How "into" gaming are you

[irwinemporium]

Do you wear the apparel? Go to the conferences? Go to game stores to buy games? etc?

Even though I like video games, I would NEVER wear the game apparel (t-shirts, etc) or go to the conferences and I even try to refrain from going into game stores in broad daylight.

Let's face it, by the time you're my age (26) if you're still playing video games you get slapped with the rightly-deserved stigma: you have yet to grow up.

Many gamers don't want to admit it, but if you're an adult who plays video games it DOES affect the way people perceive you. And it's even worse if you're really "into" it.

Come on gamers, can we be honest about the true nature of gaming please? It's not a socially acceptable medium for adults to engage in.

Ya, systems like the Wii are socially acceptable for their family-friendly non-engaging appeal, but that's about it.

 

[LobsterFeng]

To be honest, no I'm not really into gaming. I love this site and I love reading about gaming news and game reviews and stuff, but I rarely play games myself these days.

I do have a Minecraft Creeper shirt though.

 

[CrashBang]

I spend a lot of time on this site and I buy all the big titles (say about 10 or so games a year).
I don't own any nerdy clothes, though. As a friend of mine kindly pointed out, all of my t-shirts are either black, have bands on them or have something offensive written/depicted. By that she means I wear band t-shirts and Drop Dead t-shirts.

 

[GigaHz]

Less and less as I get older.

I used to be video game crazy from 4 years old till shortly after I graduated high school.

Call it aging or whatever but I'd say it has more to do with my dissatisfaction for how gaming has evolved. Whether it's hyper restrictive DRM, Micro-transactions, Generic FPS games, or stagnating franchises (some may be all 4).

You could even say that I might be becoming the dreaded 'casual' gamer! OOooOOhhhhh! (That was a ghost noise for some reason)

In terms of wearing gaming apparel, I can't say that I've ever done that, even when I was into gaming. My mom bought me an Xbox 360 shirt as a gift several years ago that I refuse to wear (and I'll even wear hideous sweaters she has gifted me). I've never been into posters or collectable items as well. If you were to walk into my room at any point in my life, you would have no idea that I was seriously into gaming

About how other adults perceive gaming, I don't care about what they think. I'm fortunate enough to work in an environment with very creative people and they wouldn't be too much of a prude to play the odd game here and there. So long as gaming gives me some enjoyment, I'll be open to playing a game on occasion.

 

[LilRock1976]

Being that I have been gaming for 30 years I have never let the " grow up " stigma affect me. Gaming has no age. The reason other media, like TV and movies, do not have this stigma is because videogames started as kids toys while other entertainment didn't. Up until the Genesis and a some PC games gaming was mostly a kids activity. I believe the Playstation was the next step in the industries maturity followed by the big Wii breakthrough and most recently mobile and social games. It has taken about 20 years to get this much social recognition it is going to take about 30 more years for us to be acceptable to the vast majority of the population.
I have a couple of gaming shirts, Mario and Pac-man, because of the profound effect these games had on my life, not because I thought they were cool.
No gaming conferences ever come close to me and I do not have the time or money to go.

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

You act like gaming is like buying porn, which it isn't.

Games tend to be geared toward a more mature audience anyway, with motion gaming tending to be pretty much the only area where it doesn't dominate.

Playing games is a way to relax and do something that doesn't involving your own reality. It's no different from a book or a movie, the only difference is that you get to interact with it directly.

There are two ways to look at this:

1. People need to stop being ignorant.
2. People need to stop caring what other people think about them.

You only add to the idea that gaming is socially unacceptable by conforming to the idea that it is. I know plenty of people who go to game stores who are aged from 25 - 34 without judgement. Hell, my parents are gamers, and I'm pretty sure they've grown up.

 

[Limecake]

There are two ways to look at this:

1. People need to stop being ignorant.
2. People need to stop caring what other people think about them.

Hell, my parents are gamers, and I'm pretty sure they've grown up.

Hit the nail on the head. I remember growing up watching my dad play Diablo and Quake so I never saw games as something for only kids to do.

do I buy games from game stores? Yeah, I don't see any problem with this if you want a game why wouldn't you buy it from a store?

do I go to conventions? Nope, but I would if one came to town. Still looking for that elusive cute nerdy girl.

do I wear gaming t-shirts? No, I'm way too picky with my t-shirts as it is.

I haven't had a problem with my gaming persona since I was in high-school (back when I cared what people thought). I understand how you don't announce it to everyone you know however I don't see why you wouldn't go into a gaming store since everyone who is in there would be a gamer too or at least know one.

I don't play as much as I used to but that'll probably change since I haven't bought Deus Ex or Dead Island yet.

Also it's worth mentioning that gaming is becoming much more popular now than it ever has been, Casual games have changed the stigma for the better.

 

[Quantom Quak]

Right now I'm more into achievement-based gaming. I've beaten all the games I have offline, so no achievements. I'm also beating other indie games that have been sitting around for a while.
Other than that, I'm all about gaming. I have shirts, make the off-hand quote, etc... And then at night I break out the big guns. CS:S, TF2, AC:B, Altitude, Shadowgrounds, Overlord, etc.

 

[Tohuvabohu]

Even though I like video games, I would NEVER wear the game apparel (t-shirts, etc) or go to the conferences and I even try to refrain from going into game stores in broad daylight.

Let's face it, by the time you're my age (26) if you're still playing video games you get slapped with the rightly-deserved stigma: you have yet to grow up.

Many gamers don't want to admit it, but if you're an adult who plays video games it DOES affect the way people perceive you. And it's even worse if you're really "into" it.

Come on gamers, can we be honest about the true nature of gaming please? It's not a socially acceptable medium for adults to engage in.

