Game by Roosh V: Extended Audio Book Review
![[Image: game-3d-300.jpg]](https://www.rooshvstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/game-3d-300.jpg)
Review in short
- If you are relatively new to meeting women and/or having relationships, and want straight-forward, low-risk advice on self-development and dating, all the way from grooming to first approach to serious commitment, then I strongly recommend
Game.
- Even you’re a seasoned veteran and in a relationship or seeking love, the ideas noted in the Relationships chapter could be especially useful. Other sections, notably 'internal game', also have the potential to offer you a fresh perspective.
- Also, if you have a thing for European and/or Latina women, then Roosh’s life works combo will give you the best smash for your cash.
Review at length
- Audio Book review: Game by Roosh V
- Length: 13 hours
- Publication date: September 2018
- Review date: November 2018
- Reviewer background: "
My Path to RVF: Ideas, Forums and Figures of Influence"
Overview
In the age of online dating, endless entertainment and unrestrained feminism – when connecting deeply with women is more challenging than ever -
Game takes men through a 9-step program to develop themselves, attract women, and build relationships through genuine, masculine strength.
Drawn from the author’s 17-year obsession with seduction and relationship dynamics,
Game covers almost every aspect of self-development for men as it relates to success with women. If actioned properly, it can help clueless rookies become self-made ladies’ men or, even better, a high-value boyfriend, husband or father. It also offers deeper insights into relationship dynamics for those with more experience.
Game is designed for men at the novice stage of their dating lives and this review is written with two points of view in mind: first, the lens of the book’s target audience, and second, the personal reflections of the reviewer. Constructive comments are welcome.
Rookie Perspective - Key Strengths
Comprehensive overview
Writing a book that takes a man from zero to hero is a mammoth task, and with 350 pages or 13 hours of audio content, the sheer amount of information and broad coverage of topics reflects the strong ambition and core strength of
Game. This manual includes the following key sections:
- Developing helpful beliefs and thoughts
- Improving your physical appearance and health
- Theories of attraction and connections
- Concrete action plan to get started
- Developing value in a social circle
- Travelling for love
- Approaching and conversation
- Dating and sexual escalation
- Longer-term relationships
Having a single, primary resource is likely to be of value in this age of countless articles, videos, and gurus all preaching a variety of different methods and mindsets.
Step-by-step guidance
The biggest sections of the book relate to approaching, having conversations, dating and sexually escalating, all of which come with a range of detailed explanations, theories, examples and actionable steps. Since there is so much information online, it can be hard to maintain focus, and Roosh’s warnings about over-consumption and paralysis by analysis are more applicable than ever. As a counter-measure, the chapter called “The Roosh Program” is a step by step guide that is easy to understand and clearly actionable.
Clear language
The straight-forward, no-nonsense style of writing in
Game is another selling point for men who want to read advice in plain English. There is little in the way of flowery expressions, useless fluff or vague terms that leave the reader wondering what the writer means. The clear language in Game is easy to understand and action.
At times the narrative is very graphic, especially the chapter on sex. Although some may consider the raw description of the sexual acts to be a little vulgar, such meticulous detail can offer tangible value for rookies. More broadly, it represents a clear statement against his detractors (further analysis follows).
Experience-based advice
Roosh’s blunt expression reflects his brutal openness about his own failures and worries, a theme of unflinching revelation that has been consistent throughout his career. When people reveal their genuine flaws – without seeking pity or getting stuck in rumination – it can enhance trust and even respect. This manual has clearly been written based on extensive and carefully-considered experience, not unsubstantiated theory or half-baked rationalisations.
Helpful theory
We all need frameworks to help grasp our experiences, and Roosh presents several concepts that are easy to understand, for instance:
- The belief, “
A girl primarily evaluates my value based on how I treat her.” This explains how a woman can assess a man’s worth, without having knowledge of his social position, resources or interests.
- Three types of attraction: Reputational, Pre-Minute, and Post-Minute. At least one must be present for the seduction to progress.
Emphasis on consent and female autonomy
Game makes it clear that men should not only pay close attention to the non-verbal signs from a woman in the bedroom, but they should also seek a verbal go-ahead in the face of resistance:
“
I noticed that you don’t want me to touch your breast after I tried a couple of times. No means no, so if you want me to go further tonight, you have to tell me. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable...” [p.260]
Such a direct, verbal confirmation of consent may seem at odds with a core principle of pickup that states women tend to avoid taking any responsibility for sex. However, there are several underlying factors that should be considered before drawing any firm conclusions:
- A rising number of young men have serious problems in deciphering social cues, a trend probably linked to an increase in autism and related conditions. Therefore, clearly-explained guidelines on escalation in the bedroom can be of great use when it comes to establishing consent and comfort, and not just for guys with social limitations;
- As Roosh notes repeatedly, such precautions are important in the present climate of women claiming harassment over trivialities and amidst public trials of false rape accusations.
