Generally the more stupid/dangerous/interpersonal something is the cooler it is. It's science. Poker is way cooler than mmo's because you are with other people potentially losing money. If cool is what your going for go steal some cigarettes start smoking put the cigarette out on your arm while staring down the closest person to you. Or... you can just enjoy your games as you are realize that being "cool" isn't as important as simply being confident in who you are and move on.
I'll tell you why people considering "gaming" nerdy or geeky...it's because the majority of people who do play MMOs or games are usually(and I don't mean to offend anyone) lowly nerds who physically are not appealing. They then associate that with everyone who plays.
Think about it. Have you seen the pictures of the guys from WoWs arena championship? Those guys are the definition of nerdy. The sad thing is...I use to raid with a couple of them.
There's a good percent of people, however, who play MMOs that don't fit that description. Since I don't know any of you, I'll use myself as an example. On the exterior I look nothing like a nerd. I workout constantly. I'm sitting at 190 with 8%bf. Basically...if you looked at me you wouldn't say "ZOMG that guy looks like he lives in his parents basement and plays video games all the time!!" I look like a guy who lives at the gym and who has awesome muttonchops.
The thing is we are all nerds. However, there are verying degrees of "nerdism".
The people who play MMOs/video games constantly but also have other interests and do have social interaction and who will give up playing said MMO/Game for going out and hanging with friends at a bar/restaurant/music venue/etc... are on the lower spectrum.
The true nerd, the nerd that society envisions and labels everyone who participates in such "nerd" activities usually has few friends(who are also extreme nerds), doesn't go out often, doesn't interact with people often, probably has poor hygiene, and is either REALLY SKINNY or chubby/fat and overall has a pathetic appearance. They are, most likely, virgins and not simply out of choice. They are the true nerds. They encompass the nerd persona that is played on TV/Movies.
And in between those two extremes you have the rest of the gaming population.
Actions have no inherent betterness to them, there is no correct way to spend your time, the only value actions have is the one you impose on it.
There are a great many things I just don't get, things I consider a complete waste of my time, like drinking, drugs, large social gatherings, romatic relationships.
Am I a nerd, geek or loser by social standards, yes. But then again I tend to view people that do only these actions as sad people with their lives devoid of any higher meaning. I prefer to spend my time in games, art, music and writting because I see more value in it, because it lets me be creative. I also like cooking and martial arts
So I guess my point is why does it matter what other think?
EDIT: why does the text background occasionally become black?
Don't you worry little buddy. You're dealing with a man of honor. However, honor requires a higher percentage of profit
Oh and the reason why skateboarding/aggressive skating/snowboarding/poker and etc... are cool is because those things take SKILL!
If someone came up to me and said "WHY HELO THAR! I AM APART OF THE TOP 2v2 PVP TEAM ON MY REALM!"
I would not be impressed, in fact I'd punch them for thinking that I really would want to hear about that.
Now if someone came up to me and said"I AM ONE OF THE TOP TEN POKER PLAYERS IN THE WORLD" I'd be pretty god damn impressed.
I think that skating/snowboarding, and the like are all cool.
That's not to say that every person who participates in that activity is cool. There are many people who can play the guitar really good or grind a skateboard along a pole...but not every single one of them is some damn Cool Guy McGee.
Every "sport" or "activity" has their nerds. It just so happens that gaming, which involves no physical prowess/exertion or "skill", has a hell of a lot more because of those very reasons.
I think nerds are a state of mental being. They come from all walks of life and all different types of physicality. It's their thought processes that set them apart. These are the people who genreally do socialize, but their typical discourse is to discuss gaming or science and math. They have lost touch with the kinds of things that normal people like to do or talk about. Most nerds are clueless about PoP culture, fashion, the business world, arts and entertainment. What they are is in touch with is their inner nerd. They know all about molecules or the mating practices of the Galapagos turtles. They have seen every sci-fi movie and gone to many sci-fi / fantasy events. They read sci-fi fantasy novels, not auto biographies. They take games and especially MMOs very seriously, almost to the point of using them to replace their real lives.
Guys who play poker all night are addicts, but not necessarily nerds, because chances are they are discussing things that nerds would blush to think about.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
How about the girl that chooses to play an mmo instead of going out with her girlfriends and getting drunk and risking winding up pregnant with some random drunk guy from the local bar? Is getting drunk and pregnant "cooler"?
