Ashamed of being a Gamer?

[Olaf the Stout]

My game group consists of four software/IT professionals, a semi-pro race car driver, a thrash metal musician who doubles as a librarian at a major educational institution and a paramedic. Go figure...

Yeah, my current group is an economist (me), a chiropracter, a crime scene investigator, 2 Defence department employees (1 of which spends a lot of time field testing various explosives - yes his job is blowing stuff up!) and 1 uni graduate (International studies) who is likely to join the Army.

The most recent 2 former members were musicians (drummer and base guitar). They left the group as they got jobs playing in a band on a cruise ship!

So you never can tell what sort of people roleplay.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Aeolius]

Yeah, my current group is an economist (me), a chiropracter, a crime scene investigator, 2 Defence department employees (1 of which spends a lot of time field testing various explosives - yes his job is blowing stuff up!) and 1 uni graduate (International studies) who is likely to join the Army.

For over four years I have been running my current chat-based game. I have often wondered if all of my players are, in fact, the same 53-year old man living in his mother's basement.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My group is almost entirely IT pros of some kind, except me and a Mr Mom who is also a math tutor.

 

[Water Bob]

Yes, gaming is seen as childish by a lot of people.

A good analogy (that will, amazingly, be accepted by some of you, I'm sure) is to consider a 45 year old man who still collects and plays with GI Joe. Picture a guy who comes home from work, takes out his dolls, puts them into action poses, and plays through stories in his head with the GI Joe and all the accessories.

You'd think that man to be strange, right? Childish?

That's exactly how a majority of the people out there who don't game view us gamers. That's why we hear things like, "When are you going to grow up?"

 

[Lwaxy]

You'd think that man to be strange, right? Childish?

I wouldn't. I just would not want to be involved in it or hear him talking about it

 

[Aeolius]

Picture a guy who comes home from work, takes out his dolls, puts them into action poses, and plays through stories in his head with the GI Joe and all the accessories. You'd think that man to be strange, right?

Depends...

 

[Roland55]

Good Heavens, no!!

Why would I hide it?

At any event, I'm already a fairly total 'nerd' -- a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician. D&D adds very little to my existing nerd-dom.

Plus, in ye olden days, I played war-games.

Oh. And I'm old.

 

[DragoonLance]

consider a 45 year old man who still collects and plays with GI Joe...You'd think that man to be strange, right? Childish?"

Except I've know several NCO's during my army years that did just that, and you don't tell the Sergeant Major that he's acting like a baby. Of course grown men do just this but they call it "collecting," and leave the toys in the box, and nobody seems to have a problem with it, especially on those History channel shows where they sell them for big $. It's all in the way the hobby is viewed.

Sadly living in the midwest I know several gamers that hide their hobby for fear of being considered evil by their fellow church members. One of my players is a pastor and it could potentially cost him his job if the wrong people made a big enough fuss about it. I once made a passing comment about playing to a good friend (a pastor's wife at the time) about my hobby and she was shocked I was involved with such a thing! Even more strange considering her son was in a punk band and she was fine with that...

 

[Cor Azer]

Yes, gaming is seen as childish by a lot of people.

A good analogy (that will, amazingly, be accepted by some of you, I'm sure) is to consider a 45 year old man who still collects and plays with GI Joe. Picture a guy who comes home from work, takes out his dolls, puts them into action poses, and plays through stories in his head with the GI Joe and all the accessories.

You'd think that man to be strange, right? Childish?

That's exactly how a majority of the people out there who don't game view us gamers. That's why we hear things like, "When are you going to grow up?"

Eh, I wouldn't consider that a particularly good analogy. Social vs asocial. Marketing targeted at kids vs wider audience.

I find better analogies in improv theatre or writing clubs.

 

[Elf Witch]

Yes, gaming is seen as childish by a lot of people.

A good analogy (that will, amazingly, be accepted by some of you, I'm sure) is to consider a 45 year old man who still collects and plays with GI Joe. Picture a guy who comes home from work, takes out his dolls, puts them into action poses, and plays through stories in his head with the GI Joe and all the accessories.

You'd think that man to be strange, right? Childish?

That's exactly how a majority of the people out there who don't game view us gamers. That's why we hear things like, "When are you going to grow up?"

As opposed to grown men playing with trains and trains sets? I love trains and I have gone to many a hobby store lecture on them. The majority of people there are middle age men. Model trains are not a cheap hobby and you have to have room to set them up.

I am sure there are judgmental people who feel they need to grow up and stop p,laying with toys.

Any hobby will have its detractors. I think people who are so judgmental on stuff like are the ones with the issues. The ones I met seem to lack the ability to have fun. It is like they killed their inner child and feel that being a grown up means being serious and joyless.

Sorry if that is what being a grown up means I would rather be considered childish.