The Stigma of Gaming

JDis25

It can be difficult being a gamer, especially one who is excited to talk about them with other people. To many people in the world gaming is still something kids do, a time waster, a killing simulator, addictive, unhealthy (probably true) but regardless we keep playing.

So why do you play? What drives you to put so many hours into something virtual and pay for the privilege? Achievements that none will know you for. Is there something actually wrong with us, or do we see in games that which others cannot? Do you ever feel lucky to have had certain experiences in games and feel bad that others may not have had?

On the metaphysical side of things, I tend to believe that nothing is real, life is a dream and my characters are alive. I have had dreams of me talking to characters I have created/played in a couple different games. Intense conversations with a consciousness/likeness that I invented. In a weird way it's like being god.

I also believe in good competition. MMO Gaming is in my opinion one of the most fascinating, frustrating, rewarding, beautiful and intense ways to do so. But many would call that crazy and then watch a baseball game or a boxing match as if that is something completely different. I would actually probably receive a much better reception at calling myself a pro chess player.

Are you a private or open gamer? Do you keep your gaming experiences to yourself? I tend to, but I wish I could share them with more people than an internet forum sometimes..

Braindome

I've actually been very surprised how many people play games just by coming out and talking about it, people you wouldn't even think, young, old and in between. I mean really I don't have this problem personally, but conversating about games with people on a constant basis is few and far between, because well just like anything the more you know about something the more you can talk about it and I tend to out talk most people to the point of confusion and their lack of knowledge, though when I find a gamer that really knows their stuff the convo never ends.

Just like talking about anything really imo, talk to someone about cars for 1-2 hours when they have little knowledge and you get the same results.

The only thing that has put a bad spin and face on video gaming is the media, but they do that with everything.....

KenFisher

I play for a break from reality.  I don't do well in real life because my autism interferes in communications, and I lack skills that other people get when they mature.  I enjoy breathing life into a character and interacting with the character as it does fun and interesting things.  It's almost like it's part of me, and I get to share in the experiences.

I'm private as a person.  Outside of mundane chatter, I've probably talked personally with a half dozen people in the last ten years.  So my involvement in gaming isn't something I talk about often.  Most of my RP friends have moved on and don't game anymore.  A few of us still play semi-regularly when I'm not backed up with work.

I can relate to your comment on the metaphysical aspects of character interaction.  I bet you would love world building.  I spent most of my day today working on a swamp zone.  Over and over, fine tuning the terrain modeling, running around as my character, until I got it to the point where it feels right.  It's more than art.  It's just a feeling of being in the world clicks and feels right when I'm getting close to having it done to my liking.

I have no concern that the world might shame game players.  Just look at how screwed up most of the world is, smile politely, and completely disregard what they think.  Anyone close enough to me to understand why I play, already understands me well enough to not look down on me for it.

As for the competition part.  I don't.  Closest I come to competition is trying to do a good job in cooperative groups.  That isn't an I win, you lose scenario.  It's just me trying to do a good job playing my character's role.  It's just not in my nature to compete, and when I try do engage in competition I find it disturbing to my inner self.

Jemcrystal

Games are art to me and I grew up respecting art so I respect games.  Of course art "back in my day" was Norman Rockwell not this weird stuff.  I wonder what this generation respects or if it even needs to respect?  Lot of empty people with no direction spewing nonsense and caring even less.  Is it a wonder they criticize games when they bad mouth everyone/thing?  Maybe you have to respect yourself before you can begin to respect anything else.

Tutu2

It's a boring answer I guess, but...its just fun and a form of escape. It's one of the few activities I genuinely enjoyed growing up. I enjoy simply being immersed into an interesting world and going through a journey.  It was also a break from the people I didn't relate to much in real life and some difficult dramas.

Yes, I also do sometimes feel lucky to have had certain experiences through online gaming. I think it helped make me a bit more open-minded, I'd meet people I would never even talked to due to social barriers, especially with people decades younger or older then me and with different socio-economic backgrounds.

I'd say I'm more private though still. I've been trying to be a more social gamer and open up more, but its pretty challenging honestly as I've had a few bad experiences with sociopaths that have kind of burnt me over the years. I'm trying not to let that deter me and continue on, as there are of course great people out there too.

tanstaafl74

As a veteran gamer, in terms of time not skill, I would say that gamers today have it great. It's basically fully accepted now except for a few rare holdouts. I'm live in the heart of the midwest, I'm in my 40s, I wear business casual to work and have an office, yet most of the people I know in the office are 'gamers'. 

But then, I have my teens and early twenties to compare to. Twentyish years ago, now THEN gamers weren't accepted at all. We kept it quiet and met up in cafes or at friends houses to talk about it. It was a hard time.  lol

kjempff

In a chaotic ever changing world full of things that follow no obvious reasoning or rules, humans yearn for simplicity and predictability. Our brains has not yet evolved to understand and handle the complexity of the world, and we all seek safety in concepts that we consider static. Presented with an overwhelming amount of information and possibilities, we seek out ways to limit the load, as a survival mechanism. Mostly we choose believe in a set of simpler concepts that offers our brains the simplicity it needs, deliberately ignoring things that are challenging to grasp.

