"Gamer With Pride" Wrong Foot Forward?

[Mikeyfell]

I... wait are you being serious?

Have you ever seen a single news article paint games in a positive light?

It's true that nobody's ever oppressed the gaming culture for hundreds of years, they've only oppressed it for like 20 or 30 years because it's only been around that long.

Either way this isn't about the double standard it's about the message and I think it's a good one.

The better question is: Are you actually serious? Gamers are oppressed? Don't make me laugh.
Gaming, like every single other hobby, faces a certain prejudice by some groups, big fucking deal. Just try to name one past-time activity that's universally accepted by everybody.

I would say that games take more shit than any other hobby.
There's hardly a violent act that somebody doesn't try to pin on videogames

When ever video games are tangential related to anything bad their influence is blown out of proportion.
Remember the guy who tied up the kid he was supposed to be babysitting? Do you remember that they blamed Call of Duty for that?
When ever somebody with a WoW account shoots somebody they always cry ban videogames!
Senators are saying: Videogames are worse than guns!
Admitting you play videogames is treated like something to be ashamed of and that shouldn't stand
(That shouldn't stand for anything whether it be a hobby, lifestyle, race, gender, what ever)

Just try to name one past-time activity that's universally accepted by everybody.

Watching movies
Reading books
listening to music
listening to the radio
watching TV
Playing sports
Following sports statistics
Facebook
juggling
eating weird foreign foods
going to the museum
arguing about nonsense on the internet
staring contests
collecting porcelain unicorn figurines
restoring vintage cars
learning a foreign language
dancing
picking your nose
walking a dog
going to live music concerts
baking pies
exercise
giving way more than one example
going on picnics
painting pictures


I guarantee you every single person who's ever committed a crime has done at least one of those things and yet in the past hundred years there's never been a cry to ban any of those things, and telling people you have fun doing any of those things won't get you funny looks (Except maybe picking your nose)

Yeah, videogames get a lot of undeserved shit.

 

[Legion]

*snip*

Actually you are wrong. Gaming is currently the media's punching bag, but music and films have certainly had the same problems.

Metal/Rock was once seen as the reason for kids taking drugs, dropping out of school and teenagers having attitude problems, rather than hormones and peer pressure etc.

Horror movies were blamed on this murder in England, and it even coined a term "Video Nasties." The link I provided was one of the media articles printed later when people stopped with the knee-jerk reactions.

In ten years time when games consoles are in as many homes as televisions then something else will become the new cause for evil in society, but for the time being gaming is the least understood, and is the scape goat. It hasn't always been, and it won't always be.

 

[Mikeyfell]

snip

I just don't see it as making light of suicide,
It's one part of the slippery slope of political correctness.
If we quarter off suicide as something that can only be referenced in serious somber conversation then what's next?
Cutting? Depression? Shame?
Eventually all were going to be left with is tautologies: A gamer with pride, If you don't like it, then you don't like it.

And just for the record I don't think for a second that suicide isn't serious, I'm just of the mind that you should never be locked off from using certain words or ideas because it might offend someone

It's succinct, it rhymes, and it's saying the world would be a better place without bigotry (Bigotry towards gamers but it's a start) I like it.

 

[Mikeyfell]

*snip*

Actually you are wrong. Gaming is currently the media's punching bag, but music and films have certainly had the same problems.

Metal/Rock was once seen as the reason for kids taking drugs, dropping out of school and teenagers having attitude problems, rather than hormones and peer pressure etc.

Horror movies were blamed on this murder in England, and it even coined a term "Video Nasties." The link I provided was one of the media articles printed later when people stopped with the knee-jerk reactions.

In ten years time when games consoles are in as many homes as televisions then something else will become the new cause for evil in society, but for the time being gaming is the least understood, and is the scape goat. It hasn't always been, and it won't always be.

I'll give you the Metal thing, I even remember when that happened, but that was one genera, they didn't try to shut down pop music and cheesy love longs because of Judas Priest.

You don't see the difference when a link is that distinct?

Someone recreates blow for blow a murder committed in a movie, and that movie gets heat for it.

