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leveskikesko

leveskikesko

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Ironically, the medium we love that provides us with so much joy has also developed a fanbase with a reputation for anti-social, intolerant behavior in both Australia and the United States where we live. We know it's a gross and unfair mischaracterization, but the broad set of cultural assumptions about games and gamers is largely negative, and we too often affirm those assumptions by our own behavior.
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http://kotaku.com/389084/cant-we-all-just-get-along#viewcomments

I gotta say, as much as I wish it weren't true, the article speaks a lot truth about gamers as a whole. This board does have its rather annoying quarrels from time to time, but mostly I gotta say we're a pretty civil and mature acting community compared to other mainstream gaming boards. 1up, ign, gamespot, and hell even the biggest of them all, neogaf, is flatout a hell hole. The atmosphere is very hostile throughout all these sites, hell, it seems the moderators on these site embrace this themselves to fit in.

It's not that I think most of us are immature, it's just some of us try to fight fire with fire a bit too much. We gotta just learn to tolerate more innocent ignorance, and not conform to current state of the gaming community so much. Sure, a lot of kids play games, but that doesn't mean we have to act like kids too. Who knows, gaming might just be considered a higher level of entertainment by most of society some day, making it better for us at the same time.

I know it's wrong for people to assume that games are only for immature people by only observing the more vocal gaming communities, but that's really one of the big reasons why we're constantly attacked by the media and most people out there.

Personally I'd love to have more places out there where I can simply talk about games, without it turning into the usual cesspool, and it's becoming harder and harder to find such places.

What do you guys think?
 
It's easy to act like a dick when you're anonymous.

I am willing to bet 99% of the people who are dicks on message boards aren't like that in real life.

For some reason, gamers tend to have strong opinions about companies that don't give a shit about them, so that's why most message boards are intolerable. Shit, imagine if we did that in ever day life? "Yo man, you use Crest? Go fuck yourself, Crest sucks, my toothpaste is THE BEST because the mint flavor is EXCLUSIVE!!!"
 
[quote name='Roufuss']It's easy to act like a dick when you're anonymous.

I am willing to bet 99% of the people who are dicks on message boards aren't like that in real life.[/quote]

You do definitely have a good point, but you'd be surprised by just how many actually are massive dicks in the RL.

It's them that really ruin it for all of us, although that's not to say we can't be guilty ourselves by allowing it.
 
Yeah, I won't lie there's a HUGE difference between me in real life than on messageboards. In real life, do I go around wearing a PlayStation T-Shirt saying PS3/PSP owns all or whatever?? Nope, I'm much more normal, with great friends of different console biases (some not even being into gaming) and we all get along great. :) Message boards seem to be the place people like to release their anger/heavy favoritism towards something.

Those who have chatted with me on AIM, played with me online, etc. know I'm mostly different.

Also, it's a lot easier mentioning secretive stuff on message boards which I'd never say in real life, such as the nerdy/geeky things you do, things that bug you, etc.

I may appear anti-social or whatever in forums, but people say I'm not too bad (although I'm a bit shy and not so outspoken in reality).

I know some at CAG got to know me a little better when we had a Video Chat while CAG was down.
 
[quote name='leveskikesko']You do definitely have a good point, but you'd be surprised by just how many actually are massive dicks in the RL.

It's them that really ruin it for us all, although that's not to say we can't be guilty ourselves by allowing it.[/QUOTE]

I don't know man, I met one like that in real life while waiting for GTA 4, and the dude almost got the shit beat out of him for acting like a douche.

In real life, those same people who act like dicks bring more consequences on themselves. I mean, look at Xbox Live, how many of those people do you think will go into a public place with strangers they don't know, and start throwing out racial slurs to everyone? That would last 5 minutes before someone knocked their teeth in.

On the internet, nothing can happen (usually), so people just don't adhere to the common courtesy they have in their everyday lives

But you're right, it only takes a vocal few to ruin it for everyone else, but that's true about everything.
 
I've always wondered why some people feel the need to absolutely abuse their anonymity as if its going to disappear when they shut their mouth's....or fingers. It sort of leads me to think that these people have some sort of social need they try to get in these places full of other anonymous specters, but when it backfires on them because of this attitude deal they somehow find it necessary to take up a "well they did it to me so..." mentality.

It's sort of a downward spiral and I can't really think of any way to adress it.
 
There's always going to be a couple of douche bags in any community, I actually think the gaming community is typically quite a bit more civilized than others (comic books, sports, what have you.)

We have our fanatics, but so does everything else.
 
People should be free to express their opinion without having to be called a fanboy, or being called stupid, or anything other than one's name. To me, if you don't like what someone says, its best just to say "No I don't agree" and then talk about why.