Anyways, escapism into games is one of those many ways we shield our brains from the chaos of reality, in that it offers us a simple and reliable (compared to reality) room in which we can build up mental strength. It is pure survival technique to avoid insanity, and if overused it will also lead to insanity - And I am not only talking about gaming, but all the ways we can choose to simplify our thinking.

d_20

I am pretty old and work in a conservative field, so I don't know any other gamers my age. I'm not afraid to mention it, though, if it comes up. I think everyone has escapes and there is no right or wrong. There may be some that are healthier than others. And moderation is a good thing, I have found over the years.

People do act surprised when I mention I'm a gamer. But whatever. Let them watch TV and talk about how gaming is a waste of time.

Scot

Get put of here, the Stigma of being a gamer? Try the stigma of being a roleplayer sometime, I will tell anyone I am a gamer, no one I am a roleplayer.

delete5230

My living room is set up for computer only, no TV.  All programs and movies are on the net. 

I have my power rig hooked up to a 55" TV with a stereo for sound.  I have a simple card table with keyboard and mouse in front of my couches, where the computer chair can simply be kicked away for viewing shows.  All I need is a pee bucket and small refrigerator and I don't ever have to move

Anyway, this sets me up for what ever mood im in.  I can change from TV..Movies..Internet..Games.

I don't feel bad about playing games, because for the most part TV programs suck and I replace it with games.  I make sure I have an active life first....However I tend to be lazier at times than I should be.

This very same computer has a weak power supply for gamming and I can't play anything right now because of the slow process of returning it. Several days without gamming seems OK for now, times like this a get projects done around the house, so one way or another it all balances out.  

Important

I do feel bad when I'm in a social setting, I tend to find an excuse to go home and sit here, this is my spot

JDis25

XAPKen said:

I play for a break from reality.  I don't do well in real life because my autism interferes in communications, and I lack skills that other people get when they mature.  I enjoy breathing life into a character and interacting with the character as it does fun and interesting things.  It's almost like it's part of me, and I get to share in the experiences.

I'm private as a person.  Outside of mundane chatter, I've probably talked personally with a half dozen people in the last ten years.  So my involvement in gaming isn't something I talk about often.  Most of my RP friends have moved on and don't game anymore.  A few of us still play semi-regularly when I'm not backed up with work.

I can relate to your comment on the metaphysical aspects of character interaction.  I bet you would love world building.  I spent most of my day today working on a swamp zone.  Over and over, fine tuning the terrain modeling, running around as my character, until I got it to the point where it feels right.  It's more than art.  It's just a feeling of being in the world clicks and feels right when I'm getting close to having it done to my liking.

I have no concern that the world might shame game players.  Just look at how screwed up most of the world is, smile politely, and completely disregard what they think.  Anyone close enough to me to understand why I play, already understands me well enough to not look down on me for it.

As for the competition part.  I don't.  Closest I come to competition is trying to do a good job in cooperative groups.  That isn't an I win, you lose scenario.  It's just me trying to do a good job playing my character's role.  It's just not in my nature to compete, and when I try do engage in competition I find it disturbing to my inner self.

That's deep and insightful. In the last 2 years or so, I basically only associate with my fiance. It's us against the world pretty much and social interaction with others is something I am starting to almost fear.

I respect your opinion on competition as well. Competition among those you respect to me is what makes it worth it and it changes the way you approach life outside of games or whatever sport/activity you compete in. But I completely agree that when taken even a bit too far, becomes unproductive and downright negative to your outlook at times. The internet can sometimes be a rough place due to anonymity, but if you're with the right people, it will generally be rewarding.

Flyte27

As a kid I think I used it a lot to connect with other kids.  I was always an introvert and not good with coming up with something to say of any merit (still may be true lol).  Sports and video games allowed me to connect.  I find as an adult I connect with fewer people as people who play video games don't have any interest in talking about them.  I don't blame them as video games have become mainstream and don't require much time or effort to complete.  It's little more then an interactive movie in most cases.  Even if it's a competitive game few would deem it a topic worthy of talking about in this day and age.

Loktofeit

I had to check the date on this because 'the stigma of gaming' hasn't been a thing for at least a half a decade now. 

JDis25

Loktofeit said:

I had to check the date on this because 'the stigma of gaming' hasn't been a thing for at least a half a decade now. 

Who are we talking about? The internet community, or real-life? In real life, you are hard-pressed to find more people who wouldn't judge you at least a little bit for playing games than those that would.

