Gaming Subculture

I think that gaming can in some ways be categorized as a subculture, even though video games are almost completely commercialized and widely popular. However, I believe that gaming can be categorized as either popular culture or subculture, based on the gamer’s level of involvement and enthusiasm. For example, a cheerleader who occasionally plays wii fit would probably be an example of popular culture, while a mmorpg(large multiplayer game on the internet) player who sits at his computer for most of the day would be an example of subculture.


This brings me to my next point. Subcultures can sometimes be identified by mannerisms, clothing, and vocabulary. Though in many ways similar to internet culture, online gaming is a distinct facet of video games that easily fits into the idea of a subculture. Some vocab utilized in the gaming environment include words such as lol (laugh out loud), newb (a beginner), noob (derogatory), gg(good game), and cc (change channel).


Its also interesting to find that many words used in gaming have a complex etymology, such as the word “pwned.” According to the urban dictionary, pwned is “A corruption of the word "Owned." This originated in an online game called Warcraft, where a map designer misspelled "owned." When the computer beat a player, it was supposed to say, so-and-so "has been owned." Instead, it said, so-and-so "has been pwned." It basically means "to own" or to be dominated by an opponent or situation, especially by some god-like or computer-like force.” Source: http://www.urbandictionary.com