How Games Stop Me Reading... (Patreon)

There's something I don't do nearly enough of in my life and that's reading.

The irony of where I'm writing this isn't lost on me, but I mean, reading books. I've got plenty of them on my shelves and I've read a decent chunk them, but I've enforced a personal ban on purchasing more of them.

Why I haven't enforced this rule for video-games? Well, Steam doesn't require you to buy a third shelf in the real world.

Perhaps it's time to bite the bullet and use a Kindle.

It's occurred to me though that video-games, might be the reason I'm not reading as much as I should.

At this time of writing, I'm going to rewatch True Detective with a friend who's never seen it. One hour ago, I sat down and finally listened to Billie Ellish's 2nd album. Couple hours before then at brunch, I listened to my friend's Audio Show, Calamity. All of this on-top of playing video-games for pleasure and for video-footage.

Yet, when I get to bed, I'm probably not going to break out one of the many books on my shelf begging to be read, and I don't think it's because of all the media I consumed today, but purely the video-games.

While I might've consumed hours of content outside of gaming, I didn't need to do anything but hit a play button. That's the appeal of video-games, they're not passive. You don’t watch an action scene, you create it, and that's so much more visceral and enjoyable, but it requires effort. Video-games can't be played with no participants, and books can't be read with none either.

While I'm not micromanaging equipment amongst party members, timing complex button combos, or strategizing against other players in an endurance match, I am having to hold that book up and interpret the words on the page. The instant my eyes glance away, I've hit the pause button.

So after spending a whole day playing a video-game that requires my undivided attention for hours upon hours upon hours… it's small wonder that a medium with less interactivity and more hours required to complete, is not what I need at the moment.

However, I've also tried to identify that just like any art-form, books are multi-faceted.

Perhaps the problem isn't books, but the type of book.

One book I have finally returned to is Tom Bissell's Extra Lives, and have been massively enjoying it as it's not unlike watching a great video-essay from one of my colleagues. They read a lot like this, though, obviously, a lot more prepared and purposeful, and it's been a great time.

While I'm still prioritizing games because of the nature of my work, one thing I have identified, is that a well written book digs into your brain like nothing else. The shared authorship between the writer's words and the reader's imagination is a combination so powerful, it makes people who thought it would die out in the 90's and 00's seem silly.

…And, while not every book is an "easy" read, I've never had to restart a chapter when the character dies.

That's relaxing.