Video Gaming - An Enriching Experience or a Childish Pastime

[WritersBlah]

I've been feeling a bit out of sorts recently as I progress through life. I'm currently a sophomore in my university, and I'm just noticing the huge disparity in personalities gamer types tend to have. Back when I was in high school, I knew a ton of people who were gamers and were also really cool people. Like, you could sit down and have a conversation with them about anything, not just games. They were charming; had a really nice charisma about them. Fast forward a few years to now, and a lot of people I knew who used to be gamers are slowly falling out of it. We still talk, but things just feel a lot different now, and not really in a good way. So me being a pretty outgoing type, I try to meet new gamer people, and I'm just noticing that personality-wise, these adamant gamers just seem...awkward. They seem kinda pretentious about their hobby, but it's an odd kind of pretentiousness. It's not like a rich person kind of pretentious, but like this really obnoxious, opinionated, annoying aura. It's almost like I'm meeting the stereotype society makes about gamers. It's really weird to still be within this community filled with what's now essentially, for lack of a better word, manchildren, while still expecting to be taken seriously.

I still have gamer friends, but it seems like as we get older, they're slowly losing their interest in it, while for me, it's still a huge part of my life. I question whether that makes me a childish person or not. Sure, just because one enjoys games doesn't necessarily make one childish, but I'm starting to find it strange that though I've stayed mostly the same, everyone around me is evolving interest-wise. I'm honestly not willing to make close friends with people from this really awkward, and if I'm being totally honest, kind of unfriendly community. I'm certainly not referring to anyone here specifically; most everyone here is pretty cool, though I can only judge by online personas. But do you think keeping gaming as a central hobby has some respectability to it, or does it make you a manchild?

 

[Genocyde]

It's respectable but it largely depends on how one carries themselves about it. Like I would never list gaming as a hobby on a job application that asks for that type of thing, but I see no reason why

Gaming is slowly being accepted as a more mainstream form of entertainment like television, music, or movies. Technology has gotten more advanced, and the kids who played on the consoles of yesteryear have matured into adults who still want to cling to an experience that has matured along with them.

But along with more recognition comes the stigma of the stereotypical gamer nerd, which sometimes can make modern society roll their eyes. And it's true, some people act like ****ing overgrown kids who feel the need to have opinions heard. But not everyone who considers themselves a "gamer" acts that way.

I know a dude that is ten years older than me and he still enjoys video games. Granted, he is part of a fighting game community and mostly plays Injustice/MK/Tekken, I've seen him actively enjoying New Super Mario Bros., Megaman, and some niche card games. I actually think he's pretty damn cool for doing it because at that age if you're caught playing anything than WWII shooter games than society expects you to "grow up". The guy himself is a pretty responsible person just indulging in a hobby; hardly what I would call a "manchild".

Also, remember that people can outgrow video games as they grow older due to priorities being changed or other interests arising.

 

[victra♥]

I've listed and have talked about my history and experiences as a competitive video game player and tournament host during my interviews and have always gotten very positive results. (These were for professional positions mind you, as an educator for one, and an engineer for another). I know others in the smash communities have similar experiences when searching for professional positions such as a rocket scientist (Tafokints), a lawyer (Bizzarro Flame), and an engineer (HungryBox) by highlighting their gaming passions and experiences. It says a lot about the person, like how they pursue their interests and passions to the fullest regardless of what it might be, and that they know how to have fun, etc.

Video games are just another hobby, much like watching movies or listening/playing music. You're going to get people from all sorts of different demographics, ages, and walks of life. The smash community is an incredible example of that.

Within the gaming community, you're going to find people who share similar traits with you. Same humor, similar personalities, interests, and passions. I think that's the real strength behind video games these days is that they're a great ice breaker, and you can develop some really meaningful friendships and relationships. A lot of my closest friends are a direct result of my experiences in the smash community for the previous 8 years of my life.

Not to mention video games is such an engaging, mentally challenging (puzzles, fighters), beautiful (artwork/design, music/soundtrack), and technical (the engineering and design behind the games themselves) media. I would take video games over any other media related past time if i had to make the choice.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I have the same concern as the OP, but in a somewhat different...perspective, you could say.

