DS Daily: In the public eye
by Chris Greenhough 
{ Aug 23rd 2008 at 10:30AM }
As portable gaming reaches more and more people, so an increasing number of DSes and other gaming devices begin to appear in public areas. Nowadays, it's perfectly typical to spot at least a couple of gamers on the morning commute to work, or in your local Starbucks.It wasn't always like this. Years ago, this blogger can recall how whipping out a gaming device in public would occasionally prompt odd looks, or even smirks from others. It's not quite as noticeable nowadays, but it does occur now and again, and there are still places I probably wouldn't play my DS -- in a bar, for example.
So here's what we want to know: what sort of reactions do you get from playing your DS in public? Where would you still not play it? And are you left frustrated by such reactions, or do you simply not care?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Microx @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:35AM
Mostly little kiddies distracting me and saying "lolz wut r u doin omg that lukz soooooo koool"
Roto13 @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:43AM
I remember one time I was playing Phoenix Wright in a coffee shop and apparently some kid was looking over my shoulder for like 15 minutes and I wouldn't have known if my husband hadn't told me.
Incidentally, I finished the game but I took my DS into the bathroom so I could quietly whisper the last "Objection" into the microphone. :P
chibi_wings @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:49PM
your DS can pick up a whisper? every time I try, I have to scream, or else it won't register.... =/
divergio @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:13PM
Why not just point to him with your hand scrunched up strangely and yell: "Objection!"
Pestname @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:43AM
I usually don't play in public. Mostly because either I don't usually have to wait long anywhere (except in the bus, but there it's far too bumpy to play) and for the fear of getting it stolen. Although I never was robbed, one can't be too cautious about his DS, can't he?
supa_s @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:55AM
girls here are fucking bitches so I get some weird looks and whispers and giggles. Why can't women enjoy video games I have no idea -___-
Shin @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:39PM
Hey hey hey! I'm a woman and I enjoy gaming, excuuuuuse me. :p
chibi_wings @ Aug 24th 2008 8:34PM
agreed. you guys tend to think that all woman are these bubbled headed idiots (dumb blond as the popular expression goes), trust me, there are a lot of more of us nice and geeky ones too, you just need to know where to look.
Ralph @ Aug 25th 2008 3:08PM
So where do we look?
Katie @ Aug 27th 2008 5:13PM
I was told by a guy in the game store that it was "hot" that I liked lots of different types of games, and not just 'girl' games.
I was vaguely offended by that.
Ralph, I try to share my gaming with guys all the time, but they either tell me I can't be any good or they are too weirded out to play. So just ask! We're around.
:o)
Mooga @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:30AM
I've got a long commute, so I play my DS most of the way. During my breaks I'll also play. I'll play it almost anywhere. :-P
DAud_IcI @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:51AM
I live in a less fortunate country(in more than one ways), where handhelds aren't that common(most gamers has PC or x360). So when I once grabbed my old _Phat_ in class I've got some unwanted attention. And the local geeks(see my friends among the class :D) have been swarming around me^^.
At least I am not the biggest freak, 'cause two of the other class in the same grade brings laptops with them as handhelds and they play on LAN. Now THAT's ridiculous!
skagirlie @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:58AM
My husband and I play clubhouse games in our local pub. At first the staff was curious, but after a couple of times, the hostess joined in on a game of rummy while watching the door.
The library where I work has wi-fi so there's always a couple of kiddies trading pokemans. The other staff is just used to seeing them around now.
currynoodles @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:23PM
I used to have an Ice Blue DS. It was really out stock where I live so I got it anyway. I'd never bring it out to public because of it's girly color. haha.
Just sold my year and a half old ice blue and got a new manly black one. Never again will I be ashamed! haha.
aj @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:44PM
O don't play too much in public, because I usually walk everywhere and I like to carry a book around for waiting times.
But when I do play in public, I play anywhere I damn well please. Who cares if people snicker or smirk? Or if the colour is girly? I'm having fun. If anyone says anything, I usually just glare, which is actually pretty fun.
aj @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:44PM
O don't play too much in public, because I usually walk everywhere and I like to carry a book around for waiting times.
