Weekend Brunch is a weekly discussion post to get gamers thinking and have their opinion heard about the industry they love. It’s a light-hearted conversation just like you’d have with the family at brunch. Except without your creepy uncle. If you have a topic you’d like brought up, or just want to share your thought, sound off in the comments section below.
Non-gamers VS Gamers:
When you’re a kid and into video games it’s seen as perfectly acceptable. Sure these days you need to govern the amount of time played so as not to be scrutinized, but for the most part kids gaming is just seen as part of being a kid. Then sometime between 18 – 23 it’s like being classified as a gamer becomes a Scarlet Letter to some folks. Like playing video games is akin to playing with Cabbage Patch Kids (that’s still a thing, right?).
You don’t even really need to say that you play video games. Somehow being involved in the industry in any way shines an adolescent light on you. In pop culture, adult gamers/developers are either seen as 30 year old middle-schoolers, or this guy:
I’ve told a bunch of folks about this site lately and how proud I am of our organization for putting it together, and some folks gave it an odd reception. I started parsing out how I presented it.
Them: “Hey I saw you were writing for a website.”
Me: “Yeah, it’s a ton of fun, and really rewarding too!”
Them: “Awesome, what’s it about?”
Me: “Video Games.”
Them: “………. [a whimsical look as if to say ‘Aren’t you 30?’].”
So what is it about our culture that puts gamers into this kiddie light? Why are video games seen as a child’s plaything, yet playing Parcheesi is somehow OK? (for the record, Parcheesi is never OK, regardless of age) Is it because our recreational vehicle of choice is, in fact, a medium meant for kids and you and I actually do fit into the Hollywood stereotype or is it just because video games have only relatively recently become an entertainment for aimed towards all ages? Or is it something else all together?
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