Gamers and Stereotypes

[MonsterMash]

I think that's pretty much everyone who does that.


Nah, the theater crowd in high school had a large crossover with the gaming crowd in my experience. Actors do not spring full-born from the ocean, like Venus on the half shell.

After all Theatre is only scripted LARP and improvised theatre is roleplaying!

On some of the more general points - yes I shower everyday (at least once) as it only takes me about 15 mins if I hurry to shower and shave and I exercise which makes me sweaty.

 

[S'mon]

I mean, our hobby is small enough as it is, and I feel most of the non-gamers make fun of us enough as is, we don't have to add to it by making it a war between the "clean cut, normal job, closet gamers" and the "overweight, geeky, dedicated gamers".

How about the "clean cut, normal job, geeky, dedicated gamers?" I think there may be more of us than either the closet "2 cool 4 skool" types or the fat slob types.

 

[S'mon]

On some of the more general points - yes I shower everyday (at least once) as it only takes me about 15 mins if I hurry to shower and shave and I exercise which makes me sweaty.

I can confirm that MonsterMash has no discernible scent.

 

[tetsujin28]

I love NASCAR, motorcycle racing, ice hockey and baseball. And beer.

 

[AOS]

I guess I'm just looking for a reason why the stereotype exists. I assume it must mean that a significant number of gamers fit the stereotype. The question is why? Why are all these people all over the place all similar in appearance and attitude. There is a reason the comic book guy is funny.

Haven't met anyone who games like that stereotype to be honest, the reason stereotypes exist is because it's seen as ok to laugh at a stereotype in a cartoon (Simpson's comic shop guy) and then they are brought up in discussions as a extreme level to illustrate a point.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Haven't met anyone who games like that stereotype to be honest, the reason stereotypes exist is because it's seen as ok to laugh at a stereotype in a cartoon (Simpson's comic shop guy) and then they are brought up in discussions as a extreme level to illustrate a point.

Well, given that I know that one of my role playing groups is 7 guys, me and one other person are decently overweight (he is WAY bigger than me though), we have 2 people who are kinda chubby, and 4 who are smaller.

The other group consists of the same 2 overweight people with the addition of 2 more (one of them is female).

Almost all of us play magic: the gathering, like science fiction and fantasy, we are planning opening night to see Revenge of the Sith already. We get together and play strategy board games every now and again. We almost all play MMORPGs, one of us works in a gaming store. 3 or 4 of us are in the IT industry. We are all pretty close to the stereotype. So I do think there is a good reason for this stereotype to exist.

 

[Silver Moon]

Disclaimer: This story took place a decade ago and the average gamer appears to have changed some since that time.


My wife and I worked convention staff for several years. We were sitting at the registration table when a middle-aged woman approached us. She explained that her son was attending the convention, and she had forgotten to tell him something important before he left the house. She asked if we might know where to find him. This was a fairly good sized convention, and he had not pre-registerred, nor did she have any idea what type of games he would even be playing. We explained that we would have to go room-by-room looking for him.

She said that was fine, adding, "He should be easy to find..." and then went on to describe him:

Average height, heavy set, dark hair with a slightly receeding hairline, glasses, beard, wearing sneakers, jeans and a gaming t-shirt, with a backpack full of gaming supplies. We had to explain to her that she just described about 50% of the convention attendees.

 

[Empress]

Alright, I sort of apologize beforehand, but a dose of honesty seems in order.

Since I pretty much qualify as this (mid 20s, overweight, wears sci-fi/geek t-shirts). I'd say I look like this because...well, I'm overweight and I like sci-fi and geek slogans.

I could probably go on a diet, do huge amounts of exercise and try to slim down while switching to more stylish clothes and try to go out and do less geeky things. Then again, if I did, I wouldn't be me anymore.

So the T-Shirt you're wearing is you? "Han shot first" is you? That's all?

