Why do people portray Video Games as a bad thing

Well why?

Its like anyother hobbie like reading or TV.

Well man you might not like my answer but it's because it's not really a productive hobby (BTW I wouldn't call watching TV as a hobby!) I have been playing video games since Atari and let me tell you, if I could go back and get all those hours back I would. Not that I feel it was time wasted, I enjoy video games, but I feel that there were better things to spend my time with.

Nowadays I am more inclined to do something else with my time, I like building furniture and working on cars..those are two of the hundred things I wished I would have focused more time on than playing games. Not to say I don't play now, I am playing LA Noire and obviously I love coming on this site to see the new games and talk about some of them...but if I buy three games a year that's a lot.

I will say this about the younger video game players of today, a lot of them take them way too seriously. When I see kids talking about "skill" in video games..it makes me glad I am older. When I was a kid we played and there were always the kids who were better at games..but no one really cared. Now you have people chasing these dreams of professional gamers

Maybe because while movies and literary works have more mature people within their audiences, all of gaming has kids and manchildren arguing back and forth about the most silly things. Not to mention online play.

There's nothing wrong with heartily arguing back and forth between friends about one's favorite games, and all in good fun, but doing it on the Internet with moderate strangers? That's loserville status.

Perhaps though, that's all I'm saying. More often than not those who are actually over 25 and still playing video games end up being... less respected on the whole. Well actually, playing video games isn't inherently wrong or the problem. It's being on something like system wars that seals the game industry's fate as always being for the immature. I mean really now one has responsibilities to adhere to, being over a certain age and on the Internet for those kinds of reasons? Not a good point in time.

Or, alternately, it could be because certain people don't actually understand video games and so automatically choose the medium as the new scapegoat for whatever problems that may occur within society, which means that with time when the more ignorant (and less tolerant) generation drop dead, video games won't be a big deal that everybody makes a fuss about; it's still just a young medium.

But personally I don't think that's it. Nope, couldn't be.

[spoiler] :P [/spoiler]

Games are fun and meaningless. They offer a bit of diversion from your daily grind. That is all.

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Nothing wrong with that. But, please, folks should lay off the "games can be art" nonsense.

Thousands of hours gaming isn't going to give you the same insight that you'll get from just reading one page of a great novel, or

looking at a great piece of art.

Most mainstream games are made by manchildren for teenagers.

Games aren't bad, but if you're spending a disproportionate amount of your time playing them, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

Go out and change the world, read books, educate yourself, travel.

Games are fun and meaningless. They offer a bit of diversion from your daily grind. That is all.

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Nothing wrong with that. But, please, folks should lay off the "games can be art" nonsense.

Thousands of hours gaming isn't going to give you the same insight that you'll get from just reading one page of a great novel, or

looking at a great piece of art.

Most mainstream games are made by manchildren for teenagers.

Games aren't bad, but if you're spending a disproportionate amount of your time playing them, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

Go out and change the world, read books, educate yourself, travel.

Ricardo41

Gaming is slowly emerging as a respected art medium (as evidenced by NEA's endorsement of video games for collegiate study)

I completely agree with you--mainstream gaming is full of trashy diversions.

But in the indie scene, once in a while you come across strikingly gorgeous art design.

While they might not have the philosophical insight of a great novel, certainly they are up to caliber visually?

I wouldn't mind having a photo of gameplay from Flower or Echochrome on my wall.

Because politicians who bleat on about "ohhh games are making kids violent nutcases blah blah blah!" want to make a name for themselves and to look important,And of course newspapers make gaming sound like a we are all raving lunatics.

One newspaper here in the UK wanted "MW3" banned!! yes really.

People need something to blame societies problems on. Rock Music, TV and now Video games, pretty soon people will move on and blame something else. gmaster456

Cause it's written in the bible

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Ricardo41

Games like Call of Duty, Gears of War and Madden aren't art. But games like Braid, Shadow of the Colossus, Amnesia and Penumbra are prime examples of how video games can be art.

Video games get a bad rap thanks to idiots who have no self control and become addicted to games like World of Warcraft or Halo. Right now video gaming is in the phase rock music went through a long time ago: It has a very large fanbase and a lot of support, but there are still a lot of people who don't see the purpose of video games.