[/b][/quote] I wonder, have you ever been to a bar? Because it doesn't sound like it. Are you american, or just stupid?
Are you European, or just an ?
To the OP: I tell people including co-workers that I play games and they understand that is how I spend my free time. Most don't care. I have played sports and video games all my life, so some friends from each side would look at me strange for my other activity of choice, but they did not care.
Just have fun with whatever you do and try not to worry about other.
I know the point you are trying to make as I used to try and BS my way through people who asked be religious crap. I used to say things that I thought they wanted to hear, but then I realized I was just lying to my self. I used to say I am agnostic....but now I just tell them I am athiest. They either take that or leave it and I really don't care what they think because I know what is important to me.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
See, in my town....my circle of close friends created a cult-ish following to video games. Nearly everyone I know plays, and talks about it. Fact is, 'round hur....yer not sheet if'n ye don't game. Even better...MMO's are on top of that list. If one of us finds something awesome out there....you can bet within that semester there will be a minimum of 20 people trying it out.
Even still, I could care less what people think. If I say "Hey, I like video games" and I hear "Hur Hur, GEEK" I either respond with:
"Yeah, and your point is mutha *^&%^&?"
or
""You may be on to something there, here...let me offer you a healthy serving of some shut the hell up"
Though, I digress, I'm overly cocky sometimes and terribly vulgar. I also don't waste time beating around the bush about things I wanna say.
Still, stop caring about other people. The sooner they see you don't care, the sooner they actually start to wonder if something is wrong with THEM. And personally....I rather enjoy speading self-image problems to those people.
I think the stagmatism of playing video games is quickly fading. My son and I are pretty much the only gamers in my family and yet I don't feel like anyone thinks of us as nerds because of it. They don't understand why we enjoy it, but they don't look down on us because we do. Ok, so that's my relatives, but what about my co-workers. Well most of them know that I'm a gamer and I have discussed games with some of them and none of them (to my face) acted like it was a big deal. All of them at least surf the net for entertainment and I don't think they look at gaming as any more nerdy than surfing the net. What about friends? Well a lot of my friends are online playing video games with me now. I used to have a lot of friends that played sports in our spare time, but most of us have realized that our playing days are over and now we play games over the internet instead. Honestly I can't really think of anyone that thinks of me as nerdy because I play video games.
Mostly it's the fact that I can explain things like how the shape of a jet wing allows it to fly in the air that makes them think of me as nerdy. Video games are the least of my worries. LOL
They know all about molecules or the mating practices of the Galapagos turtles.
lol ,
I guess people like to stereotype too though, some of my best friends play games but they're not 'nerdy' at all, they play MMO's too etc..but very outgoing. Shrug^^.
Other persons I know plays because they were sick a lot and couldn't go out a lot, but nothing strikes me as 'nerdy' about them. It's just circumstances.
I've always been heavy into games. When I was growing up (12-16), I was considered a geek I guess to the majority of kids in school. I didn't like that, but it didn't stop me from playing. As I hit high school, my gaming tendancies severely dropped, and I started just "hanging out" with groups of people, doing the social thing. I quickly became extremely popular for some reason, people I didn't know would walk by me and say hello, calling me by my name. I dated the finest girls in our school, and got laid more than any of my friends.
Then I graduated. And I realized I didn't care anymore about what people thought of me. I started playing games again, and never stopped. I now own all the next gen systems, and a powerful PC, just so I can feed my appetite for gaming. I still wear a Half Life 2 hat, just for spite mostly. I want people to know that, yep, he's a gamer, and say , "OH, and look at that beautiful woman he's with" (my wife). BTW she games too.
Now, I have 3 kids, play games every night, and am living life to the fullest. Last year I trained myself how to fly a remote control airplane (which 99% of the instructors said was impossible due to the plane I wanted to fly), bought a house, Acadia, and 2 new waverunners. I really could care less what people think of me anymore. If they look down on me, or call me a geek, it's probably because they are jealous.
That being said....I think it's a generation thing, on how/why gamers are treated the way they are. These old overpowering people with their strong opinions and ways had kids, and taught them the same crap. But it's fading. Gaming is becoming more and more mainstream, and those people are getting older and older, and will eventually die. Our generation, and our children's generation will then be the "majority", and they will have grown up with games, and then influence our culture.