But when I do play in public, I play anywhere I damn well please. Who cares if people snicker or smirk? Or if the colour is girly? I'm having fun. If anyone says anything, I usually just glare, which is actually pretty fun.
elsng @ Aug 23rd 2008 12:54PM
I remember an old article in Nintendo Power from an editor who was playing his Phat on a train and got weird looks.
I don't generally play my DS in public, but I will pull it out sometimes at school.
Willllllll @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:01PM
as long as my hands are clean (im very protective over all my handhelds) ill play it anywhere.
Its my babe magnet :)
Chadi @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:04PM
OH actually I've played in a bar/club once. It's just that my DS was in my pocket at the time and I brought it out to play a little. I forgot which game, but I think it was Phoenix Wright. I even dropped it in a floor cos of drunkenness. Still working!:-)
Demotruk @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:21PM
I haven't noticed any negative reactions, and I play my DS in public all the time. I usually get sniggers for a completely unrelated reason.
Although I do remember one time on the bus, an eastern european kid was staring at me as I was playing pokemon. I thought he mustn't have one and is curious. But then unexpectedly he gave me advice on how to catch the pokemon I was looking for at the time.
Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:27PM
So far, my DS has only been out at airports/airplanes. I just don't have much wait time while I'm out and about.
Unless you count the initial days of Mario Kart DS at the local McDonald's, just to use their wi-fi. But, since then, not so much.
Kimiko @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:39PM
The other day I saw someone else with a DS for the first time. I've never seen anyone with a handheld, except once a PSP I think.
The only time I play in public is during a train ride. I once had a little girl watching my playing Puzzle League with interest, but I think she was more curious about the colorful blocks than the gameplay itself. Other than that no one's looked at it twice.
chibi_wings @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:00PM
I play sometimes at a local cafe (the Canadian version of Starbucks, known as Tim Hortons). I usually don't get stared at or anything and I play with my little brother too. But one time an older man was giving me a weird look (you know the one you get for looking childish), I just ignored it. It's a little uncomfortable, but it won't stop me from playing.
I never play on the bus or the car because I get motion sickness after awhile (I can't read either ^^), but I do take it with me in the car some times, and I play when I'm waiting for my parents. I also played it at school with a few friends of mine, but I usually don't take it with me, because I'm paranoid it will get stolen.
Microx @ Aug 23rd 2008 2:19PM
starbuck = tim hortons? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
chibi_wings @ Aug 24th 2008 8:39PM
what? they are similar. just like ice cap = frappaccino :P sure starbucks looks higher end, but it's just a glorified tim hortons ;)
Sakura3210 @ Aug 23rd 2008 3:18PM
I take mine everywhere, mostly because my commutes are pretty long. I've only gotten a few looks, which have never bothered me ('cause honestly, what do I care what strangers think of me?), and ended up playing against a kid on a bus once who had his own :)
I think the only time I don't pull it out is when I'm waiting for some kind of interview.
terryjr91 @ Aug 23rd 2008 3:34PM
I don't really get any looks any more. It's so commonplace for people to play games where I live that I can't go any where without seeing someone play something. I probably wouldn't play at a funeral, but you can't spell funeral without fun, and video games are fun.
Creciente @ Aug 23rd 2008 4:07PM
I honestly don't care. I love playing on my DS everywhere.
Kai Wong @ Aug 23rd 2008 5:02PM
Hmm, actually I don't usually play games out in public, other than the whole airport/bored wherever thing. I usually, however, do have it on me at all times. Why? Because of music. I tend to use my DS as an mp3 player more than anything else (everything I do is legal, nothing to see here folks), and most of the time people just assume that I'm listening to an iPod or something. When I do pull it out, I get curious looks, but nothing too drastic.
gremlinzrus @ Aug 23rd 2008 5:39PM
I play my DS out in public if I have a long wait, I don't care if anyone sees (especially if it's a doctor's office). When I was in college, I'd play it between classes wherever there was room to sit. Most people were minding their own business, so they didn't care (though I had to go elsewhere to play the parts in Phantom Hourglass that required you to yell into the DS). Some fellow DSers would ask about what games I had.
Though I have seen kids fascinated that I would play such a thing (Gasp! An adult woman with a video game?!), and so has my mother, it's not a big issue.
Riel @ Aug 23rd 2008 5:58PM
I don't really get strange looks. I remember once while waiting for seats at a dim sum restaurant, I pulled out my DS and played some Mario Kart, and after a few minutes I felt like someone was watching me so I turned around and there were about 5 kids looking over my shoulder.
Mr Khan @ Aug 23rd 2008 7:56PM
Around here "PSP" has become the generic term for handheld gaming, and people are wondering at my oddly shaped PSP
And no, i'm not just saying that. People watch me play FFTA2, and ask me what's that on my PSP
Leah @ Aug 23rd 2008 9:35PM
I play my DS in public all the time; on the bus, mostly, and during the last few weeks of school, I completely ignored my teacher and spent my time beating TWEWY. Now _that_ gets you odd looks, particularly if you've got the psychs that require you to blow into the microphone. I still did it anyway. *shrugs*
Mind you, most of the other girls in my class did give me odd looks. Some of them didn't even know what a DS was. *shakes head sadly* A true tragedy, that.
Conor @ Aug 24th 2008 7:43PM
I'd say the "stuck up" girls didn't know what a DS was.
Am I right?
How did you not get it confiscated in class?
The days before my state exams I played The World ends with you from start to finish instead of studying.
zerokku @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:25PM
I play mine in public all the time as well. When I'm sitting the college library, or even when I'm sitting in a theater waiting for a movie to start. It's always amusing to have people you would never guess play games on the DS come up and talk to you.
A couple weeks ago at the theater, I was playing pokemon on my DS and a couple of skater punk-ish kids came up to me and started talking pokemon. Turns out they play competitively and what not. That was fun XD
Felipe @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:37PM
I'm lucky enough to have a girlfriend that shares the same passion for gaming that I have, so we both have our own DS and we take it anywhere. We study together and we play the ocasional Mario Kart via wi-fi on those boring classes, but we use it to build our schedule on DSorganize too. We got weird looks from our colleagues at first but that faded soon since we're already known for being the "nerdy couple". haha
I play it on the bus too, but I don't really mind the people looking. I avoid playing games where I have to blow on the mic or say anything out loud though. :P
J @ Aug 26th 2008 10:23AM
I play my son's DS (worn out hinges, he gets the new one) or My PSP, during my breaks or while waiting. Never gotten any odd looks are what not, but I did find my boss playing HIS DS (pokemon at that!).
Muskie @ Aug 23rd 2008 10:53PM
I play absolutely EVERYWHERE. Tain rides, walking down the street, Bus trips, Libraries, clubs, class, you name it, I've brought my DS. For some reason, handhelds are bloody ubiquitous in this city. Every day I see at least one person with either a DS or PSP (and it seems that the DS is more common, too). Sadly, whenever I bring my PSP, Everyone's playing DS's, and Vice versa. Go figure.
HoTsHoT @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:26PM
I live in a country where the handheld scene is dominated by teenagers and kids, and if by chance an adult plays one right in the middle of public, they'll be enough malicious gossip circulating around till he or she finally give up and switches it off.
To add, anyone owning a Nintendo here are considered to be 'childish' and lame. This stays the same for the DS. I'm already into early adulthood, and I find it hard to pull out my DS amongst other teens without catching negative attention.
Nevertheless, I'm still taking my stand in what I paid for (what's the point of a portable if you're just gonna stay home all day with it) and have played it in numerous places; Starbucks, McDonald's, my local coffeeshop, road trips, and quite a few other places which require entertainment.
Shin @ Aug 23rd 2008 11:39PM
I play in school during my long breaks inbetween classes. It's pretty risky to play during the commute because of all the pickpockets and such we have around here... the morning commute's even harder because you hardly have room to swing a bat in that train!
