Not from the games themselves, but from other gamers.
Seriously, I think I hate an ever increasing number of users on every gaming forum, as for guys who claim to be smart and educated, they sure as fuck know nothing.
I’m also starting to think that games don’t make people violent, they just make you selfish and impair your ability to relate to others, also be really defensive about gaming.
Blargh, I am beginning to feel the same way.
We always get told those asshats are “just a small, but vocal” part of the gaming community. But if that’s the case, then why are they ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE?
I think today’s gamers are the byproduct of growing up, spending practically their whole lives playing the same story over and over of a white male hero who can do no wrong.
“Gaming” has let us down.
But I think we’re starting to see the rise of a new “small but vocal” community of socially-conscious gamers.
I want to figure out how to incubate and grow the socially conscious gamers, as I think there need to be more.
I know a few sites have good communities and are of good size, namely Gamers With Jobs has always been great, I just don’t visit there often. Gaygamer.net also seemed to have a pretty good community.
I’m finding a good community barometer are threads about Tropes Vs. Women. , in terms of seeing attitudes of various posters, how they post, and also what the general views are. The message boards I frequent most were utterly shitty and were threadjacked into being about how “Uppity” is totally non-offensive and no one should be offended by it.
I encountered the same thing, and solved the problem quickly and easily. I stopped going to those sites. I befriended the people who I thought valuable and worthwhile on places like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. And then I simply stopped engaging the hivemind. Just like that.
These days, I just play games. And I enjoy them. And I don’t have to worry about whether or not people like the games I play, or like the current president, or like women, or like certain TV shows or movies. Because, honestly, I just don’t care.
Sounds like you enjoy games. It also sounds like you hate game communities. Seems like a very simple problem to solve.