You can already see how much has changed. Just look back 10 years ago, and look now. Every EBgames I go into is SO crowded, lots of people walk in, and walk right back out because there's no room. Just give it time.....
Going out with the guys or girls happens maybe once a week - more often maybe once a month. If staying up all night playing an MMO happened as infrequently, it wouldn't be a problem either. Unfortunately, a dedicated (or addicted) gamer is more likely to spend more time playing games than doing anything else to the detriment of everything else.
Idiotic skaters using every ramp they can find in the city is certainly not "cool". In fact, every time i see those morons on TV, i wish they hurt themselves bad and laugh every time they get served. (I won't even touch the poker since it really is part of our gaming model for more then a century) God knows who decided it was cooler then playing a video game. But one thing for sure; It's not a general consensus that what you mentioned above is more acceptable in our society. I for one, despise skaters and other idiots risking their life (and others too) to practice an extreme sports because they are too low life to find something decent to do with their time. White trash at their best. Bottom line is: People at the opposite of the spectrum always seems weird. Those skaters looks weird to me, and i probably look weird to them. Atheist looks weird to the eye of religious people and vice versa. It is only human nature to ostracize those who are at their opposite. Since i don't think we all need to be friends either, i don't see any problem with that. Just stand your ground and everything will be fine.
What I found funny about this is the fact you defined "white trash" in there. Yes only white "trash" go for extreme sports.
You know whats funny. Those "white trash" extreme sports folks you see are pulling in more money a week than you do in a year, so how is that for trash.
How do they make their money? Advertising.
"Bottom line is": You have no idea what the hell you are talking about. You risk your life every day you get into a car/bus/what-ever-the-hell-you-use-to-travel or walk on the street. Hell one could just run up to you in broad daylight, stab,shoot,maul the hell out of you and you'd be a goner. Who cares how a person goes about life, we are all set up to die anyhow.
Idiotic skaters using every ramp they can find in the city is certainly not "cool". In fact, every time i see those morons on TV, i wish they hurt themselves bad and laugh every time they get served. (I won't even touch the poker since it really is part of our gaming model for more then a century) God knows who decided it was cooler then playing a video game. But one thing for sure; It's not a general consensus that what you mentioned above is more acceptable in our society. I for one, despise skaters and other idiots risking their life (and others too) to practice an extreme sports because they are too low life to find something decent to do with their time. White trash at their best. Bottom line is: People at the opposite of the spectrum always seems weird. Those skaters looks weird to me, and i probably look weird to them. Atheist looks weird to the eye of religious people and vice versa. It is only human nature to ostracize those who are at their opposite. Since i don't think we all need to be friends either, i don't see any problem with that. Just stand your ground and everything will be fine.
I go out and skate once and a while, instead of sitting on my ass, playing RO, or WoW.
It's good excercise, plus it's fun.
I don't go jumping off ramps, or stairs "risking my life" as you say, though
My question does no suppose that. You are presuming too much. FYI, I fall into the school of thinking that you don't live your life reacting to what other people like and dislike. Find what you love and if other people don't like you for it, well, it's their problem.
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I'll tell you why people considering "gaming" nerdy or geeky...it's because the majority of people who do play MMOs or games are usually(and I don't mean to offend anyone) lowly nerds who physically are not appealing. They then associate that with everyone who plays.
Think about it. Have you seen the pictures of the guys from WoWs arena championship? Those guys are the definition of nerdy. The sad thing is...I use to raid with a couple of them.
There's a good percent of people, however, who play MMOs that don't fit that description. Since I don't know any of you, I'll use myself as an example. On the exterior I look nothing like a nerd. I workout constantly. I'm sitting at 190 with 8%bf. Basically...if you looked at me you wouldn't say "ZOMG that guy looks like he lives in his parents basement and plays video games all the time!!" I look like a guy who lives at the gym and who has awesome muttonchops.
The thing is we are all nerds. However, there are verying degrees of "nerdism".
The people who play MMOs/video games constantly but also have other interests and do have social interaction and who will give up playing said MMO/Game for going out and hanging with friends at a bar/restaurant/music venue/etc... are on the lower spectrum.
