Have you ever sat down and read a gaming forum?

In many cases, they can be amazing: Gamers coming together, discussing ideas or helping each other, sharing knowledge or swapping horror stories. Really, it's almost beautiful (in a non-sappy, totally hardcore sort of way, of course).

However, there's another sort of forum dweller, the ones that give those of us who just want to share information a bad name. These are the ones who get noticed, who get talked about, who make waves. While some of us just want to come together as a community and an industry, the others are there for a much darker purpose.

What amazes me, in perusing just about any forum, is the fact that people will post for no other reason than to insult those who are trying to discuss a topic. They'll often admit that they haven't played the game in question, or don't like the genre, but yet they feel the need to jump in just to say that.

I don't think you see that in other industries. Do science fiction fans sign onto forums for romantic comedies, just to say how much they hate chick flicks and that people who watch them are stupid? Not likely. Nor do you see fans of an author flaming the forums of another writer's following.

Yet, in games, it's not only common, it's what we're often known for. Log onto any gaming forum, look up any subject, and start sifting through the responses.
As an example, let's say you hit the web looking for information on Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. You come across a forum that looks like it has what you seek, and you start perusing the posts. While you're undoubtedly come across gamers who just want to share what they know, you'll also find all sorts of horrible and useless stuff as you continue to scroll down. Fans of the PS3 feel the need to point out that their console is "better", they need to point out that Mass Effect is lame but would have been awesome if it came out for Sony's box. People who would rather play sports games need to come out to insult people who would rather play RPG's. Sometimes the insults have no point at all, and just get aimed at another poster.

It's rude, it's pointless, and all it does is show how immature many gamers are. This is especially obnoxious now, when so many of us are trying so hard to shake off the negative connotations the word "gamer" has to so many people. With politicians trying to force their values onto us with laws and restrictions, the press trying to link every tragedy to a game, and so many people trying to treat gaming like the entertainment world's weird uncle, we need to be on our best behavior now more than ever. If some lawmaker trying to pass their anti-game bill took the time to research and started reading forums, he'd quickly find more than enough ammunition to set the industry back twenty years.

We need to step up, realize that we're stronger as a community. We need to stop insulting each other, especially with no reason other than the fact that our taste disagrees with someone else's.
Gaming makes more money than any other entertainment industry, has become a part of mainstream culture, but until we stop acting like middle school kids we're not going to reach the level of maturity and real legitimacy so many of us are striving for.

So the next time you're on a forum, stop for a second. Think about it. Do you need to chime in? If you don't have the system in question, or have never played the game that's being discussed, and if you don't have anything meaningful to add, then simply don't. If you disagree with something someone said, take the high ground and answer maturely. Don't get goaded into a battle. The stuff you learned in school applies here: ignore the offenders, or move on.

We have a choice. We can bicker and act like assholes, and forever be seen as a bunch of kids with silly electronic toys.
If we stand together, though,we can change the world.