On 'hardcore' gamers and music and wine snobs
I'm getting really sick and tired of the circular arguments I see in some circles about what defines a "hardcore" gamer. I've actually been sick and tired of it for years, but whenever the subject comes up I get pissed off. Because it's meaningless -- it's a bit of the same self-righteous snobbery that surrounds music enthusiasts and wine connoisseurs, and have no patience for those self-aggrandizing pricks, either.
To listen to gamers speak, you either are or you aren't, and that's all that's important, and God, does it rub my rhubarb.
Did you shell out $600 for a new PlayStation 3 and have to wait in line for 80 hours, camped outside of a Wal-Mart? You must be hardcore! Did you play Quake 4 all the way to the end on the Super Extreme Tough Hellfire level? You must be hardcore! Do you pwnz0r all n00bs with your leet skillz when you deathmatch them online? You must be HARD-FUCKING-CORE.
Being a "hardcore" gamer is a bit like being having parents who are first cousins. Acknowledge it if you must or if, heaven forfend, you are required to do so for some reason, but for Chrissakes, don't brag about it, because it's something that's likely to bring shame upon your house.