- In
Game, women are presented as active agents in the process of seduction and relationship development. At first, this may seem to conflict with the core of traditional game theory as it implies men may have less power to influence woman than they thought. Yet this takes some of the pressure off men to be the unflappable, dancing monkey. What's more, in the end women choose men. No matter their façade in accepting highly questionable excuses to “watch a movie” at a random dude’s place, they have taken a conscious decision to allow escalation to occur. Sure, women love using the classic, backwards-looking external attribution of "it just happened", but they still wanted it to happen and made their own decision to let it happen.
A masculine, traditional tone
As a youth, were you nice to women – just like everyone told you to be – yet you ended up alone for far longer than you wanted? As you aged, did you start gravitating towards Asian, Latina, Eastern European or other feminine, traditional women, despite pressure from your family or friends to stick to your local, loud, overweight feminist tribe? Have you recently questioned the direction of corporate behemoths (facebook etc) that have manipulated our socio-sexual drives to the point of undermining the family structure?
If these and other questions remind you of the disparity between the values of yourself and the dominant culture, or between what you were taught and what you know to be real, then this book will provide you with plenty of masculine-centred, non-politically-correct insights into the fundamentals of female behaviour, cognition and emotions as they relate to seduction and relationships.
Rookie perspective - Potential Wishlist
- When it comes to gaining access to women, the advice in
Game is heavily reliant on cold approaching, rather than leveraging social status, lifestyle, or online mediums. In particular, guys seeking tech-based tips for dating apps or self-marketing on social media will need to look elsewhere. Given Roosh’s (well-justified) disdain for online swiping, this is congruent with his emphasis on game as a path to enjoying a solid relationship. After all, finding a wife online could be a challenge for the average-looking bloke.
- There is little advice structured by type, for example – regarding differences between older vs younger women, Westerners vs Latinas, or extroverts vs introverts. As this is a general game manual, men seeking to exploit specific niches may seek more information in other books such as Roosh’s Bang Colombia.
- Selected parts of
Game could be a bit of a downer, especially for guys already lacking in optimistic resilience. I recognise that having an understanding of what we can and cannot influence is absolutely critical in maintaining a healthy self-image and sense of intrinsic worth. Yet what we focus on determines our reality – even if the odds are low, I still want to feel good while giving it my best shot. That said, Roosh’s audience are likely to be more accustomed to his focus on society’s ills as a central factor in explaining many dating problems, so his words of caution may not be such an issue for the common reader.
![[Image: 02-game-600-DSC_0133.jpg]](https://www.rooshvstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/02-game-600-DSC_0133.jpg)
Personal Reflections - Supporting Points
This review is not a complete backing of everything Roosh has written in
Game, let alone his career. Yet purity in ideological agreement is not a prerequisite of mine for respect. And I do have a lot of respect for the man, as evident in the time and consideration I took in writing this review. More broadly, I don't need consensus on every topic to enjoy friendships that are based on a fundamental sense of mutual positive regard along with more than enough shared values. So, beyond my suggested perspective of a newbie reading
Game, what has motivated my endorsement? Read on to find out…
Limits of hedonism
Everyone changes over time, and I admire Roosh’s honest, open self-reflections here. In particular, I recognise the internal conflict he has faced – between maintaining his central selling point as a game teacher, while also acknowledging the existential dread that comes with the diminishing returns of the player lifestyle along with the broader societal implications of a sexual free-for-all.
It seems that Roosh has largely been able to balance these competing demands by demonstrating the value of game, not as way to merely rack up countless notches, but rather as a means to develop yourself and in the end, build a satisfying relationship with one woman.
Game makes it clear that seeking high notch counts is not a path to fulfilment, and rather, has led many men into pits of unrestrained addiction, a broken ability to pair-bond, and regretful soul-searching. Roosh sets a meaningful boundary around pickup, suggesting a 10-lay guideline that is intended to establish a man’s ability to get the kind of girl he wants while mitigating the risk of sexual addiction, noting:
“You can aim for more than ten lays, but the danger of doing so is that it can turn you into an addict who uses women to achieve an emotional or ego high, where the experience of laying girls you don’t particularly care for becomes the purpose of your life..." [p.16]
Such a lesson is important for all rookies to consider, especially given the common inclination to overcome developmental insecurity and a historical sense of missing out through a fixation on thrill-seeking and fleeting ego-pump conquests. For almost all men, the player lifestyle leads to burnout, not just in terms of a loss of fun, but also in its trend towards misanthropy, distrust, and missed opportunities for a meaningful life with a loving woman. I commend Roosh for his emphasis on the limits of pickup.
Importance of self-respect
Thirst has been around forever. But things are different now. Thanks to dating apps and social media, the plague of thirst has infected the sexual market to the point of worldwide social disruption. With this in mind, I give props to Roosh for his efforts in keeping men's weakness low and self-respect high. He explains in detail:
- Why non-needy men get laid more and have better relationships,
- Why men shouldn’t invest in women who don’t reciprocate, and,
- Why unfiltered spam approaching won’t help anyone, including the spammer.