Gaming is a relatively young industry that alienates the older generations that grew up with just TV, movies and twiddling their thumbs. Because of this they react to it negatively and come to impulsive conclusions (as humans usually do when they meet something alien to them). Then the media grabs hold of the hysteria and blows it out of proportion.

Games are fun and meaningless. They offer a bit of diversion from your daily grind. That is all.

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Nothing wrong with that. But, please, folks should lay off the "games can be art" nonsense.

Thousands of hours gaming isn't going to give you the same insight that you'll get from just reading one page of a great novel, or

looking at a great piece of art.

Most mainstream games are made by manchildren for teenagers.

Games aren't bad, but if you're spending a disproportionate amount of your time playing them, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

Go out and change the world, read books, educate yourself, travel.

Ricardo41

Clearly you've never played Planescape Torment :P

[QUOTE="Ricardo41"]

Games are fun and meaningless. They offer a bit of diversion from your daily grind. That is all.

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Nothing wrong with that. But, please, folks should lay off the "games can be art" nonsense.

Thousands of hours gaming isn't going to give you the same insight that you'll get from just reading one page of a great novel, or

looking at a great piece of art.

Most mainstream games are made by manchildren for teenagers.

Games aren't bad, but if you're spending a disproportionate amount of your time playing them, you need to reevaluate your priorities.

Go out and change the world, read books, educate yourself, travel.

thattotally

Clearly you've never played Planescape Torment :P

It was once strictlythe hobby of .. Let's say far less life experianced people.

Obviously this isn't true anymore, everyone plays videogames of some sort nowadays, whether it's shooting people online in COD, or farming ones ... farm in Farmville

People see it as infantile and immature, at least some do (my jock brother for instance) and a complete waste of time. Which admittedly it is....but no more than watching TV, so anyone who uses that as an argument against gamers is a hypocrite. But I can understand why some view them in a bad light. Games really have not yet progressed as much as other mediums, are generally overall shallow superficial experiences, and also can be seen as an escape for people who can't "deal" with reality. Can't agree with the "deal" part, but it definitely is an escape.

Just some of the reasons I've experienced firsthand and/or heard.

I think part of people's prejudice against games is the violence. Violence is perhaps the main thing that the media focuses on with games. So maybe people think that people who play video games are all violent. I rarely hear the media talk about the characters, story, settings, and artistic aspects of games.

People need something to blame societies problems on. Rock Music, TV and now Video games, pretty soon people will move on and blame something else. gmaster456

Cause it's written in the bible

ValHazzard

now thats a credible source (cough* cough*)

yeah one verse tells us to abolish slavery the next tells us too keep it

we must not rely on such a hyporcritical source

People need something to blame societies problems on. Rock Music, TV and now Video games, pretty soon people will move on and blame something else. gmaster456

Well man you might not like my answer but it's because it's not really a productive hobby (BTW I wouldn't call watching TV as a hobby!) I have been playing video games since Atari and let me tell you, if I could go back and get all those hours back I would. Not that I feel it was time wasted, I enjoy video games, but I feel that there were better things to spend my time with.

Nowadays I am more inclined to do something else with my time, I like building furniture and working on cars..those are two of the hundred things I wished I would have focused more time on than playing games. Not to say I don't play now, I am playing LA Noire and obviously I love coming on this site to see the new games and talk about some of them...but if I buy three games a year that's a lot.

I will say this about the younger video game players of today, a lot of them take them way too seriously. When I see kids talking about "skill" in video games..it makes me glad I am older. When I was a kid we played and there were always the kids who were better at games..but no one really cared. Now you have people chasing these dreams of professional gamers

mission76

Wow, you just summed up my feelings on gaming now that I'm older. You read my mind. Quoted for truth.

I have no idea honestly. Some people are dumb I guess. Actually I would say that gaming is better than other forms of entertainment.

Well why?

Wolfetan

Ignorance. Comics, movies, radio, rock music were subdued to the same witch hunt.

Just look at this gem Comic Book Educational Video C_O_M_E_D_Y G_O_L_D.

Video games intended for a more mature market are rare and relativly new.
It's logical that, especially older generations, do not comprehend what these games are simply because their perception of video games is vastly different.
Over time, we will see acceptance of video games as a media under adults.

That being said, hobbies are always portrayed in a bad way if the people don't have a life besides that hobbie.
It's not necessarily the actual hobbie that is seen as bad but the amount of time invested is seen as bad.