I mean, how can your clothes define your personality? Whether I wear a dress or baggy pants does not change me. That's silly, and a lame excuse.

Also, I've spent days at home when I wasn't going out or having anyone over without having a shower. I've also run into situations where I've been out, gone directly to work, then after work gone directly to a game in order to be on time. I seem to lack the ability to "feel" dirty as I hear a lot of other people do. Don't get me wrong, I have showers, I get clean and I really enjoy showers. It's just that the real reason I have them is for other people rather than for myself.

Well, if you shower for other people, please do it more often. They will be glad you did.

Well, I don't believe that being overweight is "me" per se. What I was saying is that spending most of my time exercising and trying to remain slim, I wouldn't be me anymore. I'd lose time that I currently enjoy spending on other things. I have 3 D&D games a week, I'd likely have to drop at least one of them to spend one day a week and the gym or something in order to slim down. And the thought of that does not appeal to me.

So what you're saying is that you're lazy.

See, I'm stuck in a unique situation. I really like who I am, I like my life EXCEPT for one point. I don't like the fact that I am completely without female companionship at the moment. I've had gfs and I'm not a virgin or anything. But I get lonely a decent amount. Otherwise, I have lots of friends who I game with multiple times per week. I go out to movies, play computer games, spend time with my family, play board games. But, yes, I wish I knew of a female who liked the same things I did. I actually know only one, and they are engaged to another person in one my my groups.
..
As a side note, I just found out one of my coworkers during the day who leaves about an hour after I get in each day is actually a gamer. I was talking to her about games and such. Found out that she thinks that D&D is a game for powergamers and hack and slashers and can only be used for that purpose and doesn't really like it. She plays Vampire: TM, only in LARP form though. She plays Rifts and WoW. Of course, she probably fits the "gamer" stereotype as well. She was overweight, mid 20s, glasses, hairy arms. I didn't think she looked bad, mind you, I have different sensibilities than most people. But, still, I'm kind of a hack and slasher myself, and I have a feeling if we talked too much we'd probably end up hating each other anyways. Sometimes the LARP/table top, Hack and Slash/Roleplayer prejudice is almost worse than the non-gamer prejudice for us.

You're lazy and afraid talking to a woman might endanger your comfort. You are afraid of rejection, as well, and so better just not try it than be rejected. What's Aimee Mann say?

"But I can't confront the doubts I have
I can't admit that mayby the past was bad
And so, for the sake of momentum
I'm condemning the future to death so it can match the past"

I can't believe I'm typing this on a gaming message board, but get your act together. Don't hide behind your wonderful personality (because if it fits on a T-shirt, it can't be so good). You sit at home all the time, wishing you were one of the guys without actually wanting to do something for it. You're Columbus waiting for America to discover him. And it's not only about exercise. Shower, dress in some nice clothes, and sit yourself at the bar of a nice Irish pub (if you're old enough) - you'll end up with conversations guaranteed!

Talk with your colleague about work, about gaming. Read a book that is not fantasy! Read more than one! Read the newspaper (or surf news sites). Go for a coffee with some of your colleagues (inlcuding the gamer, but not excluding everyone else). Do some exercise instead of playing another hour of Knights of the Old Republic. And if you and your colleague still talk friendly in a month or so, walk up to her and say, "You know, we really should go to a movie together" or "would you mind if we not invite Jack and Karen for coffee today? I'd rather be just with you." or "I've heard the new werewolf book is out. Do you want to go to the game store and check it out?"

Sheesh, get out of your shell, and be a proud turtle already!

 

[Gentlegamer]

I'm going to wear my Iron Maiden t-shirt to my cushy office job tomorrow.

UP THE IRONS!

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Alright, I sort of apologize beforehand, but a dose of honesty seems in order.

So the T-Shirt you're wearing is you? "Han shot first" is you? That's all?