Someone kills someone with a gun, There are some videogames that have guns in them! all video games must be banned!

I mean somebody who called himself the Joker shot up a theater playing Batman and the news media thought it was note worthy that he played World of Warcraft. That's the shit I'm talking about.

And you're right eventually they'll move on and something else will come under fire for no good reason. I'll await the day when everyone collectively realizes that humans are capable of doing awful things to other humans with no help from outside sources.

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

The image alone let alone the bad grammar has to be the epitome of utter nonsense and childishness to quite an extent.

I mean why is this kind of poster even needed?, do people really need to shove shit like that into everyone's faces and if they don't like it they should off themselves?.

I'd say it's just a bit worse than being a PC elitist.

 

[Legion]

*snip*

Actually you are wrong. Gaming is currently the media's punching bag, but music and films have certainly had the same problems.

Metal/Rock was once seen as the reason for kids taking drugs, dropping out of school and teenagers having attitude problems, rather than hormones and peer pressure etc.

Horror movies were blamed on this murder in England, and it even coined a term "Video Nasties." The link I provided was one of the media articles printed later when people stopped with the knee-jerk reactions.

In ten years time when games consoles are in as many homes as televisions then something else will become the new cause for evil in society, but for the time being gaming is the least understood, and is the scape goat. It hasn't always been, and it won't always be.

I'll give you the Metal thing, I even remember when that happened, but that was one genera, they didn't try to shut down pop music and cheesy love longs because of Judas Priest.

You don't see the difference when a link is that distinct?

Someone recreates blow for blow a murder committed in a movie, and that movie gets heat for it.

Someone kills someone with a gun, There are some videogames that have guns in them! all video games must be banned!

I mean somebody who called himself the Joker shot up a theater playing Batman and the news media thought it was note worthy that he played World of Warcraft. That's the shit I'm talking about.

And you're right eventually they'll move on and something else will come under fire for no good reason. I'll await the day when everyone collectively realizes that humans are capable of doing awful things to other humans with no help from outside sources.

Valid points, but I think that is in part the current state of society. People have gotten incredibly knee-jerky and whiny in the era of the internet, and very quick to try and find things to blame. Another reason with this whole gun debate is that the NRA are very influential and clearly have a reason to try and divert the argument away from blaming fire-arm killings on fire-arms themselves (I am not suggesting they are to blame), and they are largely the ones who have been using games as an excuse.

In the UK games were mentioned very briefly in regards to the recent killings, but are quickly forgotten about. In the US where guns are more prevalent, a lot of people are going out of their way to try and find something to blame other than guns themselves, and I think games have been made the scape goat intentionally by many with their own agenda.

 

[Lieju]

I agree that it probably isn't the best of images to be using at this time. Then again, suicide jokes are like rape jokes - they always have deeper implications for certain people, and can lead to some real offense. I don't really abide by telling people to commit suicide anyway, it's an exceptionally low form of bullying. It may seem like a joke, but for someone out there, it really isn't.
[/i]

Yeah, I heard that a lot back in school... Hearing it day after day was kinda, taxing, I guess?

That being said, I just think this picture is so childish.
Also it doesn't really make any sense. 'Don't like, commit suicide?', what, do you think people really care about your hobby so much that they're going to kill themselves if they can't control you? That life isn't worth living if you don't play games?

It's mainly just nonsensical, now that I think about it.

What about homosexual with pride
or black with pride
or a woman with pride
or Jewish with pride

It's not making light of suicide it's saying that bigots (Specifically to this case people who are prejudiced against gamers) have no place in the world.

Gamers do not have it as bad as black people, women, gays or Jews have had at some points of history. And still do.
I wouldn't think it was a brilliant idea to say "I'm gay, if you don't like it, commit suicide", to people who judge homosexuals and are quite willing to invade their personal boundaries, butI see more logic in it. It's like 'you don't respect my right to life, I don't have to repect yours.'

But gamers aren't really a target for such disrespect. The closest thing would probably be the D&D scare in the 80's, I think?
Saying that it's a matter of life and death is only going to make you sound juvenile, like one of those 13-year olds who swear they kill themselves because life isn't worth living because their mom will only buy them either Xbox or a PS.

