Portrayal of gaming in other media

[Yeargdribble]

I've taken issue with the way games are presented in plenty of shows before. For one, even if they actually show gameplay from an actual game, they replace the sounds with arcade style beeps and bloops that were only appropriate maybe 30 years ago.

So I was watching a room redesign show as I often do and the husband of the couple who was getting a redesign was a game developer. The design lady made some off hand remark and I tried to just ignore it.

But then... before the commercials they had a skit. Two of the crew had black-framed glasses held together with gobs of scotch tape. They were jerking around violently while holding single-button joysticks while whatever was supposed to be in front of them flashed and made ridiculous sounds. Meanwhile, other crew members came in acting the part of the pregnant wife saying the baby is on the way and the two playing gamers were dismissive and said after this level or something similar.



With game approaching photo-realism, having deep plots, covering mature topics sometimes even in mature ways and the fact that the gaming industry is absolutely massive now (larger than the music industry and not far behind movies)... why the ridiculous and archaic stereotypes?

[VeloZer0]

Makes me wonder what movie stereotypes were like 30 years after movies were invented. I'm sure that it took a long time for stereotypes to catch up to reality.

[NorthernChaosGod]

That bothers me too, I don't know how they can honestly portray video games as childish or nerdy anymore when in the same breath people will also blame them for the downfall of society and rises in violence.

What also bothers me is when they show video games and the players are obviously not even close to doing what's being shown on screen. I was watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles a couple weeks ago and some kid was bragging about how good he was at this game (Gears of War) and how he'd kick John's ass. The gameplay footage was from a co-op campaign and it was like the same 5-10 second sequence looped over.

[Jessweeee♪]

Hey wanna play me in Final Fantasy VIII? I bet I can beat you!

What do you mean it's not a two player button mashing game?

[KentaRawr!]

It's a fun stereotype that helps the viewer recognize a character as a gamer more than anything else, which helps to make the setting more realistic. And besides that, people who get absorbed into their gaming experience aren't a thing of the past. I have a couple of friends who are like that, and if I'm playing an online game like PSO, the younger players talk about how they wish their parents would stop trying to get them off a game pretty often. :p

[Slothy]

The design lady made some off hand remark and I tried to just ignore it.

You don't happen to remember the off hand remark do you? I'm curious as to what it was now.

Now I don't have much of a problem with other media portraying gamers as a bunch of nerds who are probably still virgins. That doesn't represent most gamers and most people who've ever picked up a controller is probably a testament to that fact.

What I have a problem with is when shows portray video games and gamers in an unrealistically negative light. As an example, I remember seeing an episode of one of the CSI's (hell if I know which one, but I think it might have been Miami) which involved a bunch of college aged people recreating a GTA stlye game in real life and giving points to the players for things they did (bank robbery, murder, etc.). This kind of portrayal of gamers as people who can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality is not only completely stupid, it's outright offensive to me because a good chunk of the people watching these shows are probably gullible enough to think that a story like that has some basis in reality (they can't be that smart if they still watch a show with acting as horrible as David Caruso's right :D).

[NorthernChaosGod]

Lol, did no one else catch the title?

Portrail of gaming in other media.

Slipping up, Yearg.

[KentaRawr!]

I noticed it. I was just too interested in the topic!

[~*~Celes~*~]

Us gamers will always be mocked. It's just how life goes, unfortunately. "Normal" people will never understand that a passion for gaming is just the same as a passion for anything else.