Why are video games so much more stigmatized than other time wasting hobbies in America?

[VBM]

Many people think that someone who spends most of their free time playing video games is a total loser. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’d definitely recommend that chronic games go outside more and do some more physical activity, but there are plenty of other “time-wasting” hobbies that many Americans engage in which are just as wasteful, if not more wasteful, than gaming. For example, many Boomers and Gen Xers spend all day mindlessly watching football, but this wasteful behavior seems far more socially acceptable, despite video games actually being more mentally engaging than watching sports all day.

[dead0man]

as someone who has played video games since the late 70s, I ain't never funking worried about what other people think about me playing video games.  They're just jealous.  I feel sorry for people wasting their time watching live sports all the time, but they're free to do what they want to do.

[Mr. Smith]

This isn't the 80's/90's anymore, video games are pretty much a staple at this point.

[Crumpets]

Are they? I feel like if I mention I don't play video games, it's only slightly less of a social faux pas than if I were to say I don't listen to music or I don't read books.

[VBM]

Are they? I feel like if I mention I don't play video games, it's only slightly less of a social faux pas than if I were to say I don't listen to music or I don't read books.

It’s more of a Boomer / Gen X thing I guess.

Though if you were to tell a Millennial/Zoomer girl that you watch a lot of sports, she’d probably think that you’re more manly and this more sexually desirable than if you were to tell her that you play a lot of video games

[Electric Circus]

1. There's a big difference between what "I play A LOT of video games" means to most people compared to e.g. "I watch A LOT of sports."

If you give someone the impression that you're watching sports 40+ hours per week, their assumptions are likely to be less charitable, i.e. somewhere between "watches too much television" and "gambling addict."


2. It's all about how you talk about it, as with anything. Most people aren't that interested in talking about hobbies they don't share, so you need to be an exceptional storyteller to maintain their attention.

This is harder to do with video games than with something like gardening, DIY, or club sports, because (1) there are no real stakes and (2) it doesn't involve food or something else that you can share with others to win their appreciation without asking for too much attention.

[buritobr]

Video games are dangerous because they can influence the children's behavior. Example: children who play Mario will probably start to jump in order to pick coins, mushrooms and flowers

[Meclazine for Israel]

The first people to play video games were nerdy, autistic Elon Musk types.

Hence the nerd title stuck.

[TheTide]

Are they? I feel like if I mention I don't play video games, it's only slightly less of a social faux pas than if I were to say I don't listen to music or I don't read books.

It’s more of a Boomer / Gen X thing I guess.

Though if you were to tell a Millennial/Zoomer girl that you watch a lot of sports, she’d probably think that you’re more manly and this more sexually desirable than if you were to tell her that you play a lot of video games

I wonder if there's a chicken and egg dilemma with these 'generational' stereotypes (and probably most stereotypes). Are such generalisations made based upon how they act, or do they act based upon such generalisations (seeing it as the 'normal' or 'acceptable' way for someone of their age group to behave)?

As for video games, they are a wide category nowadays, and many are geared towards older people. The bad rap probably revolves around, for the most part, a specific subcategory of video-gaming (the ultra-obsessed, Cheeto dust console players whose knowledge on any other subject is limited).

[Santander]

Kids literally aspire to have people watch them play video games for a living now.

[DaleCooper]

People who play a lot of video games tend to be much more embarrassing and pathetic than people who watch a lot of movies or read a lot of books.

[Rand]

Because video games, like vaccines, make you gay.

[Santander]

People who play a lot of video games tend to be much more embarrassing and pathetic than people who watch a lot of movies or read a lot of books.

Still better than listening to emo, lol.

[GoTfan]

People who play a lot of video games tend to be much more embarrassing and pathetic than people who watch a lot of movies or read a lot of books.

And what about those of us who do all three?

[DaleCooper]

People who play a lot of video games tend to be much more embarrassing and pathetic than people who watch a lot of movies or read a lot of books.

And what about those of us who do all three?

Significantly less likely to be embarrassing and pathetic than someone who exclusively plays a lot of video games.

Look, I love video games too, but I'm realistic about what "gamers" are like compared to normal people. If you hear that someone had a psychotic meltdown screaming about "F-CKIN' PRONOUNS!!!" on an internet livestream, you know immediately what that guy's hobby is, lol.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Everyone plays video games now... it's not that interesting.  It's like saying you watch TV.

