This blog was originally posted on N4G.
Let me start out by saying that this blog is sort of personal. It's really just me venting about things that have been on my mind lately. So yeah, read it anyway and stuff.
I've been a gamer for a good thirteen years now, and I've done nothing but get more involved in video game culture. While I have many people in my life that I would consider a friend, I try to surround myself with people that are as interested in video games as I am, which is more difficult than it sounds. A lot of my friends are gamers, but none of them are as deeply invested in games as they once were. It seems that I am the only one out of my group of friends that is still in touch with why gaming is so special. I don't think it is just my group of friends that is losing sight of why gaming is so great either, but the majority of 'gamers' are also slowly fading from their origins.
Super Mario World
Gamers all begin somewhere; whether their first game was Space Invaders or, like me, Super Mario World. As we get older, our minds develop further and we begin to play more elaborate and time consuming games. We become lost in the beautiful worlds that video games can transport us to. From there, we begin to take pride in solving the worlds puzzles and discovering its' mysteries. Then we get older and we get more responsibility in the real world, forcing us to make a decision. Do I continue to game at a sacrifice to other things? Or do I pursue other goals and give up my gaming habits? For most people, I think this decision is obvious: give up gaming. When I was younger (younger than I currently am) my friends and I would solely play video games. We were content with sitting around our bedrooms, picking up a controller, and gaming until 4 am. Countless nights were spent playing games like Super Smash Brothers and Halo. Summer afternoons were spent at the park or playing sports, however, most were occupied with sitting around a bench and discussing video game strategies concerning Pokemon and Final Fantasy. Now though, I can see my friends slipping away from our old gaming habits. No longer do they take joy in the simple pleasure of sitting down and playing a game. Now, it seems, that the only game they are able to play is Call of Duty or Battlefield. But while they're playing these games, they don't seem to enjoy them, they just rage at and troll other players. When they see a game like Dishonored, they cast it aside, deeming it boring and slow. To me, this seems as though they've forgotten why they play games; to have fun. 
Gaming Rage
It's such a shame that gamers have lost the love of games that they once started out with. It's an even bigger tragedy when it's some of my closest friends that have lost their gaming love. I am beginning to see though, that the people in my life right now will not be in it for much longer. My group of friends and I all have different ambitions, and it's becoming more clear that video games are not in most of theirs. I still plan to make video games an even bigger part of my life, and even though I'll lose some friends on the way, I'm sure I'll gain some new and interesting ones as well.
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