What is your gamer stereotype breaking hobby?

[roushutsu]

I've taken up gardening recently and I am loving it. I've got a nice vegetable crop coming in now.

And granted this isn't a hobby, but I volunteer at an art museum every month.

 

[The Funslinger]

I have a girlfriend.

No, seriously, that's all I can think of.

Yeah I'm pretty much this. How stupid though, that people expect gamers to do things that aren't 'gaming' and be surprised.

If only this thread were a couple of weeks ago, I could've given the same answer.

OT: Well, I'm training to join the Royal Marines. I also hunt, and make stone knives, bows and arrows, etc. I train gundogs, as well. And shoot, on top of that.

Oh, and I'm fabulous at baking.

 

[Legion]

I have actually gotten worse. I used to do karate, scuba diving and enjoyed going to certain kinds of nightclubs. As little as 6 months ago I also went to the gym several times a week.

Now? Not so much.

 

[BM19]

Well if people consider gamers shy/unsocial/awkward/whatever I'm a stand up comedian although honestly we're some of the nerdiest people alive.

Good on you. I love standup!

Mine is probably running, though I'm in the military so it's perhaps not as ground-breaking as I thought...
Um...
I love writing? Short fiction, novellas, got an idea for a series of novels, etc. Just having a hard time finding the time.

... Dammit, I think I'm just a nerd. Lol.

 

[lacktheknack]

Hmmmm...

...I enjoy working out (when I find time to get to a gym), sing, and I think I've developed a love of learning languages. We'll see how that third one turns out.

 

[Rellik San]

I like to climb, I do a little stand up, I've dabbled in internet videos, I've made a few short films, I've acted on stage, I like to do a little karaoke (though I'm terrible at it) and am something of a whisky and ale connoisseur.

 

[william12123]

Well, I'm a wanabee scientist (graduate student) so when I'm not gaming I'm testing... Hope Glados doesnt kill me this week... dunno if that counts as "not gaming".
But seriously, I read more than I game, and I'm fond of Yoga. Several of the things others have mentionned in I've dabbled (like archery, writing drawing) but my piority is SCIENCE.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I feel like my definition of "gamer stereotype" is a lot different to a lot of you, 'cause all of my gamer buddies learn foreign languages and produce visual art. My stereotype breaker is I play piano, sing, dance, and act on stage in musical theatre, and regularly go to the gym.

Still a scrawny white boy though.

What do you mean different? The gist I'm getting from this thread is that we're considering what "non-gamers" think of "gamers" as the stereotype.

But you bring up a valid point, as I think the gamer stereotype has changed over time.

At one point gamers were delinquents, social rejects, and those who skipped school.
Then it was nerds (the old nerd stereotype, socially awkward genius) who were gamers
Now I believe it's dudebros (the COD Gamer stereotype) and nerds (contemporary nerd stereotype, person who is well-versed in certain subjects and may or may not be an elitist or hipster.) who are gamers.

And this is all assuming were are not talking about the viewpoint of the "VIDEOGAMES MAKE YOU VIOLENT" crowd.

 

[Byte2222]

I love to do Archery, it relieves stress and takes my mind off of college work, much like video games, except you know, more peaceful and quiet.

Although I kinda agree it's not that stereotype-breaking, I'm an archer too. I just spent the whole weekend in a windy field in the middle of nowhere shooting a FITA and head-to-head competition. My back is amazingly stiff.

I just wish I had the drive to get into sports without worrying about looking like an idiot.

That's the beauty of archery: Find some deserted spot in the middle of nowhere and shoot your arrows in peace without some asshole looking over your shoulder, cracking bad jokes.

Do you mean bowhunting? That's actually not a thing we do here in the UK (it's illegal as well). I know archery's sort of a solo thing but I feel that a range, beginner courses and a club should be a part of every archer's career, for safety reasons if nothing else (the archer's safety too, rotator cuff injuries are nasty). Fools who just buy a ruinously expensive, massively overpowered 70lb compound and don't have a clue how to use it really, really wind me up. Also, is it just me or do we have a lot of archers on The Escapist? Perhaps we need a group.

My other main hobby (which very much breaks the stereotype) is music. I play the violin, viola and tuba in my university's symphony, string and wind orchestras, I'm librarian for the symphony and I've been conducting the wind. The symphony, in particular, is really good, we're doing Holst's planets (all of them), Shostakovich's piano concerto and two other pieces on Sunday in a hall that seats over 2000.

 

[Pieturli]

Strength training, and none of that machine exercise isolation bullshit. Squat, deadlift, bench press, press and power clean.

