I admit when I was younger I did gate keep on a lot of things. My intent was always good, but as I've grown older I realize how dumb it was.
Now when I tell people of things or talk of them, I sense that smugness and entitlement I felt I had at one point. Usually it's someone younger than me who is trying this.
For Metroid, I played almost every Metroid, when a new one comes out I jump right in. But it's for me and I don't care about fans or who isn't now. A person who enjoys something wants to share it with others and finding others who agree is wonderful. But, some people may not be into something as much as you or more than you. And that's okay, we all need to learn to enjoy it for what we want. Not what others feel we should.
I'm glad you have found fun in the game, and like you I still dig out a guide for the game, or any game really cause I don't rember every little step. It makes it fun in that way, what's old is new. A way to recapture that spark that made me enjoy it in the first place. That's more important than what a person thinks of me being a fan or not.
Thank you for the comment and sharing that. I agree, looking back on our younger selves can often be quite interesting, but also it's good to see how we've grown
In terms of music/genre I think someone is a real fan if they're actively seeking more of it and have a good grasp of their own tastes; I don't label most people who play games 'gamers' for this reason. To me, playing the yearly Fifa and CoD and maybe grabbing Ghost Of Yotei because it's popular doesn't make you a gamer.
Someone who is a gamer I feel is looking to expand their palate all the time and to challenge their pre-conceived tastes. I feel this way in other mediums too. I'm basically a goth/metalhead music wise and to me, liking The Cure's darker albums or Bela Lugosi's Dead doesn't make you a goth.
I think people gatekeep out of a deep-seated fear of homogeneity: all over the world today, people wear the same clothes, eat the same food, watch the same films and increasingly are speaking the same language this is a way of people saying "Well, we've all been exposed to this but if's not just a pastime for me, it's important."
I enjoyed your article and I believe it addresses an issue that definitely exists within hobbies, including video games.
This paragraph here really hit the nail on the head “Ultimately, the point of this big rambling article is just a way for me to say to people - take a step back once in a while. If someone is telling you about their new hobby, a new game they’ve played, something they have seen which they really liked - just listen, and chat with them about it. Don’t feel the need to impress your vast knowledge on to them and make them feel less than. And this goes both ways - if someone is really passionate about something and has built up a lot of knowledge, talk to them about it too. Learning something new is fun.”
Like what you like, play what you want and appreciate games and their franchises how you want, not how someone else wants.
In my recent article about playing Metroid 2 with my brother, I mention why it helped me not to get gatekeepy about video games in general. By the time I reached my late teens/early 20s, I didn’t have many people in my circles who were into video games, or at least playing the same types of games I was playing (especially RPGs).
In fact video games were still viewed as something only children (or man-children) enjoyed. It was a very lonely existence in that regard.
I never wanted to gatekeep. I was just trying to find other people who enjoyed the stuff I enjoy. I will admit, however, that it became oddly annoying around the PS3/Xbox 360 era when seemingly every celebrity under the sun suddenly “played” videos games and was a “big fan” of this or that series.
But to me it just seemed like some where jumping on a bandwagon for nerd-cred once nerds became “cool”, not because they actually enjoyed video games. But who am I to judge (or shall I say, gatekeep)?
I admit when I was younger I did gate keep on a lot of things. My intent was always good, but as I've grown older I realize how dumb it was.
Now when I tell people of things or talk of them, I sense that smugness and entitlement I felt I had at one point. Usually it's someone younger than me who is trying this.
For Metroid, I played almost every Metroid, when a new one comes out I jump right in. But it's for me and I don't care about fans or who isn't now. A person who enjoys something wants to share it with others and finding others who agree is wonderful. But, some people may not be into something as much as you or more than you. And that's okay, we all need to learn to enjoy it for what we want. Not what others feel we should.
I'm glad you have found fun in the game, and like you I still dig out a guide for the game, or any game really cause I don't rember every little step. It makes it fun in that way, what's old is new. A way to recapture that spark that made me enjoy it in the first place. That's more important than what a person thinks of me being a fan or not.
Thank you for the comment and sharing that. I agree, looking back on our younger selves can often be quite interesting, but also it's good to see how we've grown
In terms of music/genre I think someone is a real fan if they're actively seeking more of it and have a good grasp of their own tastes; I don't label most people who play games 'gamers' for this reason. To me, playing the yearly Fifa and CoD and maybe grabbing Ghost Of Yotei because it's popular doesn't make you a gamer.
Someone who is a gamer I feel is looking to expand their palate all the time and to challenge their pre-conceived tastes. I feel this way in other mediums too. I'm basically a goth/metalhead music wise and to me, liking The Cure's darker albums or Bela Lugosi's Dead doesn't make you a goth.
I think people gatekeep out of a deep-seated fear of homogeneity: all over the world today, people wear the same clothes, eat the same food, watch the same films and increasingly are speaking the same language this is a way of people saying "Well, we've all been exposed to this but if's not just a pastime for me, it's important."
I enjoyed your article and I believe it addresses an issue that definitely exists within hobbies, including video games.
This paragraph here really hit the nail on the head “Ultimately, the point of this big rambling article is just a way for me to say to people - take a step back once in a while. If someone is telling you about their new hobby, a new game they’ve played, something they have seen which they really liked - just listen, and chat with them about it. Don’t feel the need to impress your vast knowledge on to them and make them feel less than. And this goes both ways - if someone is really passionate about something and has built up a lot of knowledge, talk to them about it too. Learning something new is fun.”
Like what you like, play what you want and appreciate games and their franchises how you want, not how someone else wants.
In my recent article about playing Metroid 2 with my brother, I mention why it helped me not to get gatekeepy about video games in general. By the time I reached my late teens/early 20s, I didn’t have many people in my circles who were into video games, or at least playing the same types of games I was playing (especially RPGs).
In fact video games were still viewed as something only children (or man-children) enjoyed. It was a very lonely existence in that regard.
I never wanted to gatekeep. I was just trying to find other people who enjoyed the stuff I enjoy. I will admit, however, that it became oddly annoying around the PS3/Xbox 360 era when seemingly every celebrity under the sun suddenly “played” videos games and was a “big fan” of this or that series.
But to me it just seemed like some where jumping on a bandwagon for nerd-cred once nerds became “cool”, not because they actually enjoyed video games. But who am I to judge (or shall I say, gatekeep)?