During my first week at GameSpot, I spent two days in Washington D.C. to appear as a guest on National Public Radio’s morning news show, "Morning Edition." Being in our nation’s capital was certainly a thrill and interacting with the professional and enthusiastic crew at NPR (at least one of which is a hardcore sports gamer – shout out to my boy Ralph!) was wonderful. Everyone seemed thrilled to have us there, shooting the breeze and talking Madden 2005.
The show’s host, Steve Inskeep, was gracious and funny; an all-around nice guy with a sharp wit and an easy on-air manner. Through his guidance, the entire interview went smoothly. However, there was one moment that stuck with me long after the interview was over.
In addition to discussing the Madden franchise in general, my goal was to give Steve a quick tutorial of the in-game mechanics of Madden 2005 and see if I could get him up to playing speed by the time the interview ended. Yet as we placed our headphones around our ears, sat in front of the mics, and grabbed our respective Xbox controllers, the ON-AIR lamp was lit and the first words from Inskeep’s mouth was a question gamers have heard all too often:
"Do you ever feel like you’re wasting your life?"
I stifled a sigh. Not that one again.
My first reaction was to give him the long answer: While, I do spend a good portion of my leisure time playing videogames, it is not my lone pastime. I’m also an avid reader, a part-time musician, and even have a bit of acting experience on my hobby resume. I’ll never be confused for a Renaissance Man but, at the same time, I’m no mouth-breathing couch sloth either. Games aren’t my entire life, I wanted to say, just a significant portion of them.
In the end, I bit my tongue, swallowed the bile, and replied with a simpler and less vitriolic response: "No, I’m not wasting my life. I love videogames and this is my passion."
Why do we, as gamers, often feel a need to apologize for--or be embarrassed by--our hobby? Perhaps a better question is: Is the general public’s perception of gamers and the gaming industry as progressive and positive as we would like to believe? Industry pundits like to throw around statistics comparing the gaming business, from both a revenue and quality standpoint, to the movie industry. On the surface the numbers make a good case but the comparison falls flat when viewed through the lens of public perception. There’s a certain attitude people have about the gaming industry, and gamers in general; whereas bookworms and film buffs have no such stigma attached to their respective hobby.
Would Inskeep have asked a professional book reviewer or film critic if they were wasting their lives? Probably not. But when you think about it, these individuals are not that professionally different from anyone here at GameSpot--just like us, they devote a large portion of their life to a relatively narrowcasted cultural pursuit and offer their opinions accordingly. Few would accuse them of wasting their lives. If an intelligent and informed guy like Steve Inskeep thinks, however firmly his tongue is planted in cheek, that I’m wasting my life, it probably should come as no surprise that those who are less well-versed have attached a negative view to games and the people who enjoy them.
Personally, I get fired up when I talk about games--with anyone, at any time. Similarly, I think that anyone with a brain and a heartbeat can be an ambassador for the gaming industry. Do you have a friend or acquaintance who consistently scoffs at your obsessive solo Halo explorations? Invite the Doubting Thomas over for a session of multiplayer madness and show him the finer points of the game, up close and personal. Let him hear first-hand your enthusiasm and your passion. Is your significant other questioning your Pikmin 2 habits? Sit him or her down on the couch and make them go through a level or two, challening their problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. You just might change their mind.
Everyone who enjoys videogames as a hobby is, in effect, the "face" of modern gaming. As such, we can all have a hand in spreading the good word about our hobby to the rest of the world. If we want to stop apologizing and truly help the industry evolve to wider acceptance, we have a responsibility to put our best face forward.