Don't Use the Word "Gamer"

[Silva]

Being a gamer and being a nerd are two different things. I also could not be bothered saying "I enjoy video games", just to please Yahtzee's post-stereotypical social cause.

Not to mention, the fact that Yahtzee even ENJOYS playing video games is hardly a given, considering his review style, so it's hardly fair for him to suggest that we say we do in place of saying that, simply, we game, without emotional connotation. He only likes every tenth game anyway, if that.

I am a gamer, and I enjoy playing video games. Both are true. The word "gamer" only implies all of those stereotypes in the minds of those stupid enough to hold them as fact. You know, the specimens of humanity who probably don't think about who they vote and thus bring in incompetent or malicious governments. The kind of people who don't think before they hold an impression - in other words, the people who only have influence as a mass.

Yahtzee: if you want to influence those people into believing that gaming is not a nerdy action, such small changes in terminology can only help very slightly or not at all. No, you just have to make gaming more mainstream, and the hardcore's excesses less publicised. The former's already happening, the latter is inevitable, so get used to it. The image is going to die a long, hard, slow death, and changing from "gamers" to "people who like games" isn't going to make it go any faster.

 

[mattag08]

Yahtzee is missing the point of self identifying as a gamer. It simply places you in a group with like-minded people. Just like a person who owns a motorcycle probably calls himself a "biker." Does that mean that his whole image is wrapped up in that word? There are probably many labels that apply: father, son, brother, gamer, artist, college graduate, etc. All of these labels don't adequately describe who we are, but they give insight into a small portion of our life and around the right people, self identifying as being part of a group will mean something (positive or negative depending). That's what being a "gamer" is really about.

 

[Revolutionary]

Damn, When I read the bit about people not calling themselves movie watcher, I really Saw what he was getting at. You could probabbly just have that [aragraph by itself.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Yahtzee himself has used the term 'gamer' before, is this now telling us he's changed his ways and we should too or is it just hypocrisy?

 

[TIMBAP_TMC]

I love being a gamer. I wouldn't stop playing video games or calling myself a gamer because someone told me that i because i was different - i pretty much sucked. I look fairly good in appearance! I'm small, cute, and of course i'm female. And this isn't just my own opinion, others have told me so. And despite my appearance, i play gorey/scary games and i'm the only girl in the group of gamers at my school that seems to actually play those genre's. I don't believe that that label should be used anymore for today's gamers. I know a lot of guys who are fairly good looking, don't smell of anything, and sit for hours playing their xbox 360 of ps3's. Their only draw back is lack of sleep. I'm proud to be a gamer and although i may not be as hard core in gaming as i used to be, i still love some action, some adventure, even if it isn't in reality and it's behind a screen.

 

[unleashed2burn]

Nice. By working at a place of socal interaction, your observations are of the genral public rather than a group. You're breaking through the "Us and Them" mentality and the herd behavior of those who refer to themselves as "gamers". I'm not too much of a gamer (i manly play Modern Warfare or those old Crash Bandicoot games i grew up with) but i don't have too much of a socal life (thanks mostly to my Autism). Even so, i grew out of the "Us and Them" phase a while ago. I do agree with the "Colombine" image too. I became obessed in my "Us and Them" phase with a Stephen King book entitled Rage (published as Richard Bachman in 1977) that told the story of a boy who goes nuts and shoots his teacher and takes it's inhabitants hostage. Then King made sure it fell out of print because copies of the book were found in the hands of kids who decided to emulate the book in the 90's.
Good article. By the way, i'm looking foward to your novel, Mogworld.

 

[Numb1lp]

Extra Punctuation: Don't Use the Word "Gamer"

Not all gamers are sweaty manchildren playing games in their parent's basement. Some of them are actually normal.

Read Full Article

Like... you?

On topic, I agree. I don't use the word gamer anyhow... it carries with it a negative stigma that's sort of unappealing to be labelled as.

And yes, 'girl gamer' is the worst. As if it's something special to be a female who plays video games. The smart girls I know on the intertubes disguise their gender to simply get along with the game, rather than be bombarded with unwanted attention.

I don't know about you, but a girl who is also a "gamer" is a total turn-on for me. My last two girlfriends were gamers.

 

[darkerwolf]

I love being a girl gamer if some child wants to give me shit about my gender I just laugh at how dumb and ignorant they are. A the term gamer is not negitive its what we are we enjoy video games and its not a negtive thing at all

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

blalien [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/6.227697-Extra-Punctuation-Dont-Use-the-Word-Gamer?page=4#7847371]
Just out of curiosity, what do you male gamers do on a first date with a woman who doesn't play games? Admit you're a gamer but insist you're not a loser? Admit you're a gamer but not care if she thinks you're a loser? Avoid the topic completely? Avoid conversation completely? Refuse to date woman who aren't also gamers?

