More than a quarter of Americans who play video games are shamed for doing so, according to a new survey.
And no, we’re not talking about being smoked by an 11-year-old on Call of Duty.
Twenty-six percent of gamers in the U.S. are basically closeted, according to the poll from game studio Wooga. That is, the players feel they have to hide their gaming life from those they know in their real one.
And that’s quite the burden considering how important gaming is to them, the poll revealed: 38% say their earliest childhood memory is a scene from a particular game, not from their real lives.
More than half (55%) say gaming has had a positive impact on their mental health and well-being, and 23% say a video game has forced them to confront a negative stereotype they may have had.
Forty-two percent of respondents have worked video game dialogue into their everyday conversations and 30% say a game has brought them to tears.
Again, not talking about the 11-year-old sniper in multiplayer, but an actual game’s plot.
Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.