Ashamed of being a Gamer?

[Water Bob]

I'm curious about this topic with the gaming community at large. I've got seven people in my normal gaming circle. Other players come and go, but these seven are my core group that are normally involved in any game I play. I don't always have all of them play (right now, three of us are playing), and sometimes, I've got all seven of them plus three or four more.

Out of my core group, there is only one player that has no problem telling the world that he's a gamer.

Two will take ownership of it if they are "outed", but they don't "advertise", usually keeping it quiet unless someone else brings it up (which is rare).

The other four of us (including myself) will never advertise and go so far as to lie about if if we are "outed". We never talk about it at work or among friends outside the group. And, three among these four will not even tell their wives that they're playing. (I'm not married, but I usually tell the girlfriend of the moment if we've been together a while--with mixed results.) Those that won't tell their wives actually lie about gaming to their spouses. When we have game sessions, it's a "poker" game (all four of us are avid poker players, so we actually do play a lot of poker, too). And, when we play, we have to play at the guy's house whom I mentioned first--the one that is not ashamed of gaming the way the rest of us are.



So, I'm curious about the rest of you. Do you advertise you're a gamer? Talk about it the way you would a football game to strangers?

Or, do you hide the fact that you game and hope that no one finds out that you do play?

 

[gamerprinter]

No. At one time, when I was younger, I opened up, that I was into RPGs only when I met the right kind of people, but that was then. Now a days, I'm quite open, even forward about my participation in RPGs.

My daytime job is running a graphic design/digital print studio, but since I also create RPG maps for home use and professionally for publishers, and now developing my own published setting, I have large format printed maps all over my shop. Any time, any customer walks in my door and even momentarily looks at a map - I give the whole, "Oh, I'm one of those D&D nerds, and I design those for publishers and my own publications." I mean I tell everybody - cops, politicians, lawyers, priests, homemakers; everybody.

So not only am I not shy about my hobby, I don't think there's a person who has entered my shop in the last five years who doesn't know. Though I'm sure I'm a rare bird in that way.

 

[S'mon]

I mentioned it to my line manager at work after I'd known him a few years. I very occasionally mention D&D related stuff to my students if there's a relevant point of Law - "US lawyers are crazy. Let me tell you what this New York lawyer said to me about copyright..."

My wife certainly knows! And I can't imagine actually lying about it. I'm a man, not a blancmange!

Edit: I recall last summer I told some nice people from US military intelligence I met socially at my mother in law's house in rural Tenneseee. I said "D&D nerds" and they thought I was talking about computer gamers! :\

 

[billd91]

My geek flag flies. Anybody in the know can tell it from some of my t-shirts, bumper stickers, pasty complexion...

 

[darkwing]

I don't mind talking about being a gamer. However, I don't own any wolf t-shirts.

 

[Mark CMG]

Ashamed of being a Gamer?

Not so far.

 

[gamerprinter]

Edit: I recall last summer I told some nice people from US military intelligence I met socially at my mother in law's house in rural Tenneseee. I said "D&D nerds" and they thought I was talking about computer gamers! :

While I don't go into too much detail to those nice folks who come to my shop. It often starts with "So you make maps for video games?" To which, I say no, and try to give a brief overview of how the game is played - it's played live, kind of like a board game, with dice, pen and paper, it's a story telling game.

To which, they respond, "So you make these for video games?"...

 

[kitsune9]

I work in business as a financial analyst, so this is a big deal when I'm dealing with budgets and managing financials. To say I play video games is to invite scorn for being "lazy". The IT dorks can be into video games, because it's related to "compooters and schtuff." If it was found that I play rpgs, I'd be out of a job and lose my reputation over it, so I keep my mouth shut and let my coworkers know I live a boring life with my wife. Managing people's projects is serious business and they don't want geeks.

Even before my career got "serious", I never was really into letting people know about my geek side. Playing D&D went from being "scary and losing-your-soul" kind of game to "Haha! Loser! Move out of your mom's basement!" game so I didn't want to have to deal with that either.

 

[El Mahdi]

I don't really talk about it with people who aren't gamers, but only because they wouldn't know what the hell I'm talking about. But hide it? Not a bit. If somebody asks me what I'm doing this weekend, I'll gladly say my D&D group is getting together to game. If I'm talking to someone who is a gamer about gaming, and a non-gamer asks what we're talking about, I quite gladly answer them, and will even explain the game if asked. I have no problems with anyone knowing I play D&D.

P.S.: I do however occasionally feel some shame when actually gaming...especially when I roll a fumble.

 

[Aeolius]

My geek flag flies. Anybody in the know can tell it from some of my t-shirts, bumper stickers, pasty complexion...

SOOOO glad I re-read that.... "pasty collection" indeed...