Sometimes gamers make the news over things that make it seem that playing videogames are a bad thing. Example when the kid who killed his mother after she took his Xbox 360 and Halo 3 away. That was ONE incident that made the news a few years back.

Just those few instances that make it seem like videogames are a bad thing.

Well it is ok to play games for entertaiment some times but not all the time because life is not made for playing games games and games the best things you can do in life is travell and visit other people,cultures the world and it's beauty but ofcs you need money for that so people just buy games so they'r time passes but i think it is better to read a book than to play a game but i myself do not read much lol so...i also do not play the whole day.i am not one of the old generation i am 14 in june i will be 15 but ou well what can i say

Sometimes gamers make the news over things that make it seem that playing videogames are a bad thing. Example when the kid who killed his mother after she took his Xbox 360 and Halo 3 away. That was ONE incident that made the news a few years back.

Just those few instances that make it seem like videogames are a bad thing.

Megavideogamer

WTF where did you read that a kid killed his monther because taiking his xbox 360 and Halo 3?lol i do not belive

[QUOTE="Megavideogamer"]

Sometimes gamers make the news over things that make it seem that playing videogames are a bad thing. Example when the kid who killed his mother after she took his Xbox 360 and Halo 3 away. That was ONE incident that made the news a few years back.

Just those few instances that make it seem like videogames are a bad thing.

Ashatar

WTF where did you read that a kid killed his monther because taiking his xbox 360 and Halo 3?lol i do not belive

If we assume that the incident is true then we should give all murderers games, as long as we don't take it away from them they won't kill :)

Excuse me!

Last time i checked videogames are a hobby,and they are art.

Ppl who say otherwise are stupid.

For starters, society isn't required to make sense. Its also worth pointing out that as far as hobbies go, gaming is still the new kid on the block. TV, music, movies, reading, music, and many others have been around far longer than gaming. As to how gaming got the negative stigma of being mostly children and manchildren, I have no earthly idea. I guess it would make sense to the type who like to point out the worst in anything and use that to justify an opinion, but whatever.

As far as I'm concerned, you should only be worried about your gaming if it is your only hobby. If the only way you make new friends is through gaming, you seriously need to branch out.

In the end, it is a hobby. Its normal for any hobby to be liked by some, despised by others, and everything in-between. People like to have opinions, and that won't change.

A society that obsesses over boy bands, TV shows like BONES or House, or listens to pointless music.. Has no right ripping on games. Its simply a misunderstanding of age. I don't disagree, a good novel DOES have more to offer you than the vast majority of games, but, what most people expose themselves to, versus games... Games are in no way at fault. Simple misunderstanding is all that it is, give it a few more years, it will pass.DarkBalta_basic

I agree with much of this post. I'm not going to argue the statements in this thread saying that great novels (such as 1984, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.) are much more intellectually stimulating and an overall richer experience than 99.5% of video games, because that is well and true. I do take issue with people who place television, movies, and even mainstream literature on a far and away superior pedestal when compared to gaming.

I have a friend whose parents are pretty firmly in the anti-video game camp, and what gets me is they love and enjoy all sorts of mediocre television shows and films. For example they're viewers of Two and a Half Men and the Bachelorette. They think movies like Legally Blonde, Taken, Sweet Home Alabama, Battle: LA and etc. are good movies. People like this confuse me, and they are clearly ignorant when it comes to gaming and victims of the news media (they are avid watchers of Fox News)

I find it funny that a large percentage of criticism leveled upon gaming comes from these types of people. If you're someone who only watches films like A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Life is Beautiful, The Hurt Locker, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Black Swan, (I myself, rarely see movies outside of critical acclaim, and yet I can still appreciate the video game industry), and only reads books on the inner psychological state of humans, or the complex role of government, than I'll tolerate your criticism, otherwise I view you as nothing more than an ignorant hypocrite.

[QUOTE="Ricardo41"]

They are not art, they are not particularly deep, and the stories are riddled with stupidity and cliches.

Games like Call of Duty, Gears of War and Madden aren't art. But games like Braid, Shadow of the Colossus, Amnesia and Penumbra are prime examples of how video games can be art.

Video games get a bad rap thanks to idiots who have no self control and become addicted to games like World of Warcraft or Halo. Right now video gaming is in the phase rock music went through a long time ago: It has a very large fanbase and a lot of support, but there are still a lot of people who don't see the purpose of video games.

