User blog:XelNecra/The Stereotype of a "Gamer"

Gaming had, for the past years and even today, quite some misperceptin. Thats no news to anyone. Why is that so?

When people hear the word "Gamer", they think about some overweight teen with glases sitting in the basement, playing games for 20 hours a day, who is incapable of social activities, raging in his small little world. While this might be true for an incredibly small percentage of gamers, it has nothing to do with reality most of the time. Why does the term "Gamer" even exist? I mean, people who watch a lot of TV are not called "Televisioner" or "Watcher", and there are tons of them either. Right now, i feel that the term "Gamer" is a stigma, burdnened with the abovementioned stereotype.

In the end that's all out fault. Think about it. Has anyone ever actively done something against this misperception? Did you? When I am asked about my hobbies, i am usually reluctant to count up gaming, though it has player a major role in my life and shaped me in a few ways. I met friends online, who i meet in real life now, through them i found my wife, and i moved to Berlin, just because of her, and now i work here. I would not even be here if i had not been a gamer! It had a massive impact in my life! Still, why do i have to feel embrassed when i say playing computer-games is a hobby?

The stereotypes associated with "gamers" have never been fought. Thats why they are still perceived so strongly. However, every stigma disappears by itself sooner or later. And today, so many people play games. There has probably never been a time in existence where so many people play games. Basically everyone. Even if its just something on farmville or facebook, or minesweeper or a card game. Literally everyone has played or is playing electronic games nowadays. Thats not how it always has been. When i think back 10 or 15 years, it all looked entirely different, and people playing games were a vast majority, especially among non-teenagers.

So, now that everyone plays video games now and then, how is it that the stigma has not vanishes yet?

It's our own fault.

Look at what is happening in League of Legends every day? Someone is better than you? You call him "no-lifer". Someone insults you? You tell him "get friends". And then, we start flaming each other.

We do not only use the existing stereotypes of "gamers" as an insult for each other, we also fulfill the stereotypes by ranting and rageing at everyone who dares to "feed".

Why do we have to do that? It makes no sense! By feeding into the stereotypes, the only ones we are really damaging here are ourselves! The guy that you are flaming at now is someone who you will never see again, and flaming him won't even make him play better! There is no point absolutely!

Being respectful to each other does not hurt! We are nice guys in real life, why keep on raging here? Why not atry a new approach to behaviour in the internet?

It is about time, that the stigma disappears. Dont you think?