Why do Non-gamers think of video games as childish?

[Jurassic Rob]

One thing i am fed up of defending over my years of gaming, is people saying:
"Why are you playing that? Computer games are for kids!"

I've had people say this while i've been playing games such as Gears of War, Manhunt, and Mass Effect!

I have also noticed these are in the same vein of people who blame games for assaults and manslaughter!

Opinions?

 

[meatloaf231]

The unfortunately misinformed populace often has two contradictory arguments: "Video games are for kids" and "Video games are too violent for kids."

It baffles me.

 

[foolishmatt]

It's because to the non-gamer a video game looks to be a mere toy, not a device through which a deep and complex story could be told or anything artistic could be shown.

 

[lacktheknack]

They're ignorant, so you don't have to defend your games from them.

 

[Fenring]

They grew up in the time where only kids played games, as those kids grew up, so did the games. They just haven't realized it yet.

 

[cannot_aim]

They havent played them yet so they dont know. All you have to do is find an easy game that is a lot of fun ande let them try it and they will get hooked and stop calling it childish.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Because they don't play games and don't bother understanding them?

 

[hiroshi_tea]

sorry, but this also makes me think of some of the gun-rights arguments i've gotten into
it's the same thing, "why would you want people to have guns?"
people looking in from the outside...
they just don't understand

now, what this could be is projection, where the person knows that if they go into gaming, they'ed end up like a gamer, which has a negative image in their minds. so by riling against the gamers, calling them immature and refusing to understand, they establish their own identity, preserving their sense of entitlement and being superior. it's psychology

 

[Penguinishka]

People fear what they don't understand. And as any Jedi master (which I am not) would tell you fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. They suffer from a lack of perspective, the inability to walk around in other people's shoes. They limit the size of their own world without ever knowing it.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

They grew up in the time where only kids played games, as those kids grew up, so did the games. They just haven't realized it yet.

Pretty much that^

 

[Nazulu]

Sounds like ignorance at it's best! Video games are for everyone so ask them next time why it's childish.

 

[stompy]

Ignorance breeds misconceptions, which furthers fear, and hatred, of something.

Edit:

The unfortunately misinformed populace often has two contradictory arguments: "Video games are for kids" and "Video games are too violent for kids."

It baffles me.

They're not really contradictory. People believe that video games are for children. Therefore, when they see something that would be for adults in a video game, they believe the target demographic is children, and thus, these "evil scumbags (video game retailers, video game publishers, video game developers, the government, everyone but them) are trying to corrupt our innocence little angels, who, did I mention, are innocent".

 

[hotacidbath]

They're just uniformed. Keep enjoying yourself and leave them to their fun killing.

 

[Avatar Roku]

Well, ignorance i guess. Hell, my English teacher actually said, flat out, "video games don't have stories." Not that they have bad stories, that they don't have stories at all. And her husband is a gamer! How could this happen?

 

[Cahlee]

Computer games can be eductaional and interesting on many different levels, psychologically for example. Games aren't just for kids and some games just SHOULDN'T be played by kids.

Much like the majestic pony, games come in all kinds of varieties that appeal to many kinds of people!

 

[Zero-Vash]

I believe people who say games are for kids should try one. Yes there are those games for kids, just like there are movies and TV shows. But as with movies and TV shows, there are games also targeted for an older audience. To group every game as "for kids" would be the same as grouping any entertainment medium to one age demographic.

 

[a stranger]

they think its childesh because most likely they weren't allowed to play games growing up and if they were allowed they propely sucked at it and gave up sad really (noobs)