What's a true gamer?
Being a true gamer isn't: a huge gamerscore; a closet full of retro game-themed t-shirts; a huge library of games; owning every console ever released; 10,000 posts to your name on the IGN message boards; your own games blog; raiding 40 hours a week in World of Warcraft.
It is moving from mere consumption to hobby advocacy. It's telling your friends about games; being a games evangelist; being politically active and voting against politicians who would interfere with developers' constitutional rights to produce content for gamers of all ages.
Certain ambitious politicians are determined to make games an election 2008 issue. While most gamers sit merrily twiddling their joysticks in blissful ignorance, their hobby is under attack. Games are an attractive target because gamers generally can't watch TV news and game at the same time. This gives politicians free reign to vilify video games on national television in a bid to appeal to conservative voters.
Joystiq readers didn't pay our earlier post on the subject much attention (our traffic data prove it). What's it going to take before all gamers over the age of 18 to understand what's at stake here? For the love of all that is pixelated, get involved!
Maybe the nature of our hobby breeds lazy, politically inactive citizens? Maybe gaming's big weakness is that those who pursue it most avidly tend to be least likely to be informed on important political issues because involvement in virtual worlds means detachment from the ugly real world? I'd like to think that this is not the case, but unfortunately gamer culture tends to place a low value on political involvement. I'd love to see a powerful, organized group of gamers begin to challenge the constant drumbeat of politically motivated criticism aimed at our favorite hobby.
