Serious Business

(Kaiba is about to jump off a castle's battlement)
Yami Yugi: Dude, don't you think you're overreacting a little? I mean, it's just a card game.

Kaiba: Card games are serious business!

—Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series

Serious Business is when a story revolves around an activity that a sizable portion of the in-story population takes far more seriously than they should. If something's popularity rivals that of Elvis Presley, The Beatles, or Michael Jackson; or if there are mainstream schools devoted to it instead of teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic, it's Serious Business.

It's often a Silly Reason for War, and can turn a casual conversation into a heated Cavemen vs. Astronauts Debate. Frequently "opposed" by the Cavalier Competitor. Compare "Stop Having Fun!" Guys. For the saying that "The Internet Is Serious Business", see GIFT. Related I'm Not Here to Make Friends.

Compare Duels Decide Everything.

Examples of Serious Business are listed on these subpages: