Define "gamer"
- Thread starter Johnny Novgorod
- Start date
Recommended Videos
I'm here from the 90's and would like to say I still refer to myself as a "game player" or just a "player". I see it as being interchangeable with what a 'Gamer' would be and if you call yourself a 'Gamester' then please dunk your head in the nearest toilet for me. As for a definition of Gamer...good luck finding one since everyone will likely have different criteria and personal definitions.
I realy don't like titles, they seem like a pointless way to feel included or important. Though if they do help people find happiness then they must not be all that bad. Who am I kidding, I collect the darn things all the time in games.
To me a gamer would be someone who plays games.
To me a gamer would be someone who plays games.
Gamer is someone who has games as a thing they care about more than most things in the world, as a cherished activity.
I think its someone who would identify themselves as a game enthusiast (whether they use the label "gamer" or not), as opposed to someone who would say they merely like them or play a few of them. At some point, I think you know you are a gamer.
Video or tabletop game enthusiast/hobbyist/fan. (Yes, the "or tabletop" matters-- we were "gamers" before video game consoles were a thing, tyvm! I actually joined this site thinking of that meaning of "gamer" before I realized that most people here were video gamers and not tabletop RP gamers.) If the person thinks they play often enough or cares enough about gaming to define it as one of their hobbies, that's good enough for me.
Yeah, that's why that kind of logic tends to fail. Just the recent fear and ignorance of what this medium is that recently happened over the school shooting shows right there that most certainly most people are NOT gamers at all.Assassin Xaero said:
I don't think it has to do with amount of time played. Just playing video games isn't a good measure; having an actual interest in them (outside of killing time) is. Yeah, that bumps off a huge portion of people who play Angry Birds on their iPhone at their dentist's office, but I still think that's fair. After all, I have seen a football game a few times in my life, but I am not a football fan just because of that. Trying to group me in with the people to actually pay insane $$ to go to games live, decorate their cars or strip and paint their bodies in their team's colors is just weird. I don't need to be affiliated with them, it won't make me feel better and it won't make them feel better, you aren't doing a favor for anyone. I think what a lot of people fail to realize is it is also totally ok NOT to be a gamer. We won't set you on fire or sacrifice your children to our gods just because you don't know who Ganon or Birdo are. Being a gamer isn't a badge of honor, it just just a choice in fandoms/interests. Different strokes for different folks... so don't cry just because I said your aunt isn't an actual gamer. XD
Oh dear good god.Fappy said:
You know those threads that popped up asking what kind of threads have been done to death and what kind of threads we hated?
"You know you are a X when.." threads were at the top of my list.
They are never witty, never entertaining and no one ever comes up with a half decent original answer to them. They are also more common than Jordan's tit shots.
I thought better of you Fappy.
On Topic....
A gamer is someone who plays games, that's it, the end.
There is no elaborate description. A gamer is someone who games.
Someone that enjoys games, considers it a hobby, and thinks about games as something more than a way to kill time. Gamers should consider playing games meaningful on some level of thinking. Whether it's for art, perspective, escapism, stress-relief, etc is up to the individual. Child gamers are in, if they are willing to stand up for their hobby. Different thought patterns for different ages.
Anyone who plays games is a gamer. Yes that means your grandmother who plays Farmville but it also includes anyone who palys card games, poker, chess, tic-tac-toe, etc. It's an exceeding generic term. It's been appropriated by the video games industry to mean anyone who plays video games. It's also been used by various groups to mean people who play certain types of games or for certain lengths. I think the most widely used definition is one who plays games often enough for it to be considered a hobby. That's generally how I use it. (What constitutes a hobby is as nebulous as anything but at least it moves the question to a new area).
In my opinion, it is someone that enjoys and is interested in gaming beyond just playing them to have fun or kill time. It is what separates someone who just plays games and someone that is genuinely a gamer. And no, playing only farmville isn't enough for me. This is my definition of a gamer and I'm sticking by it.
This is basically the same argument as "hardcore vs casual". I'd say a "gamer" is a person whose interest in the medium persists after laying down the controller. If you simply start a game every now and then, have some fun with it, then turn it off and get on with other interests, then you're not a gamer.
Gamer: A term that needs to die.
If someone is really into books, they are called bookworms. If someone is into films, they are called film buffs. These terms conjure the image of a connoisseur who has fine taste in this media. Gamer has no such meaning, and is often used as a condescending term. It's also a term no-one can adequately define as gaming becomes more and more widespread and starts appealing itself to more diverse age groups.
So in other words, the term either has to be viewed differently from a cultural perspective to something a little less condescending, or should die off quietly.
If someone is really into books, they are called bookworms. If someone is into films, they are called film buffs. These terms conjure the image of a connoisseur who has fine taste in this media. Gamer has no such meaning, and is often used as a condescending term. It's also a term no-one can adequately define as gaming becomes more and more widespread and starts appealing itself to more diverse age groups.
So in other words, the term either has to be viewed differently from a cultural perspective to something a little less condescending, or should die off quietly.
When someone says "gamer," to me, I imagine the type of person as follows:
- Plays games of all sorts
- Plays games often
- Considers their gaming as a major hobby
A gamer, to me, is a label equivalent to bookworm or film buff. Yes, tons of people play games, read books and watch movies. But there are others who do those things to a much greater extent, and care about it a lot more. Those are the gamers, the bookworms, the film buffs.
- Plays games of all sorts
- Plays games often
- Considers their gaming as a major hobby
A gamer, to me, is a label equivalent to bookworm or film buff. Yes, tons of people play games, read books and watch movies. But there are others who do those things to a much greater extent, and care about it a lot more. Those are the gamers, the bookworms, the film buffs.
