This Friday, we want to trouble you loyal readers again with a question and find out how you feel about this topic. According to the media (including “Die Zeit”), games are now considered a cultural asset and are thus seamlessly ranked alongside books and films.
But is that really the case? Has consuming video games truly made it to the center of society? Or do gamers still have to be ashamed of their hobby today and perhaps hide it?
New Media = Devil’s Work!
First, it was books that corrupted our youth, then movies and TV series, and about 20 years ago, console games became the scapegoats. Naturally, the assessment of these media is in constant flux, such that books and movies are now absolutely socially accepted, sometimes even over-accepted.
Many people from my parents’ generation say things like “Reading always educates, therefore one can never read enough books.” Even though I cannot completely agree with such a statement, I at least understand what leads people to this assumption and can therefore commend it. But is this acceptance really already true for games?
Cortyn says: To me, video games are many things, but they are far from being an equivalent cultural asset. I do not base this on the quality and impact of the games but on the acceptance within certain circles. For example, if I mention at a family gathering that I play a lot in my free time, you can imagine the skeptical looks. Also, sentences like “Should we be scared now?” are said with a grin on the face, but they are still clear indications that games and players are still heavily burdened.
Especially moncausal correlations are often used. Is someone in a bad mood or aggressive today? Then they probably played “killer games”! Is someone sad or doesn’t want to talk? Then they are just lonely because they sit at the PC all day!
With certain individuals, I have simply given up the fight. I will no longer be able to make my grandmother understand that games are just a hobby, like sports or reading books. But since my grandma is practically the parent generation of my potential employers, I also better keep this topic quiet during many professional matters. Although I now feel that my boss from Mein-MMO suspects something… maybe I should come clean?
And now I pass the question on to you!
Who among you would tell in a job interview that they play MMOs in their free time? In front of whom do you prefer to keep your hobby a secret? Or is it all too stupid for you and you always speak directly about it? Let us know in the comments!
