Week 1 WebCT - Gamer Culture

In class this week someone mentioned the gamer culture as an example of
a culture from below, but nowadays this seems to be almost a culture
from above.

For example, there is an online mini-series called "The Guild" which
follows a group of gamers who form a team on World of Warcraft (an
online game).

A step above that, there is the television series "Big Bang Theory"
which often has gaming as a subplot (or in some episodes the center
conflict of the plot).

Also, has anyone noticed how many gamer cartoons there are on television
these days? While it may not be video games or computer games, the
various card game shows are now more of a culture from above than a
culture from below. Take television shows like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, or
Byakugon, for example. These shows use the the card game as the center
of their plot, then create tons of merchandise, influencing what kids
choose to play, wear, etc.

Moving a small step away from the media, many retailers now sell
t-shirts with sayings like "Get a life" with an image of a mushroom head
from the Mario video game, or "Know your roots" with an image of the
very first video game controller.

Video games used to be a culture from below, with mostly young boys
playing the games, but now it has become more and more popular with
games geared toward boys, girls, and even adults. The elderly are even
getting in on it with the Nintendo DS game Brain Age, which is said to
increase brain power.