mess your brain up, and make you lose focus on the important things in life. I still have a bit of a hard time focusing on anything but I'm slowly starting to gain my attention span back. Quitting online games took me 8 months. It was literally like a damn e-drug. I'm finally progressing in real life.
Your cat is cute!
It’s great that you were able to give up video games. Due to the whole dopamine manipulation tactics that games love to use, quitting isn’t easy. I’m glad you were able to make that change.
I did the same thing. I use to play video games everyday, to the point that I was addicted. Then in 2021 I quit and I have to say I don't regret it and all I do now is read.
Your are like a role model to me every time I want to play video games I remember you and how you quit it and your reasons for quit it thank you so much ❤
I am so glad I'm not the only one who was in the exact same situation. I'm in my late 30's and I grew up playing video games since the NES days. Being the super shy person in school games was my escape from reality. Escape from the bullies from school, my extremely abusive family and from the cult I grew up in. In 2012 I hit rock bottom socially and got into MMO's. Oh my goodness that was the absolute worst mistake I've ever made. Got into 2 F2P games and played them religiously. Went to work, went home and played games, showered, went to bed, wake up and rinse again. Spent a few thousand dollars on both those MMO's up to 2017 when I got to the point where I just got totally bored and got fed up with the toxic community from both games. 3 of those years (2014-2017) I worked at GameStop, Target and a locally owned gaming store that really made my addiction totally worse than it needed to be. When the end of 2017 came around I convinced myself to stop playing online gaming and that's in addition to getting literally physically sick and mentally drained from many people I was around that was so negative towards me for playing games they believe sucked or that I didn't believe that the games/consoles they play are the 'superior' games. From 2018 - now I found myself uninstalling a lot of games on my PC, traded in my Xbox One and eventually got myself a Nintendo Switch and kept my 3Ds which I rarely use anymore (Only play Zelda, Mario and Pokemon on them) and a few single player games on my PC.
When the pandemic hit back in 2020 I found myself picking up a lot more books that I wasn't able to read when I was much younger. Books like the Hunger Games series, Hitchhikers Guide of the Galaxy series, The Fault of Our Stars and all the other books from John Green, all of Andy Weir's books, Chronicles of Narnia series, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit, Game of Thrones, Hyperion Cantos, The Foundation series. During this time I also found my passion into photography and getting back into playing music again. It really got me into going out more often and enjoying the outside world.
Do you play musical instruments?
@@tristan_840 Piano
That's an amazing journey man WOW. Many congratulations to you, I hope to emulate your journey too!
I know this comment is old, but based on the other books you've listed, I think you would enjoy the "His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman. The books are called: 1. Northern Lights, 2. The Subtle Knife and 3. The Amber Spyglass. I'ts my favorite book series.
Being able to walk away from something at a moments notice is so key for me. I only play single player games but I notice when I get interrupted I'll feel annoyed at whatever took me out of the game. It was the same way before I quit weed when I'd have plans to smoke and my wife would ask to go for a walk or I'd find out a relative was coming over and I'd feel so frustrated that my plans were ruined.
Now that I quit weed I'm down for anything and it's great. This is a major reason why i want to quit games because they are the last thing in my life that has this sort of hold on me.
Very relatable!!! Nice video
I lol’d when you saw the daily quest and just quit 😂 I totally relate. It seems so silly when you say it aloud. Day 8 no video games.
Nice - hope you're still going strong
Great video, thanks.
I think I've logged into my youtube account twice in the last 10 years to comment or subscribe to someone. I've been struggling myself with video games and twitch, and their addictive nature. I myself have decided to quit when happening upon your channel. Especially as I'm getting closer to 30 each day. You've made some excellent content here about your own reasoning. This is the first vid of yours that I have come across and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on upcoming books! Keep up the great work my guy!
Amazing. Thanks for your message. These are the types of messages that keep me motivated. Getting closer to 30? You're choosing the best time to throw the gaming out. Congrats to you. Check in sometime in the future and let me know how it's going.
Thanks man. Life changing comments.
Amazing arguments, good video!
