I roam the forums from time to time and read the post if the title catches my eye. However, every time I do this, I can't help myself from reading the dozens of responses from a range consisting of seemingly logical people to trolls and fanboys. It's the latter group that usually gets my imagination working into overdrive, though most people do exhibit some form of game/platform prejudice that can get my creative juices running all the same.
The point is that whenever a poster decides to make their opinion heard, I get a quick mental image of what kind of gamer they are. Even more interesting is that gamers aligned with a particular platform tend to bring forth the same image. Without further adieu, I present what you and I, as gamers, look like in my head. Please feel free to comment or provide your own strange mental gamer images.
Wii gamers: This one is unique as there are many images associated. There is, of course, the six year old whose parents will soon discover that Madworld doesn't exactly fit into the typical "Wii model" of games and will subsequently place their child into a protective bubble. There is the elderly woman who, despite severe arthritis, continues to flail her wrist about to Wii Tennis. Last, but not least, there is the frat boy who is too drunk to handle Halo 3 so decides to pick up the Wiimote and overzealously play Wii Boxing against his little sister who has mastered the idea that wrist-flicking is superior to fully animated jabs and crosses.
Xbox 360 gamers: This may seem a bit cliche and that may be because I, myself, am a 360 owner and may not be able to properly formulate a prejudiced image. Therefore, the image that does arise is that of the twelve year old (by maturity level, not necessarily true age) spewing profane ignorance into his Live headset and immodestly declaring himself as the greatest Halo "headshotter" of all time or, of course, accusing the winner of hacking and/or having no life; the irony being that he, himself, plays COD4 until 5 AM.
PS3 gamers: This image may be a bit outdated considering that the PS3 is almost as affordable as a 360 elite these days, but I simply cannot let go of that $700 price tag. Therefore I see a pompous teen dressed in his Armani bathrobe, sitting on his illegal immigrant slave, enjoying his extensive Bluray collection on his PS3 which is connected to a 130" Samsung LED HDTV, heartily laughing when he thinks to himself that gaming is for poor people and a true game console has evolved past the point of these inelegant disks of so called entertainment.
PC gamers: This is my personal favorite. Before I describe this one, I would like to express my gratitude to all the PC gamers out there who make themselves known, as you make me chuckle every time you bring this image into my head. Being internet scoundrels and video game nerds, I believe it is safe to assume that most of you enjoy a little program by the name of South Park. If you do, I think you know where I'm heading with this one. That's right, I see PC gamers as that greasy, lounging, zit-infested fat guy from the WoW episode. Oh how funny it is to see the self important PC gamers claim to have the superior platform on these forums while envisioning that dribble coming from the mouth of this guy: http://wow.incgamers.com/gallery/data/500/southpark.jpg
Let me say that I know full well that these stereotypes apply to very few gamers and there are many that cross party lines. However, whenever you even mention your console of choice, remember that no one sees you as an unbiased party and instead instantly focuses on ignorance associated with your platform, not what you have to say. To cement my point, close your eyes and think about me. Do you see the racist twelve year old? I thought so.
The point is that whenever a poster decides to make their opinion heard, I get a quick mental image of what kind of gamer they are. Even more interesting is that gamers aligned with a particular platform tend to bring forth the same image. Without further adieu, I present what you and I, as gamers, look like in my head. Please feel free to comment or provide your own strange mental gamer images.
Wii gamers: This one is unique as there are many images associated. There is, of course, the six year old whose parents will soon discover that Madworld doesn't exactly fit into the typical "Wii model" of games and will subsequently place their child into a protective bubble. There is the elderly woman who, despite severe arthritis, continues to flail her wrist about to Wii Tennis. Last, but not least, there is the frat boy who is too drunk to handle Halo 3 so decides to pick up the Wiimote and overzealously play Wii Boxing against his little sister who has mastered the idea that wrist-flicking is superior to fully animated jabs and crosses.
Xbox 360 gamers: This may seem a bit cliche and that may be because I, myself, am a 360 owner and may not be able to properly formulate a prejudiced image. Therefore, the image that does arise is that of the twelve year old (by maturity level, not necessarily true age) spewing profane ignorance into his Live headset and immodestly declaring himself as the greatest Halo "headshotter" of all time or, of course, accusing the winner of hacking and/or having no life; the irony being that he, himself, plays COD4 until 5 AM.
PS3 gamers: This image may be a bit outdated considering that the PS3 is almost as affordable as a 360 elite these days, but I simply cannot let go of that $700 price tag. Therefore I see a pompous teen dressed in his Armani bathrobe, sitting on his illegal immigrant slave, enjoying his extensive Bluray collection on his PS3 which is connected to a 130" Samsung LED HDTV, heartily laughing when he thinks to himself that gaming is for poor people and a true game console has evolved past the point of these inelegant disks of so called entertainment.
PC gamers: This is my personal favorite. Before I describe this one, I would like to express my gratitude to all the PC gamers out there who make themselves known, as you make me chuckle every time you bring this image into my head. Being internet scoundrels and video game nerds, I believe it is safe to assume that most of you enjoy a little program by the name of South Park. If you do, I think you know where I'm heading with this one. That's right, I see PC gamers as that greasy, lounging, zit-infested fat guy from the WoW episode. Oh how funny it is to see the self important PC gamers claim to have the superior platform on these forums while envisioning that dribble coming from the mouth of this guy: http://wow.incgamers.com/gallery/data/500/southpark.jpg
Let me say that I know full well that these stereotypes apply to very few gamers and there are many that cross party lines. However, whenever you even mention your console of choice, remember that no one sees you as an unbiased party and instead instantly focuses on ignorance associated with your platform, not what you have to say. To cement my point, close your eyes and think about me. Do you see the racist twelve year old? I thought so.