As to why playing a lot of video games is stigmatized, it's because we have this mental image of what "playing a lot of video games" means and what that person looks like -- an unhygienic manchild staying up until 3 AM hammering away on his controller and screaming at people online while chugging sugary soda pop.

I was surprised once in my friend group when someone said "I think GMA definitely plays the most video games out of any of us" because I probably play maybe 10-15 hours of video games a week which feels like nothing.  Most of them are with my girlfriend.  We have spent the last couple weeks playing the re-release of Star Wars Battlefront II (2005) on the Switch.  Set the teams to 375 a side and see how badly we can beat the other team.  We have a scoresheet where we track our results by level based on how many troops we have left when the match ends.  We also play a lot of Smash Bros online and occasionally take on the latest Mario or Zelda game.  I spent about 50 hours last month beating the two Golden Sun games after they were re-released on Switch's GBA emulator.  Play a lot of Age Of Empires II.

So I don't think of myself as a "gamer" but maybe I am?  I'd be curious to see what the distribution is of time spent playing video games per week.

[GeneralMacArthur]

I think another aspect to it is that playing more video games doesn't add much to your personality.  If you play a handful of games, that's fun and interesting to talk about with other people who play the same games, and you can play together.  But past a certain threshold there's basically no returns whatsoever.  Spending 30 hours a week playing COD or playing 3 hours a week are basically the exact same contribution to your personality.  The extra 27 hours is just wasted time.

Compare this to books where if you spend 30 hours a week reading books, rather than 3, then you are probably learning a lot more and stimulating your imagination and creativity in ways that make you a more interesting person.

With live sports, every game is different, so if you spent 2 hours watching game A, and then 2 hours watching game B, then you can have conversations with people who only watched A, as well as with people who only watched B.  So there is some social return on investment.  If you follow a particular team or league very closely, investing hours every week into watching all the games, then you do have more to contribute to a conversation with someone else who shares that interest.  For example, last year I watched every single Cleveland Cavaliers game, which was about an 8 hour investment per week.  I didn't feel like it was a complete waste of time, since every game had something new and interesting to talk about and the team evolved over time to constantly have fresh topics of discussion.

[dead0man]

Kids literally aspire to have people watch them play video games for a living now.

the fact that there are thousands, probably tens of thousands of people who make a living playing video games is, well, something.  Those aspiring kids probably have a better chance to do that than the kids in Little League do at playing pro sports for a living and certainly more likely to still be doing it in their 30s vs the athletes.  Chances and outcomes are likely worse still for actors, comedians, "artists" and musicians.

In my opinion, kids that aspire to such careers should be encouraged, but they should also be realistic about their chances and how much work they may have to put in that will likely add up to nothing.  And if they don't plan on busting their ass for years (especially if they want to be an athlete or pro gamer) then they shouldn't even be encouraged.

Of my 4 kids, one had such dreams.  Guess which one is still living at home!  He does make money off the internet (begging, selling art, Twitch donations), but it ain't close to a living.

[GeneralMacArthur]

One other thing about watching live sports -- it's passive.  It doesn't demand all your attention.

Most of the guys in my friend group who talk about sports the most are new parents, and I would guess that they spend a lot of time taking care of their kids while having sports on in the background.

This is unlike video games.  Can't no-scope noobs from across the map while also entertaining your toddler.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

As was pointed out, actually watching sports all day is pretty socially stigmatized (although I think still less than watching reality TV all day).

[Meclazine for Israel]

Half the World's population will be gamers by 2030.

Double The Gaming Population in 6 Years

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5iynuPy-YG/?igsh=Zzg5eG00bnJrNjlz

[Del Tachi]

The history of video games is that they were originally created and marketed overwhelmingly for children, and they have not yet had time to shake this juvenile image.  Similarly, movies and TV had to endure decades of ridicule before they were considered "serious" forms of entertainment worthy of criticism.

As for playing video games vis-a-vis watching sports...the culture of competitive sports is a celebration of masculine physicality, inhabited by real people, personalities, and traditions.  Sports is simply more compelling than a video game, which is inherently restrictive and linear in nature.   

[Joe Republic]

Video games are dangerous because they can influence the children's behavior. Example: children who play Mario will probably start to jump in order to pick coins, mushrooms and flowers

TBF I would estimate that at least 25% of drivers in my town learned how to drive from playing MarioKart.

[Ferguson97]

Are you a time traveler from the 90s? The perception you’re describing no longer really exists.