Compare And Contrast The Stereotypes Of Gamers

Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them.

Do you consider yourself a gamer? Do you come home after a long day at work or college and stick in your favorite PlayStation or Xbox game? If so, are you aware of the negative impact your hobby is having on your life? We don’t want to ruin anybody’s fun here, and we know you’re probably not going to believe us when we tell you this anyway, but actively playing video games - as in gaming for a couple of hours a couple of nights a week - can have far-reaching negative effects on your personal and professional life.

Author A.B. Harris declares a call to action in his article “Average Gamers Please Step Forward” published in 2012 as he talks about the how gamers shouldn’t settle for how the Entertainment Software Association put the average gamer into a box, Harris (2017) declares that the average gamers are far more credible and intelligent than the perceived demographics suggest (pg.503). He starts to build a bond between himself and the reader by connecting himself with the audience and asserting himself as one of them who all want the same thing, to “change the mainstream” (Harris, 2012, p.506) and show non-gamers they are more than over-sexed male adolescents with a penchant for violence (Harris, 2012, p.504). Harris uses his personal values and experiences

As video games become more and more popular, we will inevitably see an increase in amount of video games being produced. The growth in popularity of video games is facilitated by the creation of a website known as Twitch.com. This website allows gamers and content creators to stream themselves playing video games online and interact directly with a live audience via chat. This new platform makes gaming both more accessible and more acceptable. The social stigmas that accompany video games are diminishing; in fact there has been an increase in competitive electronic sports as well. Logically, the growing interest in video games encourages programmers to make more and more games. Melinda Burgess et al presents an interesting perspective about video games. She explores the prevalence of racial stereotypes and how their effects are detrimental to society as a whole. In Burgess’s essay, “Playing with Prejudice: The Prevalence and Consequences of Racial Stereotypes in Video Games”, she provides fantastic commentary on how top selling video games show “overt racial stereotyping” (Lunsford et al 551) and negatively affect how we think. By providing statistics and data about the videogames that she is critiquing, she effectively shows that there is may be a correlation between video games and how we think and interact with the world around us.

Though gaming has its drawbacks, it also has many benefits to cover them. If controlled, gaming is extremely useful and with the amount of gamers in the world today, it proves that it is not just for children or for teenagers. There are millions of adult gamers that understand the importance of gaming in the under the existing circumstances of the world. Individuals that have studied gamers believe that gaming in today’s

Tom Bissell presents an article in 2010, to college students of which is “Why Video Games Matter.” Bissell isn’t intending for the argument to be about video game criticism, the history of the gaming, or an assessment of anything. On the contrary, he wants to articulate his own opinions and thoughts on what playing games feels like, why he plays them, and the questions they make him think about. Being a gamer myself, I have also endured the struggles of what being obsessed with a video game feels like. It is understood that when first purchasing a video game, all one thinks about is getting home and popping it in the console, disregarding everything else that is happening in the vicinity.

Meet Shrek. Shrek is an ordinary guy who has a job, a girlfriend, and a house. He often plays video games in his free time and tells his colleagues about his experiences in gaming. But his colleagues call him a loser and a dweeb for playing games. This is because when the word gamer is said, images of fat, unemployed, basement dwellers who have nothing better to do than play games come to mind.

Kutner and Olson also report on interviews with kids. One respondent said that he plays video games because he wants to see something that will hopefully never happen to him—experience it without actually being there (Kutner and Olson, 2008, 116). Some other kids said that they played M-rated games with groups of friends, and further research showed that M-gamers were more likely to play games in social settings or with more friends in the room (Kutner and Olson, 2008, 130). Other research shows that video games are a good tool for bringing people together—especially new kids, shy kids, or mentally disabled kids (Kutner and Olson, 2008, 132-134). This book does a good job of describing the effects of video games on lots of different kinds of kids—from different regions, different races, depressed kids, both genders, and mentally disabled kids (Kutner and Olson, 2008, 134).

Contrary to the stereotypes, most gamers are not a socially isolated. So many of today’s games that your kids play are multiplayer games that require talking and strategizing with other people. According to research by Xbox, “70% of players play their games with a friend, either cooperatively or competitively”. Meaning that not only are they talking to people but they are meeting new people because of the random lobby system that multiplayer games use. The system also put’s you in a “match lobby” Meaning you get put with players who are at or near the same skill level as

The first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks of videogames is often thoughts of individuals classified as nerds or geeks. At this point in time that is the general consensus regarding this specific subculture. However videogames have become a large part of society and is steadily growing. But for the purposes of this paper people generally think of video gamers as shut-ins and introverts. To the outside world this classification and stereotype is supported at face value.

When playing a game against someone elsewhere in the world, have you ever wondered who exactly you are playing with? Most people might say yes, but people don’t always know the facts behind gaming. Approximately 45% of gamers are female, yet many of them choose not to reveal their gender due to negative stereotypes and harassment from male gamers. However, I am not part of those who choose to hide what they are passionate about due to fear and disrespect. I’m the type of person who continues to play for hours after my parents say lights out and still keep up with team practices and academics. My gaming tendencies have shaped who I am today and given me the confidence I never had before. I intend on using the skills and confidence I’ve earned from gaming to be a successful STEM student.

Young people today spend Most of the time playing video games. These games are fun and engaging and young people often feel like playing games is a great thing to do in their spare time. Many times they often use video games as a reason for communication and often never even learn any social skills. However, People shouldn’t spend too much time gaming and there are a number of reasons for this: it’s unhealthy, should spend more time focusing on school, and people need to socialize more.

"Gamer" is a term that means someone who plays games like computer or video games. But nowadays, most people prefer not to use this term because of the stereotypical identity and label of ‘gamer’ in the society. In the article “Do You Identify As A Gamer? Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Gamer Identity”, Adrienne Shaw is trying to deconstruct the popular stereotype of the ‘gamer’, and she find that the identity as a gamer intersects with many factors, like gender, race, and sexuality.

When stressing the issue of prejudice and stereotypes in gaming, the authors note that video games are highly associated with specific and caricatured negative image. The stereotyping has permeated collective consciousness as online video gamers have become regular caricatures in the media. Of much concern is the racial stereotyping where minorities both male and female are underrepresented in video game magazines. In this study, white males were found to have more ‘vivid’ roles such as in military combat and conversant with the use of technology as compared to minority males who had minor roles. Additionally, the stereotypes that minority males are associated with crime was evident with their representation of being ‘dangerous’ or overrepresentation

Thus, we can observed that the ‘gamer identity’ has greatly evolved according to these mentioned factors. The influences of social categorisation, social identification and social comparison can be seen at play as well. As far as being described, the core notion of being a gamer is relatively unchanged. Though, the exclusivity of the straight male gamer has been lost. With the ever incremental progress of technology and increased liberal social views associated with time. We cannot deny that the notion of being ‘a gamer’ will always stay the way it