If you are a Brooklynite or you know one, the perception that Manhattan is like ugh so fucking far, impossible miles comprised of inconvenient steps, is familiar to you. Although Brooklyn is as much a part of New York City as any other borough (holding my tongue against the Staten Island jab, because they've had enough) , when discussing Manhattan destinations, we talk about "going to the city" as if it were a cross-country road trip.
In fact, it's just a matter of train stops. It's not that big a deal. But when I had to go "to the city" yesterday to see the U.S. launch of Dragon Quest IX at the Nintendo World Store, I fully-loaded my iPhone with brand-new music and brought my PSP (YES! I GOT ONE, present from a lovely friend) for the train ride, and in case I had to wait in line when I got there.
Incidentally, what is the etiquette around playing a PSP at a Nintendo launch event? What if you're using it to re-play Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII at the launch of a Square Enix game? These are the things I wonder about, friends.
As it turned out, I did not have to wait in line, but I did play a fair bit on the train -- the early
train sequences in Midgar, incidentally. Semi-surreal; Cloud and his AVALANCHE rebel cohort trying to evade train security so they can take the railway to their scheduled Reactor bombing, while all around me the subway interior is decorated with lectures about "if you see something, say something." The ride was punctuated by voice-over drones about "suspicious packages."You read the 'Hey Baby' post, and how unfortunately acclimated girls from my neighborhood get to long stares, unwelcome conversation-starters like "I like your bounce, Mami," and generally aggressive strange men. So when the guy I sit down next to on the train begins staring at me and grinning stupidly, I simply ignore it, put my headphones on, and keep playing FFVII.
He goes on staring and nodding at me the whole time, this guy in ginormous baggy pants, askew ballcap, sporting a huge diamond stud -- like, not my type. By the time we arrive at the station, I take off my headphones and begin putting them away, and glance to make sure this creeper isn't planning to follow me or something.
But he goes, "Hey, Final Fantasy VII. Old school, that's cool!"
I was floored and embarrassed, and all I could say was something to the effect of "yeah, it's pretty essential, right?"
And he goes, "I was surprised. You don't really look like a gamer."
Ha. Not for one minute would I have guessed it was my PSP he was staring at, either. Damn, did I feel dumb.
I mean, here I've been writing for years about "broadening audiences" and "cultural diversity" and things like that, and yet I suppose I still had in my head an idea about "what a gamer looks like" (those dudes wearing turbans and capes and Slime costumes at the DQIX event, for example).
Do you?
I once wrote this article about the innate desire "we" all have, as part of a culture that's been historically fairly small, fairly intense and fairly marginalized, to "recognize" one another in the public, offline space. When I wrote it, it was 2007; I lived in Manhattan. I felt very much like the only gamer in the world (if you've seen the piece I did for Kill Screen Issue 0, you might recognize some sentiments in common).
To be quite honest, I guess it feels different now, even a few years later. I went to an internet cafe in Williamsburg to print some stuff out and they had a bunch of TW@-branded mousepads there (although, to be fair, the clerk told me I was the only person who'd ever noted the reference). Many weekends I join friends from the local Silent Barn community space in playing and promoting Babycastles, the indie arcade they've got going on in the basement (I recently had the privilege of playing Messhof's Nidhogg with a bunch of my friends whose usual purview is playing music). People at my local hangouts tell me my job is cool. I know one bartender with a Triforce on his arm, and another bartender with a Buster Sword on his calf -- and that's just at one restaurant.We are proliferating. We should adjust our expectations of strangers.
Bonus material: While we're on really old articles of mine, one about people who got way too into Final Fantasy VII.
Double bonus: I loaded my iPhone with new music, yes -- if you follow me on Twitter you've been picking up the mixtapes I regularly post, but if you missed it, here's volume 2 of my 'summertime mix'. Due to the limitations of free hosting, it'll only be available for a limited time, so if you're remotely curious, grab it now and give an ear to these fantastic artists.
Triple bonus ding-ding-ding: Guess what else I did at the DQIX event? I interviewed Yuji Horii. You'll get to read that ASAP.
