White Boy Video Game Confidence

     If you're reading this, I'm assuming you know enough about me to know that I tend toward the nerdier side of things. I've been known to play a video game or two, and I am intimately familiar with trading card games, and fantasy role play games a la Dungeons and Dragons. I've thoroughly enjoyed things that I am ashamed to talk about in certain company. That, in fact, is something of a dividing line, I've noticed, between myself and some other people who frequent such activities, most notably, I would say, video game fanatics. I love the fun I can have playing these sorts of games, but I do, however, have, in my opinion, an understanding of the popular perceptions of these types of activities, and, while I won't lie about my involvement, I will certainly exclude them from conversation with some people. Although, I have known many people who are so preoccupied with their massively-multiplayer online games, their card collections and such, that it clearly starts to affect their interpersonal relationships.

     I coined the term "white boy video game confidence" years ago, although I certainly recognize that the overly-emotional dork hormone sees neither race nor gender. Many friends of mine have either gone through a phase, or live their lives vicarious though pixels and paper, and when they try to interact with real people, relationships are difficult to build and quick to splinter. I have had a friendship end with Nintendo 64 controller whipping down a flight of stairs past my head, seen very lonely people lash out at others in defense of fantasy realms of limited interest. Internet forums are filled with the angry rantings bred out of spirit and pride in fictional characters that lead to apparent resentment of nonfiction. I think I would be satisfied in simply chuckling quietly to myself when I watch these interactions, content to watch one person stroke their ego with game knowledge, and the other person laugh at them at why they care so much.

     But I see so much self-perpetuating social isolation as a result. If I could offer a bit of advice from someone who has seen the isolation that comes from focusing entirely on games, including video, card, and paper-based, you will not impress real people by that being the only thing you are outgoing about. I can even understand if you have no interest in making friends with people who don't play the same games as you, but you can hold yourself back in so many facets of your life if you treat video game confidence like real confidence. It can keep you out of the running for a promotion, it can make it almost impossible to find a mate, it can drive wedges in long-established friendships, not to mention the natural procrastination that I KNOW comes from the hobby turned obsession. I've caused fights with my wife, and both my parents, and had to mumble through excuses to teachers and professors due to gaming. If there's anything I would like to share with my friends who love their games, it's important enough to repeat, don't treat video game confidence like real confidence.

Walk, Maybe You'll Get Better

     Normally, I'd take this first paragraph to warm you up to the object of my outrage, but this time, I'm not beating around the bush. People who choose to be handicapped need to have their rascal battery die in traffic. You may be wondering what I mean by "choosing to be handicapped" and I'm referring to those selfish heaps of human baggage milking social security on some trumped up, exaggerated or imagined phantom pain, or who've eaten themselves to sufficient corpulence that they can't walk. I see these people daily in my retail job, and they nauseate me.

     I have so many gripes with these wastes of resources and space, I don't even know where to start. They are black holes for tax money, they have delusions of entitlement, they inconvenience the infirm who came by their malady from age or misfortune. I've heard the electric mart carts at stores referred to as "fatty caddies" in reference to the laziness of the slobs who've chosen to stop walking. It's obvious to me, working in a place that has mart carts, who has a right to use them, and who takes them out of raw sloth. When we run out of mart carts, even the oldest, decrepit old fossil will take the news in stride, and continue their shopping. The voluntary cripples, however, are quick to complain and display how unhappy they are they they have to shamble through the store leaning on a cart. Why the different reactions? Because old people, accident victims and the like don't want to need the help. They wish they had the ability to walk all over the store at their leisure. People who've made a specific choice to take every crutch they can are the only ones who really get pissed when there isn't something there to make their lives easier. It's revolting and wrong.

     It's obvious how the ungrateful, inconsiderate layabouts negatively affect the people immediately around them, but the implications are far-reaching. They more often than not find some excuse to not have a job, and seek out every conceivable  form of government support they can. To break it down, they contribute nothing to society, and drain public funds. Don't get me wrong, social security is a lifeline for many people, but the system also gets abused by whiny, narcissistic human slugs. They really believe that they deserve every scrap of assistance they can get their grubby mitts on, and we as a society don't do enough to tell them they are wrong. The next time you see a proposal for a new tax increase, send a fucking letter to someone you know who's unfairly misuse the system placing the blame on them for the government needing more money. Or better yet mail them a noose so they can hang themselves, although you'll have to go help them 'cuz they sure as shit won't do it or anything else for themselves.