Not even "Cool" enough to be a "GAMER"

Okay, so over the past few months I have witnessed and been engaged in some conversations about VIDEO GAMING and the many issues around the culture, technology, etc.  Many folks at MBCC are connected to gaming via playing or working for the industry.  As I have learned about my experience (or lack there of according to some of the members) I am a TOTALLY out of my realm of reality when we enter Video Game Land.  Often times I don't even understand the words by themselves let along when they are strung together in a sentence.  Yes . . . I am THAT Gamer-Stupid.

Mostly because I want to find out if there are others out there who are as disconnected as I am, I am interested in what other's experiences have been around gaming.  There are a few questions at the end of this post, but to give you some juice for the comments here are some things I have learned about myself . . .

• THERE WAS SOMETHING AFTER DONKEY KONG? - So apparently my break from video games was before they left the Arcade (TimeZone in Old Town, Sacramento anyone?)  and came into the home.  I was big into Galaga, Donkey Kong, DigDug, Tempest, Joust, etc.  Never really played Zelda, Prince of Persia, etc. as those games came onto the PC and home console scene.  I did play the old school Atari with Combat and had a GameBoy, but that was about it.  I wonder why?  There was never a "No Video Game" rule in our home as we now have with our girls, so maybe it was because my friends were not big gamers . . . or, hmmm, maybe I had a LIFE (I just couldn't resist) that included important stuff like chasing girls, fixing up my 1979 Toyota Corona (Yes, I said a CoroNa, complete with $800 Stereo system in a $400 car.) and Drum Corps (My hidden past.).
• I MUCH PREFER SHOOTING ALIENS AND PEOPLE I CAN'T SEE - So this whole "First Person Shooter" thing . . . as much as I love "Guy" movies, explosions, car chases and a good shoot-out or brawl in the movies, I still get queasy about the shooting/blood/dying thing.  I GUESS one could argue that it is more real so you understand the significance of killing more, but it still just weirds me out to be THE shooter.  Yes, I killed things in Galaga, but, come on, those where non-descript aliens trying to take over the world, they HAD to die.  Now I am in no way on the censorship wagon, I just find it interesting that there is very little urge for me to engage in these latest rounds of games.
• I just might not be even cool enough to be a dork - This one is difficult for me to handle, but alas I may just have to admit it.  While I am a techno-geek in some areas, even the video game dorks are making fun of me.  Age, intelligence, my floods and plaid shirt . . . what is it?  I think I will just have to embrace my "Not cool enough to even be a dork" status.  Maybe a t-shirt or something will make me feel better . . .
• I GUESS I CHOOSE MY ADDICTIONS AND VEG-OUT MEDIUMS - In the end, I think many folks use gaming as a means of escapism and entertainment.  I suppose like any activity, if it begins to ruin your life, relationships and/or health it has become unhealthy and addictive.  I have learned that one of the keys to surviving is to choose and monitor your addictions well: motorcycles, TIVO, Oakland A's, eMail, Shoes. Dog the Bounty Hunter, L&L . . . oops am I typing out loud?!?!?

So . . . I would love to hear some response from some of you:

• Do you game?  How much?  What has determined your level of Gamer-ness?
• What do you think about the first person shooter games and issues around violence, sex, etc. in video games?
• How could/can/has gaming been helpful to your life and/or society?
• Do you want to join my "Not Even Cool Enough to be a Dork" club?

Later, I am off to non-Gamer therapy . . .

Comments

[Derrick Weston]

well, that was hi-larious!

I do "game", but I wouldn't call myself a gamer. Mostly, I've been playing Madden alot because I have a lingering NFL hangover.

I find that I play video games most during exam times. They're a break from studies. It has been that way for me since high school. I usally don't play when the wife is around unless she is very engaged in something. I don't let it get in the way of real life relationships (for the most part).

In general, I'd rather there not be blood in games I play. I prefer for bad guys to just disappear. I've never understood the idea of sexual images in video games. Who does that turn on? Ewww!

Gaming, at its best, is communal. It's a fun way to compete over things that don't matter. I haven't gotten to the point of competing with people online. I find that weird. If I'm gonna beat someone at something, I want them to be in the room so I can gloat. As I said, I use video games as an outlet and destresser. I certainly have other outlets for my stress and testosterone-fueled aggression, but I actually do leave most gaming experiences feeling much more relaxed.

Truth be told, like most things I enjoy, I'm not very good at video games. I'm probably not cool enough to be a gamer that plays with other gamers. In that way, I might be the lowliest of gamers. Sigh.

[A.Y. Siu]

I'm not a gamer at all.

I played a few video games when I was kid, but since I was not good at any of them, I thought my quarters would be better spent at skee ball--at least I got candy and rabbit feet out of the deal.

Our gaming systems went from Pong to Intellivision to Coleco Vision to Nintendo... and that's about where our family left off.

Never was good at video games--at home or in the arcade.

Now, I'm married to a gamer who has a PS1, a PS2, a Gamecube, and a Gameboy Advance. She plays and plays and plays.

I like some of the cuter games like Bust-a-Move or Mario Kart. Cooperative hack-and-slash games where you can use cheat codes to be invincible--those are good, too.

As for the sex and violence and all that, I'm pretty liberal about that stuff, since my parents let me watch R-rated movies ever since I could remember. I think I ended up fairly well-adjusted... I think.

To each her own.

[Trina]

Sorry to be a little bit late in chiming in...

I do play video games, but I don't know whether or not I would qualify as a "gamer". I do usually play 2-3 times a week though, so I guess it all depends on what you consider a "gamer".

My favorite games are first person shoot-ups. Mind you, I'm 36, and I don't have kids. They games I play aren't terribly graphic, but I don't think they'd be appropriate for kids under 13 or so.

For me, playing video games has become oddly social. We play Xbox 360 with our friends. (from different parts of the country) We have a lot of fun playing together, and actually find that it's a very helpful and fun way to stay in touch with each other. I play with my husband and several of his friends. I'm the only girl playing. I have found that this has been a really fun way for all of us to "hang out" together. I think that this has an advantage over all of the other significant others in the group, as I get to "hang out with the guys" regularly.

Oh, and for the record, I had hardly played video games at all since I had my Atari 2600 in the late 70s/early 80s. I didn't know I had missed playing video games at all until my husband brought an Xbox home. Then he bought me my very own Xbox for Valentine's Day :)