[Slimes on the cobbles of Rockefeller Plaza]
[Today's Good Song: 'I'll Follow You', White Fence (via noise narcs)]
26 comments:
Leigh, do you think if you were a guy, he'd have been staring at your PSP?
Somehow, I doubt it.
Just because the guy chooses to reference your handheld instead of a physical feature, doesn't mean he wasn't part of a, "Hey, baby," moment, right?
Anyone can be a gamer. The idea that a gamer looks like someone in particular is completely antiquated. If you grew up with games, people your age probably did too.
I dunno, Corvus. I admit I stare at people's portables on the subway all the time, just because there's kinda a WHOA YOU LIKE SOMETHING I LIKE moment going on.
If I caught a random stranger playing FFVII, I can't say I wouldn't try to get their attention, or at least be tempted to -- especially if it was someone other than the standard 17-25 male demographic.
I know I'm nothing less than shocked when I see a DS or a PSP on DC public transportation -- Metro Rail or Bus. It's so rare that I freely admit I almost never break out my handhelds in those places. So few people use them I'm sure the regular commuters who see me all the time would immediately label me "the DS guy" or something. Am I letting gamers down?
Well, I certainly don't think you should be self conscious about it. If you wanna play, play -- I used to feel weird about it too when I first moved here, until I realized that most people are so focused on themselves they really couldn't care less about what you're doing.
And probably the crowd is plentiful with people who own systems themselves, or know someone who does. Just do your thing, man.
I've had some pretty...odd experiences with the opposite sex due to the fact that I apparently don't "look like" a nerd/gamer/whatever. It usually leads to girls approaching me, being shocked when I respond with my Poindexter McCalculus voice or when I pull out my GBA SP (I use it for making music, the backlight is easier on the eyes in the train.) Many people assume just cause I have like an ounce of style or because I don't wear mario shirts from target that I'm "normal" or something.
Many of my friends, however, sport more of the accepted "gamer/comicbookdude/nerd" appearance than I do. You know the whole slightly overweight, long hair, neck beard, zelda/ghost in the shell/punch out t-shirt look that keeps getting perpetuated in movies and tv.
I fall victim to this mindset as well, because despite the best of my ability to not project my expectations, I am almost always shocked when I see a cute girl on the train playing a DS or PSP.
I guess this is kind of a TL:DR way of saying for a lot of people (including myself) it seems like nice appearance + some sort of fashon sense = OBVIOUSLY not in to any of that nurd stuff.
I guess that doesn't really answer the question as much as it just piles more questions on top of it.
Cool story brah, makes me wish I didn't get mad motion sickness staring at a screen.
You know, "game enthusiast" apparel gets a pretty bad rap from anyone not in high school, and deservedly so; still, happenstance conversations like this are one of the unsung virtues of a personal style that tastefully flaunts your passions.
I've made a few impulse purchases from retailers like Meatbun or Fangamer that I later justified as "supporting the enthusiast culture," but the MGS Special Forces shirt in particular has earned me many cool conversations, a few phone numbers and at least one surprisingly earnest high-five/chest bump combo from total strangers.
I was actually going to say something similar to what Corvus mentioned here. In the post about "Hey Baby" I noticed a huge number of guys expressing frustration that they felt there was no "right way" to approach a woman on the street. Maybe that's the "right way".
Funny thing about the desire to recognise each other in public? I just got my preorder in for DQ and it comes with a preorder bonus of a baseball cap with a slime on it.
It did cross my mind in passing that it was kind of an amusing way to hint 'hey I'm a gamer' to any fellow slime lovers.
But I do also get really twitchy whenever anyone looks over my shoulder at the DS. Even people I'm with.
Really interesting story, Leigh.
I did a similar thing at work when a new girl was running late because she had been playing Mario Kart. I didn't start a conversation for the next five hours because I assumed she had just been playing her brother's Wii casually or something.
Then I finally bothered to mention something before my shift ended and we only had about ten minutes to discuss BioShock and Half-Life 2 and many others, all because I pressumed this blonde, 19-year-old girl wasn't the default definition of 'gamer'.
Reading this article, I wonder how many other times I have been so presumptuous .
It's a common experience to all nerd-dom, discovering someone with a common interest in a place you wouldn't normally expect to. It's like finding out you both belong to the same secret club.