Sure, you mention you play games on youtube, twitter, instagram you'll be fine. You around people who actually go on computers. I think many many people even in today's world go home from work and don't touch a computer after that and are so out of touch with the internet and by and large the world itself. Gay marriage was only JUST approved in America. Marijuana is still illegal. People are still brainwashed into fearing everything they don't understand.

There are so many "unapproved" conversation topics in our various social environments. Going to a bar? better keep the topic about sports, working out, and money. Work conversations revolve around the weather, camping, cooking, popular tv, kids. Day in, day out.

But I am getting off topic and that is just my experience with people. I am not trying to sound like an elitist, but it can be lonely world for people like me and probably others on these forums. I am the type of person who would rather talk about the meaning of life than day-to-day life and there aren't many like that in America at least.

Salvadorbard

Back when I was 17-18 and started getting addicted to things like Avalon and WoW, I always had this from my parents or other family. Gaming as a pastime is I think becoming much more universally accepted as an adult's thing to do and the genre has (it seems to me) moved on from catering to younger gamers.

I'm 26 now, still an avid gamer and have never looked back yet that sort of stigmatic ideology continues to pervade on occasion. I don't really understand how playing a game for 6-8 hours at a time is any different (if anything, more engaging than) from sitting in front of a TV all night every night.

Horusra

I think the shame of playing games depends more on what you are playing and what type of gamer you are.  I work with 21 to 60 year olds.  Most of they will play Madden, Call of Duty, Halo, etc...the common popular Xbox and PS games with no shame.  Of course they will not dwell on the development or quality of those games.

I think EQ and WOW have a stigma.  People have an opinion of those players as socially ackward or nerds for lack of a better term.  TV enforces this with socially weird people playing MMORPGS and cool people kicking back shooting stuff in Call of Duty.

I have no qualms telling people I play sport games, shooters, or most of the mainstream popular console games and no one looks at me strange for playing those.

Righteous_Rock

When I started gaming,  it was for fun.  When mmulti-player came about it became more competitive,  so I started playing to win. That competitive phase lasted quite a while,  but then real life called and I focused my attention on other priorities.  I realized in doing so,  I was no longer able to keep up with the best players and I was no longer enjoying myself.  Today I still play though,  it's a relatively cheap hobby, cconvenient,  I guage myself against the competition,  I seek out experience I have not had,  dabble not sandboxes and do a lot of reading. Gaming today is a far cry from where it started for me,  I am extremely picky,  I  can be turned away from games for the slightest imperfections and todays games don't get the same chance to grab me like yesterdays,  I  am constantly looking for a high replay ability,  great value title,  that lore filled,  solo oriented with mercenary interactions and doesn't count on recycled same content over and over.  It doesn't exist,  but I still make the best of it. 

Distopia

I don't play games for a feeling of achievement. I don't play them for socialization, I don't play them for challenge. There are better avenues to seek these things out. I play them mostly because I don't like much that comes on TV or what are offered as Movies today. This is mainly why I only play RPGs, Space Sims as well as RTS/4X for the most part. They usually focus on things I have an interest in..Medieval/Ancient History, as well as Fantasy/Scifi.

Sovrath

JDis25 said:

Are you a private or open gamer? Do you keep your gaming experiences to yourself? I tend to, but I wish I could share them with more people than an internet forum sometimes..

Most of the people I come in contact with or who travel in my circles don't play video games. I don't talk about them unless the subject comes up.

While I would love to talk about them more to people outside forums, I find there is still a stigma for people who play them as a hobby as opposed to "having a few games on one's phone".

Loktofeit

JDis25 said:

Loktofeit said:

I had to check the date on this because 'the stigma of gaming' hasn't been a thing for at least a half a decade now. 

Who are we talking about? The internet community, or real-life? In real life, you are hard-pressed to find more people who wouldn't judge you at least a little bit for playing games than those that would.

Sure, you mention you play games on youtube, twitter, instagram you'll be fine. You around people who actually go on computers. I think many many people even in today's world go home from work and don't touch a computer after that and are so out of touch with the internet and by and large the world itself. Gay marriage was only JUST approved in America. Marijuana is still illegal. People are still brainwashed into fearing everything they don't understand.

There are so many "unapproved" conversation topics in our various social environments. Going to a bar? better keep the topic about sports, working out, and money. Work conversations revolve around the weather, camping, cooking, popular tv, kids. Day in, day out.

But I am getting off topic and that is just my experience with people. I am not trying to sound like an elitist, but it can be lonely world for people like me and probably others on these forums. I am the type of person who would rather talk about the meaning of life than day-to-day life and there aren't many like that in America at least.

I guess it depends on the circles one travels in. Madden or CoD never seemed taboo or odd in a bar conversation. Yeah, if you're at a club and looking to hook up, the last thing you talk about is raiding with your feral druid. That kinda stands to reason.  Thing is, everyone is a gamer now. It's mainstream. It's normal. I'd find it weird to find someone uncomfortable with the topic.