Not cool, Today Show

Hello friends,

I don't really like calling attention to something that I find so personally offensive (you know, since you should just try to ignore things like that), but I simply can't help myself. I was perusing Twitter yesterday and found a weird headline via Game Informer: "Today Show Thinks Adult Gamers are Weird"

How could I not click on the attached link to view the full article?! Well, here's the story. The Today Show does a special segment called The Other View: Getting A Guy's Perspective On Love. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb take questions from viewers at home while Donny Deutsch shares his male point of view. Earlier this week, a viewer sent in a question asking if it is alright for men over 30 to play video games.

The announcer could barely even finish the question without bursting into laughter. The hosts continued to mock the thought of adult gamers with some strange statements. According to these "experts," male gamers over 30 are weirdos in basements. Check out the video for yourself - it's pretty brief.

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I'm sorry, but I find this entire thing just wrong. It is so incredibly disrespectful and insulting. I'm not even male, and I take offense! I guess I didn't think that gaming stereotypes were this bad. I honestly felt like gaming was becoming more mainstream and relatable. I mean, these people are mocking simply the idea of an adult gamer. Maybe I'm a little too sensitive, but I was legitimately taken aback by this clip.

There are a lot of mean and negative things I would love to say to these hosts in return, but I think the gaming community needs to be the bigger person in this situation. Let's just look at the facts! I've probably talked about them before on this blog, but check out this awesome and extensive report from the Entertainment Software Association.

Articles all across the web have pointed out that based on this report, 72 percent of American households play computer and video games, the average gamer is 37 years old and has been playing for 12 years, and 82 percent of gamers are 18 years of age or older. Further emphasizing the diversity of gamers, 42 percent of all players are women, and adult women represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (37 percent) than boys age 17 or younger (13 percent). That's quite a mouthful, but maybe The Today Show would have changed their angle had they done their research.

I hope this post gets some discussion going, because I would love to hear your opinions. Are you outraged? Are you not surprised at all? Should I stop being such a baby? Let me know what you think!

I look forward to your thoughts!

Love,
The Girl Informer