I am going to start a series of Blogs under the title "The Aging Gamer". Since that is where my mind is pretty much all the time now-a-days.
So it has come up a couple of times now by the Destructoid staffers, "Are people ashamed of their gaming?" There was
this writeup by Dale North. Then it was covered in
Ep.57 of Podtoid. So I thought I would answer that question from a person who doesn't make their career in the game industry.
You should never be ashamed of who you are or what you do (unless it involves harming people including yourself). And gaming should be no exception. Age shouldn't be either. I am 32 (almost 33), have 2 kids, a wife, a house, a career, etc... and at no point have I ever felt ashamed of my gaming. I have for the most part felt quit the opposite. I am damn proud to be a gamer geek!
The reason that I probably feel this way is how fucking relentlessly I was picked on in high school. Before a bunch of shit happened in my life (which you can read about
here), I was the one picking on all the nerds. Then after my parents divorce I was really uneasy, and, as I knew I was going to be, a really easy target. I am actually really glad about how things worked out in high school. If it wasn't for that life changing move I would probably be a giant douche right about now.
When I got to college and found a bunch of other kids like me, I realized that embracing my geekdom was the only way to go. After that I was happy, my life changed for the better, and it has been going great ever since.
Now I get to pass my wisdom onto my 2 boys. Oh fucking cool is that! I get to watch them learn and explore what I know, then grow past me. I am just waiting for the day they are able to clean the proverbial gaming floor with me. I got some time, but I can't wait.
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I hope that when I'm 60 I'm teaching my grandkids how to play Super Mario Brothers. I will always be a "gamer".
Ok enough of this touchy feely shit. Back to MGS4. PEACE !!!
I never have been nor ever will be ashamed to game. In fact, once I was playing Pokemon at the gym where I work the front desk and one of the regulars (white guy, around 27-30) asked me what I was playing, I showed him my pokemons and he proceded to laugh at me! I didn't let it bother me at all but the kicker was as he was walking away I noticed the Dragonball Z keychain he had and just laughed to myself. Some people man....
I know in the U.K, as well as other places and countries, some gamers have a thing about not playing handhelds in public. I have no such qualms and I play my DS and PSP on trains, buses, trains etc. Its no different to me than my using my portable media player for music on the go.
I totally agree, you shouldn't be afraid of accepting you inner games fan/enthusiast (words I prefer to use than geek, which is a negative bad term, since Jeremy Clarkson does not get called a geek, because he digs cars instead of games).
In truth its the mainstream that are in denial, because everyone with any kind of interest in something, from water sports to flower arranging is a 'geek' too. Its all a big game of acceptance and rejection, which begins with how you feel about yourself.
Its my intention to like games for life, like I do anime, manga, films, music and anything else that appeals to me in life. Those that don't like it can either accept it and disagree or move along. You must be true to yourself first and foremost, so long as you know where to draw the line on such passions.
As for taking flak from others laughing at you, just suck it up and ask them what they like. Most people will have something you can laugh at in return.
The only times you'd should hold back such info perhaps, is in the company of females, because even though more of them are gaming too, there are still a lot of them who frown upon it, don't game or know of its joys. You can test that one out, yourselves.
Kinda tired of this recent affirmative action gaming movement though. If you base your entire being and character description on the fact you play games, be prepared for every little quip and attack on games to splinter your soul and drive you crazy/angry/depressed. There's more to life.
@Rockvillian: No doubt there is way more to life than games. But I am just saying for people who use games as another kind of media entertainment, the should not be ashamed. And they should not care what others think.
It's understandable, I think. People have been couch potatoes and movie goers for 50+ years. It's common societal activity, just like Big Band music in the 50's. Rock music what? Waste of time.
Humanity will make anything acceptable as long as the herd approves of the activity, so my word of advice (if anyone wants to take anything away from this) is to not use the excuse of "everyone does it therefore it is good" as an excuse.
Go gamers, go!
I'll probably just keep playing, I'll have more time then anyways.