How to talk to your video gaming significant other
Posted: June 12, 2010 Filed under: Health, video games | Tags: addicted to gaming, Call of Duty, Console Platforms, gamers, Games, hot chick destroys PS3, hot chick destroys xbox, internet addiction, lost the art of conversation, nerd rage, Norman Bates, social media, Video game, video game addiction, Video game industry, World of Warcraft, Xbox, Xbox Live 3 Comments »
I typed in "nerd rage" and this is what Zemanta found.... Image via Wikipedia
It is 2010, and techno-phobes are crying over our youth’s inability to communicate without a machine and somehow we’ve lost the subtle art of conversation. Social media is more popular than ever, and even the video game industry (from Xbox Live to Steam) has gotten into the online community-building business.
The exact percentage of the US population that plays video games is unclear, but lies between 68% (the Critical Gaming Project), and 87% males/ 80% females (2009 chart from gameindustry.com). The percentage of the population that plays video games online ( chance for addiction increases) hovers around 58% for males, and 42% for females.
According to some Australian researchers, 1 out of 10 gamers is addicted, but I have a hunch that percentage might be higher. My hunch is based off of Cracked.com’s most excellent piece “5 creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get you Addicted“. For those about to scoff at the idea of being addicted to something that “isn’t even real”, David Wong counters with:
Your brain treats items and goods in the video game world as if they are real. Because they are.
If it takes time, effort and skill to obtain an item, that item has value, whether it’s made of diamonds, binary code or beef jerky.
After all, people pay thousands of dollars for diamonds, even though diamonds do nothing but look pretty. A video game suit of armor looks pretty and protects you from video game orcs. In both cases you’re paying for an idea.
If you or your significant other is a gamer, chances are, there is some form of neglect going on in your relationship.
Before I address the right ways to go about approaching your significant other when you feel they’ve been playing video games for too long, I would first like to address the wrong ways. And while this “How-To” might seem obvious to some, it apparently isn’t when you consider the magnitude of people using the wrong methods to deal with their video gaming significant others.
THE WRONG WAY TO GET YOUR GAMER’S ATTENTION
1) Destroying your significant others gaming property, from deleting characters to destroying consoles
The internet is littered with videos of gaming equipment being destroyed by significant others. Despite many internet users proclaiming these videos as fake, the destruction of property in each video is too real (and also could be deemed illegal in some cases). There is a reason these videos are popular – these videos appeal to both the gamer who fears their significant other will do this to their machines, and to the significant other who sympathizes with the person doing the smashing.
Deleting Characters
The most recent video to make the rounds of the internet is “Girl deletes WoW Characters, Dude destroys Computer“
[youtubevid id="dGBOGamm1x4"]
I could have been the classy 'Snooki', named Fruzsi
Posted: April 29, 2010 Filed under: Entertainment, video games | Tags: Arts, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Casting, Jersey Shore, Programs, Reality television, Reality-Based, team fortress 2, Television, Television program, United States, Video game, World Cyber Games, World Cyber Games Ultimate Gamer Season 2, Xbox Live 2 Comments »
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
I tried out for a reality TV show about two weeks ago. No, not Chicago’s version of Jersey Shore … but the World Cyber Games Ultimate Gamer Season 2.
Sadly, I did not make it. Combined with my nerves and limited play time on the console, my Xbox gameplay left much to be desired…and as I found out after the fact, Ultimate Gamer is really “Best Xbox Player” and not the “Best Gamer across all platforms”. The show shouldn’t call itself “Ultimate Gamer” if it doesn’t include games from all platforms.
I understand why the emphasis is on the Xbox because this show is created by World Cyber Games… and in all honesty, I don’t compete in tournaments (just a gaming columnist here) so maybe if I took a spot on the show it would have pissed off some “hardcore gamers”. I still think I’m a better gamer than some of the girls from last season, though (sans Ciji)!
Why can't console and PC gamers get along?
Posted: April 27, 2010 Filed under: Techology, Uncategorized, video games | Tags: Chats and Forums, Console game, female gamer, Game, Gamer, girl gamer, homophobia in games, Microsoft, PC gamer, PC vs Console, Personal computer, Video game, Xbox Live 18 Comments »
Image via Wikipedia
There is a popular image up on reddit as I type this, discussing the perceived snobbery PC gamers have towards console gamers. You can find the pros and cons for each gaming system in the comments, and the conversation has been enlightening.
