5 Books You Must Read To Help You Quit Playing Video Games

If you want to learn about a specific topic, reading is one of the fastest and easiest ways to do just that. Here are five books you must read that will help you quit playing video games:

I haven’t always been a reader, in the first 22 years of my life I had read a total of three books ever. Recently my father even mentioned how surprised he was that I turned into a reader.

But since then I’ve been reading as much as I can, totaling over 60 books in the last three years alone.

Why the change?

Because reading is one of the easiest ways to become smarter. And who doesn’t want to become smarter, right? Reading has made a huge impact on my life. My only regret is not starting sooner.

A mentor once told me that if I wanted to learn anything about any topic, all I had to do was to pick up the top five rated books on the subject on Amazon, and after reading them I’d have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

I completely agree. So I try to read one new book each week. And that might sound like it takes a lot of time or effort, but it really doesn’t. That’s a myth.

If you read 10-15 pages per day (about 30 minutes based on average reading speeds), you can easily read a new book every week or two.

If you go with audiobooks instead, and put them on 2x speed, you can fly through books and still retain the information. I put them on during any commutes I have, while I’m at the gym, and any other dead time in my day.

Here are the five books I’d recommend you read to help you quit playing video games:

1. The Power of Habit by Charlie Duhigg (Amzn)

Gaming was your habit, and one thing we know about habits is that if you don’t replace them with a new one, you’ll continue to do what you’ve always done. The Power of Habit is one of the best books out there on understanding how to build habits. Read this book.

2. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson (Amzn)

My life improved dramatically when I started to focus on the little things I could do each day that would compound over time and lead to big results. The reason most of us fail at the things we want to do is because we get overwhelmed with the task at hand. The Slight Edge will teach you a framework to overcome this and make the real progress you’re looking for.

3. Hooked by Nir Eyal (Amzn)

This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read in awhile. The premise is about how to build habit-forming products, and how apps and games hook us into compulsive behavior. It’s full of scientific research but with Nir’s writing style it’s easy to read and you’ll fly through it.

4. In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Maté (Amzn)

I love this book because it teaches you how to understand addiction in general, and not only focuses on the physical dependence/brain side of the addiction equation but also the environment influence as well – which you know I speak a lot about. If you’ve ever wanted to get a deeper look into what addiction really is, this is the book for you.

5. Gorilla Mindset by Mike Cernovich (Amzn)

Cernovich is a controversial guy but don’t mistake that with the power of this book, because it’s packed full of gold. I believe there is nothing more important than mastering your mindset, and this book is a how-to guide on how to do exactly that. It’s a refreshing take on a topic that so many self-help books talk about but don’t teach you how to actually master the skill.

You can also listen to my podcast interview with Mike Cernovich here.

Bonus: Resilience by Eric Greitens (Amzn)

As I shared above with Gorilla Mindset, Resilience will teach you about mental toughness and your ability to persevere from another angle. The book is a collection of letters between Greitens and another member of the military who was experiencing PTSD upon returning home. I listened to this on Audible and loved it.

Next:

Pick one book from the above, whichever one you feel most inspired to read and start there. If you think all of them are interesting, read The Power of Habit, first and The Slight Edge, second.

Don’t underestimate the impact reading can have on your life. If you even read one book each month that has the power to change your life (one in the personal development/business/finance realm), you will look back on them a few years from now and be able to see the tremendous growth you’ve had by doing so.

If you want to read a book specific on helping you quit playing video games right now to get your life back on track, check out Respawn.