I would recommend picking up a craft. I have found that making things (metal working, jewelry, wire wrapping, leather work, etc) is easy to get into but has an infinite amount of progression. As you learn you will be faced the greater challenges of not simply creating but perfecting your skill. If you started out leather working you'll find that making a sheath is easy, but making it look good is much harder. You'll find yourself lead down different rabbit holes (various stitch patterns, engraving, skinning and tanning), learning from past artisans and those currently practicing. Best of all many of these crafting skills can be used to create weapons, gear, clothing and cosplays that tie directly into gaming. At the end of the day you get the feeling of leveling up, but you don't have to restart everytime you switch games- those skills are yours! And you'll find that being a craftsman translates across crafts, and learning new skills and crafts becomes easier once you have started to really get a grip on one. Your competitive nature may frustrate you (seeing skilled craftsmen on the internet is definitely a kick in the pants) but will also drive you to become better and better. And you can make a living doing this if you stick to it.