[QUOTE="Ashatar"]

[QUOTE="Megavideogamer"]

Sometimes gamers make the news over things that make it seem that playing videogames are a bad thing. Example when the kid who killed his mother after she took his Xbox 360 and Halo 3 away. That was ONE incident that made the news a few years back.

Just those few instances that make it seem like videogames are a bad thing.

rastotm

WTF where did you read that a kid killed his monther because taiking his xbox 360 and Halo 3?lol i do not belive

If we assume that the incident is true then we should give all murderers games, as long as we don't take it away from them they won't kill :)

No assumptions needed:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

It is simply the ignorance of society today. Video games are no more a waste of time than watching television but tv is a culturally accepted norm and is thus not questioned. Society has an ugly habit of being weened into becomming acustomed to things even if they are bad but I'd rather not go there... Anyway you can see similar trends in other activities that are not the cultural norm like chess for example. In fact, many of the hobbies that aren't trendy tend to actually help your brain operate a little better while tv is more likely to be a mind-numbing excercise than anything. I mean it's not like everyone is out there watching the history channel right? Exactly. It's an odd trend that I noticed.

The main point I guess is that video games like everything else is a hobby and is done for personal enjoyment. Be aware that some people only do things because their friends do it. Shocker I know.... So when you do something that may not be seen as normal the red light goes off in peoples' head as if something screwy is going on like in that movie Inception. Some people will not accept it unless others accept it... However you're doing it because it's fun so you don't need to answer to anyone about it as long as no bunny rabbits are harmed in the process.

It's a question of philosophy more than anything. When you get older you figure that people will do what makes them happy and as long as it's not hurting anyone then there's really no point in making judgement on it. However some of us are content to repeat only what we hear from others instead of comming to their own conclusions. And what if the people they listen to do the same? Well then we're no better than parrots are we??:o

I supppose the easiest thing to do is to ask what makes video games bad. If you pay attention you will find that many of the conclusions aren't really good at all and are often opinions based on stereotypes. Not exactly a good foundation to base anything on really...

Sometimes gamers make the news over things that make it seem that playing videogames are a bad thing. Example when the kid who killed his mother after she took his Xbox 360 and Halo 3 away. That was ONE incident that made the news a few years back.

Just those few instances that make it seem like videogames are a bad thing.

Megavideogamer

LOL and what are we supposed to blame? The parents?

LOLOLOL...

Oh wait....

[QUOTE="DarkBalta_basic"]A society that obsesses over boy bands, TV shows like BONES or House, or listens to pointless music.. Has no right ripping on games. Its simply a misunderstanding of age. I don't disagree, a good novel DOES have more to offer you than the vast majority of games, but, what most people expose themselves to, versus games... Games are in no way at fault. Simple misunderstanding is all that it is, give it a few more years, it will pass.TacticalDesire

I agree with much of this post. I'm not going to argue the statements in this thread saying that great novels (such as 1984, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.) are much more intellectually stimulating and an overall richer experience than 99.5% of video games, because that is well and true. I do take issue with people who place television, movies, and even mainstream literature on a far and away superior pedestal when compared to gaming.

I have a friend whose parents are pretty firmly in the anti-video game camp, and what gets me is they love and enjoy all sorts of mediocre television shows and films. For example they're viewers of Two and a Half Men and the Bachelorette. They think movies like Legally Blonde, Taken, Sweet Home Alabama, Battle: LA and etc. are good movies. People like this confuse me, and they are clearly ignorant when it comes to gaming and victims of the news media (they are avid watchers of Fox News)

I find it funny that a large percentage of criticism leveled upon gaming comes from these types of people. If you're someone who only watches films like A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Life is Beautiful, The Hurt Locker, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Black Swan, (I myself, rarely see movies outside of critical acclaim, and yet I can still appreciate the video game industry), and only reads books on the inner psychological state of humans, or the complex role of government, than I'll tolerate your criticism, otherwise I view you as nothing more than an ignorant hypocrite.

