I just finished reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. It's not directly about gaming or about recovery, but it really helped me think about what was happening with me when I was gaming.
Basically, Carr is interested in looking at what is happening to our brains as we use the internet. Essentially, when we are online, searching the web, etc., we are programming our brains to respond in new ways - we are actually changing the physical structure of our brains. Repetitive actions online (clicking hyperlinks, or in gaming terms using the same skills repeatedly to kill mobs) changes the way we think.
I think that the time I've spent gaming really has changed the way I relate to the world in a fundamental way, and understanding neuroplasticity has helped me understand the nature of these changes. Anyway, this is an interesting (and sometimes alarming) look at how computers are affecting us.
Heading straight to the library. Thanks for the tip!
Give me the wisdom to know what is right, and the courage to do it.
Give me the strength to change.
I left Evony on June 16, 2010 at 11:00 PM. Not the end but the beginning.
Thanks. I would love to read it. This video relates, good info.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BkI8LD24y0
The book is an argument for people who are longtime computer enthusiast. Distinguish between the beneficial & detrimental aspects of the Internet. I like the idea about the brain retains a certain amount of plasticity throughout life that is, it can be reshaped, and the way that we think can be reshaped, for good or for ill. Could it be possible that both Shirky and Carr are correct? I think so: We are living in a world where we have access to more and better forms of informational inputs than ever before, and yet precisely because of that we have become a bit more scatter-brained and distracted.