re: “Grown men shouldn’t play video games”

There’s several aspects of gaming which are why it has been historically maligned:

1. Marketing as a children’s toy: while gaming was actually an activity by adults in Japan, marketing in the US in the 80’s made video games the hot Christmas toys for children. As a result of this advertising, gaming in the US is associated as a children’s pastime like playing with dolls rather than an adult activity.

2. Social isolation. Early games were mostly single player or potentially multiplayer, but only if your teammate/competitor was physically in the same room. This aspect of gaming started to change with the internet and growth of MMORPGs in the early 2000’s. Today, gaming is a VERY social activity with games connecting friend groups all over the world to play together no matter the distance. They can all meet up in a coop campaign of Baldur’s Gate, kill bugs in Helldivers, or play in big free-for-all gun battles in Fortnight, Call of Duty, or any number of fps titles. These games have spawned entire communities of fans. So, in my opinion, gaming is no longer a solitary experience for most players, and is actually a very social activity.

3. Lack of physical activity. Gaming was seen as a sedentary hobby as a contrast to more physical hobbies like organized sports or hiking. The stereotype of the “fat loser” gamer is prevalent as many use gaming as an indoor activity to avoid harsh outdoor weather. While some games have become more physically interactive thanks to motion control and 3D augmented reality, gaming still is, largely a sedentary activity. Granted, that is no different from any number of “respectable” adult male hobbies like building models, fishing, movies, or watching live sports.

4. It produces nothing. I see this criticism directed towards gamers more so by adult women than by other adult men. Men are often valued in society by what they produce. Men are often not viewed with any intrinsic value of their own, but rather must create value to justify their existence and access to society. Gaming is something people do purely for fun. There is no physical good created. Gardening, woodworking, cooking, restoring old cars, building models, art, fishing, hunting, etc are all activities that “make” things. These hobbies result in the creation of a valuable decoration, a useful tool/resource, generate income, or make consumable food. Unless one is a professional twitch streamer, gaming is a hobby they pay for, and are not paid for. Thus, gaming is unproductive. Women often have contempt for any male activity which does not produce value for them or give them attention. A woman can still get attention during a sporting event or even attend with her husband. A woman can get attention during a tv show or movie. However, games usually require the player’s mostly undivided attention, meaning any time spent gaming is time spent NOT making her money, NOT making anything useful or valuable to her, and NOT giving her any attention. Now, that would change if she chose to participate in the game, but barring that, gaming is a pure leisure activity. Our society HATES men who exist without making things for others. Thus, gaming is hated on.

In my opinion, gaming has its place. Men need pure leisure activities to unwind from the stresses of careers. Gaming is a great hobby in moderation that many allow to consume their entire lives. Anyone who allows any one hobby to monopolize their life will become worse off for it economically, physically, socially, and/or mentally. I believe that gaming can have a similar negative social influence akin to anime where a little gaming opens up social avenues, but the more one indulges in it, the less acceptable they are to the rest of society. Thus, the more accepted by gamers, the less accepted by normies. One must seek balance in all things.