We’ve all seen or heard them. The angry forum user who lashes out against anyone, the opponent or teammate with a microphone spewing a stream of obscenities at random players, or just another gamer who will speak to how poor your choice of game was because it was the same one he or she chose.
Why are we gamers so mean to each other? As a social group that is often stereotyped as wearing glasses and residing in a subterranean layer why is it seemingly so common that we are fighting each other as often as we are supporting each other? You could certainly write some of the comments off as the vocal minority speaking louder than the more friendly gamers who just dont speak up as often but I feel that it goes beyond that. Where there should be solidarity between everyone who calls themselves a “gamer” you may instead see a console player being talked down to by a pc player, or a “hardcore” player going in depth as to why the “casuals” are ruining everything. If we,as gamers, wish to see the stereotypes and the negative connotation of being called a gamer vanish then we must relax or repress our rage instincts and be more welcoming to new gamers and to gamers of different interests.