My colleagues do admit it freely, but that's just because I work in a computer shop.

Indeed, many people seem to consider it childish. I disagree...vehemently.

Thanks for reading that, all of you.

Well I must be one of the lucky few then, I know for certain that a couple of my colleagues are gamers. We talk about the topic now and again.

True enough, but there is one problem: Most people aren't 'curious enough' to actually be interested in the nuances. If they ask "do you play computer games", the answer "no" is closer to the truth than "yes" for me, because what people mean with this question in 99% of all cases is "do you know the latest hit". Looking at it that way, I'm not even lying. If I'd say "yes", on the other hand, they wouldn't take the time to listen to my explanations anymore, and they'd be stuck with a wrong image of me.

Which is ridiculous. Let's take a look at some media entertainment alternatives to computer games: TV/movies, books, radio, general internet usage. None of them generally has a higher quality or more ambitious contents that could make them more acceptable from a serious perspective. The 90% crap rule has been mentioned here before; it can be applied to all media including computer games. If you bring to mind the total junk that is being broadcasted by TV and radio stations, it's hard to believe that those two media types have a higher degree of acceptance than computer games.


Oh, come on. I experienced that most younger people have a more relaxed attitude towards gaming. I guess it will be accepted as a normal hobby by forthcoming generations.


That's a point of view I can understand and share with you, though. However, that wouldn't be a reson to deny gaming on the whole. I don't play such games, so I don't feel "guilty" for something that I don't practise.

I know what you're talking about very well. Almost nobody will 'confess' they're playing computer games. Strange phenomenon, but considering that it still doesn't have the same 'standing' as other media, also understandable.

Going into a slightly different direction, there are numerous reasons not to talk about ones' gaming antics, though. I've denied that I play computer games several times already myself. Not because I'm ashamed of what I do, but because you immediately get stuck into stereotype.

Let's have a look at what 'gamer' means these days: It's playing extremely violent games purely concerned with mass murder. The more gruesome, the better. Seriously - that's not something I want to be associated with.

Also, you're saying 'gamers' are nicer to work with. Speaking more generally, that's something along the lines of sharing interests with people which makes their company more pleasant. Most certainly true. However, it can also get quite annoying if these interests are (from the outside view) shifted just slightly. For example, whenever I meet people "who grew up with 1st-generation Pentium machines", I get to hate them pretty quickly. Although we certainly have a lot in common, their view on computers and games in specific is a lot different from mine. Way more limited if you ask me, but that's purely subjective. Let's just say it's different in ways which can't be overcome. Fundamental differences without a chance of any compromise.

So anyway, I really enjoyed exchanging quotes from Monkey Island with a few fellow students last week, but the gamer stereotype is still nothing I want to be associated with. Schizophrenic? Probably.

Well, I've never felt so weak that I was forced to deny my affinity to gaming. Maybe because I'm just 22? Most of my friends aren't as much into gaming as I am, so that's not a frequent topic of conversation anyway.

I agree with ardell's point that games have contributed a lot to the mass spreading of computers; they forward upgrading of hardware, and create more user identification that others software does.

As for the kind of ("older") people who play computer games more than sporadically, I can't figure out or define a homogenous group. Two characteristics according to my impression: 1) By far mostly male. 2) Intelligence above average. Real dedication to a game, i.e. playing it significantly longer than Solitaire in the coffee break, requires a lot of concentration. Many people can't concentrate on one thing more than some minutes. Conclusion: If most people watch trash TV while I play games, I'm satisfied with my situation.

However, it difficult to judge whether the ability to concentrate on one issue for a longer time is a result of gaming. Perhaps gaming contributes to it. Perhaps the ability was there before and you play games because of this ability. Who knows?

Editorial by ardell. Comments?