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So this is basically an introduction to what my blog will be about and a little bit about who I am. I'm a 21 year old university student from Canada but online I'm usually found under the tag Zenobia or some variation of it. My main focuses lately have been World of Warcraft, Starcraft2, and Diablo, of which I am not a notable player in any, I simply enjoy them.
So why are we here? I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night.
Just kidding, this isn't Red vs Blue (which I don't own, but suggest you watch it HERE!)
So why are we actually here, at this blog? I decided a while ago that I wanted to write about the gaming community with a focus on how being a gamer is a positive social experience. I put emphasis on the social aspect of it because being a gamer is a very social activity. One of the main critiques that non-gamers have on the internet is that it is "anti-social". The general stigma about online socialization is that it isn't real socialization. They justify this by saying that you cannot see and touch the person you are talking to. I am hoping that this blog will prove this notion false and persuade a few people that online socialization is actually better than socializing in person (in some ways).
The social aspect isn't the only topic I plan on talking about, it is simply going to be my focus. I would also like to talk about internet etiquette, esports, trolls, gaming language and much more. If you have any suggestions or topics you would like me to talk about please feel free to leave a comment, I will try my best to tie it into an entry.
Why am I talking about this rather than the thousands of other topics that some people might find more interesting? Not everyone comes from a family that is supportive of being a gamer. Not everyone understands that online friends can be better friends than those you meet in reality. I am one of those people; my parents are not supportive of my gaming and do not know how much I game or how much I spend on gaming. This holds true with most of my family, so I hope that what I have to say will help change the mind of parents who don't approve. This is for parents who are supportive and just want to better understand what we feel when we talk to our online friends. This is for gamers who don't have confidence in themselves and need a bit more encouragement to keep playing. This is for anyone who is interested in the social aspect of gaming and anyone who wants to better understand pro-gaming/esports and why we are so passionate. Or if you simply want to find some funny links and links that will help you be a better gamer.
I hope to be posting an entry once every two-weeks or so. This is simply because I am in university and that keeps me busy enough without all of my extracurriculars. I also need time to write, research and edit each entry.
I hope something I've mentioned had peaked your interest and you keep reading and that you link your friends and family. All I ask of my readers is to keep an open mind, even if you're a bit skeptic.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
Zenobia <3
P.S. If you could leave some feedback on whether is this a great/awful, I would really appreciate it. If you have any suggestions just post a comment. if you criticize my grammar/punctuation, don't, I already know it isn't the greatest. You can also rate this if you don't have time to comment.
I will probably update on Destructoid first, so go check the site out and read other people's blogs, there are a lot of interesting things over there.
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Hey! Interesting topic to choose! Something that I always try to defend is how social gaming IS. People who don't know think the people you meet online don't become friends at best, and at worst thinkt hat all games are single player and you are by yourself all the time. I'm looking forward to reading this blog. Simply not true. Some of the best friends I have been made are through gaming. Both online and off. I have gone for pints with some of the guys from the local starcraft community here more than once. Also been invited to a friends wedding who I met through World of Warcraft. Didn't go because I didn't have the time or money, but I would have. Have met a few guildmates irl too.
Hope that you keep to it!
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Gamers aren't antisocial nerds, they are social (and handsome) nerds Nice post!
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I'm not a gamer or a nerd. I'm Masters Zerg
somewhat relevant? http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=282427
also relevant (a pm I sent to some girl that I know IRL that was talking shit on games). I doubt she even watched them but she apologized for her ignorance. I told her I wasn't offended from her, I just wanted to educate her.
PS- Games keep your brain from turning to mush and getting old people diseases if you stay active in them.
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I hate to be a counter example but I am who I am and this is the truth. I'm a gamer, I've played games since I was a little kid. I've been active online since I was 10, I had a youtube channel and had friends who I would communicate with on a daily bases.
One memory I have is this Finnish kid named Panu who had a channel making similar videos that I did, then he got older, I got older and we both quit youtube video making. Now this is a guy who was a better friend than 99% of the kids at my school, and it just ended out of the blue. That was not a positive online interaction.
Also, I spend so much time online, TL, youtube, finally got a facebook in a futile attempt to talk with people I know. I'm a complete social introvert, I have a few friends, but they are good friends, most people literally just call me "that nerd" even when they know I can hear them. I get very high grades so people basically talk to me when they want help with something hard and want me to do it for them.
I've liked girls but I can never get enough courage to talk to them, closest I get is a facebook chat because I'm more comfortable on online, but it doesn't mean much to other people. I've recently decided to focus my time into more productive activities rather than sitting on my computer and watching sc2 all day. I've taken up just mass reading and studying because I honestly don't have anything better to do and at least I can get higher percents on my tests and help our quizbowl team.
I get some excitement from watching games, especially IMMVP and SaSe, I watch them whenever they play and I find it fun. But when I do something with my friends, which I do rarely, I honestly have so much more fun. Theres just something about talking to real friends who share my situation in school and such rather than going into the gom chat and being trolled by fides to kill myself or get off moletraps cock every time I type to find results from a previous match. Well thats all I really have to say right now. I just think its probably good fo all you to see the opposite side of the spectrum.
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@Brettatron - Thanks for the support, I hope you find some of the justification you're looking for here <3
@keiraknightlee - Thanks, nerds are very handsome!
@SpoR - I lol-ed at your intro, serious respect.
@Luepert - I am very sorry that your Finnish friend was not the greatest in the end. I really appreciate opposition to what I have to say because I feel it will make me and my posts better/more informed. I am not arguing that internet socialization is better or than socialization in reality, I am simply arguing that it is not inferior and it is something we should not be disparaged for. There are many different types of personalities out there and I simply hope that you find/have found ones that suit you best and make you happy for who you are (If your friends are the ones calling you "that nerd" I suggest you find new friends).
The way that you spoke about people calling you a "nerd" gave it an extremely negative connotation and that is another thing that I hope to be addressing in a future entry. Being a nerd is awesome and like keiraknightlee said, nerds are handsome (why do you think all of those hipsters try to copy us?).
I don't mean to discourage you from school or being social at school, I'm just expressing some of my own thoughts on being social online. I hope despite your reservations that you keep reading, whether it is to further refute what I have to say, or in case you find something that rings true in yourself, that's all I want. <3
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I'll definitely keep reading these posts, I find the idea that there are other people out there more like me that the people at my school very gladdening. Its just a matter of finding them, but there are also a whole load of trolls out here that you also have to deal with. In our community, nerds may be handsome, but a lot of people on the outside apparently don't see it. One of my main points goes against keiraknightlee "Gamers aren't antisocial nerds" Well, some of us are.
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EPT