I sometimes wear a shirt that reads, "The Code: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Select Start" across the front. To the vast majority of people it's nonsense, but every once in a while I'll run into somebody who will glance at it, and then glance away, and then suddenly glance back, and I'll get to see the recognition on their face and anticipate their saying, "Dude! That's...."
It's a good feeling.
Dauragon: I might've laughed out loud a little bit at 'poindexter mccalculus.' might have to crib that one.
malgayne, re: right way to approach a girl -- striking up a conversation about an obvious common interest, instead of making comments about her appearance or calling her 'sweetheart'? yeah, totally.
Leigh, do you think if you were a guy, he'd have been staring at your PSP?
Well as a guy I can say I often try to take a peek of people gaming on the bus.
The bus is really interesting as far as gaming is concerned. I notice that most PSP owners are kids, bar one guy from my Uni and and this guy that has it in a holder on his son's pram.
You see a fair few DSes, more often than not its men/women business attire with stuff like Mario Kart or your typical Puzzle/Training-type games. You get your fair share of kids (and a few adults) playing Pokemon as well.
Sometimes you'll end up talking or even playing with one of these people.
Either way the stigma isn't just a gaming thing, you see people who are doctors but don't look like doctors and etc... Its just that we are gamers so we see gamers, its confirmation bias, you buy a new phone and suddenly you notice what phones people have, except for us we notice games all the time as its just how we think.
The big difference is that well handhelds are a pretty big tip-off that you play games, if you see someone with an SLR they like photography maybe? Someone with an instrument is almost definitely a muso, but for most other things there is no such giveaway. Doctors don't wear stethoscopes 24/7 so gaming is somewhat unique in that manner.
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But yeah the experience you describe is interesting. I remember that once I posted a photo of myself on a site I regularly visit and well the reaction I got was "whoa you look normal, I thought you'd be huge and fat" and that the stigma that a gamer who actually takes time to write out semi-thoughtful posts gets on a forum seemingly, even though everyone else there is a gamer too.
I sometimes wear a shirt that reads, "The Code: Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Select Start" across the front. To the vast majority of people it's nonsense, but every once in a while I'll run into somebody who will glance at it, and then glance away, and then suddenly glance back, and I'll get to see the recognition on their face and anticipate their saying, "Dude! That's...."
And well the "gamer look" thing is a real pain in the ass when it comes to trying to track down game-related clothing that I'd actually want to wear (not those tacky Party like its the 80s Mario shirts that fade in two washes). Generally speaking most game shirts are black, often bear logos (ew), or are trying far too hard.
If anyone can recommend some good sites for this stuff (ie Meatbun, but obv not actually Meatbun ;P )
or even somewhere that does custom ones I'd be very happy.
@TSPhoenix I sometimes like the stuff at Threadless, but as my wife rightly points out, most of it is a little too smartassy for its own good.
I've actually been surprised how little DS/PSP activity I see going on on the subway. I've recently come to the realization that this is really because people ("they" not "we") mostly play on iPhones in this post-App Store world. Maybe it will be their gateway platform.
On a different note, might there actually be people in NYC playing DQIX over (at least) the next few months? Because I might have to take the long way to work for a while if that's the case. And was (choke) Horii really at the NYC Nintendo World last night? I thought it was going to be one of those late-night Harry Potter release party type of things.
I ride the London Underground every day and I see people all the time with DSs, PSPs, etc... but I do remember being self-conscious about it the first time I got a DS a few years ago. Now my only trouble is that I want to play games and listen to music/podcasts at the same time; and if I'm hooked on a transcoded TV show my poor DS doesn't see the light of day for weeks.
Your music suggestions got me thinking about our culture as a whole... I know the "gamer culture" can be pretty varied these days (how infrequently do we meet or know people that have the exact same tastes when it comes to game genres or even games themselves-- tabletop role-players and boardgame players are also technically "gamers"), and I've long wished that someone would exploit that "overlap" to make a site that sort of is the main jumping off point for all of our varied interests? I've made a sort of attempt with my blog, but I would totally check a site each day that corralled all of the different mediums that are associated with or are part of gamer culture at large... tech, comics, films, games, music, fashion (although it might be t-shirts and sneakers, it's still technically fashion), etc.