Just found your channel. I play video games to connect with friends and i like books. I read fantasy books. Colin Wilson, Sterling E Lanier... Jack L Chalker. In the past i read many books but these days my time was consumed with those friends over the internet on discord and games. And because i live in a village and there isnt anyone to talk to normaly i spend time talking with them trough microphone over internet. Playing games. My glasses are -7. I will have 30 days off from those friends soon to visit day center... and i will rest from computer. Maybe then i will
read some books again. : ) i subscribed to your channel. Thank you for reading books in these times.
Thank you for this video
Great video. The subject matter is interesting but then you topped it off by showing us your cat. What a cutie. Interesting insert about cats btw.
This video game/dopamine topic is so relevant in these times. I related to everything you said as I am also the same generation. Grew up with Street Fighter, Sega, Nintendo etc. I personally don't like anything having a hold on me. Once that happens I let go of it.
Books just have a different energy to them. I love them and I read everyday but they do require effort. Researching words and learning etc. Pushing through the dry parts of a book for instance.
I have no doubt that your channel is going to be very successful. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for the kind words. Totally agree with the effort involved in reading. I was thinking I may get some comments at some point on this video that I just replaced one addiction with another... but I agree with you, books have a very different energy to them.
I've dedicated basically all my existence to play video games, I've made great friends and met amazing people playing them but also I've been stuck in my whole life because of that, i didn't get the opportunity to go to college because of that, I got overweight because of that, I've lost friends and connection with my family because of that, and like that many more destructive things because video games and a life of procrastination... It wasn't a fair trade to me... Until six months ago, I didn't enjoy playing video games for the first time and it was a weird sensation, as you related in your video, i felt tired and bored on just starting my computer or the console to play, like I already knew what's going to happen next, and that dopamine injection was not just there, and it has been now 3 months since I last played a video game, I started learning to code, I bought books, and I can already see changes for good in my life, and now I think, how different my life were if I had dedicated all the thousands of hours playing video games to study and grow personally... I feel like I wasted my youth, and I feel sad it took many years to realize this, but I am also proud and happy to see changes with so few time, and I can only see forward if i keep consistency doing what I am doing... Unfortunately my girlfriend is still in the video games addiction, and I have tried many times to get her out, but she still refuses to change, even though she wants a change, I see her playing for hours and hours and I see there myself in the past, I just hope I can help her as well, and if anybody has any advice on how to help someone to get out of the video games addiction, please let me know...
people have to make decisions themselves. best you can do is be an example of why its good to quit
I think this needs to be heard by more people video games and porn are probably the two biggest addictions hitting young men. I think sharing stories helps people realize they aren’t alone.
I just happened to see this in my feed. I got addicted to Diablo 4 and things around me just started to fall apart. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I finally got bored and quit. I decided that the time I spent playing games I would read instead. So much better. Playing a game that much definitely changes you. I’m reading Dune and It right now. Have always wanted to read those books. I also buy the audio version and listen while I read. Helps me focus more. I played WoW too with a shameful /played. I treat my life like a quest line and I’m grinding life xp. Good luck.
@retrospectivej5718 yikes
Great video! I've been a video game addict for 27 years straight! Been slowly cutting back because it just hasn't been fun lately. Haven't played in 5 days. Been getting proper sleep as a result, so I guess it's worth it.
Books, Games, Movies/Shows, ext. are time sinks none the less. Most of life Like is about Balance.
I'm a long time gamer in my 40s. Recently i have been doing other stuff. Part of it is that frankly, games are getting worse. Microtransactions, half done crap games. So they dont capture my attention as they used to. I got back into reading a year ago or so, i have always been a fast reader when i get my periods when i'm into it, so it's felt really good to just plow thru books. I got a e-ink reader a year ago, and the feeling of having 40 books in my pocket while i'm out camping with a camper van is really nice.
I've also started hunting, fishing and woodworking and i'm developing my cooking skills.
The thing is that it's not hard any more to keep away from computer games. They used to have soul and creativity poured into them. Less so nowadays. It's a good time for quitting.
