The social barrier that is Video Game Nerdom

           This is probably one of the more touchy topics I've taken on this blog and that's because I'm challenging a social aspect of the current gaming culture that has been accepted as the golden standard of the community. Since the beginning of video games the image of the "nerd" has been associated with the subset of avid gamers. Often it is assumed that  people who are into video games must be nerds to be legitimate. This is false in so many ways. We are a diverse community that allows so much more than the nerd caricature. Football players love video games. Artists love video games. Even a hipster or a frat boy can be a lover of video games. The notion that the only people who are "true" gamers are nerds, who spend their time looking at games through the same watered down technical lens, is simply untrue. And we see this stereotype continue to be perpetuated in pop culture. But why is this such an easy caricature to create? Well it's really because of people like this

Chief Landless is a self proclaimed Halo expert who comes out with videos concerning a myriad of technical topics within the Halo, Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed games. Some of his videos are actually quite informative and I'd suggest you check them out for basic information concerning Halo that you could have otherwise gotten from any major video game network. On top of that he makes "Let's play videos" where he plays the game and adds "witty banter" to create a unique viewing experience for his audience. Unfortunately, what Chief Landless doesn't know is that he's perpetuating the same uninspired approach to video games that currently exists in the media. Instead of asking what makes Halo Halo or why is a certain game mechanism so prevalent in a game, he merely compiles lists and facts that serve no purpose but to prove knowledge on the topic. He then presents this information as the only access point to the medium and game, completely shutting down any further conversation. 

    This is what we need to be getting away from. The idea that true gamers spend more time knowing things about games, than knowing about the game themselves. People like Chief Landless shouldn't be completely discounted, but they shouldn't be a majority either. Instead we need to be more supportive of a more critical tone in the community. People need to be willing to view video games through multiple lenses. If Chief Landless really wants to be a "Halo expert" he should have his own unique view and opinions on Halo that make his musings on Halo meaningful, not just a compilation of already know information about the game. I suggested this to Chief Landless on one of his videos, but instead of taking it as a serious suggestion he laughed it off and called me ignorant. 

     We need to stop this false deification of nerd culture in video games. Nerds are not the only ones who have a claim in video games. Everyone does. And the sooner we have more multifaceted voices in the community, the quicker you'll see the community grow into a more successful advocate for why video games are art. 

Note: Just because Chief Landless is ignorant and obnoxious doesn't mean you need to be. By all means comment on his pages, youtube video, etc, but don't deride him for being an idiot, it'll just make it two idiots bickering.