I think people sometimes don't know how to express themselves in an adequate manner. I try not to take it personally.
 
The article must be about gaf...it seems like every thread on there is a bloodbath these days. if only it wasn't the best place to get news. :\
 
The gaming community is definitely embarrassing sometimes. This is about the only gaming forums I can stand..and they've gotten worse over the years. I don't go to Gamestop mainly just to avoid the losers that work and shop there.

It's definitely just a case of a "few" bad apples, it's just that hobbies like games, comics (much worse) etc. attract a lot of nerdy losers.
 
[quote name='Roufuss'] Shit, imagine if we did that in ever day life? "Yo man, you use Crest? Go fuck yourself, Crest sucks, my toothpaste is THE BEST because the mint flavor is EXCLUSIVE!!!"[/quote]

:lol: I say this wins the thread.
 
It's not just gamers, it's the internet in general. It's anonymity. The greater internet fuckwad theory.

Before the internet it was the shit people wrote and drew on the inside of public bathroom stalls.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']It's not just gamers, it's the internet in general. It's anonymity. The greater internet fuckwad theory.

Before the internet it was the shit people wrote and drew on the inside of public bathroom stalls.[/QUOTE]

That covers the racists and general assholes.

Doesn't cover the smelly geeks in game stores, comic shops etc.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That covers the racists and general assholes.

Doesn't cover the smelly geeks in game stores, comic shops etc.[/QUOTE]


...

they were there before too.
 
[quote name='Apossum']...

they were there before too.[/QUOTE]


Of course. Gaming just attracts more than its fair share of them.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Of course. Gaming just attracts more than its fair share of them.[/QUOTE]

Fanboys Ruining CAG! :whistle2:(
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cheer up emo kid, find the people you like talking about gaming with, and ignore the rest. done. ;)
 
Oh I do. That's why CAG is the only gaming site I still visit (and I'm spending less time here than in the past) and why I've not set foot in a gaming store in nearly two years.

No need to let the bad apples ruin it. Just buy games online or in big box stores and play by myself or with my other normal friends and thus avoid the nerds all together!
 
[quote name='Roufuss']It's easy to act like a dick when you're anonymous.

I am willing to bet 99% of the people who are dicks on message boards aren't like that in real life.[/quote]

I am just as an asshole in real life as I am on the internet. Maybe more so in person.
 
[quote name='Kendal']I am just as an asshole in real life as I am on the internet. Maybe more so in person.[/QUOTE]

To the point where you're going to walk up to a random black guy, call him racial slurs, talk about fucking his mother, then go off on some jews just for fun... all in a 5 minute period?

Nah, I'm pretty sure *nobody* acts the way they do on Xbox Live, or else it would lead to an ass kicking. Xbox Live is like everyone getting out their racial tensions that they are too scared to say in the real world.

And I'm pretty sure that when you say you're an asshole, you don't insult people you don't know because of conversations you overheard, similar to how someone just shows up in a thread, says "You suck, shut up", and leaves.

Maybe I'll go to Gamestop, just walk up in random conversations and be all like "STFU! Playstation is the best, your mother sucks, you're just a stupid geek!"
 
There is a positive and negative aspect to this argument. The positive being that as a future game developer I can only smile at the passion that we all have of our favorite games. Make fun of their mother they could care less, make fun of their favorite game and they will throw down with you right then and there no questions asked.

I think the biggest argument that leads to huge flame wars is, Do you like FF7?

"YES I LOVE IT" to

"NO IT SUCKS"

People are lazy in how they respond and no one wants to give valid reasons other than "Oh well it was original" or "Its to overrated" etc.. I'm new to CAG, but from what I've seen most people here like to give a paragraph or two about why they think the game is awesome or horrible, but never making fun of anyone for liking a particular game. I respect that.

Also I think that our(the worlds) young generation is turning into little.....jackasses.

I don't own an Xbox and the first time I went to my friend's house and he had xbox live on speakers, all I heard was little 10-14 yr old kids cussing out the yin-yang, WTF?

I don't blame videogames for the degradation of our youth, but someone needs to be blamed, how about TV? :p
 
Gamers are like sports fans, waay too easily offended. Just because someone doesn't like your favorite game doesn't mean they're trying to hurt you or say your opinion sucks. It's ok to like different things.

We should all remind ourselves of that when in embarrassingly heated flamewars...methinks.
 
[quote name='leveskikesko']Gamers are like sports fans, waay too easily offended. Just because someone doesn't like your favorite game doesn't mean they're trying to hurt you or say your opinion sucks. It's ok to like different things.

We should all remind ourselves of that when in embarrassingly heated flamewars...methinks.[/QUOTE]I agree. I've gotten carried away myself in arguments, for both games and sports. I have nothing against the other, just happens.
 
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