November | 2012 | A Girl's Guide to a Gamer Guy:

Hey ladies! Sorry it’s taken so long for me to update, but we all know how crazy things can be over Thanksgiving! A day filled with ~~my family yelling at each other about who spilt the gravy~~ love and giving thanks for all we have!

As promised, this post is going to cover questions you can ask your gamer about his gaming and/or nerd culture in general to spark some great conversations. These have worked wonders for me in the past, so I’m sure they’ll work for you too! 🙂 I’m also going to include a few don’ts of conversation starters, because there are a few that will just piss your gamer off. Make sure to avoid those.

This simple guide to questions is sure to help you spark up some interesting conversations with your man, plus asking these questions will let him know that you care. 🙂

Happy reading, and stay tuned for an awesome Christmas themed post!

1. Do ask: “So what is this game about?”

This one is a classic. My boyfriend LOVES when I ask him this question because it makes him feel like a video game god when he can explain a game in detail. Ladies, games no longer consist of simply “you shoot the spaceships”; gamer guys love feeling like they know stuff, so chances are when you ask him this question he’ll be inclined to tell you the background of that game, it’s sequel, and how it’s played. This will be useful later (if you listen to his answer) because you can ask him to clarify on things he says here, which can lead to an even better discussion.

2. Don’t ask: “Are you winning?”

Ladies, this question makes you sound just plain ditsy. This isn’t Mario Cart, trollmates; there’s no first place. Video games now are WAY more complicated than that, and asking him if he’s winning is sure to piss him off. If you’re looking to annoy him, ask this question. If not, just don’t.

3. Do ask: “What are your five favorite video games?”

This question is totally effective. Ladies, if you want your man to talk to you about games for an extended period time, this is the question to ask. Not only will appreciate your curiosity, but he will also greatly enjoy talking enumerating these games. It shows him that you’re interested and again, if you listen, you’ll gain some valuable information that can be helpful later in coming up with more questions.

4. Don’t ask: “What’s so great about this anyway?”

Ladies, this question is wrong on SO many levels! Not only does it imply that your guy shouldn’t be playing video games at all (which is enough to make him roll his eyes), it also sounds like you don’t plan on listening to his answer! The number one thing you must do in order to maintain any relationship is LISTEN! Whether you’re dating a gamer, an Internet junkie, a nerd, a jock, a punk, an emo, or even just a human person, communication is the KEY to a successful relationship! How can you expect him to listen to stories about your day if you don’t take any interest in what he has to say?

5. Do ask: “What do you like about this particular game?”

This question is always a good one. It’s sweet, simple, and to the point, but it’s bound to get a great response. By asking this question, trollmates, you show your gamer that you’re interested in what he has to say, and that you know that there’s more than one type of game out there, and different reasons for liking them. That’s really important, because it lets him know that you care. Plus, it’s never a bad thing when your man looks forward to explaining something to you.

So there you have it, my lovely ladies! You are now officially trained in the art of asking your gamer questions!

Remember, these can always be applied to different things, like a certain website or piece of Internet culture. If your man is in into Naruto or some other “nerd thing” that’s not a game, you can simply apply the questions to that. All trollmates can use this kind of advice and I’m so happy to supply it!

Happy holidays, and stay tuned for a Gamer Guy Gift Guide!

~ ❤ ~

Taylor

P.S. IF YOU BOUGHT ANYTHING COOL AT BLACK FRIDAY, comment below! I wanna hear your CRAZY Black Friday shopping stories!

Well, my lovely trollmates, we are at almost 2,000 views! We’ve come a long way, and I know we’re only going to continue to grow!

Now, it has been a LONG time since I’ve posted, and you’re probably wondering why. Well, if you’ve been following this blog on Twitter @trollmatesunite, you know that I have been working tirelessly to write guest posts for other blogs in order to fully promote this blog! I want this to be big, and I want our community to keep on growing!

But now to answer the question that’s probably on all of your minds: What the hell is brony?

There comes a day in a trollmates life when she (or he) encounters their first brony. Maybe he’s a friend. Maybe he’s a boyfriend. Maybe your just encountering it now for the very first time. Magical, isn’t it?

