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Author Topic: "So, all you do is play video games?"  (Read 31228 times)

Glorb

  • Banned
« on: February 25, 2006, 01:24:51 PM »
I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase in the title, or a variation of it (or worse yet, something like "get a life"). It's insulting. And the person asking it never has any business doing so. One time, my dad had some of his model-train-hobbyist friends over. One of the friends' wife came too, and at one point video games were mentioned in a conversation. Not by me, but by her. She then asked if I played them, and I said yes. She replied, "Well, you need to get out and socialize." She actually spoke in italics. "You'll never make any friends playing video games! Unless those friends are, like, freaks or nerds or whatever." In my opinion, that was way over the line. Worse yet, her husband overheard, and responded to me, ever so politely, with "Yeah, get a life." And that was not the only occasion. The problem is, it's not like I go up to random people and bombard them with nerd lingo; they start the conversation and then insult me for playing games! That has happened to nearly every gamer at some point. What is causing this?
every

« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2006, 01:28:41 PM »
Hillary Clinton.

« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2006, 01:40:32 PM »
It's actually easier for me to comunicate through video games for some reason.
I'm a horrible person.

Sapphira

  • Inquiring
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2006, 01:48:28 PM »
Ironic that they find model-train-hobbyists as "normal" and "acceptable" and "having a life," yet they don't see that with video gamers. A hobby is a hobby, regardless of what it is. If you're going to judge one, you can't exclude all others. Besides, video gaming can be quite a social outlet. I mean, look at the community here. We're all socializing, interacting with each other--PEOPLE (well, most of us are, anyway ;) ). If it weren't for video games, I doubt any of us would know each other at all. Not to mention you can play video games WITH people.
"The surest way to happiness is to lose yourself in a cause greater than yourself."

MaxVance

  • Vance Vance Revolution
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2006, 01:55:59 PM »
Hillary Clinton.
What would she have to do with video games?

As for those model train hobbyists, I bet they spend more time with their trains then they do socializing.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2006, 01:59:05 PM by MaxVance »
Remember that your first Goomba boldly you walk? When Mario touched that mushroom being brought up more largely remember that you are surprised? Miscalculate your jump that pit remember that it falls?

Markio

  • Normal
« Reply #5 on: February 25, 2006, 01:57:48 PM »
Yeah, I don't like to be judged either.  Though I'm not really sure how other people judge me... I mostly just judge myself.

Markio, you are the most irresponsible person I have ever known!
« Last Edit: March 03, 2006, 06:51:50 PM by Markio »
"Hello Kitty is cool, but I like Keroppi the best."

« Reply #6 on: February 25, 2006, 02:04:20 PM »
I actually haven't experienced anyone insulting my gaming hobby. It is true that some people are overly obsessed with video games. It's only a bad thing if you play video games without getting the exercise you need, getting work done, etc. I have a very low metabolism, so I have to exercise a lot. But with that said, I still play games for at least an hour a day.

What I'm saying is, people can still play games for six hours a day and still get every thing else done at the same time. Even though starring at a projector screen for that long can really damage your mind.

It IS very rude to say such a thing such as what Glorb explained. People shouldn't judge a book by their cover. People enjoy different things. So get over it. I agree with Glorb.


What would she have to do with video games?
She's the one fighting against video games. Without much logic by her side, she is only arguing her point with facts about violent and gory games. "Video games are turning our children into criminals!" That was a quote from when she sued Rockstar for their lie to ESRB about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. She also sued EA Games for the Sims 2. Somebody made a mod for it that made the sims nude and showed their privates. She is blaming EA for this incident.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2006, 02:10:24 PM by Khold »

Kojinka

  • Bruised
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2006, 09:17:02 PM »
Does she even know what a "Mod" is?  I don't think she does cause if she did, she wouldn't have sued the companies.
Regards, Uncle Dolan

« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2006, 10:19:25 PM »
You sure it's Hillary Clinton and not Jack "The Troll" Thompson? That guy needs to realize he can't blame societies problems on video game developers.
As a game that requires six friends, an HDTV, and skill, I can see why the majority of TMK is going to hate on it hard.

