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Gambling with the guys playing Poker all night is "Cool" but playing an mmo all night is "Geeky"?
Zaxx99
Member Posts: 1,761
Isn't it funny how we label and classify people into certain groups of society? Now I know that you personally may not consider playing mmo games "geeky" (especially if you play them yourself), but I would agree that admitting to fellow employees at a new job for example is kinda "geeky" and perhaps even a little embarrassing.
So why is it that a typical person flipping the channels on the cable box might flip by the ESPN channel and see some "cool guys" playing a Texas Hold 'Em tournament, but then flip past a channel like G4 and see some guys playing a new mmo game and think "Oh My Gosh, more geeks huddled around a new World Of Warcraft style game"?
How is gambling with the guys and maybe losing $200 in a night while getting drunk typically thought of by society as "cool" while staying up all night playing an mmo game and conquering a challenging dungeon with a group of friends online considered "geeky"? (Same question as previous paragraph, just a different way of asking it)
Just some questions to consider...
Is skateboarding and seeing these usually young teens risk breaking their limbs and balls to grind a rail on their skateboard "cooler" then sitting inside playing an mmo?
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"?
How about a "new" job in a big office building or a job site with co workers who are building a new house... Is bringing up a conversation to your new co-workers about the latest mmo game more embarrassing or harder to do then bringing up a conversation about last Sundays' football game? Why? Why not?
What are your thoughts on this? Why do we (likely most of us) find it more embarrassing to talk about an mmo game then to talk about sex or food or the latest episode of "The Office"?
...Not only that, but "WHO" exactly decided that playing an mmo game was "nerdy" or "geeky" in the first place?
Heh, just some questions and thoughts to ponder.
- Zaxx
Comments
Why do you care what they think?
There are bad ways to play a game, there are bad ways to spend a night away from the PC or console.
Comparing a good way to enjoy an online game with a bad way to go out (and get pregnant) is not a very meaningful comparison.
If you mean playing sensibly, without excess stress, well I see no way reason why anyone should feel alarmed. Likewise if going out is painted as a picture of healthy social activities, why not?
Gaming is just a way of killing time, its just a tool, a toy. Use it sensibly.
Okay, so you are gonna say that you have NEVER... Not once ever thought twice about telling someone about what you do with your spare time when caught up in an mmo game?
Besides that, I'm not just talking about me. I am talking about society as a whole and the classifications that we label people into based on their hobbies or the things that they enjoy doing.
It is sorta an interesting thing I think... That someone could spend all day watching the "Lord of the Rings" movies and that's "cool" but someone spending those same hours playing "Lord of the Rings Online" might typically be considered "geeky" by most of society.
- Zaxx
Why do you care?
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 deserves to be done, deserves to be "well" done...
Also, not every skater is "risking their life". You can go skating, in fact it's a healthy physical exercise, much more so than sitting in an office chair staring at a screen.
I find it strange that we're actually more intelligent than anyone who calls us 'nerds' or 'geeks' , I'm in 3D design using a PC, my IQ is above 160 , Yes i go out and i do have dates etc.
People who calls us geeks or nerds usually;
Don't have a PC
Don't understand the MMO concept
Generally unintelligent
Get drunk every day
Take drugs
Bullies
Shy
Pre-cu Fanbois,
There will be no rollback.
Go outside - Get a life,
It's not coming back.
We arn't giving you your game-back.
So go outside, and realize that you've wasted 2 years.
Pre-cu Fanbois.
Different courses for different horses. There is no such thing as cool. And be secure in your likes, or you'll never be happy.
End.
Group activities build and sustain social bonds, it's the cornerstone of society.
Mmorpgs are tools to escape the every day and as such they're on some level percieved as weakness. They get boxed together with things like alcohol and drug abuse, and while there is a level of addiction to it and thus some truth; we all know you could enjoy a session of MMORPG just as much as fine wine to a dinner without being an addict
With that said, I've found that my coworkers will talk about games as often and lively as a movie they've seen, and these guys are in their fourties. On the other hand, I feel uncomfortable discussing games, but that's because I feel I know TOO much about gaming, hehe.
Why do YOU care if he cares or not?
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Originally posted by Jerek_
I wonder if you honestly even believe what you type, or if you live in a made up world of facts.
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Lets play a game. Just for sh!ts and giggles I will guess which type of person you are, geek or nerd, based on your responses:
Zaxtor99 closet geek.
FreddyNoNose is a Geek.
Orthedos is a Nerd.
Nazaros is a Geek.
Zoobie is a closet geek
Zenus1 is a Nerd
anonymousse is a Geek.
AranStormah is a geek
Umbrood is a geek
Let me know if I am right or wrong
"The liberties and resulting economic prosperity that YOU take for granted were granted by those "dead guys"
Self image issues abound in this thread.
I'd be ashamed to tell somebody I play WoW :P but I just tell people I play video games and they usually respond "Oh cool, guitar hero?"
me: "nope"
them:"Warcraft World?"
me:"nope" At this point I tell them whatever game I played last night, 98% of the time they have never heard of it.
them:"Oh thats cool... I watched American Idol..."
