About a week (or two?) ago, one of my group mates in my Communications class mentioned something about those videogames and their tendency to desensitize and murderize those who played them. I mentioned that I was an avid gamer, and started talking about how individuals of a certain age can distinguish from fantasy and reality, etc, etc...It became obvious within five minutes or so that he'd rather me carve out another anus in his face than continue the current conversation.
 
(No, he didn't say murderize. That's not the point, people.)
 
The point is that people still believe that videogames have some sort of mind-altering, brain-obliterating effect on the people who play them. Who is perpetuating this belief? Are there roving bands of of stay-at-home mothers who burn and pillage the citizenry if they refuse to say bad things about videogames? I don't get it. Maybe I never will, but...it just strikes me as strange to make such wild claims when MILLIONS of people play videogames, and have yet to turn into ravenous Nazi-zombie-dragon fairy-men who commit assault, rape, and other acts that are generally frowned upon.
 
Anyway, I'm creating this for two reasons.
 
Uno! Have you ever been stereotyped by someone after you have mentioned that you play videogames?
 
Dos! Have you experienced a situation where people have badmouthed gamers/videogames out of ignorance and misunderstanding?
 
Tres (yeah, THREE reasons, bitch)! How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you?

What possesses a man (or woman) to game? Why does he take that first step off of Mount Normalcy into Valley Slice, Dice, and Kick Ass? For what reasons do we find solace in a purely digital world?
 
For me, the reason is quite simple. It is the same reason I read, write, and punch small, defenseless children.
 
It's fun.
 
I know others may game for escapism (whether they are trying to escape reality, an abusive relationship, etc.), and others still game for the experiences offered (I find this trend most common among individuals who declare themselves strictly RPG gamers).
 
Why do you associate as a gamer? What's most fulfilling about being a gamer?