2. You Look Like This
I will not lie to you; when I was younger I dressed up as Ash Ketchum and various other video game characters at one time or another. I also feel rather confident in saying that, if not always entirely authentic, I at least looked mildly entertaining/humorous. For older participants, however, cosplay is a more risky pursuit. Though not necessarily something that all gamers partake in, cosplay is a hugely popular activity at conventions. Done well, it can be impressive and even awe-inspiring to other gamers. Done not so well and it can look a little pathetic. This may be a very harsh sign of undesirable aging in gamers, and perhaps not one that applies to all. However these poor displays of video game association and fandom are contributing to some of the more prominent negative stereotypes about gamers. When some of the older and, dare I say, less attractive members of the gaming community take to the outside world in ill-fitting and poorly developed homages to their favourite games and characters we all start to get tarnished with the same brush. Now I'm not trying to suggest all gamers with a penchant for dressing up for particular occasions are too old for the game. What is true, however, is that those out there who are the wrong side of thirty and still do this probably should not do it so publicly. Nobody wants to see an old, out of shape Master Chief, and although it might not
really be a sign you're too old for gaming, it is certainly a sign that you should find other ways to share your hobby with the world. Photos are fairly permanent, after all.