gamer body image/self image

[alsih2o]

it seems to em that gamers in general, tho frequently joking, find ourselves to be a pasty potbellied lot. and i wonder why.

there are some pot bellies in the group, just like at any job or group, but i look at us and see actors (tallarn), mucular types(zhure), military men (olgar shiverstone, shark), cops(meg hall), artists(too many to name), teachers, athletes.....

where does this self image come from? there are some flabby bellies and pale legs in the group, but all of the world, particularly america, is getting heavier and paler.

how we begun to see us as others stereotype us?

 

[dagger]

We got all types in our group, out of shapes and in shape types. I must be a freak of nature, I play full court basket ball a lot and I am pale!

 

[fusangite]

Like any group, gamers are diverse. However, I would be absolutely stunned if overweight people who do not spend much time in the sun were not over-represented in our community.

I think the fact that gaming stands in in place of a sport in many people's lives, because it fills similar niches socially, may be a significant factor in this. I would be (again) shocked if gamers did not, on average, spend significantly less time playing physical sports. The RPG fills so many of the social functions of a team sport, I would imagine that is the activity for which games most commonly substitute.

I also think it's pretty natural for an activity based on being someone other than oneself to over-represent people with a developed sense of self-hatred. Such people will, naturally, be disproportionately drawn to RPGs just as they are to first person shooter video games.

Thus, a group which over-represents people who exercise little (and therefore are more likely to be pale and fat) and over-represents people who hate themselves (and therefore are more likely to view themselves and their associates as ugly and fat) will have the above-stated self image.

 

[diaglo]

military men (olgar shiverstone

don't let 'im fool ya. he's a bookworm.

we run the gambit.

from death camp skeleton to mammoth.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

Hey man, gaming didn't give me a gut. Turning 30 did.

But it must be said that spending a Sunday afternoon gaming is not as phyiscally active as, say, rock climbing in the Andes.

 

[alsih2o]

I think the fact that gaming stands in in place of a sport in many people's lives, because it fills similar niches socially, may be a significant factor in this. I would be (again) shocked if gamers did not, on average, spend significantly less time playing physical sports. The RPG fills so many of the social functions of a team sport, I would imagine that is the activity for which games most commonly substitute.

i think most of the "sports" pursued in the world are of the spectator variety so i do not think this explains it.

 

[Desdichado]

Hey man, gaming didn't give me a gut. Turning 30 did.

I'm with you there, man. All in all, though, I don't think I fit the stereotypical gamer image in a lot of ways.

 

[Maldur]

Fusangite: this is the second post today were you say gamers hate themselves?

Where does this come from? I know a large amount of the gamers in the netherlands (working at one of the first gamestores in the country does that to you) and I never seen this?

Self critisim : ok, but downright self-hatred?

 

[trentonjoe]

I'm as fit as a fiddle

and good looking

and smart

and funny

and humble

and......

 

[Gothmog]

Well, I can't speak for everybody, but many of the gamers I know are overweight, pale-skinned, and somewhat nerdy looking (not that those are bad things in and of themselves). However, not all of the gamers I know are like that. I know a guy women swoon over who games regularly (and who loves roleplaying rednecks), a little bit of a guy (5'2" and 110 lbs), and two women who are both models- so it doesn't always fit. I will say I used to be a fairly average looking gamer (6'2", 320 lbs, pale skin) but two years later and lots of jogging and weightlifting at the gym later, I'm now 230 lbs of muscle. I have actually walked into gaming stores where I am not known and have been asked if I am in the right place. So I guess my point is that there are all types of gamers, but the stereotype holds true in a decent number of cases.