fostering a positive gaming culture

[gamer_parent]

we all know that the gaming hobby has been seen by the greater society as either a distraction at best, or a plague on society at worst. Some of that is self-inducing, some of that is paranoia and fear mongering, and then there are others where it's pure misunderstanding.

these are topics that gameoverthinker, extra credit, and other webshows have all talked about at great length and I won't delve into the exact nature of it all right now.

What I am curious is are there people here whose parents/family/community actually sees gaming as a potential influence in your life? or forget positive influence, but rather as a totally valid hobby? How exactly did you come to that environment? What can we do to foster such an environment where gaming is not something people must simply tolerate if not despised?

I mean, if we are out to change the world's perception of us, if we are out to legitimize our hobby as something far more than just a crude distraction, don't we owe it ourselves to take steps to make these changes? The question is, how?

 

[MissPixxie]

What I am curious is are there people here whose parents/family/community actually sees gaming as a potential influence in your life?

My Mother is a casual gamer, but loves to watch more involved games being played. She recently watched me play bioshock, and began to ask questions like 'Who are you in this one, what are you doing?' As time went on she began to ask me about the images within the game, like the mother babbling into an empty pram, and she questioned my moral choices several times allowing me to consider deeply the role several of the characters played.

It seems she's beginning to see gaming as a valuable teaching and thinking aid, which I guess can only be a good thing. Surely the more people that accept gaming, the better?

 

[gamer_parent]

It seems she's beginning to see gaming as a valuable teaching and thinking aid, which I guess can only be a good thing. Surely the more people that accept gaming, the better?

That would be a resounding YES from me.

The trick though is how do you actually introduce this hobby in a way to those around you that makes it non-threatening or even, dare I say it, a potentially positive force in someone's life?

In addition to being a videogamer, I also play Pencil and Paper RPGs. I've been doing it for a good 15 years now. The one thing my mother liked about that whole ordeal was that D&D taught me to read. My vocabulary jumped leaps and bounds because of it. And at the same time, she was shielded from all the bullshit surrounding D&D and the occult in the 80s. As such, she was accepting of it.

Today, we're not so lucky. Every parent has probably heard about the columbine shooting being attached to Doom. Every parent who watches prime time TV news will probably have already been tainted by the report of Mass Effect being a sex simulaotr. And unfortunately, no matter how many of us end up being productive individuals of society with fully well round lives, until we become the majority, the stigma that gamers suffer will always exist. (If we've learned anything from racial stereotypes) That is, while improving our own lives is a good thing to do, it might not yield much in the big picture.

Clearly though, taking up a combative and defensive stance on this will not do us any good, as such posturing often simply means we both build up walls around us and nobody listens to each other.

So how do we tackle this?

 

[SonicWaffle]

we all know that the gaming hobby has been seen by the greater society as either a distraction at best, or a plague on society at worst. Some of that is self-inducing, some of that is paranoia and fear mongering, and then there are others where it's pure misunderstanding.

I think you're over-simplifying. The gaming hobby is seen by corporate entities as a way to make a lot of money, for example. There are extremists in society, of course, who think video games are evil (usually in a way that ties into their religious beliefs) and this is not helped by certain media portrayals, but I think the majority of people consider gaming to be pretty mainstream. They'd not call themselves gamers, but they'll happily have a go on a mate's machine or play Bejewelled on Facebook.

I don't think we need to change public perception very much. The average high street will have book shops, DVD shops, and video game shops in amongst the supermarkets and restaurants. Hell, the big supermarkets even sell video games themselves! This, to me, does not indicate that gaming is viewed as a shameful vice to be hidden away, but that it's an accepted and legitimate entertainment form.

 

[gamer_parent]

we all know that the gaming hobby has been seen by the greater society as either a distraction at best, or a plague on society at worst. Some of that is self-inducing, some of that is paranoia and fear mongering, and then there are others where it's pure misunderstanding.

I think you're over-simplifying. The gaming hobby is seen by corporate entities as a way to make a lot of money, for example. There are extremists in society, of course, who think video games are evil (usually in a way that ties into their religious beliefs) and this is not helped by certain media portrayals, but I think the majority of people consider gaming to be pretty mainstream. They'd not call themselves gamers, but they'll happily have a go on a mate's machine or play Bejewelled on Facebook.

