Should you be ashamed of being a gamer?

Computer games are pretty popular these days. Nearly everyone has either a gaming console or computer which they play games on (if not both) and if they don't have one, I'm sure that they've at least played on someone else's. In 2007 the computer and video game industry was worth $18.85 billion dollars and it was estimated that on average, 9 games were sold every second of every day of the year. When it was released, Halo 3 earned $170 million dollars on the first day, beating Spider-man 3's entire opening weekend ($151 M) and the first day of sales for the final book in the Harry Potter series($166M)

I'm sure there are more figures I could throw out there, but you get the picture. Computer games are big. Everybody plays, at least the younger generation anyway. But why is it that I'm ashamed of being a gamer? Surely I can't be the only one that enjoys playing computer games. Yet whenever I go out and meet new people we talk about going out, clubbing, shopping, sports or studies and never about how I totally pwned two mages and a rogue in WSG (I totally did btw). Fact is, normal people don't really want to hear that shit because for the most part, gaming isn't cool unless you're a gamer. Chances are that chick at the party won't care that you headshot n00bs in CS and you can bet that putting down "OT & DPS in MC, ZG, BWL, AQ20, AQ40" in your resume won't help you get a job.

So here's the question. Should you be ashamed of being a gamer? I think the answer is... No, but yes. I say no first because I believe that there's no logical reason you should be. Playing a computer game is no more ridiculous than having to hit a ball with a racquet in a way so that it bounces twice before your opponent can hit it. That's not to say that you shouldn't play sports, but I'm just saying that playing computer games in themselves aren't something you should be ashamed of doing. It's just something you have fun doing, same as everyone else.

That being said, you should feel a little ashamed to be a gamer. Or at least be discrete about it. Not because of video games themselves, but the way that they make everyone else feel. I'm sure you've seen that guy, the one who keeps talking about video games whilst all the normal people look awkward and start heading for the door. Don't be that guy. If you are that guy, stop being that guy. I hate that guy. Not because I don't understand, or even empathise with him, but the exact opposite. I like games, but he's making them more uncool than they already are. And I want games to be cool.

But until they are, I think I'll be the 21 year old uni student who likes going out and playing squash instead of a Lvl 70 4/5 veng w/ s3 weap hunter.