It’s painfully obvious because I’m writing a weekly video game column, but video games hold a special place in my heart. However, I very rarely express that love outside of the realms of the Internet or this column. I’ve never really had anyone to talk about video games with. Basically, I would describe myself as being a closet nerd.
When I found out I got the job to write this column in May, I was ecstatic. That being said, when my friends actually asked what the column was going to cover, I said arts and entertainment. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been afraid about being judged because I’m a gamer.
It sounds silly, but the stereotype of a gamer is not the most flattering image. I assume the most common image in people’s heads of a gamer is either a 12-year-old who flings expletives at strangers online or someone who has too much free time. Looking at TV, shows like “The Big Bang Theory” don’t help with the images either.
Stereotypes never paint a particularly positive image of anyone, but being a gamer or a nerd has just never been something I feel people have embraced.
See, these stereotypes and images have always rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t want to be seen as a socially awkward guy a-la-Sheldon or a kid who has too much free time. Hell, I _wish_ I had free time.
When it came to public expressions of my love of games, I kept them to a minimum. At least, I used to.
College, to me at least, has been a time for me to test the waters outside the safety of my gaming closet. Let me just say, it’s a slow process.
Unlike other types of entertainment, gaming is a pretty hard thing to strike a conversation about. Most everyone I’ve met has had an opinion on music and movies, like whether or not No Doubt’s new album is any good (which it is) or if “Cougar Town” is a good fill-in for the lack of new episodes of “Scrubs” (which it also is).
But, gaming is in a league of its own. I mean, sure, I can almost guarantee that I can talk about Tetris to almost anyone in the world; the game is iconic. Finding someone who knows about the next “Call of Duty” or “Madden” is also a pretty easy task. But trying to find someone who I can talk to about “Sound Shapes” or “LittleBigPlanet,” that’s when the problems start happening.
It may just be that the games that I tend to want to talk about are relatively unheard of for people who aren’t reading gaming sites like IGN or Kotaku on a daily basis. It could also be the fact that I didn’t own an Xbox 360 until this year. Technically, while I thought of myself as a gamer, I couldn’t relate to the gamers around me.
That being said, I’ve started mentioning games in everyday life. I’m slipping in references to games when I talk to friends, which only one of them actually understood. But, to me, it’s a start.
Sure, I might not be having the “Are video games art?” conversation yet, but at least I’m getting my feet wet with some casual conversations about my some more popular games. I haven’t exactly left my gaming closet, but I’ve tested the waters and they are not too cold or too hot. I’ve only been in Missouri for seven weeks, so my expectations might just be getting ahead of myself.
But if anybody reading this wants to chat it up on some weird game you’ve think I’ve never heard of, you’ll make my day. Even if I really do have no idea what you’re talking about.
