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Should We Take Celebrity Gamers Seriously?

Should We Take Celebrity Gamers Seriously?

What popular figures do in their free time is nothing short of a mystery to people outside of their immediate circle. It’s not much of a stretch to say that some probably enjoy video games just like the rest of us. The only time we’re ever let in on this fact is when stars post about it on their social media accounts or mention it in interviews. Here are a few examples. Snoop Dogg loves the Call of Duty and Halo franchises. Robin Williams famously loved The Legend of Zelda series, even naming his daughter after the titular character. Another example of a celebrity gamer includes Ronda Rousey, who loves playing World of Warcraft so much that Blizzard put her into the game as an Easter egg.

Obviously, popular public figures love games just as much as we do. Their interests in genre and platform are just as varied as the rest of us unknown gamers. One other celebrity gamer who has come to light recently is Chrissy Teigen. The model and well-known internet sensation has recently taken to her social media to rant about a currently popular game. If you haven’t heard yet, that game is Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp . Teigen had a few Twitter posts that painted a mixed feelings immediate reaction to the mobile title, which quickly turned sour.

In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you can invite various NPC animals back to your campsite. In order to do so, you have to raise your friendship level with them and build/place various items to draw them to your camp site. This is the part of the game that bothered Teigen the most. She didn’t like that these greedy little animals were using material items as proof of a friendship. It’s hard to say how much of her reaction was sarcastic and/or exaggerated for public consumption versus purely genuine. Personally, I’m sure it was a mix of both. Saying something nice about a game will only get you so many views, but saying something contrarian will get you more. Teigen was seemingly on the fence about the game at first, but then came ’round to her negative outlook, stating that she was deleting the game.

All of this brings into question the words and opinions of famous figures. We all have our Hollywood crushes and the musicians we wish we could hang out with on weekends. So when these stars state an opinion about something, it (sometimes unknowingly) influences our opinion on the same matter. If Ewan McGregor said tomorrow that he absolutely hated the American television show Blindspot , it might affect my opinion on the show. Generally speaking I would watch it and decide for myself, but I might subconsciously go into it with a negative point-of-view. It can really be boiled down to the same thing as a dear friend saying they don’t like something, and then you look at that thing differently as well.

Should We Take Celebrity Gamers Seriously?

The only big difference between a friend voicing an opinion on something and a famous person is the vastness of the audience. Between a close mate and yourself, that negative opinion might only spread to a handful of other people they choose to converse with on the matter. But for a major television star, or a model, or a singer, their audience varies from at least a few hundred/thousand into millions. It depends on who they are and how long they’ve been on the scene. If rabid fans of Lady Gaga were told by their mama monster that Pepsi was an awful company and/or soft drink, they might consider switching to an alternative. The same is true of course when celebrities talk about video games. If a certain someone like Chrissy Teigen says that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is awful, her fans might not even give it a chance.

Much like anything else in life, you have to make your own decisions when it comes to video games. If Joe Schmo or Susie Lu say they don’t like Call of Duty , you probably wouldn’t give it a second thought. But if someone famous said they didn’t like it, you might listen a little closer. Either way you really need to keep in mind that your opinion is what matters most. If tons of people hate a certain game, but you love it, there’s nothing wrong with that. But you have to play it first to come to your own conclusions. Don’t let celebrities and popular public figures influence your choices too much. You are your own free thinker, and if you think Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is worth sticking around for, then who is Chrissy Teigen to tell you what to do? Am I right?

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