I don't think we need to change public perception very much. The average high street will have book shops, DVD shops, and video game shops in amongst the supermarkets and restaurants. Hell, the big supermarkets even sell video games themselves! This, to me, does not indicate that gaming is viewed as a shameful vice to be hidden away, but that it's an accepted and legitimate entertainment form.

fair enough. maybe it's because as of late, most of the time I read about gaming news in the mainstream public, it's always about some controversy that's popping up. It is entirely possible that it is because of this my perception of this is little skewed.

 

[Naota_391]

I just became a parent recently and I fully intend to make gaming a part of my child's life.

 

[tragicdwarf]

My 12 year nephew has had various difficulties in his life (which I wont go into) and gaming has been one of the most positive factors in his life. It really engages him and he has developed a genuine passion for games, especially Nintendo games. Its got to a point now where he is buying older consoles like the N64 and SNES because he has a real appreciation for older games and loves playing them.

If anyone tries to tell me games are evil or are a lower form of entertainment, when compared to reading or films etc, I tend want to slap them very hard.

 

[BeeRye]

I mean, if we are out to change the world's perception of us, if we are out to legitimize our hobby as something far more than just a crude distraction, don't we owe it ourselves to take steps to make these changes? The question is, how?

I'm picking out the word hobby in your quote here. A great deal of the negative attention I've seen levelled at gaming is centred around those who don't treat gaming as a hobby. When you spend 8 hours a day doing something it is no longer a hobby, it is an addiction, and I absolutely agree with those who attack gaming over the issue. Gaming is a legitimate hobby, nearly all of my friends who I wouldn't consider gamers own consoles and game now and then. What gaming is definitely not is a legitimate lifestyle.

If you want to legitimise gaming as something "more than just a crude distraction", then of course you must highlight what gaming brings to the table as a form of entertainment other than crude distraction. There are certainly positive uses for games, especially with regards to their educational potential, but are you really going to lie to me and tell me you play games for these reasons and not the entertainment? There is nothing wrong with gaming and the "crude distraction" it provides, we all enjoy watching mindless action flicks now and then, and there's nothing wrong with this. I've never understood why gamers foam at the mouth and demand that games be viewed as some form of high art, when really they are just quality entertainment.

Going back to my first point, the people I personally have issues with are those for whom gaming replaces day to day life. It is these people who really drag down the public perception of gamers into the realms of "geeky basement dwellers", and those with no social lives or skills. I think one of the most critical things to do for gaming to become accepted is to highlight the distinction between such people who have become addicts, and those who use games as a source of entertainment, as was intended. It might be nigh on impossible to separate the two in the non-gaming public's mind, but we have to try if we want gaming accepted.

 

[SonicWaffle]

fair enough. maybe it's because as of late, most of the time I read about gaming news in the mainstream public, it's always about some controversy that's popping up. It is entirely possible that it is because of this my perception of this is little skewed.

It's strange. I live in the UK, and while I know about most of the "gaming is destroying children" nonsense through webcomics like Penny Arcade and by frequenting sites like this, it's very rare to hear about video games on the mainstream news. In fact, the last thing I remember reading was a week or so back when that story about how playing games could hasten decision making capabilities was doing the rounds. I saw an article in the Guardian which made me chuckle, as the reporter clearly wasn't up to speed with the gaming world; when describing the report's findings he spoke of how decision making could be improved by "computer games, such as Doom". Maybe not the most recent example.

The American media tends to be far more sensationalist that the British (not counting the idiocy of the tabloids) so when a "games r evulz" scare goes around we seem to miss out on the majority of it.

 

[gamer_parent]

snip

I like this post for a lot of reasons. The first one though, is because it highlights one of the points that I believe to be true. For every addict that you can find, how many do you know are simply using it as entertainment? I'm sure there are studies on the subject that we can pull out for this. In my first post, I stated that personal changes cannot necessarily change the perception of the public, since a person can be an exception.

But to go straight for the perception and distant legitimate gamers from gaming addicts, that's also a legit approach, I think.

Re: art vs. entertianment: I have no qualms with treating gaming as high quality entertainment as opposed to high art. Let's face it, in the face of commercial pressures, high art is always difficult.

 

[gamer_parent]

fair enough. maybe it's because as of late, most of the time I read about gaming news in the mainstream public, it's always about some controversy that's popping up. It is entirely possible that it is because of this my perception of this is little skewed.