Most bigotry I ever faced as a gamer was from other gamers who thought Mario and pokemon were kiddy-games, BTW.

 

[Mikeyfell]

snip

That's true, knee jerk reactions and scape goats, It's a bit Ironic how big the overlap is between the "ban videogames" crowd and the "ban guns" crowd is. It's funny how the first 2 amendments are taking the most crap right now


we got a bit tangential from the original topic

Spoiler: This thing

I'm still in favor of it, and I think the general layout of the statement has more applicability than just videogames.

 

[Lieju]

snip

That's true, knee jerk reactions and scape goats, It's a bit Ironic how big the overlap is between the "ban videogames" crowd and the "ban guns" crowd is.

Is it, though? Sure, there are people who are for both (depending on your definition of 'ban'), but what evidence you have there's a significant overlap?

 

[II2]

1) It's actually not a bad graphic, but I feel it would have been improved with just "gamer with pride" rather than the unnecessarily confrontational and poorly punctuated "Don't like it? Commit Suicide!"

2) Point 1 aside, it just seems absurd. This kinda rhetoric seems like something out of the late 90's. Imagine those controllers swapped out for headphones and CD's and iPods and Records and saying "Music Lover With PRIDE" and you probably understand how ridiculous it strikes me.

 

[Mikeyfell]

snip

That's true, knee jerk reactions and scape goats, It's a bit Ironic how big the overlap is between the "ban videogames" crowd and the "ban guns" crowd is.

Is it, though? Sure, there are people who are for both (depending on your definition of 'ban'), but what evidence you have there's a significant overlap?

You know if you think about it one of the big arguments on the ban video games side is "Guns don't kill people video games do!"

The people who's first two monkey paw wishes would be to ban guns and games are kind of weakening their "ban guns" argument by blaming all the violence on gaming.

I mean there's more to it than that but that's just the sort of dumb stuff that sticks out to me

 

[Terrible Opinions]

It's political correctness gone mad!

Spoiler

No, it's our community being whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective.

 

[BrotherRool]

snip

I just don't see it as making light of suicide,
It's one part of the slippery slope of political correctness.
If we quarter off suicide as something that can only be referenced in serious somber conversation then what's next?
Cutting? Depression? Shame?
Eventually all were going to be left with is tautologies: A gamer with pride, If you don't like it, then you don't like it.

And just for the record I don't think for a second that suicide isn't serious, I'm just of the mind that you should never be locked off from using certain words or ideas because it might offend someone

It's succinct, it rhymes, and it's saying the world would be a better place without bigotry (Bigotry towards gamers but it's a start) I like it.

Hey, I'm not saying they should take it down or lock down words. Just that it doesn't leave a positive impression with me and for me at least, fails at what it tries to do because of the language they chose. I'm not going to hate on them for it, but if they wanted to resonate with me in particular then other words would have been more effective

EDIT: And I think it'll be the same for other ppl, because as I said, there's a fairly reasonable chance someone will have come across a situation that sours them to this particular imagery

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

Well the original image was a stunning example of the maturity level of the "public face" of gaming, wasn't it?

I'm playing minecraft right now and two idiots are having a ridiculous "he did it... no he started it first!" argument about "griefing" (breaking a couple of windows in each others' houses.) It's been going on for almost fifteen minutes.

On a TF2 public server the other night somebody called me a "f--king gay" when I was playing medic and dropped uber. The word n--ger was also used at least several times in chat, as was the language of rape. That's considered normal.

And don't even get me started on the elitist misogynist jerks who run their vile hate campaigns against female game journalists. Or the advertising execs who run campaigns like Dead Space's "Your mother hates this game" or the recent Hitman's massacre of sexy nuns. Or some of the slimier corners of came journalism, who (present company excepted, Escapist writers) really are some of the lowest of the low - incompetent corrupt brown-nosing sycophants.

OF COURSE I don't want to call myself a "gamer". You'd have to be crazy to want to call yourself that. I'm a guy who plays videogames and who doesn't want the stigma of the title. Which, by the way, I see as being quite justified. And that's coming from somebody who started gaming on his Commodore 64 almost a quarter of a century ago.

