Games and the people who avoid them

[Aldan9]

Something interesting happened to me today and I thought I'd share with my fellow escapists.

So today I finally got myself the game I'd been drooling about for some time, mainly, The Witcher 2.
I bought it on my lunch break and then took it back with me to my office at work. I put the game near my document tray where I put all my invoices, miscelaneous papers and stuff and carry on with my work.

Some time after a co-worker of mine, (this chick with whom I, on ocassion talk about books, weather and whathaveyou,) comes to my desk and notices Mr. Geralt staring at her from the box art cover.
She extends her hand to reach for the game while asking me what it was, I tell her it's a game. The moment this word reaches her ears she pulls her hand back instantly as if shocked by 1000000 volts or something similar. She never got to touch it. She then looks at me with a sort of bland smile, and says "Well that's nice," and walks away.

A couple of my co-workers probably heard bits of our conversation and stared at me blankly,as if the thought of buying a game or seeing one in physical form did not compute for them. All this left me bemused to say the least.

So now I'm wondering, what makes react this way to games?

 

[LadyMint]

Some people just don't care for video games, just as some people don't care for mountain climbing, parachuting from planes, going on daily jogs, eating spinach... You name it, someone doesn't care for it. It's called personal preference. Perhaps the way they reacted to it seemed a bit off to you, but kneejerk reactions are often silly and off-putting.

 

[Jordi]

I can't really explain that particular reaction, but I know that in my social circle pretty much all women and most older people (idk, 40+ or something) seem to have an aversion to games. They seem to think games are a pointless waste of time, and they either think games are children's toys or at least childish/immature toys. I think telling them I was going to play a game would get me approximately the same reaction as telling them I would go play with LEGOs. Or it would, if they weren't already used to me doing the former.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

It's still seen as being childish, or immature, so people who want to look mature avoid them. Games are making an advancement slowly, but not everyone sees it that way yet.

The way I see it, maturity is knowing when it's okay to act childish, and when it's not. People who always want to act "mature" are immature because they don't know when it's appropriate to act like a kid.

 

[Free Thinker]

It's still seen as being childish, or immature, so people who want to look mature avoid them. Games are making an advancement slowly, but not everyone sees it that way yet.

The way I see it, maturity is knowing when it's okay to act childish, and when it's not. People who always want to act "mature" are immature because they don't know when it's appropriate to act like a kid.

Well, that was everything I was going to say. Stigma with games and everything. No matter how good the story is, a game will never be seen on the same level as a novel in this point in time.

 

[Echo Delta]

Well, that was everything I was going to say. Stigma with games and everything. No matter how good the story is, a game will never be seen on the same level as a novel in this point in time.

I see (some) games as having a high artistic quality....

OT: it could be any number of things that caused such a reaction and until people come to realize that games are a normal part of life these kind of situations will probably be commonplace. Here's hoping that the most recent extra credits episode will help people expose others to a relatively harmless entertainment and art form. (remember that movies were considered scandalous at one point eg. Gone with the wind)