How games are viewed socailly?

[Michi]

..... but I do wear the occasional street fighter or megaman shirt. I usually get a compliment every time I wear one.

I've gotten several complements and nods of approval when I've worn my Zelda and Mario red mushroom shirt. I was browsing in one store and this guy a few feet away saw my mushroom shirt and pointed it out to his 5 year old son, who stared at me for a couple of seconds before pointing and yelling "Mario!" as only a little kid can. His father looked so proud.

[RBT]

In the few years i've been a member on this site, i've noticed that the members are from pretty much every social group imaginable. So i'm wondering how people in your "social circle" (hate that phrase) view video games.

For example pretty much everyone who knows me barely even knows i like them. Mine are not hidden but out of site and neatly in cupboards and draws ect. Also i never tend to talk about them or anything related to them. It's pretty strange now i think about it, but it is pretty much what everyone i know does. We all know we play them, its just not a social thing. Whereas with some of you lot it's clear that you and your mates like nothing better than to crash at someones place and play some street fighter.

For the record im 19 and from the UK (i believe views are VERY different in the US)

I am 22 and from the UK, and games are viewed socially amongst my friends. Every so often (once or twice a year normally) me and all my friends have a massive gaming night at my house normally involving 16 people, 8 or so consoles and a crapload of pizza. It's good stuff.


On the other hand, although most of my friends are gamers, most aren't really interested in retro gaming at all outside of one or two classics they love (read: Final Fantasy games on PS1 for most of them). Still, just enough care for me to get a good match of a retro game every so often.

Me and 3 other friends also beat 4 swords for gamecube in 4 player and are half way through Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. I think at least amongst my friend circle, games are very social.

That is pretty much the same for me, we seem to have a more relaxed view of gamers here in the UK. People give me far stranger looks when I mention I'm a bird watcher.

[Croooow!]

My wife doesn't care for games too much but she does love New Super Mario Bros on Wii. The only system she had growing up was an Atari 2600 so she sadly doesn't have any nostalgia for NES or SNES. Luckily for me her best friends LOVES Super Nintendo so when ever she comes over we play some Street Fighter II, Pocky & Rocky, or Sunset Riders.

I still see my high schools friends and all of them are into games in different ways. One friend is really into Virtual Console games but stays away from everything else. Another loves PS2 and Gamecube and another is tends to obsess over one game for a few months to the point that he gets mocked for how stupidly good he is. We still have games we like to play together, especially N64 games. My college friends and I would pretty much only play Super Smash Bros on N64, Halo 2, or Nazi Zombies. Smash Bros by far got played the most to the point that we had to get new controllers about every year.

I would say who I am most social with gaming wise in my two brothers since we're all very close in age. We all have nostalgia for the Nintendo systems and the consoles we had as kids tend to rotate between us. One brother has the "family" Gamecube and the other has the "family" N64 and PS2. We enjoy discussing games and always play something when we get together. Our parents and sister don't understand it but it really brings us together as brothers.