Canadian Politics Today

I would simply refer you back to your own previous post. I'm certainly not the expert you seem to be on gaming culture, but now you seem to be coming to their rescue-speaking about dumb.

Video games are very mainstream, and only a small fraction of people who play video games would identify themselves as "gamers" and go to gaming tournaments to prove their expertise, just only a tiny fraction of people who play cards once in a while would identify themselves as "gamblers" and go to poker tournaments to prove their expertise.  "Gaming culture" is a small subset of those who play video games.

And it attracts a toxic element... often people with no real-world accomplishments who have linked their self-esteem with their success at gaming. Not all of them, of course, but there is an element there who do.  And it's an environment of elitism, gate-keeping, and misogyny.  They disdain those who are not "real gamers" who try to participate in the field, especially girls... the idea that gaming is for everybody is contrary to their self-image as elite experts in a specialized field.   And so gaming culture has become a magnet for toxic personalities and misogynists.  It's a world where their arrogance and misogyny are respected. 

These guys have a self-image of themselves as modern-day gladiators or gun-slingers.  And getting "pwned" at a tournament and losing face in front of the rest of the community would be a blow to their self-esteem.


 -k