Day 99! I want to take all of you on a journey through gaming and how it changed my life drastically. While I was preparing to write this article, I realized there was absolutely no way I could do it in a single article. This journey will be split up into two separate parts. Before we begin I want to mention something, these articles will have very little to do with actual gaming and more about the lessons I learned through gaming. So don’t worry, this should not be too nerdy and boring.
I have a bit of an embarrassing secret that many people don’t know about. I did not know how to read or write for an extended amount of time. To be completely honest, I did not learn these two important skills until around the age of eleven. My disease had nothing to do with this. SMA kids are generally pretty bright and quick at learning but I was not one of them. I was a tad bit late to the party.
I never once read a novel throughout my entire 18-years of education. Spark notes were my best friend when it came to book reports. I was a mastermind when it came to the art of bullshitting my way through book reports.
My Junior year in High School, I remember I had to do a five-page essay on the book Fahrenheit 451. Somehow I turned two pages of spark notes into a five-page essay and by some kind of miracle, I received a 100%. Still, to this day I can barely tell you what happened in Fahrenheit 451.
World of Warcraft was a huge reason I learned how to read and write. I purchased this game around the age of eleven and at the time my reading and writing skills were basically non-existent. World of Warcraft forced me to learn these skills in order to interact and complete tasks within the game. It was way for me to practice reading and writing while having a fun and rewarding experience. This was something a classroom could never provide to me.
The Summer between 5th and 6th grade was filled with hundreds of hours World of Warcraft play time. Guess what? I returned to school having the ability to read and write as good as my peers, if not better. This transformation was set forth by something most parents would deem, noneducational and a waste of time. In my case, it was the complete opposite, it was the greatest tool in my education.
I credit gaming to my understanding of how to read and write but there was one teacher in particular who laid the foundation for this to happen. I feel extremely fortunate to still be in contact with her and she even reads this blog! She is also a master in the kitchen when it comes to baking the most delicious treats in existence, especially her pretzels. For the sake of her privacy, I am not going to give out her name but I am fairly sure she’ll know who she is. Thank you, Mrs. T!
My arm is quite tired and that is why I have to break this up into two parts. Tomorrow I will be discussing how gaming helped me with my social skills. I have a feeling it will be interesting, so make sure you tune back in tomorrow around the same time.
This post was inspired by this month’s book, check out the link below.
This month’s book:
Here’s another beautiful photograph from my lovely photographer:
