The Way of the Gamer

The Way of the Nerd: A Polemic
I am a Gamer. Why does that sentence feel like an admission of guilt or the gunshot that leads to social suicide for so many people? Probably because very few people hesitate to tell me that gaming does nothing for me, that I’m wasting my time talking to strangers, making worthless money in an online world, becoming socially inept, and that I won’t be able to put my video game experience down on a job application. The truth is that gamers are subject to a harsh stereotype that many don’t hesitate to bring up, probably because it’s a social norm nowadays, and these few examples all seem to stem from the personal character stereotypes that gamers are subjected too.
First off, take a moment to create an image of a gamer. What gender are they? How do they look? How do they act? What is their social life like? Chances are, you probably did that with ease and are ready to continue. Before we do, ask yourself how you feel profiling a gamer? Take this time to think of a stereotype for an African- American, for an Asian, for a Mexican, for an Immigrant. Do you feel a hint of guilt when you do so? Odds are that you didn’t feel uncomfortable profiling me, or any other gamer out there, so that in its-self should say something.
My mom used to ask me to get off the computer and do something productive with my time in middle school. I was playing a game called Runescape about 3 hours a day, and all day on weekends. Thing was that I was doing something prod...

The Way of the Gamer

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