My thoughts exactly. Back then games had a passion in them, unique and passionate releases were frequent. Nowdays, the only good options are indie ones, but the good ones aren't that many. This industry really gets away from producing souless unfinished crap.
Games went from art to products
Going through the same thing myself lately. I feel like video games are such a chore for me so likely to be quitting very soon.. Been reading now since January and so far I've read:
Elminster in Myth Drannor
Exile: The Legend of Drizzt
Shadow and Bone
Stormfront (Dresden Files)
Siege and Storm
Sojourn
Ruin and Rising
Never Finished (David Goggins)
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Crystal Shard
Streams of Silver (currently reading)
Awesome - keep the momentum going
Hello. Thank you very much for your heartfelt and informative video post. I must say that it is very useful for myself. English is not my mother tongue. So please excuse my grammar and spelling mistakes.
I laughed out loud because i have the same spreadsheet and my friends chuckle. I make everything a system too.
This video is very relatable. I keep going back and forth on video games. For me, it's always been Bethesda's single player open world RPGs that got me hooked. I put hundreds and hundreds of hours into Skyrim especially. On the one hand, I have many great memories of playing and it's definitely inspired me, on the other, there is something about playing video games that feels like it's sapping me of some internal resource I didn't realize I needed until I spent more time away from gaming. With reading, the experience has been completely positive 100%. I feel it building something up inside of me, rather than draining me in any way. There is a joy that comes from investing in new worlds and characters conjured up through nothing more than the words of an author. That joy is built up slowly, but its rewards are so much richer and more satisfying than playing games ever was.
Sounds like you're having a great transition away from video games. There is a weird mix of nostalgia and fun that gaming has. It's easy to just want to go back.. but it always ends up feeling like time not well spent for me after I do go back. Thanks for adding your story. Catch you later
Welcome to Booktube! Good for you… this is awesome!
Thanks - I'll be following your channel!
We are the same age and have the same story. I too quit WoW when TBC came out and I too became a degenerate in classic. I found myself disconnected from community and my wife and kid...I was tanking world bosses and taking PTO for race for world firsts.
I quit Classic WoW and a friend took me to retail...wasnt for me so i quit and have read 36 books this year...i just had covid and fever dreams while trying to read and ended up in a bad depression and reading slump...just picked up super smash brothers melee (21 year old game that now can be played online!)...trying to balance reading, gaming, work, family and other hobbies! So hard!
I spent god know how many years playing video games, the only thing I'm 'proud' of was at one time my team was the first to clear a dungeon in America/SA, but the price I had to paid was just absurd, I think I spent around 5k of hours of my life to reach that level to clear that dungeon. Its been 3-4 years since that day and I not gonna lie the emotion I felt was out of this world, if I could relieve that day I'd have but the grind behind it, hell no!
I've replaced my gaming addiction to youtube addiction lol.
Haha.. easy to do that right?!
pale blue wave u gotta try nonfiction books, self improvement and history books are my go to
I think there are some video games worth playing. There are some phenomenal stories in video games, but reading is important, and if you have to choose between the two, reading is, by far, the better option.
I agree, if you only had to choose 1, choose reading. But I like the idea of scraping the cream of the crop off the top of both hobbies. If you get choosier about what video games you play, you'll only play the best video games, and in theory, you'll have the extra time to do the same thing with choosing the best books
Great video, mate!
Thankya.
I quit reading to play video games for 30 years. Just this year I've gotten back into "reading". The caveat is that, due to having old warn out eyes (I'm now 65), I'm "reading" the books by listening to the audio versions. I'm currently half way through the Expanse series (books/novellas/short stories) and while some books are better than others I'm enjoying getting back into the habit of reading.
Awesome video mate. I'm also wanting to quit video games for good. my addiction has been a mobile game, which is even worse than PC games, because it is on you all day every day. And the game is always going on. Mobile games can be devastating if you can't keep a balance between life and gaming.
OMG I DIDNT KNOW THAT ABOUT THE CATS AT THE DOOR MY CAT CONSTANTLY DOES THAT
Keep on making self improvement videos! Keep on the journey and hit the gym woooo
I love video games. I still do.
I've played so many games since I was 7.