It's strange. I live in the UK, and while I know about most of the "gaming is destroying children" nonsense through webcomics like Penny Arcade and by frequenting sites like this, it's very rare to hear about video games on the mainstream news. In fact, the last thing I remember reading was a week or so back when that story about how playing games could hasten decision making capabilities was doing the rounds. I saw an article in the Guardian which made me chuckle, as the reporter clearly wasn't up to speed with the gaming world; when describing the report's findings he spoke of how decision making could be improved by "computer games, such as Doom". Maybe not the most recent example.

The American media tends to be far more sensationalist that the British (not counting the idiocy of the tabloids) so when a "games r evulz" scare goes around we seem to miss out on the majority of it.

at the moment, I actually don't live in the US, but I do get a lot of US news from the net and from TV channels that show US news. So, like I said, it is entirely possible that my perception of this slanted.

Heck, I've read the same report you have on gaming. But that article NEVER shows up on the major news networks. Instead, it gets tucked away in some small corner of the lifestyle section of the newspaper and usually ignored.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I'm picking out the word hobby in your quote here. A great deal of the negative attention I've seen levelled at gaming is centred around those who don't treat gaming as a hobby. When you spend 8 hours a day doing something it is no longer a hobby, it is an addiction, and I absolutely agree with those who attack gaming over the issue. Gaming is a legitimate hobby, nearly all of my friends who I wouldn't consider gamers own consoles and game now and then. What gaming is definitely not is a legitimate lifestyle.

Since when is an addiction the same as a lifestyle? I'm not saying there aren't gaming addicts, of course there are, people are addicted to many different things.

When I think of gaming as a lifestyle I think of gatherings, LAN-parties, conventions, sharing excitement over new releases, being part of a community, I think of things like this:
People sharing something, people loving something in a way that it isn't just a hobby. That ain't the same as an addiction.

 

[tharglet]

My mum doesn't view gaming in a very positive light. Made things kinda fun when I lived at home, though she didn't mind me gaming, just as long as she didn't have to see it and I sat bored in the lounge from time to time.
Family prolly see it as an influence... but not a good one

My hubby's family is more accepting of gaming, especially as his dad used to game a reasonable amount in the past. My dad used to game, but lost interest in it.

I'd say the UK is more apathetic to gaming as a hobby than the US - for the very reason of it being viewed as a time-killing activity. Most people seem to sit on the fence as far as gaming is concerned.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Heck, I've read the same report you have on gaming. But that article NEVER shows up on the major news networks. Instead, it gets tucked away in some small corner of the lifestyle section of the newspaper and usually ignored.

In fairness, it is not a particularly important or interesting story. 'Video games can improve the speed of the decision making process' is just not an attention-grabbing front page headline. Now, if it were 'video games can improve the speed of the decision making process and cure AIDS!' or 'video games can improve the speed of the decision making process and also they planned 9/11!' it would be all over every front page, but as it stands the article is really only of an interest to gamers and perhaps those who study the brain.

Remember, the majority of the "games are evil" hype that appears in newspapers and on TV channels has nothing to do with the games themselves. It could just as easily be about how an excess of pencils will cause your car to explode or how giraffes plan to eat your babies. The scare tactics hook people in, and this gains the channel ratings. It's doubtful that there is any real malice towards the video gaming culture, but it's a target that can easily frighten those who don't understand such things and take their opinions in their entirety from Fox News.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

My family used to play Timesplitters together in four player split-screen. My father plays Sins of a Solar Empire. My mother loves Tomb Raider. My sister likes Dragon Age. Yeah, I think my family is cool with gaming.

 

[BeeRye]

snip

The things you mention here, such as going to LANs and being excited over releases, I consider to be aspects of a hobby. I have no issue with any of these things, I've gone to LANs and they're definitely one of the most positive experiences in gaming, putting faces to names and getting to hang out with people you've only talked to online. When I refer to lifestyle, I mean basing you life around gaming. I don't believe basing your life around gaming is healthy, and I make no apologies for holding that view. It may be that we that we agree but my use of the word lifestyle confuses the matter.

 

[Cowabungaa]

le snip

The devil that is semantics.

But I wouldn't blame gaming for that. Basing your life around any single hobby or activity is unhealthy, be it gaming or exercise or gambling or anything.

The problem is that gaming itself is blamed for that, which just isn't true. One can be psychologically addicted to pretty much anything.