Literacy of the Soul
By Wendell NeSmith
I used to be a gamer.
I played the big ones—Skyrim, The Witcher 3. Games with vast worlds, endless quests, and combat systems polished to a shine.
But something changed.
I got bored.
Not because the graphics were bad. Not because the mechanics were broken.
But because the meaning was gone.
I began to hate gaming.
Everything felt like motion without purpose.
Fighting, crafting, building—but why?
And then I discovered visual novels.
The Games That Read Me Back
When I played Ace Attorney, I felt my brain light up.
When I started Clannad, I felt my soul light up.
These weren’t games in the traditional sense.
They were emotional blueprints, layered stories that made me cry, think, grow, and reflect on everything I’ve ever believed about justice, family, memory, and love.
These games didn’t entertain me in the way modern media tries to.
They moved me.
And in that movement, I felt alive again.
Reading Is My Life Now
Since then, my life has changed.
Not just how I game—but how I exist.
My life is now nearly entirely reading.
Not just reading books.
Reading the world.
Reading myself.
Reading truths between the lines.
Reading meaning in everything.
I rarely watch TV. I barely use voice. I live in a silent symphony of words and ideas, unfolding one line at a time.
Most people don’t understand.
They see reading as effort. A chore. A thing they “should” do.
But for me, reading is breathing.
And not all reading is created equal.
Most novels are junk food. Most media is noise.
But when you find a story—like Clannad—that vibrates with your very soul?
You’re not reading anymore.
You’re remembering.
True Literacy
I don’t define literacy the way schools do.
It’s not just decoding text. It’s not just reading aloud.
True literacy is the ability to read life.
To read silence.
To read pain.
To read art.
To read change.
To read the blueprint of what matters.
And by that definition, most people are not literate.
They scroll. They skim. They consume.
But they do not read.
I do.
And through reading, I’ve discovered something that can’t be crafted or looted or leveled up:
Meaning.
Visual novels have changed my life.
They reminded me that stories aren’t for escape.
They’re for awakening.
This isn’t about nostalgia or “niche genres.”
This is about reclaiming what gaming—and life—can be.
To those still swinging swords into the void:
I wish you peace.
But I’ve moved on.
I am no longer playing.
I am reading.
And I am becoming.
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