But I'm 22 now and I decided to completely quit a few weeks ago. And I look back, especially to my childhood years, and I'm grateful for the wonderful memories. Those games were good and memorable. They meant something.
But the online games I played in the last few years completely destroyed me. I'm never going back to those.
If I ever feel like playing again, it'll be for a short and sweet moment. Just to remember the good times.
I saw so little promise in this video I wasn't even going to watch it but find myself very pleasantly surprised
honestly depends on the types of games you play, yeah online competitive games are just a time sink, but play pathologic or fear and hunger and tell me that doesn't train your attention span and dicipline.
My point is that althoght i agree on your points for most of the mainstream stuff, there are a lot of interesinting experiences on the more hidden parts of the medium
good luck growing
Thankya
It's always great to hear from people discovering the wonders of books in our present Screen Age! If you want to read one of the best novels of the 20th Century that most people DO NOT know about, may I suggest "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis.
Thanks - added it to my queue
i can tell this channel is going to get big
I recently quit playing video games as well! I too have been trying to read more but I don’t really know where to start.
I enjoy learning about the mind and history, but I also enjoy fiction/ Science fiction as well.
Do you have any books that you would recommend?
I quit playing to read too. So far I've read Ender's Game saga (Orson Scott Card), Metro 2033 trilogy (Dimitry Glukhovsky), almost all of H.G. Wells' books, The Call of Cthulhu (Lovecraft), Stalker (Strugatsky), 1Q84 (Murakami), 2001: A Space Odyssey (C.Clark). It is very good to read. I was addicted to solo games then with hindsight I realize that the stories were poorly developed, or in a way chopped by the gameplay that takes over. So yes with a book there is no gameplay but the work of imagination is really rewarding, so much so that I started writing little short stories :) Sorry for m'y English, it's not my first language
New subscriber here. Just read your Reddit post about this! Congrats on the newfound love for reading. It's a really rewarding habit, and I'm glad it has made you happy :)
Nice! Have a book recommendation for me?
@@palebluewave Yes! A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles and Piranesi by Susanna Clarke are among my favorites. They're popular for good reason
@@palebluewave If you like fantasy try First Law
It's crazy how video game addiction isn't more mainstream. These games literally are made just like social media to just consume our time with absolutely nothing to show for it. I totally had the same experience with Apex Legends where I had like over 10k hours playing since release day wasting countless hours. I had a lot of problems coming back to books and studying and dealing with attention span. This was a great video glad to see other people went though the same thing I have.
Very good video! ^^
Thanks! 😄
I remember the WoW "green is the new purple" moment.
I also got into reading a few years back but still game. I find the types of games you play is really important. MMOs, MOBAS, grinding stats RPGs can form really unealthy habits; but if you stick to skill/twitch based games like shooters, platformers, fighters and action adventure you can have much shorter game sessions and still get the congitive benefits that come from gaming.
Also story-driven games, because they actually have an ending
Play Outer Wilds dude. That shit is an experience you will never get in books. I like reading but that experience? That's unique to video games.
As an experiment, I decided to stop using my PC completely for at least 6 months and making books my main source of entertainment. So far, I'm not regretting it. I know I can't do this forever but it gave me a different perspective. Going forward I think I will only use the PC for 5 hrs max a day. I still like technology like you so I don't want to completely stop.
Ive played games since i was around 7, started because i had a rough childhood but i would play for hours and hours non stop but didnt effect much till i was like 13 and i got a ps3 and addicted to black ops 1 😂 since then ive played constantly and its all i really want to do. Today im selling my last console and my tv, im also trading my phone for an older phone with only text and phone calls. Wish me luck 😢
I’m 25 struggling to quit video games, thank you for this video
X2
This video helped me
STRANGE!
I can do both,plus a lot of the games
I ENJOY have a lot of reading................🤔😇
i quit playing competitive FPS games a year or so ago and stuck to mostly single player story heavy games and found it an amazing shift for me. online competitive games these days are full of toxic people and scummy micro transactions that get mentally tiring when that’s what you’re playing day to day. tbh i’ve always wanted to read books but just always brush it off unfortunately.
Find a book that sounds awesome and go for it.
day 4 of my 30 day sabbatical from video games, bruuuuuh got 4 days playtime in "starfield" it was like i was completely obsessed overnight. the only book ive ever committed to read was the third book of the hunger games Mockingjay.
Great vid bro.... I quit aswell gaming 4 year ago and i became a dj and music producer hahah... Gaming is so bad for personal grow xD i play 17 years hardcore before 🫶😬👍
Cool video hehe good luck on your journey
They are not mutually exclusive, I read books and play games (old games , no multiplayer).
I am having trouble to focus on anything ... My mind screaming so hard to play video games
Nice kitty!
This is weird, I'm also from the NW, same age, and I got really into wow in 2004. That was a great era of gaming for sure.
I just do both
i had a friend who spent more hours playing online mmo with friends and having a laugh, he almost lost his job, got that bad he ended up deciding on work or gaming, so he went to work and stopped gaming, now he stands at a machine pushing a button and cant talk or smoke and is withdrawn n sleeps 12hrs, the change is amazing. most dont get the 2nd chance he got : / lol
Do you mind sharing your book list?
I think it’s understood while watching the video that your perspective comes from playing live service games. While I think gaming addiction is a serious issue, and I have experience and overcome it (due to live service games, specifically online competitive games), I think you should have especially mentioned that aspect of your gaming experience.
I read books and I play games. Most of the games I play are CRPGs and other types of RPGs. In some of these games you read more words than any Tolkien book. And they contain wonder stories. Some of these games have had a really positive impact in my life. Elden Ring (not really an RPG, but for example), allowed me to process the grief of losing my partner at the time. Other games like Disco Elysium lead to me take an interest in philosophy and economics.
That is all to say that certain video games are inherently bad for our health. And same can be said about books as well (predation of people’s hope and desperation by self-help books, etc.). These are all hobbies, and one must be responsible to not overindulge. Ultimately, video games can be a wonderful hobby, and it sure has been for me and many others I know and respect.
2003 was my freshman year of college as well. Shortly after, Halo 2 released and I watched a guy in my dorm fail out and never return. All he did was sit in his room playing Halo 2 and never going to class.
Also: Read Narodniki Women - Russian Women Who Sacrificed Themselves for the Dream of Freedom
I do both, nothing wrong with video games with friends.
Audio books and gaming win win : )
I don't mean to be rude and if I come across as such I am sorry. When you mention that "all the things you did in the game you didn't get anything out of it" it got me thinking, what do you get from reading that you didn't get from playing a game? In both you are staring at a thing while progressing through a story. You're not more physically fit or richer by reading books so... what makes books such a better alternative? I say this as a gamer who is struggling to find new worthwhile hobbies. Other than being able to put it down and picking it up whenever I really don't see the benefit. Specially when you keep spreadsheets tracking down everything... exactly like some people do with games. Again, I don't mean to be rude, just looking for some answers.
The game gives you an already pre-made image for you to view, while the book makes you create everything your way inside your head. I see games and books as different story telling arts, and I consider the books to be better in that regard because the word placing can create some really unique and delightful sensations while reading. Reading a story you really liked gets you envolved with it, you can't wait to go back to the book, just like how you can't wait to go back to a game that you really like.
Reading is much healthier for the brain than gaming is, provides many psychological benefits, prevents old age brain deterioration such as dementia, makes you more calm, improves concentration, creativity and the capacity of having ideas.
Gaming is super fun, but most good games are either indie or retro. The market got super saturated and the AAA releases are just souless. As for books, there are tons of excellent writings to explore
Tonight I was just scrolling through Steam and feeling absolutely no motivation to game anymore. I think I’ve reached a point of no return.
As far as book recommendations, if you haven’t read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa then definitely give it a go. One of my favorite stories of all time. In my mind I always visualize it in anime form lol.
Hello there blue!
So i wanted to start by saying im done playing video games. Ive been a gamer since i was 4 years old.
Used to watch my father play the ps1 and gamecube when i was young. Now im 24
Used to be enthraled by just the gaming scene. The worlds you can step into and justbbe immeresed in lore.