I can fully relate to that - my own parents are bad, but at least they've known about it and experienced it for decades. My mom evenplayed a lot of NES and Gameboy when I was younger, so she at least gets it to an extent.My mother-in-law is the worst though: she sees them as the same as lying in bed and staring at the ceiling all dayand constantly makes it know she sees them as a waste of time. This is the same woman that spends probably about 75% of her waking hourseitherwatching or trying to talk aboutsuch amazing shows such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Jon and Kate Plus 8 (when it was on), the Bachelorette, and basically any other reality show out there. Her movie choices aren't much better: she actuallygets confused just by Star Wars. And when she actually does go out, it is to go lose hundreds playing slots.Yet she is continuallyamazed by the fact that when we watch Jeopardy the times that we are over there or other non-reality show topics come up that I know a hell of a lot more than she does.

Now I could understand how someone who actually does something more productive or resourceful could look down on it in comparison, but in my experience that's not the majority of the people that do.

Im not sure about the U.S.A.. But over here in the U.K gaming is'nt considered a negative pass time..

[QUOTE="rastotm"]

[QUOTE="Ashatar"]

WTF where did you read that a kid killed his monther because taiking his xbox 360 and Halo 3?lol i do not belive

Rekunta

If we assume that the incident is true then we should give all murderers games, as long as we don't take it away from them they won't kill :)

No assumptions needed:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

Wow that boy what ever he is is mind sick.He killed his mother because of a game do you see ppl what games can do if you are not enough hard toresist them

[QUOTE="rastotm"]

[QUOTE="Ashatar"]

WTF where did you read that a kid killed his monther because taiking his xbox 360 and Halo 3?lol i do not belive

Rekunta

If we assume that the incident is true then we should give all murderers games, as long as we don't take it away from them they won't kill :)

No assumptions needed:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

I can't belive that he is mind sick

[QUOTE="Rekunta"]

[QUOTE="rastotm"]

If we assume that the incident is true then we should give all murderers games, as long as we don't take it away from them they won't kill :)

Ashatar

No assumptions needed:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

Wow that boy what ever he is is mind sick.He killed his mother because of a game do you see ppl what games can do if you are not enough hard toresist them

Mind sick? I've played countless bloody games and all before I was ever 12 and I didn't do any stupid stuff like that. You know why?

Cause my parents didn't spoil me into being some stupid brat that thinks that he's entitled to everything he sees and they taught me right from wrong. My parents actually gave a flying @#!$ about me so whenever I had a problem I could talk about it.

Guess what happens when kids don't get that?

They grow up screwed up. A lot of kids can still keep it together despite their horrible parents but a lot can't.

Hmmm...My parrents are great the yallow me to buy what ever i want and play,my results in school are perfect so i don't have a problem with that an d now i am getting for all my hard work by the end of teh eight grade xbox 360 oh i really can't wait to get it really

If they won't try the boy as an adult, at least stick him in an asylum for the rest of his life. I think he should be tried as an adult. Stick him in jail for the rest of his life.

[QUOTE="Ashatar"]

[QUOTE="Rekunta"]

No assumptions needed:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov.html

anthonycg

Wow that boy what ever he is is mind sick.He killed his mother because of a game do you see ppl what games can do if you are not enough hard toresist them

Mind sick? I've played countless bloody games and all before I was ever 12 and I didn't do any stupid stuff like that. You know why?

Cause my parents didn't spoil me into being some stupid brat that thinks that he's entitled to everything he sees and they taught me right from wrong. My parents actually gave a flying @#!$ about me so whenever I had a problem I could talk about it.

Guess what happens when kids don't get that?

They grow up screwed up. A lot of kids can still keep it together despite their horrible parents but a lot can't.

I think that in order to do something of that nature something was wrong with him beyond just bad parenting. Besides I think gamers are as bad as the media is, just in the opposite way. The media races out to blame games, while gamers are always so quick to blame parents. Perhaps it was neither?

[QUOTE="TacticalDesire"]

[QUOTE="DarkBalta_basic"]A society that obsesses over boy bands, TV shows like BONES or House, or listens to pointless music.. Has no right ripping on games. Its simply a misunderstanding of age. I don't disagree, a good novel DOES have more to offer you than the vast majority of games, but, what most people expose themselves to, versus games... Games are in no way at fault. Simple misunderstanding is all that it is, give it a few more years, it will pass.jirca87

I agree with much of this post. I'm not going to argue the statements in this thread saying that great novels (such as 1984, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tale of Two Cities, etc.) are much more intellectually stimulating and an overall richer experience than 99.5% of video games, because that is well and true. I do take issue with people who place television, movies, and even mainstream literature on a far and away superior pedestal when compared to gaming.

