I apologize for this being late. I've got no excuse this time, I just plain forgot to do a post until this morning. I was too busy tinkering around with Windows to remember to do a post.
Are you proud of being a gamer? Does self-identifying with this group of people bring you joy? Comfort? Shame? Are there people in your life from whom you keep this aspect of your personality? It seems silly and self-important to say that gaming contributes to an identity, but the truth is, any time you choose to identify in a group, it can be used to either build you up or knock you down.
I'm a bit of what I like to consider a 'closet gamer'. I'm not going to deny having strong connections to gamers and the community (hence this blog), but its also not something I wear totally out on my sleeve. One of my best friends, for example, has a closet full of Zelda marked merchandise. I have a few shirts that point towards gaming, but mostly as the 'accepted retro' feel, like when it was 'ok' to like gaming back in the late 80's and early 90's. At the same time, I have 2 rings on my cell phone that are both sound effects from well known, big budget games. Its a more subtle cue, and its a conversation starter to the people who pick up on them, but at the same time, with cell phones these days, most people will just as easily not question the tones if they don't recognize them.
When I meet new people, unless I'm being introduced by a mutual friend, I listen to what information they choose to put forth about themselves, which I imagine most of us do, consciously or not. And from there, humans have the annoying habit of forming opinions and sticking to them in regards to what they think of others. So, if one of the first things you offer up about yourself is that you're a hardcore video gamer, most people are going to be likely to think that you're socially awkward, that you will have little of value to talk about, etc because of all the bad press we receive (Oddly enough though, if you open with 'I'm a politician', not everyone will assume you're a money grubbing liar).
Its weird that we have to feel sometimes that we are shunned by our collective hobby. As recently as last week, gamers were being compared to pregnant teenagers and crack users. While the comparison is a bit extreme, gaming is the popular thing for adults and media to write off rather than explore. Sometimes I can't blame them. I look at games like GTA and I can't blame them for assuming there aren't titles with real artistic value. What got more press, Okami, with its distinct ink style shading or Resident Evil and its accusations of racism? Even the titles with real messages only become famous for their violence; Metal Gear Solid is a brilliant tale warning about the dangers of nuclear stockpiling and the series continues with an existential crisis that makes you feel bad for killing virtual soldiers. Yet, people know it as a game where you can snap soldier's necks to steal their guns. I'm not going to get into who's right or wrong about this perception; we know the media likes to take one point, sensationalize it and run with it, but at the same time, developers sometimes make it too easy for them. My point is, this is why I tend to not make a big point of coming right out and saying I'm a gamer. Is it a big part of who I am? Its a sizeable part, but not everything. But since it isn't something I can share with most people (which is a shame), I'd rather it not be something people use to judge me. Hence, why I consider myself 'in the closet'.
What about you guys? Have you ever had a bad experience with someone because you play games? Or do you wear it out on your sleeve and let people say what they will?
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Replies: 1 Comment
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By iamaredmage on Wednesday, April 9th:
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Well, let's get the first thing straight: There's nothing that gets viewers for the media like fear and bad news. Showing games like the Mario, Zelda, and Viva Pinata series isn't going to bother viewers. Showing the worst things of a not-really-that-bad T or M rated game is gonna rile up viewers.
That said, I used to be a closet gamer, until I met other gamers like myself. Since I found that I'm not the only person out there, I've opened up alot. All of my friends are gamers, and anyone else I'm acquainted with knows I'm a hardcore gamer, and, so far to my knowledge, they're ok with it.
Maybe we're finally learning to not trust the media.
...nah...Ben's Theory of Dumb comes to mind and I quickly dismiss the previous thought.
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