Where Does The Negativity Stem From?

What makes a MMORPG player so different from everyone else? Why has soceity shunned these people and are they partially responsible? Where were the negative ideas formed?



I think all of these questions are personal. By that I mean it is different for every individual. Certainly there are more productive hobbies, but that can be said about most of the passtimes we have in our world today. If you went surfing for 50 hours a week you might become very good at it and eventually be able to call yourself a professional surfer. But what if you play WoW for 50 hours a week. You could then say you are a profession mmorpg player. I dont think it has quite the same charming ring to it. Sure with surfing you are out in the world, being physical, getting exercise even perhaps a nice beach tan. With WoW though you are trapped inside sitting at a computer eating cheetos and packing on the pounds, trying to hide from the sun like a vampire. At first glance this comparison seems very one sided, most people would clearly say that 50 hours of surfing, while it is alot is far more acceptable that 50 hours of playing a computer game. Why the double standard though? Saying you are addicted to surfing or sports of that nature has a postive stigma tied with it. While from my own personal experience being addicted to computer game doesn't score you any points.



I think alot of this has to do with lack of understanding. If you meet a woman or a man depending on your preference or gender you would probably be far more likely to tell them about your surfing obsession than your WoW obsession. While it is probably true that just from basic appearance a avid surfer will have a superior physically than that of a avid WoW player there is more to it than that. Almost everyone in the world knows the general idea of surfing, WoW on the other hand even as popular as it is and with it's constant adds and commercials is something more mysterious, but not in a good way. People that dont play computer games probably haven't heard of the game and if they have they probably relate it to that nerdy pimple covered fellow that breifly referenced it in highschool. So with that said I think it is a utter lack of understanding. I personally would never strike up a conversation with someone I didn't know about playing a computer game such as WoW, most because it has a large chance of falling flat on it's face. By that I mean if the person doesn't know what it is then explaining it will be a boring drawn out plea of acceptance. They also might have an idea, maybe a friend plays the game or maybe they get that image of the pimply guy from highschool. If they do know a bond can be formed, but this is a rare occurance.



From my own personal experience I have seen a negative attitude toward people that play computer games, more specifically MMORPG's and I wonder where that started. I have been playing games like WoW when a relative, friend or anyone comes over, the person usually feigns interest and it ends up forming into a long drawn out on conversation about something I dont want to explain and something they really dont care about in the first place. Though due to the politeness of the guest they countinue to try and understand eventually, usually awkwardly the subject gets changed. So where does the