The true nerd, the nerd that society envisions and labels everyone who participates in such "nerd" activities usually has few friends(who are also extreme nerds), doesn't go out often, doesn't interact with people often, probably has poor hygiene, and is either REALLY SKINNY or chubby/fat and overall has a pathetic appearance. They are, most likely, virgins and not simply out of choice. They are the true nerds. They encompass the nerd persona that is played on TV/Movies.
And in between those two extremes you have the rest of the gaming population.
Actions have no inherent betterness to them, there is no correct way to spend your time, the only value actions have is the one you impose on it.
There are a great many things I just don't get, things I consider a complete waste of my time, like drinking, drugs, large social gatherings, romatic relationships.
Am I a nerd, geek or loser by social standards, yes. But then again I tend to view people that do only these actions as sad people with their lives devoid of any higher meaning. I prefer to spend my time in games, art, music and writting because I see more value in it, because it lets me be creative. I also like cooking and martial arts
So I guess my point is why does it matter what other think?
EDIT: why does the text background occasionally become black?
Don't you worry little buddy. You're dealing with a man of honor. However, honor requires a higher percentage of profit
Oh and the reason why skateboarding/aggressive skating/snowboarding/poker and etc... are cool is because those things take SKILL!
If someone came up to me and said "WHY HELO THAR! I AM APART OF THE TOP 2v2 PVP TEAM ON MY REALM!"
I would not be impressed, in fact I'd punch them for thinking that I really would want to hear about that.
Now if someone came up to me and said"I AM ONE OF THE TOP TEN POKER PLAYERS IN THE WORLD" I'd be pretty god damn impressed.
I think that skating/snowboarding, and the like are all cool.
That's not to say that every person who participates in that activity is cool. There are many people who can play the guitar really good or grind a skateboard along a pole...but not every single one of them is some damn Cool Guy McGee.
Every "sport" or "activity" has their nerds. It just so happens that gaming, which involves no physical prowess/exertion or "skill", has a hell of a lot more because of those very reasons.
I think nerds are a state of mental being. They come from all walks of life and all different types of physicality. It's their thought processes that set them apart. These are the people who genreally do socialize, but their typical discourse is to discuss gaming or science and math. They have lost touch with the kinds of things that normal people like to do or talk about. Most nerds are clueless about PoP culture, fashion, the business world, arts and entertainment. What they are is in touch with is their inner nerd. They know all about molecules or the mating practices of the Galapagos turtles. They have seen every sci-fi movie and gone to many sci-fi / fantasy events. They read sci-fi fantasy novels, not auto biographies. They take games and especially MMOs very seriously, almost to the point of using them to replace their real lives.
Guys who play poker all night are addicts, but not necessarily nerds, because chances are they are discussing things that nerds would blush to think about.
With PvE raiding, it has never been a question of being "good enough". I play games to have fun, not to be a simpering toady sitting through hour after hour of mind numbing boredom and fawning over a guild master in the hopes that he will condescend to reward me with shiny bits of loot. But in games where those people get the highest progression, anyone who doesn't do that will just be a moving target for them and I'll be damned if I'm going to pay money for the privilege. - Neanderthal
To the OP: I tell people including co-workers that I play games and they understand that is how I spend my free time. Most don't care. I have played sports and video games all my life, so some friends from each side would look at me strange for my other activity of choice, but they did not care.
Just have fun with whatever you do and try not to worry about other.
I know the point you are trying to make as I used to try and BS my way through people who asked be religious crap. I used to say things that I thought they wanted to hear, but then I realized I was just lying to my self. I used to say I am agnostic....but now I just tell them I am athiest. They either take that or leave it and I really don't care what they think because I know what is important to me.
"It is easier to be cruel than wise. The road to wisdom is long and difficult... so most people just turn out to be assholes" Feng (Christopher Walken)
I feel sorry for you guys.
See, in my town....my circle of close friends created a cult-ish following to video games. Nearly everyone I know plays, and talks about it. Fact is, 'round hur....yer not sheet if'n ye don't game. Even better...MMO's are on top of that list. If one of us finds something awesome out there....you can bet within that semester there will be a minimum of 20 people trying it out.
Even still, I could care less what people think. If I say "Hey, I like video games" and I hear "Hur Hur, GEEK" I either respond with:
"Yeah, and your point is mutha *^&%^&?"
or
""You may be on to something there, here...let me offer you a healthy serving of some shut the hell up"
Though, I digress, I'm overly cocky sometimes and terribly vulgar. I also don't waste time beating around the bush about things I wanna say.