I've got to admit that I'd be quite likely to strike up a conversation with someone who was openly playing a handheld in public and I'm perfectly happy for others to do the same to me. I do own a few t-shirts from Penny Arcade and Thinkgeek and I love it when people come up to me and share the appreciation, especially in unexpected places.
One thing I do appreciate is gamer/geek culture clothing that has more thought put into it than just sticking a logo or a slogan onto a t-shirt. I really like the ME2 hoodie that has the arm stripe and N7 logo, for example.
"we talk about "going to the city" as if it were a cross-country road trip"
So true, and the opposite way as well.
As Jon says, DS and PSPs are pretty commonplace on the London Underground. I remember when they first started appearing I would be surprised at seeing guys in suits playing them. These days there's usually at least one per carriage.
@Malgayne and CorvusE, I think this probably IS the right way to approach a girl and not have her feel icked out. The fact that he actually knew the game rather than just going 'Ooo, hardware' makes it seem a nice friendly shared moment, rather than JUST an excuse.
I used to spend train journeys trying to peer at DS and PSP screens to see if I could recognise the games. NEver had the guts to strike up a conversation about them. Gave it up when I discovered that I apparently only know about 4 DS games, and everyone with a PSP is playing some form of GTA or FIFA
I work in Manhattan, and if I saw you on the subway playing your PSP I'd probably be tempted to peek at whatever it was you were playing and might even say hello.
I don't know anyone who games as often as I do. I'm sure there are many people out there who feel like "the only gamer in the world". That's why conventions like PAX and SGC are so popular. People are drawn to other people with their interests.
If I did give you a friendly hello and got a vibe that made me think you weren't interested in talking, I would of course back off. But as long as someone isn't being rude I don't see the harm in approaching a stranger you see with a common interest.
lately i've been lamenting an apparent lack of people with interests similar to my own in my town. Being "the guy who writes about games" also makes me "the guy who plays games" and while some people think it's respectable or at least acceptable, none seem to think it's awesome.
Maybe I should do more of my gaming on public transportation. Lol, I'm not even kidding. I might actually catch the attention of like-minded folks.
My subway ride is always too short to warrant getting the DS out, but I always play on the bus ride home. There's something about playing my family-friendly, Nintendo-made games in full view of a crowd of strangers that is strangely liberating and validating.
Also, this is a fun flip-side to the perspective you've offered: I'll bet that there are quite a few men totally on-board with displaying their gaming habit publicly (and crying it from the rooftops), but in the presence of an attractive woman who might be watching will be far more inclined to hide it in shame. I'm spoken for and like to think myself above such things but I've noticed once or twice some instinctual nerd self-preservation instinct telling me to keep Pokemon in the backpack.
I'm glad to say that I've always chosen a fun game-filled bus ride over an hour of sitting in guilt and shame.
test post -- yeah, it's leigh
There is a similar thing with Heavy Metal. I mean, if it's some dude in a Slayer or Metallica t-shirt you let them go on their way, but if they are in a Manowar shirt you are almost morally obligated to throw up the horns. And if they are in a shirt advertising one of those obscure (for everyone else at least) Black Metal bands that you thought that only you knew about, then you have to buy them a beer.
I love talking to other people about what they're playing on public transportation if there's a moment when I wouldn't be interrupting them. It's neat to see their point of view on their game, since mine tends to be totally different.
I still lol, though, when someone's playing a ds game they have to blow into. I swear that feels terribly creepy to do that as a grown man do on the subway.
Being a female gamer I can say that the PSP just gives a guy a purpose to cat call. Having a sketchbook has the same effect. In fact the only redeeming quality is the fact that he could recognize that it was FF7 specifically. I'd like to hear more about that. I've been cat called on playing stuff but the game cat caller only played sports games or something.
What do gamers look like? At this point, where the idea that casual games have reached mass popularity with middle aged women is old news- they look like ANYONE. Also I should point out that at this point, it's not hard to get gamer swag. Hot topic makes it very easy to just casually get a shirt from a game you haven't even played. So gamer is a vague term, and looks are deceiving.
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