Why Do People Look Down on Gamers?

[Feralbreed]

I have never been looked down on for playing games. Not even tabletop dungeons and dragons. I have no experience relating to this topic.

Then you've been hanging with likeminded geeks too much. "normal" people still shun games. I don't care how much they act like it's ok, it's still not fine to play games by society's standards.
It's not accepted as a proper hobby and it's generally little weird if someone plays games like more than 2 hours a day.

And god forbid if someone plays something obscure, or anything else than Farmville or CoD. It's a stigma, gamers are still "freaks" and the media keeps depicting us as "violent" and "unpredictable" too.

Think about it; can you go approach any girl and tell her that you're good at videogames or you really like that one game? No.. she will not like it.

 

[Madman123456]

If someone looks down on you for being a gamer, that may be because he went online and experienced the friendly xbox community for himself. Some of the People there are rather friendly and sometimes listening to the People there sounds like a mental Asylum. There are some other "interesting" Communities to be found in PC games. Like in Counter Strike; try going in there as a newbie.

Many People know of some Places (online) where insanity seems to run free, but this kind of gamers seem to freely admit that they go there. I can think of some People who wouldn't freely admit that they wrote Fanfiction because some Fanfiction earned some bad reputation. With Reason, some Fanfiction makes you doubt in Humanity...

I need a term to describe this kind of gamer, if only to set it apart from everyone who ever enjoyed any electronic videogame device...

The "Triple A Gamer" (one who plays big Budget games formerly known as hardcore games) goes to places others would want to avoid in conversation. Those others may think that this Person may have some obsession with the hobby that allows him to switch off the "shame" reaction or maybe they think the "Triple A" Gamer is just too plain stupid to know why the "normals" try to avoid telling other People stuff they rather keep to themselves.

Online gaming is for some People like having cybersex, write fanfiction or something like that. And here you are blurting out the Fact that you have been playing online last Weekend.

That's disturbing; they know they find this pathetic for some Reason, they think they know that Reason but somewhere in the back of their mind they know that there are some decent People to be met online. This Gamers knows how to find them. They do not.


So next time you're asked what you did last weekend, tell them you bought some booze and got so drunk that you puked on your Cat.
With Videogames still being viewed as a childrens toy by some People, they'll be less condescending this time.

 

[Chiasm]

I personally have never gotten any type of mistreatment from being a, "gamer" nor seen any that wasn't directed at someone who wasn't 30 year old man child.

Most people I have talked to under 50 don't have a problem with, "gaming" I am a little surprised so many in this thread have been "repressed" for playing pac man and dig dug or halo or etc.. Video games in general have really taken off in the past 30 years thanks to games like dig dug and pac man; many of them are now parents with their own children playing and enjoying pac man and video games. It's like saying your, "repressed" because you enjoy movies that's how big gaming has become just in the past 15 years.

Honestly; the only way I can see people being looked down for being a gamer is if they fall under the,"30 year old man child" end of the spectrum where their family or loved are just worried they are too extreme about their hobby and wont accomplish anything in life.

Then you've been hanging with likeminded geeks too much. "normal" people still shun games. I don't care how much they act like it's ok, it's still not fine to play games by society's standards.
It's not accepted as a proper hobby and it's generally little weird if someone plays games like more than 2 hours a day.

I agree with with BlindTom on this issue, I have just never ever seen any hate on gaming maybe a few comments when I was younger about liking Mario more than Barbie from older relatives but that's it. As a quick side note after being part of the criminal justice system I find some of the most hardcore gamers I know are cops; which is for most people a respected career.

I just don't see the hate.

 

[Verlander]

I live in the UK, and have never experienced anyone looking down on gamers. Oh the media complains occasionally, but they complain abut everything. And maybe some politicians moan, but frankly, few people in the UK know or care about anything politics related.

Then you've been hanging with likeminded geeks too much. "normal" people still shun games. I don't care how much they act like it's ok, it's still not fine to play games by society's standards.
It's not accepted as a proper hobby and it's generally little weird if someone plays games like more than 2 hours a day.

And god forbid if someone plays something obscure, or anything else than Farmville or CoD. It's a stigma, gamers are still "freaks" and the media keeps depicting us as "violent" and "unpredictable" too.

Think about it; can you go approach any girl and tell her that you're good at videogames or you really like that one game? No.. she will not like it.

How mainstream do you want it? Nearly every household with someone under 50 in it has a console, or a computer with a game installed, and there are game shops all over the high street. Even food supermarkets sell games. What, will you not be happy until you have to play a game in order to vote, or purchase something?

Again, I'm talking about the UK. You might live in Central Africa somewhere for all I know.

 

[VanQ]

Beucase if you dont go out and socialse every weekend and drink lots and lots of alchohol then theres somthign wrong with you

but seriously I mean its not like one thing means the other, there is crossover

somone who likes games could also socialse ect

anyway I dont bother talking about games to people when it will just go over their heads

This is my point of view exactly, especially in Australia, where drunken binges are the only socially acceptable way to spend the weekend.
You're last point stands out to me especially, while I love to talk about games and can ramble on for hours, I never bring up the topic, simply because some folks harbour biased opinions and often try to "convince" me why games are bad. This isn't necessarily restricted to games though, I can't even count the amount of times people have tried to convince me that riding a motorcycle is bad, it's something I enjoy and it actually has it's advantages over a car for safety reasons, but people can only see the negative sides of things. But now I'm getting off topic.
I figure that if someone is interested in games, they will come to me about it. I have always been open about being a gamer but I never stressed the fact, thus people often come to me for an opinion or just to have someone to chat about their favourite game with.