Ya, systems like the Wii are socially acceptable for their family-friendly non-engaging appeal, but that's about it.

What's with all the self-loathing over being into videogames? I say screw that noise, gaming is a hobby for me and I don't deserve any stigma just because I play videogames. I don't know anyone like that anyway, everyone else I know is an adult or slightly older than I am and everyone plays videogames.

I do go to gamestores.

I was on my way to quakecon one year, but wasn't able to finish my trip due to an emergency. Ever since I don't have the time I used to.

Gaming clothes? Nah, as someone said earlier, I'm very picky with my clothes. But I'm open to the idea of some kind of gaming clothing as long as it's subtle.

In between working and binge drinking, I don't have the time I used to to play games. But I try to squeeze some in daily, and much more on the weekends. I talk about games all the time with likeminded friends and I go to gaming news sites and discussion boards every day. I'm pretty into the whole thing, and I don't feel any kind of shame or reservations for it.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

I guess I'm pretty into it, I really enjoy playing video games, I have defended it when people have made stupid generalizations about video games or the video game playing demographic, I will however never cosplay, and I won't wear "gamer clothes" because most of them are stupid or some idiotic retro gaming shit, with the exception of the Adam Jensen Trenchcoat, which I am saving my money for, but I've always had a stiffy for trenchcoats and I want this one not because of the game it is associated with but because it is nice to look at.

 

[LarenzoAOG]

Do you wear the apparel? Go to the conferences? Go to game stores to buy games? etc?

Even though I like video games, I would NEVER wear the game apparel (t-shirts, etc) or go to the conferences and I even try to refrain from going into game stores in broad daylight.

Let's face it, by the time you're my age (26) if you're still playing video games you get slapped with the rightly-deserved stigma: you have yet to grow up.

Many gamers don't want to admit it, but if you're an adult who plays video games it DOES affect the way people perceive you. And it's even worse if you're really "into" it.

Come on gamers, can we be honest about the true nature of gaming please? It's not a socially acceptable medium for adults to engage in.

Ya, systems like the Wii are socially acceptable for their family-friendly non-engaging appeal, but that's about it.

My god man, why do you give a shit about what some stranger thinks of you? No one should be ashamed of what is essencially a hobby.

 

[ronald1840]

I'm getting ready to go off to college for the first time this Spring 2012. I am pretty dam into gaming, at least more-so than the average consumer who just walks into GameStop. I'll try to run some things off as I can.

- I check The Escapist/IGN at least 2 times a day for new updates.

- I pre ordered the Uncharted 3 Collectors Edition and Elder Scrolls Skyrim Collectors Edition just for the fact that I can have a Nate statue standing underneath the Dragon's wing.

- Pre ordered and bought Catherine (PS3) Deluxe Edition and wore the empty heart shirt and boxers to Otakon 2011 in Maryland for the rave.

- Own PS2 compatible PS3, PSP 3000 (Kingdom Hearts:BBS edition), GameCube, 3DS, and Xbox 360.
- Bought new copies of SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1-2, Nocturne, Persona 3 FES, Persona 4, Devil Summoner 1-2, Fatal Frame 2-3 all for PS2.

- Purchased Fallout 2, Planetscape Torment, Baldurs Gate 1-2, and Longest Journey from GoG.com

- Bought Persona 4 Social Link Expansion from Ebay impulse.

I have a white Chie Satonaka (Persona4) T-shirt I wear frequently when I go out so...yeah

I think I'm in a comfortable gaming range of fandom

 

[jacobythehedgehog]

I am pretty big into gaming. Maybe less about playing them. I love reading and discussing games with people, but I love discussing music and books with people too. I just love art and love discussions from it.

And yes I do buy collectors editions of games that I like, Wicther 2 is a good example of that. And I do collect video games. I have a copie of Oni on PS2 before they switched to DVD's. And I have old NES, 64, Dreamcast, Saturn games. So it would appear that I have a huge collection of video games. But I have a huge collection of books too, less now that I can download all the books I love online.

 

[Tucker154]

Yes, I do wear gaming apperal. Yes, I do go to conferences, or should I say, would if I got the chance. And yes, I do go to gaming stores,quite regularly in fact.

And people shouldn't be afraid to do so!

I'll wear the newest Halo shirt, and its no different then someone wearing a sports jersey.

I'll go buy a poster for games, and its no different then someone walking out with a poster of their favorite band, or movie.

I'll go to the conferences, just as movie lovers would go to things like sun dance.

I'll go to Gamestop in pure daylight, because, well, its really the only place to buy games where I live. Yeah, I'm not going to compare that with anything. Though I guess I could with bookstores...

And its a medium that ANY age can participate in, and people with your mentality is one of the things hindering its advancement of being just as socially acceptable as things like movies,books,ect.

 

[baddude1337]

I have a library of games, but I don't go to conventions or anything like that. It's just a hobby for when I'm at home. An expensive, time consuming hobby.

 

[Dusty Fred]

Back in the day (SNES-Wii period) I was into gaming a fair bit. I never owned many games but I played the ones I had a fair bit. My Wii was stolen at university and I never bothered to replace it. Since then I've hardly gamed at all. I'll get back into touch someday.

 

[TehCookie]

I go to gamestop so often I'm recognized. I go to anime cons which has a lot of gaming, and this year I got a few friends together to do a small Persona 4 group. I don't wear gaming shirts because it is impossible to find any good ones. I didn't think I was that picky but I want a fitted shirt that's the right size, and online sizes have no standards. I am a geek hear me roar. Though I probably should care what people think of me since that's how society runs, but I'd rather be true to myself and have fun the way I want to.

 

[uchitroru666]

I'm earning my degree in level design and ive volunteered at the east coast game developers conferance.