When did gaming become cool?

In school when we discussed gaming it was in a small group while furtively looking around to see if we were being overheard. We discussed things like framerate and rocket jump and pixels. No one else knew or even cared about it.

Our lives revolved aorund 1.44 mb discs and the coolest and newest zipping programs. We would discuss in detail how many disks it would take to install certain games and operating systems. This was our weekends out. This was our clubbing and the only girls we interacted with were named either mom or *.jpg

Games were on PC. The technological revolutions made in this time were driven by gaming. The workplace could still run excel and whatever they needed on their slow machines. The speed and space breakthroughs were driven forward by gaming. We made the gaming industry what is today. PC gamers led the way.

Then came the console wars. Suddenly the jocks we hid our conversations from found a new way to be entertained. They started to move in on our territory, started learning and abusing our lingo. Suddenly noob and pwn and woot were appearing everywhere. Our culture was being ripped apart and consumed by the ever hungry “next cool fad” machine. Even the phrase “hardcore gamer” has lost it’s meaning.

And now even the gaming companies are falling to this. They turn their backs on the people who made them for the cheap thrills and blinky lights that can amuse the n00b masses. They are catering to their new sugerdaddies while leaving their fans and creators out in the cold.

I want games released on PC! I want games worth playing! I want some of the support we have given these companies returned back! It’s not fair! I find myself weakening too. Already I have bought an XBOX and XBOX 360. I am even considering buy ing a wii. It’s not so bad is it? is it? I feel so dirty playing on the xbox. Like a traitor.. but it’s fun.. soo fun… ooohh.. flashy lights.. blinky blinky… erm.. excuse me, I have to go and uh.. play on the uh… xbox… bye…