Idiot Gamers: Waggle or Murder

[Gamerforlife]

It's funny, I keep hearing that gaming is more socially acceptable today. Yeah sure, playing a game no longer brands you as a geek or a loser and more people know about video games now. Yet many people still think that anyone who plays games on a regular basis or keeps up with the industry is a geek or loser. Many people still think that anyone who actually CARES about beating the game or getting good at it is a geek or loser. Things haven't changed that much

Gaming is accepted today, but it is still not taken seriously. It sort of like a fad now, but one that is lasting a long time. It's cool to play games, but not cool to be a gamer. Notice we are still having trouble getting people to accept gaming as art. We still can't even get a decent video game movie out there because no respectable actors or directors will bother with a movie based off of a video game. So you get idiots like Uwe Boll. The comic book industry is definitely ahead of us there. Comics seem to be gaining some measure of respectability. I will actually hear people discuss a really good comic book movie at work, but still won't talk about games unless it's some sport title or silly Wii party game. Again, only cool to admit you're a gamer if you're not taking it seriously, which means just messing around in a Wii party game or a sports title or just shooting some people in Call of Duty 4 or whatever. Try discussing the artistic merits of Ico however and people look at you like you have no social life and never got laid

You know another thing this topic got me thinking about. People often talk about a person's skills deteriorating with age. Yet with gaming, it seems us old timers have got a real edge on a lot of younger folk. We're USED to hard games. We grew up on them. Many of us have even adapted to the new challenges presented by 3-d gaming. We have experience and we have determination. We have muscle memory, we have the reflexes, etc. I think patience and determination are the most important thing. As others have mentioned young gamers just give up too quickly and easily. I get pissed when a game gets tough. Usually bitching about it being cheap or whatever(and I'm often right), but I'll eventually come back to it and find a way to win or go online for some tips.

Okay, I think just babbled and rambled on for fifteen minutes

[Ack]

I'd just like to make a point that while watching comic movies is great, reading comic books is still frowned upon, at least everywhere I've lived.

[Pulsar_t]

I reckon certain hobbies will never become mainstream. Things like Star Trek (or any phenomenon that supercedes it), comics and videogames. So in essence I agree with Gamerforlife about the fad bit, but I don't associate all forms of gaming with reflexes since there are plenty of dedicated gamers who have been keen on the likes of Myst and Monkey Island and wouldn't bother with brawlers or action titles.

Anyway, I hope the Max Payne film turns out to be half-decent! Enemy at the Gates was entertaining, albeit bastardising the story of its main protagonist.

[ZeroAX]

The first happened in my local Gamestation, a 14yr old (maybe older) guy brought a copy of The Orange Box (for 360) to the counter and asked how violent it was. When told that it was pretty violent he asked the cashier for a more violent game. The cashier suggested Bioshock on the grounds that "you get to shoot little girls". So this boy walked out of the shop with a game he knew nothing about, going only on the fact that at some point he would get to shoot little girls! Is it just me or is that ridiculous? This generation care more about the violent content that litter the games that they buy than whether they are actually any good!!! (Luckily Bioshock is apparently a good game, although I must admit I have never played it).

I can't believe nobody has commented on the fact that a 14 year old kid walked out of a Gamestation with an 18 rated game... Which fucking retard sold him that? He deserves to lose his job. If I saw that happen I would have asked to speak to the manager. Then again in GS it probably was the manager that sold it to him...

That kid probably played that game for about ten minutes and then got stuck. I bet it's just gathering dust on his shelf.

Fucking kids.

When I have kids they aren't even gonna touch ANY violent game until they are old enough to play it maturely. As opposed to ZOMG BLOOD AND GUTS ARE SO KOOOL LLOLOLOLOLLL!!!!1!1!!!!1.

It probably would have gone elsewhere to buy it, or it would just bring it's parent crying. As long as there is no law banning the sale there's no point in stopping it, the only thing you could do is warn the parents who seam to have been apsent. good parenting

[Gamerforlife]

I'd just like to make a point that while watching comic movies is great, reading comic books is still frowned upon, at least everywhere I've lived.

True, but at least Hollywood gives comic books some respect, which was really the point I was trying to make. But now that you got me thinking about it, reading comic books still seems COMPLETELY frowned upon while it is at least okay to play video games in society now as long as you don't take them too seriously. So I guess in a way, comics haven't really moved past video games in terms of social acceptance

[Haoie]

Maybe we're all just too nostalgic?

Time for us old men to get with the times, perhaps?

[ZeroAX]

I'd just like to make a point that while watching comic movies is great, reading comic books is still frowned upon, at least everywhere I've lived.

True, but at least Hollywood gives comic books some respect, which was really the point I was trying to make. But now that you got me thinking about it, reading comic books still seems COMPLETELY frowned upon while it is at least okay to play video games in society now as long as you don't take them too seriously. So I guess in a way, comics haven't really moved past video games in terms of social acceptance

really? I don't see anyone frowning someone else for reading asterix in europe. maybe though it's because most american comic books are written with a child/teenager in mind. I liked the xmen movie (1 and 2 at least) but I keep trying to read ultimate x-men the comic book, and the dioluge is too childish for my taste (the story itself I like, but the way they talk and try to pass as cool ends up being lame)

[Ack]

It comes down to the writer, ZeroAX, but even our best comic works tend to be frowned upon. If I were to sit around reading Alan Moore's Watchmen, I might not get the disrespect, but anything else he wrote and it likely would be a different case. The general opinion of comics is that they were written for kids, though much of the American industry has moved towards the late teenager, early 20s demographic. Problem is, their writing just isn't up to snuff to back it up. Reading some comic books genuinely hurts. I'm looking at you, Spider-Man.

[Pulsar_t]

I'd just like to make a point that while watching comic movies is great, reading comic books is still frowned upon, at least everywhere I've lived.

True, but at least Hollywood gives comic books some respect, which was really the point I was trying to make. But now that you got me thinking about it, reading comic books still seems COMPLETELY frowned upon while it is at least okay to play video games in society now as long as you don't take them too seriously. So I guess in a way, comics haven't really moved past video games in terms of social acceptance

really? I don't see anyone frowning someone else for reading asterix in europe. maybe though it's because most american comic books are written with a child/teenager in mind. I liked the xmen movie (1 and 2 at least) but I keep trying to read ultimate x-men the comic book, and the dioluge is too childish for my taste (the story itself I like, but the way they talk and try to pass as cool ends up being lame)

And I'm if not mistaken science fiction as literature was mainstream in Europe long before Star Trek was ever conceived. Authors like Philip K. Dick were more recognised in Europe as well.

[ZeroAX]

since I'm only 20 I can't answer that mate. Though nowdays science fiction is not really mainstream in europe. It might be because most forms of entertainments based on science fiction these days are american made, and don't take this wrong I personaly like some of the stuff, but it's mostly made to appeal to the american demographic and the only european country that has similar taste is the UK. that's why star wars is so big in the US (I've actually lived there for 2 years so I have some life experience) but not many people other than men (who like science ficiton) have seen the movies in europe.