For most portable video games, you're not being particularly brave when you play them out in meatspace. The button-pressing and D-pad-pushing is fairly surreptitious in the vast majority of on-the-go titles; you can play without making too much of a spectacle of yourself. But other games make you look like an idiot during your morning commute.
For me, it was Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. I loved how the DS title's stylus-centric control scheme made the combat feel quick and brutal but holding the system vertically made me feel like a weirdo on the subway. And those fight sequences where you have to slash frantically on the touchscreen? I got a lot of stares for that.
Other games have had similar mechanics—seemingly created with the express purpose of embarrassing you outside of your living room—like when you blow into the DS microphone for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, smile into the PlayStation Vita's camera for Tearaway or talk for voice commands in a Phoenix Wright game.
So, have any games made you feel weird for playing them in public? Ever had anyone tap you on your shoulder and inquire as to your well-being as you spun around looking for stuff in an AR game? Share your stories below.
Top image credit courtesy of pop culture geek