Just thought I’d share something I thought was pretty interesting. I have a mother in law who is… well let’s just say she’s a stereotypical older mom who doesn’t own a computer, just an iPad. During the pandemic, she started getting into Nintendo games and bought herself a Switch. Fast forward a few years later and she’s interested in getting a Steam Deck, since one of her “mom groups” told her about some pandemic inspired games, similar to Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing that are only available on Steam.

When it comes down to it, she doesn’t care about her computer, she just wants to play computer games in a way that’s easy and accessible for her. We’ll be getting her a Steam Deck for her birthday, which in my opinion is just super neat. Even PC gaming is becoming extremely accessible, and it’s a fantastic time to be a gamer.

    • some_guy
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      1371 year ago

      It’s cringe af and totally reinforces the “gamer” stereotype. We can do better.

      • Gamma
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        891 year ago

        IMO it’s up there with calling people npcs

        • @[email protected]
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          1 year ago

          NPC’s is worse to be honest. It’s generally used to attack people’s social/political values and call them “sheeple” without using the term. Normie is gross but it’s mainly just dismissive and having too high an opinion of one’s own taste/interests.

          Ultimately it’s cringe as hell to say either lol

          • @[email protected]
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            231 year ago

            Normie is gross but it’s mainly just dismissive and having too high an opinion of one’s own taste/interests.

            Really? I always thought it was supposed to be self deprecating, like saying “people who aren’t fucking weirdos like myself”

          • @[email protected]
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            171 year ago

            NPCs is ten times worse because it is used to dehumanize people you don’t agree with, further alienates you away from normal society and pushes you deeper into cult like thinking.

            • @[email protected]
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              71 year ago

              “Classical liberal.”

              The most absurd thing I’ve seen conservatives in the US try to co-opt.

          • @[email protected]
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            1 year ago

            Meh cringe can be effective as a descriptor, but it’s cringe to call people cringe as a personal attack. I’ve described situations as very “cringe-inducing.”

            • TwilightVulpine
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              71 year ago

              Cringe is a thing, but it’s way too common that people use their own self-consciousness as an excuse to try to shame people who are just enjoying themselves on their own corner.

              • @[email protected]
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                1 year ago

                Most definitely. I’m more distinguishing it from calling someone an NPC, which has no valid use  other than to dismiss or denigrate.

      • @[email protected]
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        191 year ago

        “We can do better” or worse “X do better” is more cringe.

        It’s just everyone judging everyone like they are worthless. Maybe people want to be part of the group maybe they have an identity with hardcore gamers. They don’t need to do better that’s their right.

        • some_guy
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          1 year ago

          What hobby group was I referring to exactly?

          Because I don’t think gamers are a hobby group any more than tv watchers are a hobby group.

          Or do you think maybe I meant “we” as a collective for the people in this thread?

          🤔

      • @[email protected]
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        21 year ago

        We can do better.

        I’m guessing “wrong-sider” would be a step in the wrong direction?

    • alyaza [they/she]M
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      241 year ago

      it’s definitely a weird term but in more than a few contexts (mostly very online contexts) i’ve found it to be the only suitable terminology because there’s just nothing else which most of the people i talk to will “get” otherwise–it’d be nice to have something a little bit less embarrassing to work with, to be honest lol

        • Alien Nathan Edward
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          161 year ago

          I feel like ‘layman’ would be the perfect word here

          without the artificial air of superiority

      • @[email protected]
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        71 year ago

        there’s just nothing else which most of the people i talk to will “get”

        The group here may be different from most of the people you talk to.

        Try:

        “the average person”

        Or (mostly joking) “allistic”?

        • alyaza [they/she]M
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          1 year ago

          “average person” i’m afraid lacks a certain it factor–probably the ironic steeping in terminally online culture implied by even speaking it–that’s implied by using normie. i find in many of these circumstances it just seems out of place also. in a semantic sense i’m not sure “average person” maps to “normal person” either, which is another thing

          • @[email protected]
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            1 year ago

            Yeah I’m not sure “average person” works the same… maybe “median person”? 🤣

            The 10% nerdiest people hold 90% of the nerdiness?

            But yeah I don’t think “average person” works, because it’s not a wide enough range and doesn’t include the opposite extreme end

            “non-normies” is a very small group, in this context non-normies would be the most extreme gamers. The “average people” would not include a somewhat invested gamer, and it also wouldn’t include someone who is heavily opposed to gaming, both of which would be included in “normies”.

            • @[email protected]
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              11 year ago

              I don’t think someone heavily opposed to gaming would be considered a normie, they would be in their own separate extremist camp also apart from the average person.

          • T (they/she)
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            21 year ago

            As someone alternative that been active in local gothic scenes I also use “normie” to refeer to people that do not engage with subcultures. I didn’t even know it was considered pejorative until this post

            • @[email protected]
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              1 year ago

              I just think of “normie” as the new “vanilla” - every group that uses it, uses it uses it to refer to people who are not a part of that particular group, so its meaning depends on the context but should be self-explanatory and not (necessarily) derogatory.

              As a software guy I like the word for its simplicity and ease of use.