Wow. Before I get the subject of this topic, I feel compelled to analyze just how nonsensical the OP is. Buckle up, kids, it's time for some over-analytical, nitpicking
bullshit fun!
Kyle1527 said:
I know, your going to laugh. But perhaps the question is not so much gamers, but "nerds". Now, I know these are HUGE spectrums with many different definitions but I am going to try and make a point.
Now for me, this is all personal experience, but I want to know what YOU think. A "true" gamer for me is someone who doesn't just play one genre of commonly played mainstream games, it's someone who plays and tries out a variety of new games and platforms. Now I would say most people on The Escapist are definitely true gamers, considering the chavs on Xbox Live probably don't even know what a forum is.
Well, why does it matter if they go on forums or not? Your very own defintion of a "true gamer" (there is no such thing, by the way) only requires that the person in question play games of a variety of genres, on a variety of consoles. Even by your arbitrary definition, forums have nothing to do with anything.
For example, most people who I have met on Xbox Live are complete dicks, this is understandable as the Xbox 360 is more of a casual gaming experience and pretty much anyone can pick up the mic and chat shit.
However, I've had Steam for a few weeks now and I have made friends with some really cool people - none of them seem to be dicks at all (0/31). Now this isn't really a valid comparison, but honestly I feel like these are the type of people who in a real life situation e.g. Them seeing someone getting mugged would help out regardless of their physical strength.
OK, hold the fuck up! What the flying hell does MUGGING have to do with anything??!! You're talking about people you've chatted with over the internet, and you already feel comfortable judging how they react in a real-life crisis situation?! For fuck's sake, I doubt I could make that kind of judgement with any authority about people I've known for YEARS. And anyway, you're right. It's NOT a valid comparison. Even if everyone you met online was channeling Ghandi, that wouldn't say anything about the general gaming population, casual or otherwise. All it would prove is that you met some nice people on the internet. Nothing more, nothing less.
Now my comparison is the general public of Great Britain. I go to a High School in England and I can say 90% of the people in my school would just walk by or maybe run away in fear that they would get mugged- because they aren't 'nice' people.
Actually, you can't say that. For several reasons.
.....
Glad you asked. First of all, unless there's under, say, 100 people in your school, I seriously doubt that you know every last one of them all that well. There are likely hundreds of kids who you haven't even MET attending your high school. And again, judging how someone would react to a nearby mugging is not like guessing "cat or dog person". It's a pretty big statement, and you should really get to know someone before you make it. And anyway, even ignoring all that, your high school is NOT the general public of Great Britain, thank god.
All of the "Gamers" in my school under Year 11(11th Grade in America?) are shit talking tryhards who play nothing but Call of Duty and Fifa, who go on the mic and belt insults at people they don't like. However, in Year 11 there are some pretty nerdy kids who also have some pretty beefy computers and they are actually pleasant individuals, who actually don't talk shit on voice chat and have marginal gaming skill.
So, in your experience are gamers nicer people?
Oh, this one just makes me laugh. It's so perfect, I felt the need to bold it. You say "belt insults at people they don't like" like it's this horrible thing, while AT THE EXACT SAME TIME, YOU ARE BELTING INSULTS AT PEOPLE YOU DON'T LIKE. The irony is just....Ah. It's just great. Thank you for that. AND WE AREN'T EVEN DONE. All you're saying here is that "Some people who play casual games are dicks, while some of the more hardcore gamers are nice." While this statement is technically true, it has absolutely no relevance behind it, as the statement "Some casual gamers are nice people, while some of the more hardcore gamers are dicks" is every bit as valid. Because some people are dicks, and some people aren't. But whether you're a dick or not has absolutely nothing to do with what kind of videogames you enjoy.
TLDR: Whether you're a dick or not has nothing to do with what kind of videogames you enjoy.