"Gamers need to stand up!"
"Gamers are vile/great!"
"The Gaming Community is a horrible/beautiful place!"
What's with this obsession with viewing gamers as a group with authority, importance (as in: serious impact on society), or some kind of mutual agreement on ideas and ideals?
Now, I know, labeling is useful for human beings, simply because we lack the time to inform ourselves on everything and we are forgetable but the fact, that this human trait is so exploitable, by business, religious and political parties alike, is very troubling for me.
People who use conflict for personal gain need only to label any group (imaginary or not) of people with bad human traits and watch as they gain support because they acuse the said group and saying: They're all terrible humans and I'm not like that.
We can see it within the "Gaming Community", whatever that's supposed to mean. There are millions and millions of people who play video games all across the globe. The only thing we all have in common is that we indulge in the consumption of entertainment software. The requirements to play a game are only: to have access to a platform on which it can be played and having the physical and cognitive capabilities to play it. Some of us only play shooters or RPG's, some only play sports-games or facebook-games. Some are Budhists, some are Nazis, some are women, some are men, some are American, some are Russian.
And some *seem* to think, that this immense diversity is somehow making us great and powerful, like Moviebob. On the other side, some *seem* to think that we are full of hate and agression, like Jim Sterling. These two, as well as other public figures may very well not think so but they label gamers as such in public (who are a part of the public), which in turn, often internalize or identify with these labels.
Therefore some people think we are a bunch of violent lunatics. We are not. There are some of us, who are, however. And I refuse to be held accountable for their actions.
And some people thing we have the power, therefore an obligation to make this world a better place. I am not opposed to making this world a better place - I am opposed to a false sense of entitlement, the false sense of power to do so.
What do you think, "Escapists"?
"Gamers are vile/great!"
"The Gaming Community is a horrible/beautiful place!"
What's with this obsession with viewing gamers as a group with authority, importance (as in: serious impact on society), or some kind of mutual agreement on ideas and ideals?
Now, I know, labeling is useful for human beings, simply because we lack the time to inform ourselves on everything and we are forgetable but the fact, that this human trait is so exploitable, by business, religious and political parties alike, is very troubling for me.
People who use conflict for personal gain need only to label any group (imaginary or not) of people with bad human traits and watch as they gain support because they acuse the said group and saying: They're all terrible humans and I'm not like that.
We can see it within the "Gaming Community", whatever that's supposed to mean. There are millions and millions of people who play video games all across the globe. The only thing we all have in common is that we indulge in the consumption of entertainment software. The requirements to play a game are only: to have access to a platform on which it can be played and having the physical and cognitive capabilities to play it. Some of us only play shooters or RPG's, some only play sports-games or facebook-games. Some are Budhists, some are Nazis, some are women, some are men, some are American, some are Russian.
And some *seem* to think, that this immense diversity is somehow making us great and powerful, like Moviebob. On the other side, some *seem* to think that we are full of hate and agression, like Jim Sterling. These two, as well as other public figures may very well not think so but they label gamers as such in public (who are a part of the public), which in turn, often internalize or identify with these labels.
Therefore some people think we are a bunch of violent lunatics. We are not. There are some of us, who are, however. And I refuse to be held accountable for their actions.
And some people thing we have the power, therefore an obligation to make this world a better place. I am not opposed to making this world a better place - I am opposed to a false sense of entitlement, the false sense of power to do so.
What do you think, "Escapists"?
