Why do non gamers bash gamers?
- Thread starter Civ001
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Well, based on gamefaqs you could take away that impression...
I prefer not to tell people that I play games. Some guy gamers seem to think females only play games to get attention. It is infuriating. And then there are those who actually get interested just because you are a female who plays games. Thankfully most male gamers don't go cray cray in either direction .
I've had a lot of negative reactions from non gamers if they discover i play. I wouldn't call myself a gamer though. I play video games but I'm not devoted to them. I've never felt the need to be better than other players. Even in online games I prefer playing on my own. A "gamer" is someone who is devoted to getting the best results, winning and competing. Most of the gamers I know are sweet and awesome. But all of them have their nerd rages, and to someone who doesn't play these minutes of rage probably look like childish tantrums. (which they in some cases are) Also! A lot of gamers ignore a lot of things they should be doing so they can play games. Housework, homework, work.. Or even caring for their children or pets.
I've had a lot of negative reactions from non gamers if they discover i play. I wouldn't call myself a gamer though. I play video games but I'm not devoted to them. I've never felt the need to be better than other players. Even in online games I prefer playing on my own. A "gamer" is someone who is devoted to getting the best results, winning and competing. Most of the gamers I know are sweet and awesome. But all of them have their nerd rages, and to someone who doesn't play these minutes of rage probably look like childish tantrums. (which they in some cases are) Also! A lot of gamers ignore a lot of things they should be doing so they can play games. Housework, homework, work.. Or even caring for their children or pets.
that was a joke, Teacake
Of course they bash gaming as a waste of time. They need something to do while they're downing their 8th Budweiser at 3 AM while trying to pick up the last woman at the bar who they never intend to call again.
Seriously though, I think the gamers who play five hours a day do have an addiction. That group just represents a very small percentage of gamers who get unfairly identified with the whole.
Seriously though, I think the gamers who play five hours a day do have an addiction. That group just represents a very small percentage of gamers who get unfairly identified with the whole.
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Hmm I dunno about that. A lot of gamers play more than 5 hours a day. A lot of them play all day. I think the cray cray gamers are the one who decide not to socialize at all. Like.. Get invited to a fun thing with friends and says no to play instead.
As an avid reader I am constantly frustrated by my 15 year olds lack of interest in reading while he will spend endless hours pointlessly blowing or hacking the crap out of things in any number of identikit video games. Its repetitive, its unimaginitive and its a waste. He has a very high IQ and is a high flier at school. If only he would give his imagination a chance...he is missing out on so much.
Answer your question ?
PS - back in the day I had a Mega drive and a PS1. I packed them away when I realised that I got really bored with repetetive gaming and didn't finish games - in fact 30 minutes was enough of most titles for me, whilst reading Lord of the Rings interested me for days....
Answer your question ?
PS - back in the day I had a Mega drive and a PS1. I packed them away when I realised that I got really bored with repetetive gaming and didn't finish games - in fact 30 minutes was enough of most titles for me, whilst reading Lord of the Rings interested me for days....
So...you're ignorant and don't try to understand your son's way of thinking or that he enjoys different things? Sounds about right.
It's different, and therefore "weird" if you enjoy it a lot. Same reason people rag on comic nerds, star trek fans, you name it.
Sorry, but you're going to have to go on the ignore list for this.
All you did was assert that his entertainment is inferior to yours for reasons that won't hold up under much scrutiny. No, I doubt it answered the OP's question.
Games, books, movies, it's still someone else's work. No imagination required.
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This is one of the examples of Poe's Law where what is said is so absurd that I struggle to determine whether you're being sincere or sarcastic. If you're being sincere...
Firstly, gaming and reading are two different things that stimulate the brain in different ways, and the idea that you can't enjoy both is silly. I think you'll find that most of us here in this forum enjoy reading as well as gaming. But if your son just doesn't enjoy reading much then c'est la vie, it's not his thing. He's no more missing out on anything than I did by not playing rugby, and I'm glad that my father didn't badmouth me to others just because I didn't enjoy something he loved.
Secondofly, games do invite imagination. There's the obvious examples like Minecraft and Little Big Planet, two games which are all about player creativity, but even a good shooter encourages the player to play the game their own way. My experience with Far Cry 3 for example probably wouldn't be the same as yours because that was a game that encouraged the player to come up with their own strategies, and one which rewarded players for going off the beaten track and having their own adventures.
Third-diddly-irdly, games have evolved considerably since days of the PS1, and you don't seem to have kept with the times. Games like Red Dead Redemption are capable of presenting immersive worlds with great characters and emotional storylines. Mass Effect is a space opera which has arguably surpassed anything Hollywood has produced in that genre in the past decade. The Portal games are highly entertaining puzzle/comedy hybrids unlike anything that can be experienced in any other medium.
Just like the film industry, the music industry, and the publishing industry, the games industry produces plenty of crap aimed at the lowest common denominator. But writing off the whole medium for the reasons you've stated is as silly as condemning all music just because your son likes listening to the Black Eyed Peas.
I can't experience visiting renaissance Florence and climbing the exterior of the basillica in a board game, nor can I experience the thrill of racing through the streets of New York while playing sport, nor can I experience the difficulty of commanding a fleet of 18th century naval vessels in real time by playing cards.
Why? It's pretty much human nature to look down on people who do anything they personally disprove of. Not to mention if you're pointing a finger at other people then maybe people aren't looking at your short comings.
You can do them through board games, books, 3D movies, and simulations, which are not necessarily the same as video games.
As for "imagination," it should be noted that several of those who developed video games which depict these examples did so without necessarily resorting to video games. That's something for you to consider.
No, you can't. Video games are interactive, so that rules out books and movies as they're linear. As for board games, they're fun, but that game of Pandemic I played last night has absolutely no relation to that game of Grand Theft Auto 4 I just wrapped up. The thrill of that parachute/boat/car race I took part in isn't something a board game can replicate.
Your interpretation of what a video game is is very narrow and not at all in line with what they currently are. Simulation is very much an element of video games and has become increasingly important over the last decade as games attempt to become more immersive. Open world sandbox games are some of the most popular around because of the freedom they give they player to have fun in a simulated world. Whether you get your kicks from the historical tourism in the Assassin's Creed games, or from tethering two jetliners together in Just Cause 2 just to see what happens, they're still video games. They're not something that any other form of entertainment can really replicate, and they'll continue to improve as our technology does.
TheGodBen... I just wanted to give you a thumbs up. You've pinpointed exactly why video games is my preferred media form over all others. Every now and then I like to curl up with a good book, but since I've gotten into video games, I don't watch much TV and movies anymore.