Still, stop caring about other people. The sooner they see you don't care, the sooner they actually start to wonder if something is wrong with THEM. And personally....I rather enjoy speading self-image problems to those people.
I think the stagmatism of playing video games is quickly fading. My son and I are pretty much the only gamers in my family and yet I don't feel like anyone thinks of us as nerds because of it. They don't understand why we enjoy it, but they don't look down on us because we do. Ok, so that's my relatives, but what about my co-workers. Well most of them know that I'm a gamer and I have discussed games with some of them and none of them (to my face) acted like it was a big deal. All of them at least surf the net for entertainment and I don't think they look at gaming as any more nerdy than surfing the net. What about friends? Well a lot of my friends are online playing video games with me now. I used to have a lot of friends that played sports in our spare time, but most of us have realized that our playing days are over and now we play games over the internet instead. Honestly I can't really think of anyone that thinks of me as nerdy because I play video games.
Mostly it's the fact that I can explain things like how the shape of a jet wing allows it to fly in the air that makes them think of me as nerdy. Video games are the least of my worries. LOL
lol
I guess people like to stereotype too though, some of my best friends play games but they're not 'nerdy' at all, they play MMO's too etc..but very outgoing. Shrug^^.
Other persons I know plays because they were sick a lot and couldn't go out a lot, but nothing strikes me as 'nerdy' about them. It's just circumstances.
I've always been heavy into games. When I was growing up (12-16), I was considered a geek I guess to the majority of kids in school. I didn't like that, but it didn't stop me from playing. As I hit high school, my gaming tendancies severely dropped, and I started just "hanging out" with groups of people, doing the social thing. I quickly became extremely popular for some reason, people I didn't know would walk by me and say hello, calling me by my name. I dated the finest girls in our school, and got laid more than any of my friends.
Then I graduated. And I realized I didn't care anymore about what people thought of me. I started playing games again, and never stopped. I now own all the next gen systems, and a powerful PC, just so I can feed my appetite for gaming. I still wear a Half Life 2 hat, just for spite mostly. I want people to know that, yep, he's a gamer, and say , "OH, and look at that beautiful woman he's with" (my wife). BTW she games too.
Now, I have 3 kids, play games every night, and am living life to the fullest. Last year I trained myself how to fly a remote control airplane (which 99% of the instructors said was impossible due to the plane I wanted to fly), bought a house, Acadia, and 2 new waverunners. I really could care less what people think of me anymore. If they look down on me, or call me a geek, it's probably because they are jealous.
That being said....I think it's a generation thing, on how/why gamers are treated the way they are. These old overpowering people with their strong opinions and ways had kids, and taught them the same crap. But it's fading. Gaming is becoming more and more mainstream, and those people are getting older and older, and will eventually die. Our generation, and our children's generation will then be the "majority", and they will have grown up with games, and then influence our culture.
You can already see how much has changed. Just look back 10 years ago, and look now. Every EBgames I go into is SO crowded, lots of people walk in, and walk right back out because there's no room. Just give it time.....
Going out with the guys or girls happens maybe once a week - more often maybe once a month. If staying up all night playing an MMO happened as infrequently, it wouldn't be a problem either. Unfortunately, a dedicated (or addicted) gamer is more likely to spend more time playing games than doing anything else to the detriment of everything else.
What I found funny about this is the fact you defined "white trash" in there. Yes only white "trash" go for extreme sports.
You know whats funny. Those "white trash" extreme sports folks you see are pulling in more money a week than you do in a year, so how is that for trash.
How do they make their money? Advertising.
"Bottom line is": You have no idea what the hell you are talking about. You risk your life every day you get into a car/bus/what-ever-the-hell-you-use-to-travel or walk on the street. Hell one could just run up to you in broad daylight, stab,shoot,maul the hell out of you and you'd be a goner. Who cares how a person goes about life, we are all set up to die anyhow.
It's good excercise, plus it's fun.
I don't go jumping off ramps, or stairs "risking my life" as you say, though
Why do YOU care if he cares or not?
My question does no suppose that. You are presuming too much. FYI, I fall into the school of thinking that you don't live your life reacting to what other people like and dislike. Find what you love and if other people don't like you for it, well, it's their problem.