168: The New Social Lubricant?

[Quintin Marcelino]

The New Social Lubricant?

"There I was, the clock nearing midnight, sitting on a couch and watching a hipster in tight jeans attempt his best Elvis Costello impression as he hammered away at the colored fret buttons on the controller's neck. Next to him was a young woman, trying her best to find her rhythm but failing. Slinging the controller off her shoulder in resignation, another guest saw this as an invitation for conversation.

"'You did so good!' he said, slurring slightly, a beer in hand. 'You looked like Debbie Harry with that guitar! It was hot.' That was the first time I had seen someone use a videogame to try to pick up a woman."

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[ukslim]

I'm sure I impressed a girl with my Hang On skills in an arcade in 1985. Either that or she was patronising me. Either way, I tried.

 

[milomalo]

the wii works for that matter... it depends on the game and on the girl... but it works

 

[kodraenir]

Really? First time you've ever seen a video game used as a pick up line? Well, lemme share with you a little real life fairy tale...

http://giftofgalliard.livejournal.com/3030.html

There's my blog. Read it ye lonely geeks and take courage!

 

[Nugget]

Heh, nice to hear people still like the board games, though! Curiously, my college has seen an explosion of people playing chess of all games. It's great!

 

[Crusnik]

A game doesn't necessarily have to be multiplayer to allow this. I have on occasion, pulled out my laptop and proceeded to play Half-Life 2 in the middle of class, only to have people behind me ask about the game and tell me that they enjoyed watching me play, rather than take notes.

 

[Worm4Life]

Geez, has this guy ever been in an arcade?

 

[FSK405K]

Bars + games = Brilliant!

We've only in the last few years in the DC area banned smoking in bars, so I've begun to go to bars since, but being an alcohol-hating recluse, they just aren't any fun. If someone around here combined the quite common board game nights, group gaming, and the general popularity of bars/liquor, I would have a new favorite place.

In case you're thinking of it, Dave & Busters is the freak side-show version of what this environment should be.

 

[MaskedDevil]

Geez, has this guy ever been in an arcade?

I'm sure what your calling an "arcade" is Dave & Busters or whatever sad excuse the arcade industry has devolved into.
Real arcades weren't "social environments" for guys & girls.

 

[[Gavo]]

Yes, somehow, I think gaming IS the new social lubricant. But you have to be very careful. For example, I know a bunch of girls at my school who love Guitar Hero, that helps. If you start talking shooter, RTS-you're done.

Where is this, exactly? I live in San Diego so I might want to check this out.

 

[Ryan Sumo]

Interesting article. Almost makes me wish I was a bit younger. It'd sure as hell be a lot easier to pick up chicks these days.

 

[Playbahnosh]

I live in Hungary and I'd really like to have a bar like that around here. Not really for the "picking up girls" part, rather for the "have fun with friends" part. Sadly, the demographic of bar-goers and the demographic of board/video game players don't overlap much around here. It's either this or that. Here, it's rather hard to have civilized discussions with people in a place with alcohol around, much less play games of any kind.

We still have a long way ahead of us before we'll have places like The Whistle Stop in this country. :/

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Yeah, sadly, it seems in the UK we have a culture of idiocy with alcohol. Seems to be a rule when when they call closing time, everyone has to order 3 pints to neck quickly just in case they're not drunk enough.

If they put consoles in pubs here, they'd be smashed or stolen the same night by some chav.

However, maybe there's a market for a coffee shop chain with space for board games, video games and the like.

 

[zoozilla]

I've definitely used video games in order to spark conversation and make friends.

It's not as though you can go up to anyone and start debating that the health system in Halo was better than its successor, though; there's a fine art in just instinctively knowing who's going to get a reference to Zero Punctuation.

 

[vxicepickxv]

However, maybe there's a market for a coffee shop chain with space for board games, video games and the like.

I wonder if $tarbucks would buy off on it. That could get interesting. Guitar Hero & Latte

 

[Enigmers]

I remember playing Apples to Apples, It's a pretty fun party game if you're purposely trying to play it wrong.

 

[Stryker Z]

Yeah, video games are definitely becoming a more social thing slowly over time. In addition, I have to agree on that Apples to Apples thing... who ever thought that beets were creepy?

 

[Baneat]

If i'm in an awkward social situation and videogames are involved, I deliberately underplay so as not to be "that guy". As a gamer, playing with people less experienced in it is awful.