Did playing online games as a child influence becoming a novelist? Yes. Utsudo got hooked on online games in junior high, and since childhood she and her sister played all kinds of games and watched anime and read books, growing up steeped in stories. She’s grateful her family gave her room to play as long as she kept her grades up—otherwise she might have taken a different path. She also notes that new industries have great potential but high uncertainty, and blazing a trail no one has walked means clearing the way yourself.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Hooked on online games since junior high

Ever since junior high, I’ve been interested in online games, and I got more and more obsessed. Usually when my family went to bed, that’s when I’d sneak up to play on the computer. They say sleep affects growth—no wonder I only grew five centimeters after elementary school (covers face). I think I’ve mentioned before that playing computer games was probably one of the key things that inspired me to create. Actually, I started playing computer games when I was very young, though they were single-player XD

I have a cousin who somehow got his hands on tons of games. Thanks to him, my sister and I had more games than we could ever finish as kids. 《仙劍奇俠傳》 (The Legend of Sword and Fairy) drove us craziest. We probably beat it and replayed it at least thirty times. We knew every hidden treasure and item, even which monster you could steal what from—we were practically walking strategy guides.

Besides that, we loved watching anime and dramas and curling up quietly with books, so we developed the “dies in sunlight” trait early. After putting my eyes through all that, I joined the ranks of glasses-wearers by third grade QQ

In short, from a very young age I was steeped in all kinds of stories, and what I went craziest for, of course, were the online games that came later.

The room my family gave me

My family didn’t object to me playing games after finishing my homework, but if I played all day I’d still get scolded. When I hadn’t had enough, I’d sneak up to play while they slept. I even have a record of playing until dawn and then rushing off to school XD

Talking about online games with classmates between classes was so much fun!

I’d like to say “good kids, don’t copy me,” but honestly, everyone has a phone now. I’ve even seen elementary school kids with the latest iPhone… There are endless mobile games, so I guess kids don’t need to sneak around to play anymore.

If my family had completely banned games back then, or controlled the computer more strictly and forced me to study, maybe I’d have taken a different path. So I’m grateful to my family for indulging me, letting me develop and learn in the direction I loved.

Of course, I’m not saying schoolwork doesn’t matter. I kept my grades at a certain level, which is why my family gave me room to play. To them, studying was still the only way forward, but they didn’t demand great achievements, so they didn’t push too hard.

Opportunity and uncertainty in new careers

Times have changed, and many new careers that were once unimaginable have emerged—game streamers, YouTubers, influencers and so on. But that doesn’t mean indulging completely in what you love will easily lead to a way to support yourself and make it a profession.

On the contrary, these new industries have huge potential but also extremely high uncertainty. Often, putting in one unit of effort doesn’t guarantee one unit of return. You need better self-discipline, planning and strategy to have a chance of making it.

But I think everyone only comes to understand this gradually once they take action.

Walking a path no one has walked before

Walking a path no one has walked before is extremely hard; you have to clear the way yourself. But likewise, the mountain trail you blaze and the breathtaking scenery you take in are treasures that belong to you alone.

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #139: Remembering My First Submission—I Was Scared to Death
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.