Commercial Break: Sometimes It's Hard Defending Gamers

A couple days ago I had a conversation with one of my [non-video game] lady pals about a current-slash-ex-dude she was seeing. She said she see couldn't see herself with someone who played games as much as she 'thought' he did. I'm using games broadly, but she meant video games. 

As a clarifier, the young man apparently audio recorded his progress. This seemed to be enough for said young lady to come to a conclusion that, "uh uh!" This ain't what she wanted from a romantic interest.

See, it's different when you're playing Mindsweeper to pass the time at work. It's different when you're bouncing a ping pong ball cloaked under the guise of getting drunk with your friends. When I have conversations like these, which I more than encourage, I'm still mystified that there are people my age [and younger] that echo sentiments that my mother has had for decades.

What's scarier is my willingness to jump to the defense of the modern day gamer has waned. I totally get why a man or woman wouldn't be attracted to such a geeky activity. In this conversation, the words nerd, socially inept, or weirdo weren't used. I'm guessing this may have been to spare my feelings. Or, it could have been some sort of small bit of social norm progression.

The clip above is recent. This past weekend was Activision-Blizzard's convention known as BlizzCon. I'm spelling it out because I'm humoring the idea that a couple non-gamers may actually read this. Whoever crudely spliced together this unfortunately cynical look at the modern day MMO gamer has done me a great service.

If ever you felt the need to defend the gaming culture and its varying inhabitants than look at this clip. The stereotype of social misfit. Pimple-faced nerd. Autistic basement dweller, among other classifications still hurt when I ask, "So, what's your image of the average gamer?" They are all here in this clip. Asking whatever silly questions you [or I] can't be bothered knowing more about.

It's a good laugh, right? I mean I laughed and I'm claiming to be a part of this culture. But sometimes it isn't funny. Sometimes the shoe fits. Sometimes they are autistic [or, in this case, have Aspergers]. Some of them are socially inept and have trouble making friends. I salute any and all of them for being brave enough to say whatever ridiculous jargon I don't understand. I like passion. Even if I don't understand it.

More importantly, some of them are you. You open up computer Solitaire and think, "I can't wait till it's five. I just want to go home." Some of you think of ways to play with your sons and daughters and are quite boastful when your coworkers ask what you'll be doing for the weekend. "Playing backyard football with the kids before the game."

Some of you play these hardcore MMOs, or are apart of a first-person shooter clan. Some of you play board games, yes, I'm including chess. I bet you even laugh when you're around friends that make fun of the latter genre. You don't get a pass either.

But it's specifically video games that still carry that pizza-faced, spouse-less stigma. I'm not saying I don't get it, because I do. I have cases of social ineptitude and, yes, I am spouseless. However, when I tell people I write about the gaming culture, the response is unfortunately tepid. "You do that?" It's like a shift happened. No one is surprised that people play video games, thank you very much Farmville and mobile phone games. But when it comes to talking about them casually, around a table of beer pong, that's where that pizza face rears it's greasy head.

We get the joke. We laugh at it too. No one is that politically correct that they are incapable of laughing at themselves [and if they are, avoid this blog at all cost]. No one needs defending. But come on. You can't possibly still think that the average gamer is some teenage guy with minimal social skills? If so, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.