New Highscore!

The videogame stereotype.
I just watched an episode of Desperate Housewives (yeah I'm a fan, wanna fight about it?) and was a bit irritated when I saw MJ, the little boy in Desperate Housewives playing a videogame. What was displayed was the entire screen filled with a cross hair and sound effects blaring out the screen that I'm pretty sure were from space invaders.
I dislike how videogames are portrayed on TV and films nowadays. I even hate the word videogame, what is a video-game. When i think of video I think VHS and someone mindlessly trying to ram a playstation controller into a VCR because they want to 'play' their Lion King tape.
Computer game is even worse. Games played on computer- fine. But a playstation game isn't a computer game- as there is no computer involved in playing it. Plus it makes it sound devastatingly nerdy. For example-
I like to hang out with friends and play games
I like to hang out with friends and play computer games
Which of those statements sounds nerdier? Which of those statements came from Gordie from Sabrina The Teenage Witch and which sounds like you or a friend's facebook profile? Exactly
I can't think of a better name however. Games I think works. Some things are more game like than others- calling Skyrim or Zelda 'just a game' for example is like calling World War 2 'just a disagreement'.
Other stereotypes shown on TV shows where videogames are present.
Throwing your controller round your head while playing as if actually avoiding obstacles and such.
No one has ever done this. I remember my friend tilting the controller slightly while playing Super Mario Kart when we were like 8 but otherwise it doesn't happen. When you go to see a film do you dive about avoiding whats going on on the screen? If you did people would think you were mental- because you probably are.
Videogames turn players into zombies that don't react at all when being talked to.
Unless you're my friend Martin this doesn't happen that often either. I'll only ignore my Dad when playing games because he will come in at precisely the moment when the important cut scene detailing what to do next plays. Again like watching a film- you don't want to miss the dialogue otherwise you won't have a clue whats going on.
Playing games requires the player to mash all the controllers buttons as fast as you can while wearing a look of intense concentration on your face.
Most games only really use 2 buttons at most frequently with a control stick. Mario - A, B and the D pad. Skyrim- control pad and the left and right triggers. The only exception would be beat em' ups which are only played properly when pressing all the buttons with your palm at once while swivelling round the control pad.
Highscores are hardly in games anymore also- or they are just usually ignored. Mario Bros has a scoring system for example but its totally ignored.
Its odd that games are portrayed like they were in the 1980s even though barely anyone owned a games system back then.
The next time it shows MJ playing a videogame in Desperate Housewives hopefully it'll be him sitting there relaxed, playing Red Dead Redemption with a badass look on his face.