Roosh emphasises several of these points in the chapter on internal game, in which he outlines a range of beliefs underpinning success with women, notably “
I will invest my time only in girls who add value to my life”, “
If she pushes me away, I must pull away”, and “
I ultimately choose how a girl treats me”:
“…
It’s tempting to lament that a girl is not behaving in the way you want, but as long as you choose to continue interacting with her, you have only yourself to blame. If a girl walks away from you after you’ve told her to stop her demeaning behavior, I guarantee that you have been saved from a lot of headache in the future from someone who is more likely to subtract value from your life than add to it...” [p.33]
So keep it cool player and kill the thirst.
Chapter on Relationship
Advanced readers are likely to get the most value from this chapter. This was my favourite section and I listened to it three times to ensure I didn’t miss anything. Some example highlights include:
- Taking responsibility for everything you can control in the relationship, such as leading by example, but also understanding the critical importance of (a) screening, screening, and more screening, and (b) accepting that we cannot change the largely immovable core of a woman’s personality and values.
- Helpful guidelines on training and schooling your girlfriend, not just in terms of what standards to uphold (i.e., the content) but also how to uphold them (i.e., the process).
- A range of ways to respond to a woman’s inevitable emotional manipulation and shit-testing, done to deliberately create a beta slave and/or as an unconscious imperative to sort men from mice:
"
A girl will never stop testing your dominance. This makes sense from the standpoint of self-preservation, because she needs a way to uncover her man’s true power level, but if you easily submit to her silly demands, she will know that you won’t be able to protect her from more serious threats..." [p.297]
There’s much more to this chapter and I’m sure I’ll listen it out again soon, especially for the hilarious part where he compares a demanding girlfriend to a terrorist
Personal Reflections – on Commitment and Marriage
1. Roosh urges men to re-think getting into a serious relationship before their sex drive starts to dip, since they’ll be more likely to cheat or feel imprisoned if they get locked into a committed relationship while they’re libido is still raging. This approach would certainly reduce the chance of a man losing out to a lack of impulse control in his 30’s or 40’s. Conversely, it could also necessitate an additional decade of thrill-seeking, resulting in a decreased ability to enjoy a monogamous relationship due to leftovers of the player lifestyle (the trend towards pessimism, lessened pleasure via decreased sensitivity of neurotransmitter reward circuits, delayed investment due to the illusion of limitless choice, etc).
I believe that as long as a young man can (a) get one or two handfuls of empty bangs to realise the pleasure of getting laid with randoms is extremely fleeting, and (b) find a woman that he personally finds very attractive and is willing to please him, then this libido can be largely fulfilled without having to go through years of half-hearted flings.
2. Roosh outlines how it is unwise to let fear dictate any move to get married, noting that a fear-based choice may lead to the ignoring or justification of red flags. I agree with this, and also think the opposite is equally valid. If you won’t commit to a loyal, honest girl who loves you, because you’re scared of divorce, missing out on an upgrade, or just not feeling ready, you may look back one day with immense regret. I learned this lesson the really hard way.
![[Image: game-devices.png]](https://www.rooshvstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/game-devices.png)
Paperback, e-version or Audiobook? Game only or Combo Pack?
- I jumped at the option to hear the audio version of
Game as I could listen to it while running errands. Through the audio format, Roosh’s self-narration allows for a better understanding of his amusing, deadpan style and gives you the opportunity to hear his hilarious girl voice. I also perused the ebook version and what I like most about the PDF copy is that I can quickly find a specific section of the book through a keyword search. Ultimately, the choice of format comes down to your personal preference rather than a trade-off in content.
-
Game is also offered as a standalone paperback, ebook, audiobook, or as part of several package options. If you have an interest in European and/or Latina women, then I highly recommend the life works combo, as you get an additional 15 books for only $5 USD more than the bang guide combo.
Censorship
At the time of writing,
Game has again been pulled from Amazon and other distributors. Given hyperbolic media claims about Roosh being a “pro-rape advocate”, you may be wondering what kind of extreme advice is given in
Game to warrant such banning. I have listened to the entire audio book twice, and I am still wondering. As aforementioned, Roosh makes it undeniably clear that men should be sure that the woman in front of them has given them unambiguous consent to sexually escalate. With this in mind it appears that such bans on
Game are unrelated to its actual content.
Bottom Line
For new guys
If you are (i) new to the game and wondering what to do, (ii) having difficulty getting dates, or (iii) wondering how to maintain better connections, then I would strongly recommend
Game to you. This goes double for anyone seeking advice written in a clear, fluff-free manner, who wants to maintain a firm sense of self-respect, and is seeking measured fun on the way to building a meaningful, long-term relationship and family.
For the vets
If you’re a seasoned veteran and in a relationship or seeking love, the ideas noted in the Relationships chapter in particular are likely to be highly useful. Other sections, notably 'internal game', also have the potential to offer you a fresh perspective.
For those into Euro/Latinas
Also, if you have a thing for European and/or Latina women, then Roosh’s life works combo will give you the best smash for your cash.
And... for the man himself
Well done Roosh!
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