The most classic and common perception of a gamer is a lonely 20 something male who wears black trenchcoats, sports an unruly beard, has no contact with girls and sits in a dark room almost 24/7 getting their gaming fix.  While this description really is almost laughable in it’s ridiculousness, it still exists today.  If your boss asked you what you like to do on your own free time would you happily offer up that you are looking forward to going home and playing Fable 2?  I guess it really depends on your boss.  But I think that many of you wouldn’t.  Even today, as gaming is literally exploding around the world, there are some very negative connotations associated with gaming.

For example, we’ve all read and heard the claims that violent games breed violence in those who play them.  Grand Theft Auto and games like Call of Duty are terrible for society.  Are they?  How are they worse than watching the latest Saw movie?  Have you ever seen how sick and twisted those are?  Are you telling me that a pixelated character is worse than watching an almost true-to-life execution on film of a real person?

I, for one, think it’s high time for those who look down their noses at gamers to take a few points into consideration.  Here are my reasons for why gaming is not only an acceptable pastime.  No, that’s not good enough.  These are reasons why gaming is a SUPERIOR pastime that doesn’t deserve the stigma that much of society has placed upon it.

1. Gaming requires you to use your brain - Why sit on your couch and watch the usual trash that you can find on tv these days?  Who cares if some new Midget Deathmatch reality show is starting next week?  How is watching tv more socially acceptable than playing a game where you are also on the couch and staring at a tv?  At least with gaming you are INTERACTING with something.  Your brain actually has to do something and many studies have shown that gaming is actually a good form of mental exercise.  Next time somebody makes a comment about your gaming habits, ask them how much tv they watch.  Watching tv is only socially acceptable because it’s a much older medium.

2. Gaming gives you better bang for your buck - This one is a no-brainer.  On a cost basis, gaming gives you far more entertainment value for your buck.  Going to the movies?  Ok, be ready to fork out over $10 just for the ticket and maybe much more if you want popcorn and something to drink with that salty snack (that’s how they getcha!)  I’ll be nice and say it only costs $15 to go out to a movie these days.  Let’s say then that the average movie is 2 hours, which is also too generous.  So, for $15 you are getting 2 hours of entertainment.  You are looking at about $7.50 per hour of entertainment there.

What then, if you bought a video game for $60?  That’s the average price for a new game these days and doesn’t take into account the price of used games etc.  Let’s say you get 10 hours of gaming out of a game these days (again, very low and that does not take into account online play and repeat playthroughs etc).  That means playing a game for only 10 hours gives you a total cost per hour of only $6.  That is being very kind to movies too.  Almost all games these days come with online and multiplayer components which can push the number of hours you spend on them to well over 50 and beyond.  At that point, the cost comparison becomes even more laughable.

3. Gaming today is a social experience - I always find it amusing when someone accuses me of being anti-social for choosing to play video games instead of going to their place to watch tv or a movie.  Generally, depending on how annoying your friends can be, watching tv and movies is done in silence.  Occasionally you’ll laugh or make a smart-ass remark or observation about something obvious, but tv and movies are medium that require you to sit still and pay attention.

What many don’t seem to understand is that with the new generation of consoles the gaming experience has evolved in to much more than just single player affairs.  The online communities built up by Xbox Live and the Playstation Network have attracted millions of people who regularly meet up to play multiplayer games.  Almost every game these days has cooperative play or multiplayer of some sort.  The thing about gaming that makes it MORE social than watching a movie or tv is the fact that you need to plan out strategy with your teammates or talk trash whilst thrashing them in Madden.  With gaming, you even get to meet some new and interesting people.

Because all gamers aren’t losers in their parents basements, you can have great conversations with people as you play something online.  I’ve met lots of cool people online while playing NHL 2009 and among them I can count lawyers, accountants, a marketing executive, a math professor and more government workers than you can imagine.   I learned more about New Jersey talking to a guy over the course of an NHL game than I would have learned watching a PBS special on the city.  Gaming isn’t social?  Whatever guy who can tell me everything about LOST and can never hang out on Thursday’s for fear of missing an episode.

4. Gamers still find the time to read- For whatever reason, many people believe that if you play video games you do so at the expense of reading.  Sure it can be at the expense of reading.  However, when someone sits down to watch tv they are also not reading.  Somehow, it is still more acceptable to watch tv for 4 hours after work than play video games.  I play games, but at the expense of watching GARBAGE on tv.  I still read as much as I ever did.  Maybe more.

So the next time your parents, girlfriend, boyfriend or friends give you a hard time about gaming (providing you aren’t overdoing it!) feed them any of these scenarios.  Fortunately for us gamers, the Wii has paved the way for everyone to accept video games and the stigma will likely die out in the next decade.  For now, you’ll just have to grin an bear it when you are buying that new game at Future Shop and the guy at the counter gives you those eyes that you know are telling you to  “get a life.”  It won’t be long before they are gaming too.  Just think how far behind those noobs will be when they finally see the light.

So why do you game?  These are just some of the reasons I’m a gamer, and proud of it.