First post

Oh hi. This is the first post on my new blog so I may as well make it a good one. So I'll be explaining why gaming as a 'nerdy' thing is a stereotype that belongs in 1990.

My family and workmates are vaguely aware that I'm a gamer, but it almost never gets talked about. The exception is my brother who's an avid gamer, but only on Xbox, so our conversations usually end up being about what the best console is (clearly not Xbox). And the only time gaming gets brought up in work conversations is when a major title like Modern Warfare 3 or the latest FIFA game is released - neither of which are really my thing. So my gaming persona is mostly overlooked and ignored like a massive spot on the centre of my face that everyone's too polite to mention.

Now, most of us gamers have heard one, or all, of the following:

"Videogames? Get a life!"

"Why don't you go outside instead?"

"Videogames are for kids!"

You get the idea. It's not quite as widespread as it used to be, but it still carries a stigma for some reason. If videogames are your choice of entertainment you're automatically a loser, a geek, a no-lifer, a hermit. And yes, some people are. But the same is true of music lovers, TV addicts, bookworms, in fact just people in general. But my beef is this.

If Billy is playing videogames for 6 hours while Bob is watching Xfactor for 6 hours, both of them have been sat in front of a screen for the same amount of time. At least Billy has had to use his head in some way. Meanwhile Bob's losing brain cells watching Gary Barlow trying his best to be as mean as Simon Cowell, or watching montages of people crying while Snow Patrol plays in the background. Bob's brain is rotting. He's zoning out and staring into middle distance while slowly sliding down his chair. He's slumped half on the floor with a sudden urge to buy the Little Mix album. He's doomed.

...Can you tell I'm not a fan of Xfactor? In the meantime, it's time that videogaming is accepted as an art form alongside movies, music, literature, and even the classic paintings you see in museums. You could even say it's the ultimate artform because videogames combine all of the above into one package. Take a game like Mass Effect. Epic story, great graphics and design, beautful music and brilliantly shot cutscenes. Any of these aspects on their own could easily compete with the best the 'real' art world has to offer, but combine them all onto a screen and they suddenly lose credibility. Why?

No really, why? In this day and age computers are everywhere in our lives. Saying you don't use computers in 2012 is almost akin to saying you can't read. And with that comes gaming. There's games to suit everyone these days. From pick-up-and-play popular games like Farmville and Angry Birds, right through to life-devouring games like EVE Online, it's one of the broadest and most accessible artforms ever.

And that's why I'm gaming in the evenings after work, instead of doing a Bob.