I have a friend whose parents are pretty firmly in the anti-video game camp, and what gets me is they love and enjoy all sorts of mediocre television shows and films. For example they're viewers of Two and a Half Men and the Bachelorette. They think movies like Legally Blonde, Taken, Sweet Home Alabama, Battle: LA and etc. are good movies. People like this confuse me, and they are clearly ignorant when it comes to gaming and victims of the news media (they are avid watchers of Fox News)

I find it funny that a large percentage of criticism leveled upon gaming comes from these types of people. If you're someone who only watches films like A Clockwork Orange, Taxi Driver, Life is Beautiful, The Hurt Locker, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Black Swan, (I myself, rarely see movies outside of critical acclaim, and yet I can still appreciate the video game industry), and only reads books on the inner psychological state of humans, or the complex role of government, than I'll tolerate your criticism, otherwise I view you as nothing more than an ignorant hypocrite.

I can fully relate to that - my own parents are bad, but at least they've known about it and experienced it for decades. My mom evenplayed a lot of NES and Gameboy when I was younger, so she at least gets it to an extent.My mother-in-law is the worst though: she sees them as the same as lying in bed and staring at the ceiling all dayand constantly makes it know she sees them as a waste of time. This is the same woman that spends probably about 75% of her waking hourseitherwatching or trying to talk aboutsuch amazing shows such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Jon and Kate Plus 8 (when it was on), the Bachelorette, and basically any other reality show out there. Her movie choices aren't much better: she actuallygets confused just by Star Wars. And when she actually does go out, it is to go lose hundreds playing slots.Yet she is continuallyamazed by the fact that when we watch Jeopardy the times that we are over there or other non-reality show topics come up that I know a hell of a lot more than she does.

Now I could understand how someone who actually does something more productive or resourceful could look down on it in comparison, but in my experience that's not the majority of the people that do.

Yes you are absolutely correct, the people criticizing video games are seldom if ever the same ones who are out experiencing culture, or curing diseases. Hell, some of those people may enjoy video games.

It isn't just video gaming. Any hobby that's seen as being even slightly outside the norm, be it SF fandom, roleplaying, wargaming, hell even reading for pleasure, is subjected to the same ridiculous stigma. I think it's largely because people are conditioned into conformity. Any person displaying signs of being "outside the norm" is viewed as suspect. It's rather sad that pursuits that can actually be intellectually stimulating are viewed as being strange when compared to rotting away in front of the mind-numbing pabulum of television.

Just take heart in the fact that gaming is much more accepted than it used to be. Now that storytelling in games is finally becoming more mature (I don't mean mature in the LOL NUDITY AND BLOOD way either) we may finally see the beginning of games being regarded as more than a diversion for neckbeards.

I'm an avid gamer myself, by far and away i'll buy more games then i'll buy books or movies. but that doesn't mean i don't buy good books or good movies either.

i like to travel, and i guess one could say i got my priorities straight.

The stigma comes from from the swear-spewing homophobic kids (who don't know what they're saying), and the manchildren still living with their parents not achieving anything. Also people take it way too far in their preferances, to the point of being beligerrent.

is it a waste of time? yes.

but if i have to choose between reality TV show dominated prime time Tv and video games. you can guess where i'm picking.

however i think it'll pass, i do believe gaming is far more widespread then people care to realize and stigma will fade away into history.

Remember comic books were bad, now children, families, and adults go flock to the movies to see the latest one. rock music was the devil, nowadays a 13 year old is listening to it and no one bats an eye. Simpsons's was bad for your kids, now it's rather tame compared to a lot of shows.

don't forget also, you can still catch the stigma of the 'book worm' and 'couch potato' for reading too many books or watching too much TV.

Either way, my 2 cents. keep your priorities straight in life, and do what you what you enjoy to do in your leisure time. if that means a quiet saturday night adventuring it out in skyrim, or shooting it up on call of duty, enjoy it. **** what the stranger thinks.

It's easy to guilt-trip ourselves into the mindset of 'gee i could be doing something much more worthwhile'. thing is while that is nice and all, if you REALLY wanted to be doing something, it wouldn't even be an issue and you'd be doing it already. so enjoy life, don't like what you've become? make amends and look forward.