People are complicated, more complicated than you could ever judge based on a look or single encounter. We live in a society dominated by media bombardment, where everything has to have a punchline, an easy to remember tagline. People get caught up on little details and fail to see the bigger picture. We're led to believe that image on the screen, the face across the table, is exactly what it looks like, in black in white. But life is really more about many shades of grey.

Don't take to heart the opinion of people who couldn't be bothered to get to know you better. Its pure and simple ignorance on their part, regardless of being right or wrong. (So much more often wrong than you may believe) I wouldn't trust my own perception of self to the vocal minority who choose to comment the first time they see me, anymore than I would trust my dentist to fix my car, or a mechanic to drill my teeth.

Its not important what others think of you, but what you think of yourself. How can people be expected to make any changes in their lives by being told their worthless or ugly? The hardest but most important thing you can do is learn to love yourself, for who you are, not what others want you to be.

If there is anything we can learn from games, is that we are in control of our own destiny. That things that seem impossible aren't always, and the best way to deal with them is one step at a time. You don't start an MMO end-game raiding, you don't start out in a high rated competitive league, We don't read the book back to front (Unless you're into manga or something). Its about all the little steps between you and your ultimate goal, and the many smaller goals in-between to keep things interesting.

I'm saddened you've had to put up with those experiences, but I also feel pity for the people who lacked the insight to see the harm their actions have had. Likewise they are people who have problems that don't know how to deal with them directly, only they've chosen a much more destructive coping mechanism.

Games aren't bad, people that think they are a waste of time often go off and read books, watch movies or television, or hang out in bars. Is there really that big of a difference? I find most games are a more social experience, connecting with new people, often from different parts of the world.