@CailinJohnson
The gamer culture is very interesting and very complex. Stereotypes about gamers include, that they are antisocial, lazy, and couch potatoes to name a few. However, in a video describing how video gamers could change the world’s problems the previous stereotypes of gamers will no longer be valid. Just as “hackers program because programming challenges are of intrinsic interest to them” gamers game because it interests them. (Hacker Work Ethic p. 150-151) Videos games provide a completely new world that has its own characters, communities, methods of communication and relationships. Gamers use this as an opportunity to escape from the world that is their reality however the problems that they are solving in their games can be used to solve current world problems. (Gamer video) Also described in the video is that gamers could fix all kinds of world problems such as the economy and war situations. If gamers could take the skills that they use in their games and apply it to the real world the stereotype surrounding the gamer would change. They would no longer be considered couch potatoes, lazy and antisocial they would be considered intelligent, outgoing, and politically or economically active. However this will be challenging. Gamers are socially awkward and that is why they enjoy being in a game world hiding behind their avatars than out in the real world solving real world problems. They would need to change the way they operate socially to change their stereotypes but if they could they would change the way gamers are thought of entirely.