I don't like to think of reading as brain training, even though that is what happens. It does feel more like a cheat code like you say, and that's backed up by science.

By far the craziest scientific finding on reading to me (I still struggle to believe it), is that, to your brain, reading about an experience is almost the same as living them.

As an introvert, this makes so much sense and places the phrase "having a rich inner life" in an entirely new light. Just because I prefer alone time, doesn't mean I don't live a rich, fulfilling, even adventurous life. Very few people, places, activities, works of art ... make me feel things as hard and as clearly as a book that I get completely immersed in. And I do wish more people would give it an honest go, but that's a tall order in a society where we have dopamine machines in our pocket 24/7.