 

[DANEgerous]

Hiking even to very high degrees I can go on a hike for 7 days where I never stop onto town and carry every thing I need. It is rather difficult and many my far more stereotypical macho counter parts could not make it 15 miles.

 

[IndomitableSam]

I garden, and sometimes I don't mind cooking too much. Used to do it all the time, but it's not my turn anymore, so I'm enjoying that. Gardening is container gardening, though, as we aren't allowed to dig up the grass in our townhouse, so our little porch is lined with pots. Carrots, zucchini, lettuce, a few different tomatoes.... I want to try spinach soon, too, and we've got a lot of flowers/decorative plants growing as well.

 

[lewisra776]

Martial arts, I've been training in several styles for the last 16+ years and considering my build alot of people are actually surprised to learn I'm a pretty avid gamer. Somebody mentions skyrim or pokemon or something around me and I geek the hell out and no one ever sees it coming lol

 

[Ickorus]

I play pretty strongly to the stereotype, my other main hobby is reading.

I've never really considered it a hobby but I do love cycling and swimming though recently I've had to break from that because my bike has a punctured wheel and my job keeps me away from the beach.

 

[KOMega]

Hmmm, dang.
Gaming is pretty much one of my only hobbies. Well that and anime.

I feel like I need to find something productive in some way.

 

[Anezay]

I used to enjoy running and lifting, not so much as hobby anymore since I have to for my job.

 

[an874]

Well, one stereotype of gamers and nerds in general is that we are very physically unfit. I personally get to the gym by 6:30 every morning (because that's when it opens) and work out for an hour or so, alternating between lifting and cardio. I'm pretty strong as a result (and apparently look the part according to others), and for some reason this leads to people being surprised when I'm interested in geeky stuff like gaming, anime, comics, etc., while not giving two shits about sports (although sports fanatics aren't any less weird about the things they like).

 

[shrekfan246]

Well, I don't really know what the stereotype is supposed to be in the first place.

But I write. And play the guitar. But saying I can play the guitar is like saying Kenny G is a good jazz musician.

Now now, don't be too hard on yourself. Nobody would say Kenny G is a good jazz musician.

I know, that's the worst part. D:

I'm a musician myself, though only in the sense that when I hold an instrument, something resembling music comes out rather thn fire or something. I'm more passionate about it than good or anything. I play many instruments--badly. Music keeps me sane, though. Banging on a keyboard is more therapuetic than just about anything I can name.

This is where the stereotype being so vague is problematic, though. There's a huge base of gaming nerds obsessed with music, so is that part of the stereotype, or no? Does it only fit if it applies to video game music, or the very stereotypical metal?

Yeah, that's how it is for me. I do it because it's fun, not because I'm actually talented.

And admittedly I fall into the stereotypical section of primarily enjoying metal, though I like to think that what I actually play is something more of a combination of blues and metal.

Additionally, a ton of us are writers to some varying degree. I'm trying to get published. I may not be good enough, but I'd rather try than not, you know? I just need to get the focus back to actually write queries. It's easier writing Escapist posts. Especially since none of these will impact a particular job.

Escapist posts are quite easy to write, aren't they?

I haven't finished anything solidly enough to consider being published, but writing has always been one of my strong points. I was (possibly stereotypically) never all that social growing up, even though I made friends very easily in school, so I spent most of my free time either playing games, reading, or writing, and that's pretty much shaped what my talents are today.

'Course, it probably helps that there's fuck-all to do in Vermont if you don't like hunting.

 

[Mr F.]

I really don't know. Most of what I do falls neatly into the gamer stereotypes (For there are many).

I am not particularly socially awkward, can sing, and I used to be able to play the Piano, does that count? Oh, and I got a little bit of poetry published many years back. All things I can imagine a gamer doing though. I am not unsuccessful with the ladies, yet I wouldn't call "Being in loving relationships" a hobby.

I am getting back into Martial Arts though, I don't know many gamers that are in to that. Oh, and I am on the exec for a student society and massively into Politics and Activism (Not shitty "I am a student on a protest!" activism but actual organised "Lets go stop a bunch of fascists being twats activism", targetted shit.)

All that said, I barely even feel like a gamer any more. I dropped out of the society on campus after my last relationship went bad, I only play a few games none of which have much of a following, I dunno. Next year I hope to be too busy to game xD

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Well, you wouldn't think me a gamer to look at me...i'm visually a complete metal head. Tattoo's, skinhead, combat pants and some brutal t-shirt. But really i'm just a gamer with a mad passion for metal...listening to it, writing lyrics for it...i eat, breathe and shit metal, inbetween massive gaming sessions lol