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Sometimes I marvel at how little those who call themselves "gamers" really are about their hobby. More specifically how little they know outside of their very field of perception of gaming as a whole. Few appear to actually bother reading about things like what games are available for any given console, besides possibly the one that they happen to own. While I don't see anything wrong in being specialized and knowledgeable about the system you are using the most, I do think it's good to keep your eyes open to what's up on the bigger scene.

Now, we start moving into the realm of fanboys and people obsessed with a very narrow area once again, refusing to pop their head out of their proverbial barrel to have a look around. While I do hate the very term, it's the only one I know of that can even begin to explain the behavior and utter lack of broad scope that so many a gamer exhibits. It goes beyond just ignorance and into the realm of hypocrisy as many of the self described gamers really have little to no clue about what's actually going on in the world of video games. Combine it with a big dose of prejudice against other platforms and it's a nasty situation for anyone who tries talking or discussing video games with these people.

Assumptions and opinions based on a lack of information become fact, and if you dare to question it, boy will you get a virtual ear-full! Expect full defensive mode to be engaged as soon as you question any statement. Suffer a barrage of hate aimed in your general direction, called forth by your audacity to question wether someone might not have all the facts about something. It might be more a statement about how bad things are when trying to have constructive conversations online rather than about the width of knowledge about video gaming among a lot of gamers, but I'd say both are the case.

Naturally everyone can't be expected to know everything about everything, but basic facts easily obtained though just reading a bit on video game news sites, I don't think is too much to ask. I like to think that there is validity to the old maxim scientia est potentia, knowledge is power, and I see no reason why this wouldn't apply to video games as well.

Growth as a gamer and constantly keeping yourself updated on the events of the gaming world go hand in hand, even if you are a retro nerd like I am. Knowing what is happening in the now, with the different companies that put out hardware and the games for them is important in order to make sensible buying choices at the least. Without knowing what happens, what is new and what is worth getting, how do you know what to get? Just keep buying essentially the same console and the same games for it over and over again? Never stepping outside of your little safe-zone bubble?

Sounds like a very boring way to play, if you ask me.

Robert Falck

Robert is a freelance tech writer from Sweden. You can follow his posts here on the British Tech Network, listen to him yap away on the British Tech iOS Show and read even more of his stuff on his site streakmachine.com or you can even follow him on twitter @streakmachine. (But you won't find him on Facebook!)

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Robert Falck

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