Robert27 @ Aug 24th 2008 12:31AM
Well here in Mexico, it´s still weird finding someone playing Ds or PSP, but in my trips to E.U.A i´ve found gaming to be very natural, and I love it.
alex @ Aug 25th 2008 3:00AM
I don't play in public as much as I should be. I don't have much time to play while at work, so when I just bring it when I'm hanging out having coffee with my friends.
Zis @ Aug 24th 2008 11:00AM
Well, I played Worms in law school classes, and one day there was that little left over worm, refusing to die for 25 minutes or so. I was bored out of my mind because I couldn't reach or hit it and so I got very angry and yelled "why don't you just do me a favor and die, you motherf***!!!".
Now THAT was a weird look I got from all the people around me. lol
Sometimes I play Wario Ware Twisted on the bus, and all the people are very confused to see a young woman turning and twisting her DS, sometimes shrieking and stuff because she lost.
I think I look a bit like those weird japanese girls on the commercials playing that game. :-D
Most people here in Germany (at my age and older) just play Brain Age or Dr. Kawashima, and so they just can't understand what the hell I'm doing.
Maybe I scare them, because I never heard someone laughing or saying something mean... :-D
MidnightScott @ Aug 24th 2008 1:46PM
The little kids like to come up and watch me play my games. I usually don't bring my DS with me because it's hard to play it when I go shopping places since I am constantly moving around. However, I did get Slide Adventure: Mag Kid yesterday - I should bring it with me out in public and see if I get any reactions ;o
Morose @ Aug 24th 2008 4:18PM
I don't play in public much, as I rarely have much sit-around-and-wait time when I'm out and about. I sometimes play at the laundromat, but whenever I look up frommy game I'm always surrounded by a small army of children, just staring at me.
I'm used to getting stared at by little kids - I think my beard scares them or something. It's the fact that they congregate around me that creeps me out, and i don't think it's the DS attracting them, as they do the same thing when I read a book.
Conor @ Aug 24th 2008 7:40PM
I rarely see anyone over the age of 10 playing with a portable gaming device.
For fear of getting mugged most people wouldn't use them on public transport around here or walking down the street.
Imagine whipping out the old PSP at a club!
How cool would you look.....:P
Lizard @ Aug 25th 2008 2:49AM
Actually, what tuned me in on the DS was when I was on a tram (Melbourne, Australia) and I sat next to a guy playing a mini-game gallery, and I became so transfixed in the game, that the guy noticed me staring at his DS, and he offered me a go.
I played for a bit, and thanked him for letting me have a go - and told him I'd def. be getting one of my own, which I did a few weeks later!
Nowdays, nearly every tram in Melbourne has at least one or two playing away on a DS, including me!
SturokBGD @ Aug 25th 2008 12:40PM
You can hardly move on the GO Train here in Toronto during rush-hour periods without bumping into someone playing DS.
What's amazing is that it's not just people like me (overweight hardcore gamer) playing. Old people. Young people. Men. Women. Children. EVERYONE plays. Nobody cares.
hans @ Aug 27th 2008 12:06PM
totally true. i see people playing DS all the time on the Toronto subway, and a lot of them are my age (24) or even older. just yesterday i saw a professional-looking, financial district-type woman playing hers. and if ever a school group enters the subway car, i'm immediately surrounded by kids wanting to see what game i'm playing.
trickycoolj @ Aug 25th 2008 1:04PM
I have no qualms breaking out the DS on the bus/airplane/cafe area of my high rise office building. The only time I feel embarrassed with the DS is when I'm playing something particularly hard where I might inadvertently start swearing loudly or get jumpy while playing. Really though, I used to play my SP in high school during the mandatory all-school 20 minute silent reading time. (You have to read to play Pokemon Mr. Broeker... duh!)
I don't really get weird looks like I did back then. I even had a 20-something flight attendant say "Hey that's my favorite game!" while I was playing Animal Crossing in my suit on an airplane to a business meeting. My boss doesn't even care, he joked that his kids are 14 and 16, he's seen it all at home.
What I like more are the semi-astounded looks I get from boys... wait a girl playing games... that arent cat/dog/bunnie/z?