What Are The Stereotypes Of Gamers?

The sociological interpretations of video games are almost as numerous as the games themselves, and like many aspects of our society can be harmful or beneficial depending on how they are utilized by an

According to Jane McGonigal in “Be a gamer, save the world”, video games have the ability to provide gamers with an opportunity to live a happy meaningful life by offering the hope of success with strong social connection and a satisfying work environment with a chance of becoming a part of something bigger. McGonigal believes that video games give gamers a sense of self and allows them to reach outside of who they are and empowers them to tackle real-world problems. Typically gamers are looked at as being escapist, someone who tries to get away from reality, but the reality is playing video games has helped players to become the best version of them self. In McGonigal's article, she makes some good points. For example, by the evidence provided

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

Video games have been around since 1950s and have gone a long way from what they are today. They are in no doubt a big part of our society and with doing so they have been criticized by many. Video games come in different categories which include: action, racing, adventure, role-playing, simulation, strategy, and sports. The purpose of these games can be casual, serious, art, Christian, and educational. You can play these games on different types of platforms as well to make it the gamers preference. In today’s society, it is common for one to play video games. Some people play causally and some play professional to make money. Even though, video games are now mainstream, they are still being stigmatized and it has been like that since the creation of them. Some people see video games as a waste of time and that they are unproductive, but after being studied thoroughly by researchers that is not true; video games are known to have benefits. It can help children with development and it can help adults perform better at their job. It can also help people with different disorders. Video games should not be stigmatized because of the advantages ranging from cognitive to social benefits for children, people with disabilities, and adults.

You are a normal person. You have a job and a house and friends. However, you truly love to play video games and you are a huge “nerd” in general. However, you do not ever think about telling your friends and coworkers that because you already know how people react to “gamers” or “nerds” or “geeks”. You are terrified that people will insult you and call you childish, idiotic or even stupid. You know this since you were stereotyped before of being a childish/idiotic “nerd” or “geek” or “gamer”, and know you are left with the memory of being generalized for what you like your entire life. In reality though, these stereotypes are all just false information made fact.

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.

Stereotypes are qualities assigned to groups of people because of race, nationality, or sexual orientation. Stereotypes of gamers usually portray a fat, unhealthy basement dwellers ridden with acne and living on a diet of burgers and Red Bull. This is, of course, a stereotype many people refer to. Most of the time this stereotype is incorrect

According to several sources around 42% of the American population plays video games, and around 1.2 billion people worldwide play video games today. Gaming has become an increasingly more popular hobby since its creation. As such the medium has obviously attracted a multitude of different people and groups, all consisting of diverse backgrounds, body types, sexes, races, nationalities and the like. However, contrary to the numerous demographics video games have come to attract, it is very evident the vast majority of them do not seem to be marketed toward many of them via game characters, and their importance, if any, in a game. Video games show an overwhelming amount of white male characters, despite the many demographics they reach. Of the characters that are not white, or male, that are represented, are often represented poorly. For example, many black characters represented in video games are often characterized as vulgar, and violent. Women represented in games are often characterized as support characters, or objects of sexual desire. Considering forms of sexism, racism, and other such types of prejudices are still prominent in modern society, and these representations obviously do not help how people see these marginalized groups. Ultimately, these representations, or lack thereof, affect people in society in a number of ways, by perpetuating prejudice and harmful stereotypes.

Traditional views of gamers have been often related with the negative stereotypes as males who are lazy, nerd, geek, fat, socially awkward and time wasters. Even though these stereotypes have been improving with the growing population of eSports athletes and its recognition as a collegiate sport in many campuses, participants shared their thoughts on the stigmas of gaming that are still present in our society and how they respond to these stigmas. Jeffrey, 5th year, majoring in music, shared his story of the stigmas of gaming he heard from his father, They had Street Fighter finals on ESPN 2 this past summer. I was watching it with my dad who knows nothing about the game and competitive play then he’s watching and he is constantly interrupting saying like.. When the winner was announced, this guy is a person who plays video games all day and night so he is kind of odd and dumb and does not know it better.

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

"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.

Overall, it was found from my research that even with the emergence of next-generation systems and shifting landscapes in gaming, there is still a cultural perception of the gamer as white male. There are exceptions to this, which can be seen in many commercials that challenge our expectations of what a gamer might look like and how he or she might behave. Certainly, as time goes on, it’s been found that there is an increased inclusivity in terms of who might actually appear in these commercials. Some commercials have begun to play with and tease out these representations: the commercials of Call of Duty: Ghosts, for example, that featured a wide variety of players. While representations of the gamer have mostly stayed consistent, these examples pre-empt the beginnings of a shift, as the video game industry continues to diversify.

Video games in today’s society have become very popular. Every new game that comes out to be played and conquered by the average gamer has its own category. There are several other types of genres of games that people play but because of big hit titles and the new popular game systems like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, people become more interested in a game that is well known than a game they have never even heard of before. Every game has its own storyline and own way of how it unfolds and where the game ends according to game play. Some of the biggest reasons people sway to certain genres of games is because of the game titles released under them and the demand of people who want a good game under that category. The top three most

PC gaming is having its golden era right now. New titles are dropping up like candy and previous titles have provided us with stunning gameplay and gripping stories. If you want a good gaming experience, you not only have to get yourself a good PC to do it, but you also need to play the following eight titles. These are the eight PC games you can’t miss out on or you’d be missing out on an adventure of a lifetime.