Look, most of the Escapist crowd seem to be a lot more reasonable and rational than some of the other corners of the gaming world. That's why I come here for gaming news, and occasionally to read some forum posts or to make a point. By and large I like this community. But look at what goes on in the world of videogames, guys, and look at how it's perceived from the outside. I'm not denying that there's a lot of anti-"gamer" prejudice based on ideas that are quite simply false (the idea that videogames directly cause real-life violence being the biggest one). BUT can you honestly say that the more reasonable (as opposed to the flat-out hateful / delusional) of the gaming world's critics could look at us as a group that they could engage with, find common ground with?

You have to respect somebody before you can debate with them on even ground, guys. There are a lot of great, likeable people who play videogames. But it's not those people who the gamer-sceptics see when they look at us. They see a paranoid, insular, elitist, surly group that has no interest in engaging with "outsiders". And a lot of the time they're right.

Respect has to be earned, and engagement has to work both ways. You can't just say "Accept my way, or go kill yourself." Life doesn't work like that.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Good gods, that's terrible!

The phrase barely rhymes or makes sense! And including a Wiimote?

For Shame.

Including suicide was in bade taste but its like a cherry made of menstrual fluid atop a shit sundae.

But what do you expect form COD players? Shakespeare?

 

[rbstewart7263]

That's a really awful...rhyming...pun...thing.

It's kind of saying "Have good self-esteem and take pride in yourself, or die!"

I actually like that one if only because of the off flow there! Eh its whateever i doubt any controversy will be had. plus we got bigger fish to fry. Lack of variety of female characters people judging the gaming community on a few bad(COD!) players, complaining about everything including box art.......on second thought this war aint for me. sayonara!

 

[Legion]

snip

That's true, knee jerk reactions and scape goats, It's a bit Ironic how big the overlap is between the "ban videogames" crowd and the "ban guns" crowd is. It's funny how the first 2 amendments are taking the most crap right now


we got a bit tangential from the original topic

Spoiler: This thing

I'm still in favor of it, and I think the general layout of the statement has more applicability than just videogames.

I can get behind the idea of it, I just feel it's a little needlessly aggressive. Although sometimes it's necessary to be harsh to get other people to back up and leave you alone I guess.

 

[Lieju]

snip

That's true, knee jerk reactions and scape goats, It's a bit Ironic how big the overlap is between the "ban videogames" crowd and the "ban guns" crowd is.

Is it, though? Sure, there are people who are for both (depending on your definition of 'ban'), but what evidence you have there's a significant overlap?

You know if you think about it one of the big arguments on the ban video games side is "Guns don't kill people video games do!"

The people who's first two monkey paw wishes would be to ban guns and games are kind of weakening their "ban guns" argument by blaming all the violence on gaming.

I mean there's more to it than that but that's just the sort of dumb stuff that sticks out to me

So, you're saying, there is no overlap? I have hard time following your train of thought.

Spoiler

No, it's our community being whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective.

Yes, because when fellow gamers are being silly or childish, we most certainly should not criticize them!

Just try to name one past-time activity that's universally accepted by everybody.

snip

I guarantee you every single person who's ever committed a crime has done at least one of those things and yet in the past hundred years there's never been a cry to ban any of those things, and telling people you have fun doing any of those things won't get you funny looks (Except maybe picking your nose)

Your list is silly and shows you are either trolling or have no grasp of history.
Movies, dancing, reading, tv, Internet, and painting pictures are all examples of stuff that people have tried to ban, or that has been looked down on.

 

[Terrible Opinions]

Spoiler

No, it's our community being whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective.

Yes, because when fellow gamers are being silly or childish, we most certainly should not criticize them!

"Whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective" isn't criticism now?

 

[Lieju]

Spoiler

No, it's our community being whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective.

Yes, because when fellow gamers are being silly or childish, we most certainly should not criticize them!

"Whiny jackasses with no sense of perspective" isn't criticism now?

Ah, I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to this thread when you said 'our community', and joked about PC gone mad.