Struggles of a Male Non-Gamer
Video games are an integral part of the life of an average urban young male. Starting from trips to the local games store to purchase CDs of classic games such as Need For Speed, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, FIFA etc; some people have went on to become hardcore gamers while others prefer to play casually during their free time. I am someone who was never really into video games. And if you're like me, you may have noticed some instances of difficulty in "fitting in". Let's go over some of the struggles we have to go through as non-gamers.
1. You're a houseplant during intensive video game discussions
Usually, I'm a very social person and can contribute to almost any topic if I want to. Sadly, video games are a popular topic among my guy friends and all I can do is go silent after making a joke about playing Minesweeper and Solitaire. Since video game discussions are a common thing, especially among guys, you cannot help but feel like you're missing out.
2. You're terrible at FIFA
FIFA and chill is probably the favorite activity of any bro squad. While most guys develop a certain ego around their FIFA skills leading to intense competitions, I usually just sit there and hope to not suck as bad as last time. Luckily, I can always blame the controller and claim that the 6-0 loss should have been a 4-1, if I had fully functional hardware.
3. You can't be excited about gaming competitions
Fests and competitions organised by various school-based clubs has become a popular thing. A lot of these events include a video game tournament to attract more people. And it works. Unfortunately, this isn't something we can get excited about, and thus the feeling of missing out kicks in once again.
4. Your gamer friends have a much more technologically advanced PC
Gamers are constantly upgrading their PC with expensive additions, so that they can continue to play games that require a higher configuration. So performance wise, they end up with a PC that is an absolute beast. Something which makes my lowly laptop look like a flip-phone next to an iPhone.
5. You can't relate to SHOUT's Overclock section
Being a writer of SHOUT, I naturally am a regular reader and like to read the work of my colleagues. I'm pretty flexible in terms of genre, so I enjoy reading almost all of them, from Humour, to coverages of various events, to Fable Factory. But Overlock, a dedicated section to gaming is like a book on organic chemistry to me. A section shrouded in mystery, a cluster of amazing content written in code language that cannot be cracked by non-gamers.
Most concerned adults treat gaming as an unhealthy and unproductive activity. As I was never really into gaming, I do agree that it has allowed me more time to focus on doing other socially appraised things. But as you can see, there are definitely cons to being a non-gamer too. At the end of the day, it's your choice and doing things that you enjoy doing is all that matters.
Mushfiqur Rahman Shanto is an undercover wizard who spends his days quietly observing muggles. Send him new magic spells at mushfiqshanto1234@gmail.com