Well, if you noticed the picture at the top of this post, you should have an inkling as to what a brony is. So here’s the definition from the trollmate dictionary.

Brony: (noun) A grown ass man who likes the show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

I’m sure you’re totally confused right now. It’s a hard concept to wrap your mind around, but it’s EXTREMELY popular with internet trolls and gamer guys, so it’s VITAL that you know a little bit about this fandom.

When I first heard of bronies, I was very VERY weirded out. I mean, grown men obsessing over ponies? Magical ponies? So in order to write an informed article for this blog, I watched a few episodes.

The show is basically about a pony, Twilight Sparkle, who is smart and bookish. She lives is Equestria, where there are many different varieties of ponies, and they experience mishaps and such. Like any show aimed at young girls, this show is cute and musical; there are tons of colors and funny little lines. Every pony has a distinct personality, and distinct skills, that a little girl could relate to. It teaches some good lessons too; Twilight Sparkle and her friends constantly use friendship and life skills to combat things like evil and being a bad friend. Overall, it’s a cute show, but not necessarily something I would watch habitually.

But why do teenage to grown men enjoy this show so much? Like I said, I interviewed a few bronies from my hometown, who shed a little light on the subject.

Jerod, the leader of a brony club at a local high school, insisted that liking My Little Pony was “just like being a fan of any other TV show” and told me that bronies simply enjoy the world of the show. He also insisted that bronies are “just like fans of any other show, except the show they like isn’t necessarily for their age or gender”.

Like I said, I interviewed a couple other bronies as well. While talking with them, it was clear that they had faced much adversity because of their television preference, many of them referencing being called hipters and child molesters. Sucks, right? I mean, what if people thought that me watching Toddlers and Tiaras made me a child molester? That’s not okay.

Basically, they like it because it makes them happy. I mean, it’s cute and you really can’t help but smile when you watch it. Yeah, maybe it’s not super age or gender appropriate, but it can’t be all bad. I mean, TONS of people like it; they literally have websites dedicated to it. One such site is Equestria Daily. Anyway, the fandom is incredibly diverse, and the show is actually really popular, believe it or not. Long story short:

Bronies are everywhere. Especially if you’re a trollmate. Why? Because your average guy on the street hasn’t been exposed to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and if he was, he would automatically regard it as “gay” or “stupid”. But we trollmates know better. Our guys like some weird stuff, because they’re constantly exposed to new and interesting things. Forums, youtube, /b/, reddit… The idea of bronies is incredibly widespread on the internet. There is now a pony board on 4chan, which is a huge deal! There are entire sites dedicated to this stuff! Much like any other fandom, the fans are OBSESSED.

So, what’s the real lowdown? Well, ladies, it’s important for you to remember that bronies are people too. Yeah, maybe they like something that you don’t like, and yeah, maybe it’s not necessarily geared toward their age group, but having your man like My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is better than having him like crocs, violence, or Gossip Girl. Yeah, a dude who likes My Little Pony might be gay, but so might a guy who likes motorcycles. Every guy has some type of “feminine” thing that they like. Besides, who decides what’s gender correct anyway? Society, that’s who. Well, I challenge society, because if everyone believe that friendship was magical, there’d be a hell of a lot less war going on, and Congress might be able to get something passed for once.

Ladies, being a brony isn’t a bad thing! It’s just like having a man who likes one particular game or piece of internet culture. Yeah, it’s a little quirky, but it’s certainly not the end of the world. Besides, bronies are nice guys! Don’t write off a guy who’s a brony simply because he likes that show. Write him off because he’s a dick, if he is. If not, give him a chance! He clearly empathizes with small animals, and you know he’d be great with kids!

For more information on Bronies and why they exist, check out this article!

Well, that’s my brony post! Have any questions or thoughts? Something I didn’t include? Are YOU (or is YOUR man) a brony who wants to be heard? Feel free to email me at domesticmajestic@gmail.com, and PLEASE comment on this post! I love hearing your thoughts. 🙂

~ ❤ ~

Taylor

P.S. Bronies can be girls too! Sometimes referred to as a “pega-sister”, girls can love this show just as much as guys do, even if they’re grown adults.

Photocred to knowyourmeme and quickmeme. Also to Hasbro and the Hub, as I don’t own My Little Pony by any means.