As with just about every hobby in existence, there will always be supporters as well as critics. Those who do not play video games may have a hard time understanding why those who do enjoy playing video games spend so much time and money with this overlooked hobby. Here are a few things gamers like myself and others are tired of hearing.

1. Video games are a waste of time.

Anybody who does not enjoy the same hobbies and interests as you may have difficulty with understanding why you may spend as much time as you do to partake in said hobbies. I am an only child so I do not have siblings to do other activities such as play an actual board game with. Any time that I spend playing video games I never feel has been wasted. I would rather play video games than sleep around with random guys on Tinder or Grindr.

2. Video games are a waste of money.

Considering all of the things that I could be spending my money on, I think that video games are certainly not the worst things to be using my hard-earned money on. I would rather pay $60+ for a good video game that I can enjoy for an extended period of time enjoying than spend more money on something like a prom dress that I would only use once.

3. Playing video games leads to an increase in violence.

Without fail, whenever some mass shooting or similar event occurs, one of the thoughts the general public seems to believe is that whoever carried out these atrocities must have played a lot of violent video games like Grand Theft Auto or Watchdogs. I have played many different Grand Theft Auto video games on a variety of systems over the years. I am almost thirty years old and do not have a criminal record.

One of the most frustrating parts of playing video games in the twenty-first century is having a crappy wi-fi signal. As a common saying goes, video games do not make us violent, lag does.

4. Girls do not know anything about video games.

The above meme I found courtesy of Google depicts common misconceptions surrounding females who play video games. Video games are just one more thing on the never-ending list of things that females allegedly do not do. Besides cleaning, cooking, and reproduction, women supposedly have little other things to be doing. Just because I have a vagina does not mean that I do not know anything about technology and video games. Some older men know less about these things than I do.

5. You are too old to be playing video games.

There are many people in their thirties, forties, and even older than that who still enjoy their fair share of video games. A significant amount of video game series' such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Uncharted are all M-rated games, meaning that the content in these games is not suitable for those under the age of seventeen.