Naa, it works the other way around. I wear the shirt because that is what I like and who I see myself as. The shirt is not me, I am the shirt. If I didn't like that stuff or I cared about what other people thought of me much, I wouldn't wear it. To me, not wearing it is like pretending that I'm someone else.

Besides, right now I have a sweater and dress pants on.

I fit the stereotype, as I pointed out, not because I'm trying to be that stereotype, but that it happens to fit who I already am so well. I find that I have the most in common with geeks because I don't have to go through an explaination process to explain what I'm interested in. I can say "Hey, don't you think that part is cool in Return of the Jedi where the emperor is using lightning on Luke?" and expect an answer back like "ya, but wasn't it cooler when the death star was destroyed" instead of "Umm, I don't remember that, I haven't seen Star Wars in years."

So what you're saying is that you're lazy.

More than willing to admit this. If there's anything that describes me well, it's lazy. Heck, if I was less lazy, I might take up swimming as a hobby or go to the gym. But, well, I AM lazy. It's been me for as long as I can remember.

You're lazy and afraid talking to a woman might endanger your comfort. You are afraid of rejection, as well, and so better just not try it than be rejected.

No, actually, I talked to her just fine. And I enjoyed it. I probably will try to talk to her again, but it's unlikely I'll get to do anything with her. Most of my coworkers have the attitude that work is work and we don't do anything outside of it. I hinted at doing things with them and I pretty much got the "whoa, I spend as much time NOT thinking about this place as possible, I don't want to be hanging around with coworkers outside of work". Nor do I really like any of them enough to want to spend more time with them then required.

I can't believe I'm typing this on a gaming message board, but get your act together. Don't hide behind your wonderful personality (because if it fits on a T-shirt, it can't be so good). You sit at home all the time, wishing you were one of the guys without actually wanting to do something for it. You're Columbus waiting for America to discover him. And it's not only about exercise. Shower, dress in some nice clothes, and sit yourself at the bar of a nice Irish pub (if you're old enough) - you'll end up with conversations guaranteed!

I agree that I do sit around waiting for things to happen to me too much and I should be more proactive. I'm perfectly aware of that. However, I have talked to all sorts of people, I go out of my way to listen to stories people tell and what I find more often than not is...they don't really interest me. A large amount of the real world is just really boring to me. I deal with it when I have to and no more. I do like music and can talk about the music industry, current times, some politics, the movie industry, philosophy. I like talking about these things.

However, I have no interest in sitting around hearing about this time that one of my friends got so drunk they could barely walk and then when they passed out, they woke up at someone's house they had never met before and got out of there before the other person woke up. To me that just reads "ok, you did something stupid...why do I need to know about it?" I also have no interest in spending multiple hours each week doing exercises whose only purpose is to make me look better to other people. As it is now, I barely manage to fit sleeping, work, eating, and some time for myself into each day. I dress in nice clothes for nice occasions. I shower as often as I have time for and is required by society. If I'm going somewhere with people around, I will shower and get dressed up, unless I know it's mostly geeks.

Talk with your colleague about work, about gaming. Read a book that is not fantasy! Read more than one! Read the newspaper (or surf news sites). Go for a coffee with some of your colleagues (inlcuding the gamer, but not excluding everyone else). Do some exercise instead of playing another hour of Knights of the Old Republic.

Just no real interest in most non-fantasy books. I don't have much time to read anymore anyways. I have at least 3 or 4 D&D books that I've been meaning to actually read for the last 6 months or so and haven't gotten around to it yet.

But also, that extra hour of Knights of the Old Republic is a lot more fun than the hour of exercise. Also, depending on what type of exercise I'm doing, I have to go somewhere to have that exercise. That meanst 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back. So, I've now wasted one hour of my time travelling in order to spend 1 hour doing something that I don't like doing so OTHER people can like what they see in me. I hate wasting time and try to optimize the use of it. If something is fun and makes me happy, it's a good use of time, if it doesn't, it gets scrapped.