I never even really bothered to think about it that much growing up. But I'd occasionally hear stories about angry gfs smashing their bf's consoles or what have you. My mom would always do everything in her power to limit my time on the PC and I was never allowed to have a gaming console growing up. She would always call games "fake" and had a lot of general disparaging remarks about them.

When I went off to college I played my first mmo and met people that way online for the first time (was homeschooled and it was pretty rare to meet people at all in general) I was pretty enthralled to be making friends and just having a clean, fun time. I also learned for the first time about dating sim games, waifus, dakimakura pillows, otaku culture in general, and people who were hikikomori. These were all things that were looked down on by general society.

To my even greater surprise, even supposedly 'open' progressive people at my college shared a sense of disgust at the idea of people having dakimakuras or marrying video game characters.

It finally dawned on me what an actual threat video games are to (primarily) females. Honestly, I find it kind of sad that someone would feel like their need for acknowledgement and attention is threatened by that.

One thing that I hear a lot (mainly from my mother) is how it's a bad thing that video games aren't "real" or are just a form of head-in-the-sand escapism from the world. But what's wrong with unwillingness to accept a reality that is inherently flawed? I have a respectable job. I am amicable towards my coworkers and people in general. I maintain my health and my surroundings. So how is playing video games any different from other diversionary entertainment like watching movies or going out to bars?

I have a lot to be thankful towards videogames. I have met a lot of genuinely good people from gaming. I have saved a lot of money by playing games instead of going out in town. They both relax and stimulate me in a healthy way. They are a common bond that helps me to maintain IRL relationships. Honestly, I can't envision a future in which I would voluntarily quit playing.