 

[zehydra]

Because they've spent time and money to make sure that they're not "Nerds", and they hate people who embody the very thing they're running from. They are all cowards who don't see the stupidity of their life philosophy.

 

[SovietSecrets]

They are jealous that gamers have time to play games and enjoy them while they don't.

 

[DevilWolf47]

I think people look down on anyone who does something different from what they do to kill time. It gets annoying, admittedly, but it's probably best to just annoy it. At least we don't USUALLY take the same amount of flak that furries do.

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

Because people think we are "wasting our time with something that isn't real". At least that is what someone told me. I then told them to go fuck themselves I'm going to go play Reach.

 

[Mastercylinder]

So they can feel better about themselves? but they do that to everbody . . . so IDK.

 

[BlindTom]

I have never been looked down on for playing games. Not even tabletop dungeons and dragons. I have no experience relating to this topic.

Then you've been hanging with likeminded geeks too much. "normal" people still shun games. I don't care how much they act like it's ok, it's still not fine to play games by society's standards.
It's not accepted as a proper hobby and it's generally little weird if someone plays games like more than 2 hours a day.

And god forbid if someone plays something obscure, or anything else than Farmville or CoD. It's a stigma, gamers are still "freaks" and the media keeps depicting us as "violent" and "unpredictable" too.

Think about it; can you go approach any girl and tell her that you're good at videogames or you really like that one game? No.. she will not like it.

My girlfriend says that to me sometimes. I don't mind. Gaming is not looked down on, the problem is that gamers look UP to total wankers. "Normal" people do all sorts of mad shit on a daily basis, some of them have a persecution complex. Some don't. Gaming is extremely common, hence the hobby now has its own share of fucktards who like to think they're being looked down on because of something they do in their free time rather than because they're insecure.

Why do people look down on football fans?

Why do people look down on dancers?

Why do people look down on the police?

Why do people look down on me? Must be because of some tangential bullshit rather than because I'm making an easy victim of myself.


On another note:

pretty much everyone likes to look down on someone, some people like to look down on furries, some on women, some on black people, etc etc

One of these isn't like the others... Are you seriously comparing some juvenile bickering over a lifestyle choice with the very real and important issues of gender and race? If so I think we may have found the barrier between gamers and humans.

 

[figday]

well if the gamer only play games in all of his time then i as a gamer would certainly look down as well. there are a lot of important stuff and chores to do in life. time management is key.

as for non-gamers looking down on us, fuck em. they just dont get our passion. and we are mostly smarter and more intellectual then them, which makes them nervous and looks down on us as a self-defense mechanism.

if it werent for us geeks and nerds and gamers, those non-gamers would never have smartphones, or tablet PCs and every kind of 'cool' gadgets they're using.

they should be thanking us, but their arrogance refuses to acknowledge it.

 

[Dexiro]

I get in that situation where people ask me 'Trezu what did you do on the weekend'? and i would say 'oh i Watched LOTR and Read some Books and played some Video Games, I was having a real lazy week lol'. then they seem to talk down to me about everyday stuff.


But i just never understood that. But Apparently from other people they say it happens to them too when they bring it up. But i have no understanding of why?

Why are we looked Down Upon?
Should we just Not talk about Games?
Lets say Julia Gillard our Prime Minister, said that she plays Call Of Duty would you take her less seriously as a Prime Minister?

Hell i would Vote for her if she played video games i want to shoot the Prime Minister in Killzone what can i say. But Sometimes a Video Game can open people's eyes its happened.

Not to be a grammar nazi but you have a weird habit of capitalising random letters xD

OT: It's because of the gamer stereotype. 30 years ago maybe most gamers were kind of antisocial, dark basements and D&D, the lot. Atleast that's what the stereotype would have me believe.

These days gaming has become more mainstream and accepted, but the stereotype remains the same. Some people equate anyone who plays games as some basement dwelling nerd, but of course that's not the case.

 

[Mr. In-between]

Because subcultures are stupid maybe?

 

[Vault101]

Beucase if you dont go out and socialse every weekend and drink lots and lots of alchohol then theres somthign wrong with you

but seriously I mean its not like one thing means the other, there is crossover

somone who likes games could also socialse ect

anyway I dont bother talking about games to people when it will just go over their heads

This is my point of view exactly, especially in Australia, where drunken binges are the only socially acceptable way to spend the weekend.
You're last point stands out to me especially, while I love to talk about games and can ramble on for hours, I never bring up the topic, simply because some folks harbour biased opinions and often try to "convince" me why games are bad. This isn't necessarily restricted to games though, I can't even count the amount of times people have tried to convince me that riding a motorcycle is bad, it's something I enjoy and it actually has it's advantages over a car for safety reasons, but people can only see the negative sides of things. But now I'm getting off topic.
I figure that if someone is interested in games, they will come to me about it. I have always been open about being a gamer but I never stressed the fact, thus people often come to me for an opinion or just to have someone to chat about their favourite game with.

ha yes as an Auatralian that is all too true,

not that I look down on people for that I mean socialising is very healthy but I mean a sucesful weekend for me might be finishing a game or watching a new movie...

but because I didnt go out? thats "sad"....ha really? well Im quite happy for a sad person, and how about you? you seem a little sad praying at he porcelin alter on sunday morning...

 

[MagicMouse]

I think a better question is "Why the fuck do some of us still care?".

People are judgmental, its in their nature. Respect the ones who are tolerant and ignore the rest.