A "gamer" tends to spend a huge chunk of time:
* mostly by themselves
* honing skills that are of no 'real world' value
it's like building scale model battleships, but with those, you at least have something to show for.
Whatever you achieve in gaming only has value in the context of gaming (be it literal achievements, your skill playing a certain type of game).
many people consider gaming a huge waste of time.
That doesn't make anyone who games uncool, but you certainly won't get any "ooohs" and "aaahs" when you tell people about what you've done last friday night.
Also, as some have pointed out - it (like comic books) is also the "escapism of choice" for many people that do have social anxieties or are otherwise "weird" / "antisocial" / "uncool". Hence it's closely associated with that kind of stereotype.
Also, the general populace doesn't know about gamergate, nor do they know about toxic gamers and issues of racism. Don't confuse the image you get of gamers as a whole from within the gaming community with what someone would know about these things if they don't really care about gaming at all.
Gaming is associated with a whole host of toxic people. I cringe when people say they are proud of being "gamers".
It's pretty self-indulgent. For the same reason jacking off isn't considered cool.
I don't think the association between the Alt-Right and gaming is as widespread as you'd think from reading NeoGAF. I hear the term "gamer" thrown around plenty by a bunch of really nice, well-adjusted people in real life and it used to throw me off a bit before realizing not a lot of people outside our space read about GamerGate while it was happening.
Somehow, I don't think there's a forum full of gardeners worrying about whether they're perceived as uncool.
Caring is uncool. Gamers are uncool because they care about how they're perceived. 😎
I don't think the association between the Alt-Right and gaming is as widespread as you'd think from reading NeoGAF. I hear the term "gamer" thrown around plenty by a bunch of really nice, well-adjusted people in real life and it used to throw me off a bit before realizing not a lot of people outside our space read about GamerGate while it was happening.
It's not. People are always so wrong on this. Doesn't mean it's not a problem overall, though. It is sadly.
i'm not sure they're still seen as "uncool" anymore. sadly its turned into something more toxic, people now seem to be associating gamers with misogyny and racism.
Because the generation that deemed it "uncool" are still in major positions of power.
Yup. The difference between someone with a PS4 for Madden/Destiny/Netflix and someone who buys Persona 5.The folks playing candy crush and other mobile games do not view themselves as gamers. Also a relatively small portion of games are truly mainstream. Thus the hobby is less mainstream than the data might suggest.
Obviously it was just the trigger for a larger issue as you're already seeing from the responses in here, that's why I posted it in gaming discussion not in off topic.
You don't know how tinder works do you?
Gaming doesn't have the 'uncool' stereotype any more, it's become so mainstream that I rarely see anyone getting judged for playing games. People who identify as 'gamers', however, are still viewed as 'uncool' because...well it's not exactly the coolest hobby around.
I think it depends on how you're presenting it. Not out of a wish to not be seen as uncool but simply because I don't see it as interesting to make something like that part of my identity. I play games a lot, yeah, but I do so in the time that anyone else would spend time reading books or watching TV, and I doubt other people would define themselves primarily by that.
I feel like "gamer" hasn't really been a negative "uncool" stereotype since grade school. I know drug dealers who play videogames.
Any woman i talk to, any person i meet who asks what my hobbies are, i always tell them i'm primarily a gamer.
It's only uncool if you make it uncool
I feel like "gamer" hasn't really been a negative "uncool" stereotype since grade school. I know drug dealers who play videogames.
"Why do you still play video games? You are not a kid anymore"
-_-'
A "gamer" tends to spend a huge chunk of time:
* mostly by themselves
* honing skills that are of no 'real world' value
it's like building scale model battleships, but with those, you at least have something to show for.
Whatever you achieve in gaming only has value in the context of gaming (be it literal achievements, your skill playing a certain type of game).
many people consider gaming a huge waste of time.
That doesn't make anyone who games uncool, but you certainly won't get any "ooohs" and "aaahs" when you tell people about what you've done last friday night.
Also, as some have pointed out - it (like comic books) is also the "escapism of choice" for many people that do have social anxieties or are otherwise "weird" / "antisocial" / "uncool". Hence it's closely associated with that kind of stereotype.
Also, the general populace doesn't know about gamergate, nor do they know about toxic gamers and issues of racism. Don't confuse the image you get of gamers as a whole from within the gaming community with what someone would know about these things if they don't really care about gaming at all.
I've closely followed games for the majority of my life and I can completely see why the medium isn't "cool." It takes up massive amounts of time, can swallow massive amounts of money, and there's really not much tangible benefit to show for it. The real-world skills you gain from it are minor - it's predominantly cathartic escapism and provides a simulated feeling of progress and advancement without getting that in real life.
I think it depends on how you're presenting it. Not out of a wish to not be seen as uncool but simply because I don't see it as interesting to make something like that part of my identity. I play games a lot, yeah, but I do so in the time that anyone else would spend time reading books or watching TV, and I doubt other people would define themselves primarily by that.
this is true for everything though surely? nothing in a parsons life is their defining feature, you're a combination of them. everyone is multifaceted, no? i think hobbies and interests based labels are used in context for most people. in a job interview you wouldn't necessarily identify as a gamer. you'd identify as "sociable" a "hard worker", a "team player". but on a gaming forum you likely would, it wouldn't make your other identifying qualities disappear, they're just less relevant given the context.
personally i identify as many things, and they all make up my identity. i just pick and chose what label best suits a situation when in certain company. i'd look like a crazy person if i listed all of what i identify as when introducing myself to people. and saying i'm a multifaceted individual who doesn't conform to labels makes me sound like a pretentious douche. lol
This kind of thing is true, but what is really annoying is when you hear this shit from people who are just as clearly "wasting" their time. Maybe if your hobby is like... carpentry? Or something athletic? I could see you casting aspersions on a wholly sedentary, only occasionally social, and only ARGUABLY intellectual hobby like games, but...
But I don't wanna hear that shit from people who spend their free time watching TV or futzing around on social media
Well that's why I bring other activities into it too. When it comes to dating, I just don't think it does you any favours to have one single thing be what defines you nearly entirely, regardless of activity, because it can give the sense that that's all there is to you.
Like I've seen people on Tinder who are the stereotypical horse girl, for example. The bio is all horses, the picture is all them with horses... the impression you get is that all they do is do horse stuff, work, and drink. Which might be alright if you're into horses, but otherwise, it's offputting. You can dedicate your identity to the one single most exciting and interesting activity in the world if you like, but if that's all you ever do that's probably all you'll ever have to talk about.
So I don't think it's just games, it's anything. Even if games does have a lingering stigma.