(This is like the 4th time this week I've had to use this meme, fucking hell.)

being into computer chess in the 80s was actually pretty hardcore. Turns out playing chess is at the nexus of like a whole bunch of weird computer concepts. Check out the down the rabbit hole about Deep Blue.

Also I believe that the advent of matchmaking and the killing of local servers as a generally-accepted standard has completely destroyed any semblance of social punishment from gaming communities. I mean, battlefield, CoD, Warcraft, take your pick. Look at the reputation of the people who play it and the level of toxicity as they moved more towards curated matchmaking.