« Reply #9 on: February 26, 2006, 01:33:21 AM »
She actually spoke in italics.

XD

« Reply #10 on: February 26, 2006, 01:41:41 AM »
Aw, I lost a huge rant that I had spent hours typing. Oh, well... but, I don't get that kind of stuff, because nearly everyone in my school has played video games at one point or another.
If my son could decimate Lego cities with his genitals, I'd be [darn] proud.

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #11 on: February 26, 2006, 02:03:32 AM »
I have a ton of friends. Mostly, because, everyone plays video games. And that's just in real life--all of you people, I "met" because of video games. I can consider you friends. And I do other things too--it's not like you don't meet other kids your age at school. I don't spend all day playing Nintendo. Just a majority of it. Let's see...
8 hours sleeping
7 hours at school
That leaves 9 hours of Nintendo, which I'm sure you can guess, is not used for just Nintendo. Plus, I live in the middle of nowhere with freaky neighbors, no one I know lives within walking distance--so even if I didn't play Nintendo I'd have an equal or lesser amount of a life. My parents aren't going to drive me to the food court every day, and I know it's the same for my friends. And almost every teenager alive has MSN, I swear I get enough, if not too much socialization each day. not to mention I get to go bowling every Saturday and every other friday now.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2006, 02:05:15 AM by Bird Person »
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

Jman

  • Score
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2006, 12:52:32 PM »
The only videogame prejudice I've met is the famous debate on "Whcih system is the best?"  I have a lot of friends who prefer Xbox to GCN or PS2.
I always figured "Time to tip the scales" was Wario's everyday motto.

Insane Steve

  • Professional Cynic
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2006, 12:57:07 PM »
You sure it's Hillary Clinton and not Jack "The Troll" Thompson? That guy needs to realize he can't blame societies problems on video game developers.

I think it's both, actually. You hear more about Jack Thompson, though, because his head is so far up his rear that his "insights" become comical. I think the best respresentation of his personality was when a 15 year old named Stephen Judd e-mailed him with a rather well-written 2 or so page argument against Thompson's stance, the last statement asking to "please take what I am saying seriously" and Thompson's reply, as stated, with no correction for grammar, was:

Quote from: Jack Thompson
no, stephen judd is a stupid name

Back to your story. People like those that you encountered do not deserve to have children, as they cannot see past a single trait to determine one's personality, thus making them just as mature as standard elementary school students. Which, I hesitiate to say, because there's plenty of mature elementary school students (like myself at that age) who'd take offense to that comparison, and I apologize to any of those on this forum. Besides, I'd wonder how they'd treat their children, anyways:

"No, you can't play baseball. You wouldn't want to end up like those steroid freaks, would you?"

On a lighter note, "she actually spoke in italics" was an excellent literary device for that situation. I was amused.
~I.S.~

Glorb

  • Banned
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2006, 03:40:31 PM »
Jack Tomphson actually insulted someone's name? I mean, he's gone pretty low before (Actual quote: "Are all of you gamers on drugs or what?"), but he's not even trying to disguise his jerkitude at this point.

Personally, I think that hobby train-modeling (which essetially amounts to grown men playing with toy trains, but to a much more extreme degree) is regarded as being totally normal and not a waste of money by most people because video games are still fairly "new". I'll bet most model-trainers (or whatever they're called) got interested in model trains way before video games were even invented, and so this fancy new Game Boy thinamaboob that their kid's talking about perplexes them. Their kid seems fairly interested in it, so he must not have a normal life cooped up inside all day playing that thing, even though he probably goes outside and plays daily. And most model-train enthusiasts start conversations about "O-scale" or "On30" or "Zh187" or "Bachman trains" and aren't considered annoying, while simply saying the phrase "Space Invaders" will ellicit responses such as "video games are destroying society" and "video games rot your brain, kid". So, in short, it's because most model-train (or whatever else they like) enthusiasts are old guys, and kids are young, and games are new, and old and new don't mix well.
every

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