OMG DO YOU HEAR THE CONDESCENSION!!! THESE PEOPLE ARE TOTALLY JUDGING ME!!! ... ya right.
_______________________________
PM me when an MMO as good as UO was comes out.
It's all popular culture.
The things society and television tells us what is "cool" will always be what the masses think is "cool."
Those who don't follow every trend in television and pop culture will always be considered "un-cool."
So it has always been, so it shall always be.
Cool is subjective. I saw a guy in WoW last night with nearly full Tier6 raid gear and said "cool." I also think it's cool that Eli Manning and the Giants get a shot to take down the Pats in the Superbowl, and I'm going over to my friend's house to get drunk and cheer at a television.
I don't think American Idol or Lost are cool, I think American Idol is pathetic.
I think recording videos of myself doing insanely awesome head shots and plasma grendade sticks in Halo 3 is cool.
I also think going to the gym and beating the hell out of myself is cool.
POINT IS. Cool is subjective. Geeky is subjective. I think people who get all crazy about Fantasy Football and Basketball are geeky. People think I'm geeky for playing games so much.
The best way too be totally cool? Get drunk and play video games all night.
j/k
As Heerobya mentioned above it's all just a matter of what media tells us is cool. The guy playing computer games are in most cases made very extreme and stupid looking; he/she doesn't give you the feeling that this guy must be cool, rather the opposite.
I'm in the camp of not caring what people think. I'm also in the camp of not disparaging others for their interests. (Believe it or not!
) For instance, I think professional sports are a HUGE waste of time, money, and energy. But I don't usually go around telling sports fans how stupid I think they are. Likewise, if you have a problem with skaters destroying property, that's one thing. But to go on a skate-hating rampage just because you don't "get" it would be stupid.
Anyway, I don't mind telling people what my own hobbies are. I don't care how Hollywood labels them.
By the same token, I am smart enough not to talk endlessly about subjects my audience is not interested in. THAT is how people earn the "nerd" label. THAT is how they become unpopular or uncool.
In general, having a broad range of interests will make you more interesting to more people. Does that mean there's something wrong with being more focused? No. It just means you will have better luck socializing with like-minded individuals.
If you are so worried about how other perceive you, you need to work on your insecurity issues, not your list of hobbies. A confident nerd is way more popular than a vapid, insecure panderer. Among people who matter, anyway.
So you are asking why doing real life stuff with friends is less geeky then online gaming?
Yes I do both, and yes maybe we ARE a bit geeky cause of it. But hey, it can be worse. I mean people who are msn'ing 24/7 and aint doing anything next to that, or people who read books or watch TV 24/7.
Well you get my point.
But still.. dang man.. you know that it IS a bit geeky? Yes most of us arent geeks I think, but that is how people in real life interact to you. For this time beeing, you have to live with it. Maybe may people change their mind abit about it in a few years, but in the meanwhile.. Have fun with games, but dont forget there is other stuff too.
Cheers
I'll say I play some online video games, and that I wouldn't recommend the ones I play to them.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
I know personally, what the consensus (not refering to myself) thinks is cool, seems amazingly sad to me. ie people will watch big brother ( a reality TV show) obessively but its not considered as geeky as playing a game or reading a book. But meh, most people have terrible tastes, I mean look at pop music.
I won't flat out deny playing morepuggers but I wont publicise it, I wouldn't care that much but I still want to get invited to parties and stand some chance with women!
My blog:
If skaters are your white trash I'm sorry but your living in paradise. skaters are high brow here in england, seriously! there're hardly any skaters everyone are complete chavs, skating is generally considered uncool. I mean I have been bullied for doing it the past. white trash here is chavs/kevs/scallies and pikie's/travellers/gypsies.
My blog:
Well Ive looked into this a bit. Ive done some tests and the result's where interesting.
When someone ask's me what i do for fun in school I used to lie and say fishing or something and bull S*** my way through but recently I started to be more honest and tell people that "I just like to chill on my computer or play some 360." About half the time I would get "Really? I dont understand how people can play video game's all the time." I uselly respond by saying "Same reason why I dont understand how people enjoy skate boarding or surfing and such. It's what i enjoy doing just like you enjoy what ever you do." And they respond one of two ways:1)"I suppose... never thought of it that way." or "Ya butskate boarding isnt nerdy." (or something like that). People who use anser with one are intellegant enough to understand while people who anser number two I just ignore and dont waste my time with.
Surprisingly the people where about 50/50 on there response.
I used to hide what I do but now telling people doesnt really bother me anymore.
I dont know where you live but my high school is over run with them and they walk around trying to act like they run the place. Most of them are uselly trouble maker's and uselly get bad grade's. I dont like to judge people but with what Ive seen at my school atleast it's true. Skating is probably the most socialy acceptable around where i live atleast. (Largo, Florida.)
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.
[quote]Originally posted by zaxtor99
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?
Futilez - Mature MMORPG Community
Correcting people since birth.
It's the people. Look at your typical image of an online gamer and your typical image of an American youth.
The other orders "supersize me" at McDinaldos and walks with pants that never covers the buttcrack?