I've been a gamer since long before I was unveiled into any public system. I recall Pac-Man and Missile Command before I even had other children to go outside with. The ignorant would feel pity for me, but what four year old would prefer to play in gravel over exploring deep space? Being a gamer isn't an easy commitment. It's like having a second job without pay. It's a labor of love and we should be respected for that. Vast amounts of knowledge, instincts, and tolerances are engrained into our minds. We know how to chain combos, we know how to protect ourselves from a Zergling rush, and we can defeat the Mother Brain in under three hours. Why do we do it? No non-gamers care. Our high scores and completion percentages and level 70 gnome mages don't matter to the unenthused, uninterested non-gamers. I'd like to ask the other question; why don't they care? Why don't non-gamers care about Will Wright and Mr. Miyamoto? Non-gamers could play Guitar Hero, but would never be caught dead playing The Elder Scrolls. I completely understand that some gamers stick to one or two genres, which is fine, but I hope you get my point. During certain times of the year, when new releases are frequent and overlapping, life becomes a struggle. Sleep is lost just to stay caught up. The silly and uncultured may consider this an addiction, but the same argument can be used to claim that cake-eating on every birthday is a disease. Humans put time into the things they enjoy, and for many things other than gaming, that's okay.
Let's talk about a few examples of the Playcism that gamers have to deal with.
First and foremost, Hollywood.
It's a simple example, but hardly irrelevant. When gaming children are displayed in movies, they are often depicted as rowdy, hyperactive whiners; rolling around on the floor, holding the controller incorrectly, and feverously mashing at buttons. It's really not necessary. Commercials are typically worse. I'm pretty sure this came up at the think-tank meeting at Nintendo HQ the day the Wii was conceptualized.
Religious Fanatics Hate Us.
From satanic symbols in Doom to playing as a god in The Sims, religions seem to get a little edgy with video games every now and then. Now, it's completely obvious that the devil himself is a lead environment programmer for all major game developers, but I think we'll be okay if we take our Sims out to the Diner.
The Media uses us as Scapegoats.
Whenever Fox News isn't up someone's ass for having their own opinion that doesn't coincide with the general views of Fox News, they are reminding us that many things are out there that will transform our precious little snowflakes into mindless killing machines. Fear-mongering and video games practically go hand in hand these days, with most juvenile crimes, including school shootings, are blamed on games, which are often referred to as "police officer murder simulations." A few months back, stay at home mothers were warned that the game Mass Effect could make their children gay. Watch out for the Hanar, little Billy!
Jack Thompson.
Mr. Thompson has won the Lynk's Annual Douchebag of the Year Award for the past four years! Fortunately, this Miami Lawyer has been disbarred. In his heyday, Jack would travel the nation waiting in anticipation for school shootings and other violent crimes so he could spring out and blame video games. This was his war, and he was known to spam gaming forums, even if the topic was to reflect upon the memories of a gamer who passed away. If gamers were to have one single enemy, Jack Thompson would be its final form.
My Mom.
My mom hates video games. She thinks I should be out making her some grandkids instead of catching Pokemon. I doubt any woman would let me name my first born after Marowak, a ground-type Pokemon.
Girls.
Video games are the #1 cause of rejection by the opposite sex, with instances of playcism running rampant in the halls of schools right before the big dance everywhere. Try to bring up the themes and morals of Bioshock with a girl at the bar, or discuss your best strategy for building defense for your Protoss base, or tell her about the raid last night in Kara. If she walks away, she's a Playcist Mofo, and good ridden to her. She wasn't worth your time anyway, friend. Odds are, she doesn't know Gordon Freeman's weapon of choice, and has no idea why the cake is indeed a lie.