See, it's mostly with my mom. And I'm sorry if this post may make this thread seem like the Unhappy Thread but --

In the past, like when I was in middle school, is when I started playing video games. I really started with the Game Boy in elementary but I became a full-on gamer with my first consoles in middle. I was the bullied kid, I didn't have many friends, and the ones I did have were gamers (one is another gamer girl like me, though nowadays she doesn't game much). And back then I'd spend a lot of time there and I didn't know when to stop playing. It continued through high school and was especially bad in my senior year when I missed out on a scholarship because I was turning to video games a lot. But, I had a reason to -- I was depressed, a friend of mine (a different one) was falling in with the wrong crowd, I hated my classes, and...yeah. Heck, even in my last year of college and grad school, I was failing too, once again because I was in depressing situations that I won't get into here and I turned to games to cope.

I could have been worse, I coulda been that homeless drug addict on the street or an overall wreck. It's a way to deal with the world for me, and it's also a hobby. But due to those incidents, and that I'm 25 and still don't know some things about being prepared for life ahead (though it is slowly improving), mom pretty much never wants me to play video games again. I appreciate games for what they are like @ victra♥ said, and I'm confident that I can control how long I play too. But mom refuses to allow me to even enjoy what I have, even calling it an "addiction" cause I don't ever, ever want to quit it forever. I even met more friends with it, some of whom left me for one reason or another, but others have stuck with me and I am afraid that if I quit gaming permanently, I will have to leave all my friends too because I'll want to go back to gaming and it'll be the vicious cycle all over again. And again, I do not want to ever give up this thing that I love. I wanna show mom I'm a different person than before.

Mom is just overall old and old-fashioned and doesn't know how integrated into today's society video games are -- they are like reading a book or watching a movie. The fact that she's old and gets so stressed over all this every time it's brought up doesn't help her, nor my dad who's even older and gets sicker as the years go by. I don't want them to suffer, but at the same time I want mom to see the good in my hobby. Since, one time I was going to GameStop to trade in an old iPhone and mom saw a guy asking the cashier for a game and said in privacy to me "all adults who play video games will never succeed".

And no, moving out isn't an option either. There's also my disabled aunt who was taken in after grandma died, to take care of.

I'm sorry if I seem depressing or something. I just really need advice. I don't want things to end on such a sad note...

 

[Chinaux]

I have the same concern as the OP, but in a somewhat different...perspective, you could say.

See, it's mostly with my mom. And I'm sorry if this post may make this thread seem like the Unhappy Thread but --

In the past, like when I was in middle school, is when I started playing video games. I really started with the Game Boy in elementary but I became a full-on gamer with my first consoles in middle. I was the bullied kid, I didn't have many friends, and the ones I did have were gamers (one is another gamer girl like me, though nowadays she doesn't game much). And back then I'd spend a lot of time there and I didn't know when to stop playing. It continued through high school and was especially bad in my senior year when I missed out on a scholarship because I was turning to video games a lot. But, I had a reason to -- I was depressed, a friend of mine (a different one) was falling in with the wrong crowd, I hated my classes, and...yeah. Heck, even in my last year of college and grad school, I was failing too, once again because I was in depressing situations that I won't get into here and I turned to games to cope.

I could have been worse, I coulda been that homeless drug addict on the street or an overall wreck. It's a way to deal with the world for me, and it's also a hobby. But due to those incidents, and that I'm 25 and still don't know some things about being prepared for life ahead (though it is slowly improving), mom pretty much never wants me to play video games again. I appreciate games for what they are like @ victra♥ said, and I'm confident that I can control how long I play too. But mom refuses to allow me to even enjoy what I have, even calling it an "addiction" cause I don't ever, ever want to quit it forever. I even met more friends with it, some of whom left me for one reason or another, but others have stuck with me and I am afraid that if I quit gaming permanently, I will have to leave all my friends too because I'll want to go back to gaming and it'll be the vicious cycle all over again. And again, I do not want to ever give up this thing that I love. I wanna show mom I'm a different person than before.

Mom is just overall old and old-fashioned and doesn't know how integrated into today's society video games are -- they are like reading a book or watching a movie. The fact that she's old and gets so stressed over all this every time it's brought up doesn't help her, nor my dad who's even older and gets sicker as the years go by. I don't want them to suffer, but at the same time I want mom to see the good in my hobby. Since, one time I was going to GameStop to trade in an old iPhone and mom saw a guy asking the cashier for a game and said in privacy to me "all adults who play video games will never succeed".

And no, moving out isn't an option either. There's also my disabled aunt who was taken in after grandma died, to take care of.

I'm sorry if I seem depressing or something. I just really need advice. I don't want things to end on such a sad note...

As long as you're in your mom's house, she still dictates you. It's her house and you need to respect her requests if you're going to stay there. If anything, move close by. That way you can take care of your Aunt and still do whatever you want.