Why does the mainstream media hate gamers so much?

[Spirultima]

Well the neglect of it all is that, they have the scapegoat, but there in lies the problem, they call GAMES violent, but i have seen movie after movie seeing more violence then any game, including Mortal Kombat, because to be honest, I've never broke my knees forward then shot a white blast (Havok), also games relief the stress of day to day life, i mean say i see a fool shouting at me randomly, i like to see that guy as the enemy in the game, as so which i proceed to cut him from the crotch, up to the neck, then cut his head off with a glaive (dark sector).

To end this, in a very short sentence which always works is:

If someone is killing someone in a game, he isn't killing someone in the street.

 

[Specter_]

Basically, because it's already been through radio (30s), germans (40s), teenagers (50s), LSD/Dope (60s), video (70s), glue/heavy metal (80s), ecstasy/films (90s).

This. Except there have been times when books have been deemed evil (damn, too many e's in that sentence)

 

[AlphaOmega]

Because whatever they try, they cant controll it.

Humans fear most what they dont understand or have controll about.

 

[PopperThingi]

I think it has something to do with the fact that gaming is almost the only growing entertainment industry. Music is dying, mainly because of pricay and people unwilling to buy albums, demanding more digital content and Guitar Hero DLC instead; Movies are so dried up they already released a third High School Musical bullshit and TV can be easily watched online and with reality TV, who wants that?

That leaves games as something to buy for your home entertainment, and the media can't get over the fact that "games are for kids".
Fuck'em, who cares?

 

[Uilleand]

You're asking the wrong question.

As a former member of the so-called 'mainstream media' ... it makes me chuckle that most people think reporters have any say over what they're writing. Media is controlled by money, which is controlled by advertisers, which is controlled by consumer spending - which is you.

Reporters do, for the most part, our very best to research our stories, given deadline pressures and editorial pressures. THere are a shite-load of reporters who are gamers, too...

Please understand that everything I say here is null and void as it may pertain to Fox News. Their coverage of the Mass Effect 'sex scandal' just about put me off my own profession for good.

As a mature, married woman who plays video games, that situation made me want to laugh. As a journalist, however, the entire episode made me want to weep. I spent 18 years of my life earning my living, and even the occasional award, as a reporter, editor and writer of opinion columns. And I had never - never - seen such an abuse of the title 'journalism.'

As a member of the 'fifth estate', I am often confronted with outright hostility as members of the public believe that my job is defined by sensationalism, bias, and opportunism. Over the years, I have grown weary of these confrontations as I could not understand the basis for these feelings, when I do my best every day to tell people's stories as honestly as they are told to me, to take my government to task when they fail us, to hold up the wrongdoers of society as an example of paths to avoid and to put the spotlight on those citizens who make our world just a little bit brighter.

Fox News cleared up that little misunderstanding for me.

However, they also instilled in me a deep gratitude that I do not ply my trade in the U.S. While the rules that govern journalism in Canada might occasionally chafe - especially when confronted with the idea of limiting my own concept of 'justice' - I see now where the alternative leads.

Ugh....sorry for wall o text.
*slinks back to XBox and splatters a hoard of space zombies*
OK...I feel better now...

 

[Powerman88]

Basically, because it's already been through radio (30s), germans (40s), teenagers (50s), LSD/Dope (60s), video (70s), glue/heavy metal (80s), ecstasy/films (90s).

You forgot Russians in there.

Thing is people always fear what they don't understand. A lot of people don't understand video games, thus fear them to be "evil". Its that simple.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Basically, because it's already been through radio (30s), germans (40s), teenagers (50s), LSD/Dope (60s), video (70s), glue/heavy metal (80s), ecstasy/films (90s).

You forgot to mention Literature (like Catcher in the Rye), Comic books, Jazz, D&D, and immigrants (of all ethnicities; current whipping boy - Latin Americans).

It's video games now because that's the most popular thing that the people who make and watch the news are least likely to take part in: most people into the network news (especially) like boring and passive forms of entertainment like the gossip that passes for news nowadays.

Politicians on the other hand are starting to back down now that they realize that mature voters also play video games. They were on the bandwagon for a while because they could blame the problems with kids, not on the voting parents, but the most popular form of entertainment. It's all about passing the blame onto a group that can't (as in the case of young people who for some reason can't vote) or won't (the until recently un-united gaming industry) fight back.

Then you can always turn to HL Mencken who defined Puritanism as "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."

BTW, it's not just Fox News (who is just the worst but the real sickening thing is that it has a huge share of the market which makes me think that most of my fellow americans are completely pants); all american news is useless except maybe the publicly funded PBS news programs which cover less gossip and more worldly matters. Otherwise I turn to foreign news.

 

[cyber_andyy]

We all know that no body will blame the god damn awful parents who shouldn't be allowed to breeed, so we need a sacpegoat.

 

[TheGreenManalishi]

everybody needs someone else to look down upon take me for example, i hate people in general >:O

But will it? Until they stop making money, things'll never change.

 

[ffoulksy]

Easy targets and sloppy journalism.

Many games have you doing things that in RL would be abhorrent... violence, theft, violence, more violence and guns and sometimes violence... and so the (il)logical conclusion is that we must all be (more than averagely) predisposed to behave that way in RL.

Even non-violent games stop you going out and doing something wholesome like playing footy or whatever (obesity is the new lung-cancer).

En masse we can be somewhat unwholesome (seriously the whiff at many gaming conventions it a bio-hazard).

We talk gibberish to the uninitiated.

Every one of us at some point in time has worn a T-shirt with either something heavy metal/satanic, a cute animal (same thing?) or 1337 plastered on it.

We really think Buffy, Angel or Willow might have dated us if only we could have met.

Shoot - even I hate us fnarr fnarr

 

[uncle-ellis]

because all gamers are retarded dipshits who cannot tell reality from a video game
:/

 

[Clemenstation]

Media ecology.

People have limited time to spend looking at a screen. Every hour spent playing a video game is an hour that is NOT spent watching TV, boosting show ratings, being exposed to advertisements, etc. It is highly unlikely that television documentaries or 'special reports' will ever treat video games favourably, as they are direct competitors for public mind-share.

 

[Yegargeburble]

Basically, because it's already been through radio (30s), germans (40s), teenagers (50s), LSD/Dope (60s), video (70s), glue/heavy metal (80s), ecstasy/films (90s).

This. Except there have been times when books have been deemed evil (damn, too many e's in that sentence)

It is an "E"vil sentence, then...and now I hate myself.

 

[Erana]

It's just another scapegoat to blame. It used to be comic books, then it moved on to Television, and then Rock and Roll, then LSD and Marijuana, and then Heavy Metal.

But comic books still don't get the recognition that they diserve...

 

[ae86gamer]

Since they know nothing about video games they just think that its childish and lame. But in reality its not. Games often times have super awesome story lines. (Thats right I said super awesome)

 

[Ansem-The-Wise]

People aren't ready to realize that what happens in the world is THEIR fault. They'd rather blame something popular like television, music, or the newest fad.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

I was never aware that the Media was so prejudiced against us as a community. Thank you for raising this issue. I am now more educated by your post.