"What's your video game guilty pleasure?" It's a question asked many times over, and you'll see a variety of answers that vary from Sims to Roblox to Fifa to Animal Crossing to any mobile game in existence. But, why should anyone be guilty about what they play? Games are, after all, a means of entertainment, and if it entertains... who's to judge?
Mobile games are perhaps the crux of this problem, the ultimate example of the worst in gatekeeping culture. How many people are walled off from being considered a 'gamer' just because they like to play Candy Crush or Clash Royale? Or, what about Nintendo consoles, the "kiddy" platforms with casual games for casual players that aren't for "true gamers?" Gatekeeping is an ever-growingly pointless rigmarole because it is a stark example of gamers being trapped in the past, clutching to their conservative views held through rose-tinted glasses. The medium is ever-evolving, and these so-called corners that aren't true gaming are often some of the largest parts of the medium.
What's important to note is that gatekeeping no doubt puts people off gaming. "Gamer" is a horrendous term, now. That's thanks to the connotations that have stemmed from years of toxic behaviour online with constant berating in comments fueled by petty console wars that mean nothing, at the end of the day. The vocal minority is extremely picky about the parameters that make up what it is to be a player, twisting this fun time-killer into a tedious investment. That's why the idea of a guilty pleasure is so potently harmful. As gaming continues to evolve across all platforms, the very notion should be dropped.
How many times have you read an article about a game you love, seen a post about a game you play, watched a video on a game that you enjoy watching, and seen comment after comment slating that very same game?
For instance, when Kratos was added to Fortnite, players immediately clambered to call it horrific, immersion-breaking, claiming that it undermined this god slaying behemoth. Seeing the stoic bad-ass among the more cartoony world of Fortnite, dropping out of the Battle Bus to take on Masterchief, Green Arrow, and even The Flash, rustled more than a few jimmies. It's nonsensical. The very notion completely ignores that Kratos has been non-serious in his own games, with a Ghost of Sparta skin that put him in a makeshift box-and-tube robot outfit. The incessant urge to jump on a negative bandwagon and slate them, making it personal, is toxic, but often it's unfounded and ill-informed - outright baseless, even.
Guilty pleasures as an idea are inherently negative. It implies that you shouldn't be enjoying what makes you happy, gatekeeping what art is acceptable. Dr. Nabi claimed that the very idea of a guilty pleasure "diminishes the benefits they offer us." Embrace what you enjoy because, otherwise, you're losing out on a huge part of that very same enjoyment. Not everybody is a lover of intense, story-driven titles, not everybody has the patience to sit down daily to clock in for Animal Crossing, not everybody clutches onto time-sink RTS' or MMO's, not everybody likes getting knee-deep in the action-packed frenzies of competitive FPS shooters. That's why there's such a rich diversity of genres in gaming because there's something for everybody to enjoy, and that should be celebrated, not shunned.
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
When we as a collective community of like-minded individuals who love playing video games come to appreciate and accept that, then it'll become a much more open and welcoming medium for new people. We should want as many other people to have that same experience that we do with games.
If Fortnite isn't your thing, it isn't - but what is your thing doesn't have to be everybody's, and what isn't your thing doesn't have to be everybodys either. Call of Duty might be seen as the junk food of FPS', sports games might not appeal to you, and battle royales, as much as people love to dunk on them, are here to stay, and that's because there are player bases that love them. If you don't, simply move on and embrace whatever it is that you enjoy because constantly jumping to hate things and put down others isn't healthy for either party.