Well i used to have a gaming addiction would play an mmo.
Duriny my addiction of gaming i would goto bed at midnight then wake up at 4am to game from 4am to 8am.
Would goto school and sleep in class.
That was back in 2013.
Ive tried to get back into gaming but mostly over the past 2-3 years i have gamed but not like i used to.
Back wen i was addicted i enjoyed gaming and felt likr i was achieveing something.
In the end basiclly from 2014 till 2023 i just been putting a few hours into a gsme then stop and goto another game and do that.
Basically i would wanted to put hours into gaming but whats the point. In ten years playing these video games wont matter.
I find that by reading its more welcoming. To get into a story that puts you into thr lore of 1 universe csnt be complelty different to the next book you pik up.
For years i felt like a book worm but i was just to doing something visual compared to letting my imagination take over
I'm...not gonna judge I'm not gonna judge I'm NOT gonna judge that smile on the thumbnail
Lost Ark takes dark patterns (in game design) so much to the next level that it’s really easy to burn out and quit. Off the top of my head, I would recommend Neuromancer by Gibson, Dune by Herbert, Solaris by Lem, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by Irvine, The Witcher by Sapkowski, The Stranger by Camus, and Foundation by Asimov
Thanks for making this video bro. I've been a gamer for a long time and as an aspiring author I've had a huge amount of guilt looming over me for a long time as i don't read enough books. I'm going to quit gaming for a year and replace it with reading. That's my new years resolution...thanks to this video. I want to be a better reader and writer.
Update:
I've decided as a new year's resolution to sell my ps5 and xbox one. I not only want to be a better writer. I want to have a family one day and I would like to invest as much time with them as possible with limited distractions. That of course means limiting my time on TH-cam. 👀
Glad to hear you decided to make some big changes. I know that feeling of guilt - not a fun thing to carry around all the time. Let me know how it's going someday in the future.
Same here. But with TH-cam, not video games.
Hey, how are your goals going now 9 months in?
@@Ryan-is-meHey buddy. I've been clean for 9 months. No relapse. The only game that has tempted me is Balders Gate 3 but as time passes my urge reduces. How's your journey to quit going?
@@MrK.A Hey, good to hear! My goal wasn't to quit entirely, but to limit the amount of time I play. The rule I made for myself was that I can only play games if I've also read for an hour that day. I've been able to stick to this rule pretty well. I've only broken it 4 times since February, and now I'm working on cutting down my TH-cam time, ironically.
I am glad that you made the right decision to quit playing video games, but it's hard to do it. But hopefully after when I'm 26 maybe I will quit playing video games because I have been playing them since when I was a kid and I enjoy them. So now it's time for me to move on from video games and start reading books and watching TV because that's my hobby. Great video and I agree with your opinions.
You can definitely do it. Just have to make that decision and then go for it.
I needed this video! Video game addiction has been an issue in my life as well, although I feel like the worst bits of it has been during my adult life (I'm about to turn 35), mainly because of how strict play time was when I was a teenager and younger. However, ever since I was a child, I've always been a passionate reader and book collector. I mostly enjoy fiction, switching between genres frequently, and would throw in an interesting non-fiction every once in a while. Before my son was born 3 years ago, I still gamed an unhealthy amount, but I kept up well with reading goals, reading anywhere from 20-30 novels per year. SINCE my son was born, reading fell way off, gaming addiction has gotten so much worse, and I don't think I've read even 5 books within a single year since.
Every day for what feels like at least two years, I feel and fight with a disgust in myself and my lack of REAL accomplishment, but the addiction fights back with things like "but I LOVE gaming!" or "But you just built your first gaming PC and spent ALL that money to do it, not to mention all the games you've bought (which isn't nearly as many as I have books haha)". I hate it, and I have a fear and shame that seems to be feeding and getting larger and larger every day that I'm wasting away not just my own time and potential, but even moreso, what that time and potential could be producing for my wife, my boy, and even community(s).
I could say so much more, but for now I'll just say thank you for your transparency and authenticity. New subscriber here and I look forward to seeing your reads!