As I've said before in a previous post, I think the term 'gamers' is something of a misnomer, but for the purposes of what I'm about to write, it's a rather handy shorthand term for the objects of my ire.
During my downtime I frequent a great number of gaming-related websites in order to get my daily news fix. I used to quite enjoy reading their comments sections and forums to get a feel for public reactions to the day's stories. Sadly, that's no longer the case.
Now they're awash with childish name calling; the Sony and Microsoft faithful at each other's throats, PC users pouring unrelenting scorn onto anything console-related, and all three declaring jihad on games journalism as an institution. With often not even a single valid or coherent point in sight, clearly such pettiness has become the norm in terms of communicating with peers here, and it's utterly contemptible.
OK, so part of the reason I stay out of it, and part of the reason I disable voice communications when playing online with strangers, is that I'm chronically unsociable, but all the same, I've never felt so vindicated in my choice to simply orbit and observe, rather than engage with, these people. Xbox, Playstation, PC - does it really matter? As the theme to Diff'rent Strokes so eloquently put it: "The World don't go 'round to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you might not be right for some".
Bringing gaming to the masses, making it the de facto pass time for the under 35s, has many pitfalls, of which cultural assimilation and dissemination by the utter dregs of humanity is the worst. Hopefully what we're seeing is some manner of fleeting post-'Gamergate' hangover rather than a statement of intent for the years to come.
Right now, I weep for my first (non-human) love's future.
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