Post by RisanF on Jan 12, 2011 15:19:01 GMT
Is it me, or is today's gamer waaaaay too obsessed with being cool? They talk a lot about how edgy and extreme GTA is, but instead of pushing the envelope on what a game can be, it's closed it, and gamers are shyer than ever when it comes to supporting something different, like Goemon games (Mystical Ninja) that never reach the States. The gaming community represents this, with message boards. review sites, and even strategy guides filled with the same closed-minded, condescending, and snide tone in its efforts to sound cool. For people that argue Freedom of Speech in favor of GTA and against Jack Thompson, these gamers on the message boards are not really interested in what anybody else has to say.
Let me explain further by telling you that my internet gaming ten years ago was filled with Mario sprite comics, debates on whether Zelda or Malon was a better love interest for Link, and original NES Ninja Gaiden fanfiction written by an author who also turned out a mean Ranma 1/2 story. You can't find this kind of discussion on gaming message boards; they'd probably insult you for showing a creative passion for anything other than the acceptable blood and gore. You CAN find this discussion of TV message boards, anime boards, literature boards, and especially cartoon boards, which interestingly enough are all things gamers don't gravitate to. And this is a shame, because those are the boards I find the most interesting, fun people.
I'm not out to ban GTA games or censor this kind of gamer; all of this stuff has the right to be here as much as anybody else. I just want to get back to the kind of gaming I remember, and let these gamers be on their side of the pond. I want to get back to character discussions, theorizing, and fanfics, and I want to play games that cater to that kind of person. In short, I want a gaming community for geeks that are proud to be geeks, not for geeks trying to be cool.
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Bear in mind that I don't think all gamers are like this; it's a generalization, but one I've found think holds true for much of the gaming community. I also think that the crux of the manner may not be the violence so much as it is the attitude about it. After all, Onimusha is as violent as Devil May Cry, but Onimusha has that quirky RPG feel and an involving story that's absent in Devil May Cry. Similarity, the Angry Video Game Nerd utilizes cursing and scatological humor, but you can feel his love for 80s culture in every video.
To me, it's all about Nerd Pride, not Nerd Guilt. For all the gaming communities talking about violence and mayhem, they're as stuffy as the people who blast Harry Potter for having "witchcraft" in it. They're not rebels; they're the establishment.
Let me explain further by telling you that my internet gaming ten years ago was filled with Mario sprite comics, debates on whether Zelda or Malon was a better love interest for Link, and original NES Ninja Gaiden fanfiction written by an author who also turned out a mean Ranma 1/2 story. You can't find this kind of discussion on gaming message boards; they'd probably insult you for showing a creative passion for anything other than the acceptable blood and gore. You CAN find this discussion of TV message boards, anime boards, literature boards, and especially cartoon boards, which interestingly enough are all things gamers don't gravitate to. And this is a shame, because those are the boards I find the most interesting, fun people.
I'm not out to ban GTA games or censor this kind of gamer; all of this stuff has the right to be here as much as anybody else. I just want to get back to the kind of gaming I remember, and let these gamers be on their side of the pond. I want to get back to character discussions, theorizing, and fanfics, and I want to play games that cater to that kind of person. In short, I want a gaming community for geeks that are proud to be geeks, not for geeks trying to be cool.
-
Bear in mind that I don't think all gamers are like this; it's a generalization, but one I've found think holds true for much of the gaming community. I also think that the crux of the manner may not be the violence so much as it is the attitude about it. After all, Onimusha is as violent as Devil May Cry, but Onimusha has that quirky RPG feel and an involving story that's absent in Devil May Cry. Similarity, the Angry Video Game Nerd utilizes cursing and scatological humor, but you can feel his love for 80s culture in every video.
To me, it's all about Nerd Pride, not Nerd Guilt. For all the gaming communities talking about violence and mayhem, they're as stuffy as the people who blast Harry Potter for having "witchcraft" in it. They're not rebels; they're the establishment.