So, I'm sort of on the fence about video game-themed earrings. I mean, nothing screams Hay Boyz, I'm a Gamer Gurl like game earrings, right? I mean, okay. My phone rings the radio samba mix of Portal's Still Alive, often while I'm wearing my "Solid Snake 08" campaign T-shirt. Either that, or my phone is making the Codec noise while I'm making crappy Harvest Moon animals out of polymer clay, but earrings? I may or may not own some Mario mushroom earrings, but I often debate wearing them.
But these are pretty cool, right? It's an eBay store called The Clay Collection that features these hand-crafted, penny-sized earrings of geek paraphernalia - there are the tiny Companion Cubes I would have made had I only the fine motor skill, there are tiny Nintendo light guns and Bloopers that look absolutely fantastic, too, as well as other non-game related memetics like fast food and Mystery Science Theater.
Let's have a little discussion, shall we? Do you rock any game-related clothing items? Belt buckles, messenger bags, T-shirts, wristbands, beanies? How do you feel about it? More Clay Collection pics after the jump, too.
Since we have such a small community, there's often the temptation to show some "pride." Gamers are so vociferous on the web, and we can connect "here" with each other so easily, it's often a little bit disorienting to step out into the real world - say, the populous crush of a crowded New York City subway, which like Mr. Totilo I frequent - and realize that the vast majority of people are still not all that into games.
Stephen counted gaming systems he saw on the subway for a year and came up with 67 PSPs, 44 DSes, and 6 GBAs - in a city of millions and millions, though, that still feels a little lonely, doesn't it?
When you see someone wearing a game-related accessory, do you feel a little excited, or tempted to talk to them? Do you wear your game-related accessories in the hopes that another face in the crowd will be a fellow gamer that might, encouraged by your apparel, strike up a conversation with you?
Or do you feel it's not something you need to advertise? Is it, like any other fact about you, not really a big deal, along with the fact you like bananas and enjoy naps, for example? Do you feel people might think you were weird if you had, say, a BioShock T-shirt on? Do you figure that no one will even know what it is?
Although the stereotype that "girls don't play video games" is wildly inaccurate, I have a much harder time meeting fellow females who share my interests than I do males. Especially in a fashion-conscious city like New York, some days I feel a little concerned about being stigmatized by my female friends and onlookers, and other times I totally don't care.
If you saw a girl with Nintendo zapper earrings on, would you think she was cool, or worry that she might be weird?
And aren't these teeny tiny carts amazing?
[Thanks to d1rtfarm for the tip.]