What I believe to be the biggest reason for all the animosity is the age difference, though no “redditer” has explicitly mentioned this. Console gamers are younger, and more prone to freaking out if they hear a female gamer or a male that sounds gay. Console gamers are also more likely to shout profanities, behave like bigots or put up porn as their sprays, because, they are after all only 14. Why would someone in their 20′s want to subject themselves to such foolish behavior? My experience with Xbox Live has been brief, and to all the girls that do speak into their mics, I commend you, and don’t know how you do it with out a voice changer.
Reddit user beatnik11 touched on my point:
There is no denying that there are idiots and assholes who are PC gamers, but on a whole its far far far worse on console games. Really, just step into xbox live and play some MW or Halo and before you blink you are going to start hearing little kids act out the worst 4chan has to offer, but instead of being just normal people who are trolling for fun, these kids really are a cancer and are not mature enough to understand the value of respect.
I think being a PC gamer and knowing how to connect more than 4 wires and understanding what is in your machine tends to lead those who are older and more mature and these sorts of people are much more enjoyable to play with. I can go on TF2 [Team Fortress 2] all day long and never have to experience some 14 year old who thinks they are edgy and cool being a racist misogynistic bigot, got on MW2 [Modern Warfare 2] however and its a different story.
Games have been around since the 80′s, so is it really that surprising that the “aging” gaming population spends more time on their PCs? “Grown-ups” already have a computer, so why shell out additional money for a console when you don’t have to? Every time I got a console, I got it as a gift, and I assume many Xbox Live or PS3 boys and girls also received their systems as gifts.
So, when did it become a crime to play with my age group? 
New website lets male gamers pay to play with hot female gamers
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Entertainment, Techology, Uncategorized, video games | Tags: female gamer, feminism, Frag Doll, GameCrush, Gamer, girl gamer, Recreation and Sports, sexism, sexism in video games, Ubisoft, Video game, video game whores, Women, Xbox Live 13 Comments »
Eh. I've seen hotter male gamers! Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Online gamers know what happens when a female (or a dude pretending to be female) joins a match. Every sex-starved dude pounces on her like a dog in heat. She doesn’t even need to speak if her handle contains words like “chick” or “lady”. You can guarantee that at least one tongue-wagging guy will flood her inbox with messages or attempt to
harassflirt his way into her heart, completely unaware that she’s probably a hideous monster. On that note, it’s tough competing with all that testosterone, and even tougher finding a hot gamer girl, but that’s about to change, courtesy of GameCrush, the world’s first website that hooks you up with hotties who can handle two analog sticks at the same time
This news is ridiculously apt, considering my latest post on gender issues in video games…
On one hand, this sounds like a great way to make some extra cash if you are an attractive lady, but at the same time, it doesn’t really help with the whole “women aren’t respected in the gaming industry” bit. Hmm…. 30 dollars an hour? Tempting, but I must remain strong on principle…
After a session you can rate your PlayDate on her hotness, gaming skill, and flirtiness. The highest-rated girls will receive preferred placement on the site. GameCrush is assembling a team of its most highly regarded PlayDates called JaneCrush, which should be similar to Ubisoft’s Fragdolls. Members of JaneCrush will generate content for the site like blogs and editorials. GameCrush wants to turn its most popular girls into gaming stars.
via IGN Xbox Live “Would you pay a Girl to Play Halo with you?”
This newest development might as well say “only sexy ladies (or those that pretend to put out) have a place in the gaming industry”! And GameCrush wants to be like Ubisoft’s Frag Dolls? Please. The Frag Dolls are normal, respectable ladies that did not start out on some sleazy pay-to-play chat-roulette style game site. I don’t know who is being exploited here, the ladies, or the “sex-starved” males that would fork over cash…
Also, why isn’t there a website like this for girl gamers? I mean, there are some really atrocious looking male gamers and I would love to play with some attractive males. Oh wait, I almost forgot, they wouldn’t make a site like this for women, because women aren’t that desperate-
Or maybe I am overreacting, and this will be the newest way for gamers to meet each other… What happened to the good ol’ fashioned way of falling in love with one another over the internet before you saw each others faces…. : /
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