We (I) do exactly the same thing, say, a female fanfic writer [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostFanficWritersAreGirls] does on a first date with a guy who doesn't get the point of fan fiction, or of writing. We brooch the subject, should it come up in dialogue, but not (yet) if it doesn't. This is normal. One doesn't introduce himself in such a setting as Guy Uriel, Game Enthusiast any more than one announces more formal titles (e.g. Dr. James Watson; Richard Feynman, Ph.D, Reverend Pat Robertson).

When someone I just met (woman or otherwise) takes offense at the mere fact that I play games, it would speak poorly to whether or not I could get along with her at all, just as if she took offense to my interest in cosmology, my liberal political leanings, my strong familiarity with Star Trek, TOS, my atheism or my non-ownership of a motor vehicle. Humans being a generally xenophobic lot, it does happen with frequency, and it's usually, really, a matter of one's identity falling outside the comfort zone of another. In cosmopolitan urban regions such as San Francisco, this is usually attributed due to a lack of experience or education on behalf of the latter (discomfited) party.

My solution has become what I call the insane asylum test; I will bring up, say, something I learned while in a gun down Stormtroopers [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_hospital] to de-stress.

 

[Arandomperson]

Okay, first of all, while I do realize you probably will attack me as well for saying anything at all, I agree with your choice to view people negatively until you are proven otherwise. Hey, it may sound pessimistic and a tad cliche, but in the times we live in, it's generally best to think that way. Seeing people this way will generally mean you end up less disappointed. On to business... I'm not sure why you are bugging out so much. Yahtzee is intentionally crude and pretentious. It's all done in jest. Even the narcissistic shit. It's all a joke, even if a bit juvenile. Don't take it so seriously , man. He doesn't actually believe he's all important and such. And, while I do enjoy his ZP and EP pieces, I'm not exactly a fanboy, either. I've disagreed on many things he has said, but I still watch his reviews, mainly because they're funny. I also believe he purposefully put that Aerith sting in there just to piss some people off. I also don't see the point in wishing a fictional character dead(Looking at you, Experimental!). If she was a character you particularly enjoyed, then that's great for you, for I also understand your point in how annoying it is when people flame a video game character. As much as people may not like her, she was put in the plot for a reason, and the game wouldn't be the same without her. This is true of just about any video game character. So, please, all I ask is that you try to be a little more tolerant in other's views and understand that it does nothing to rant about people who flame that character.

 

[otterdude]

There's no concrete definition for a "gamer" other than a person who plays video games. And some people will disagree with that, saying playing Halo or Madden or things of that sort don't make you a "real gamer." They stick people with sub-labels upon sub labels "casual gamer" "PC gamer" "WoW player" and each comes with it's own little stereotype, and a legion of undying antagonizers.

The term "gamer" has come to mean less and less every time a new game is made. Halo Reach is a good recent. There are a lot of Halo fans, but Halo also gets a lot of hate. And you know there are those people that liked Halo 3 and think Halo Reach sucks. Just like those people who still play Smash Bros. Melee over a few minor differences. We as a "culture" or whatever you want to call it get divided more and more each day. Claiming to be a "gamer" is no different than shouting "I like music" and expecting everyone to be shocked and suddenly treat you differently.

 

[cryofpaine]

The problem isn't with the word, the problem is with society as a whole. We categorize. We slap labels on everything and everyone, and try to shove them into nice neat boxes so that the world makes sense and order reigns. The problem is that if you get slapped with that label, then you are also stuck with the expectations that come with it. In some cases, it leads to prejudices and discrimination. In others, it leads to social pressures to conform to that stereotype.

We shouldn't be afraid of the word. On the contrary, we should embrace it. Use and over-use it until it loses its power and becomes just another word.

 

[MB202]

I was informed of this article after watching Extra Credits' "Gamer" episode. Great article, I'll be sure to have others take a look at it, and to use the term "gamer" less often.

 

[vortexgods]

Ok, from now on I will call Gamers... Gameys.

Sort of how like Trekkies hated the term Trekkies and decided on Trekkers instead.

Except in reverse.

 

[jono793]

My sentiments exactly. Gaming is a hobby, not a lifestyle. Just one thread within the rich tapestry that makes up a human being. Not something you'd want to list on your CV either.

 

[luxor777]

After reading a few pages of comments, id like to say that i want to respond to many of the opinions presented here; some which i agree with, and others that I'd like to debate or provide another perspective for. Sadly, I do not have the time to do such a task so I'm just going to post my take and see if anyone responds.
I mostly agree with this article. I dislike labels because they can't define a person as a whole, they merely represent one aspect of that person's being. To say that the entirety of one's self can be defined by one word is absurd, and only serves to create barriers between people. Stereotypes that form from labels are just intellectual shortcuts created to categorize something as complex as a persons mind. In a sense they are psychologically necessary because no one can ever hope to come even close to understanding with 100% accuracy all of the people that populate their world. So, in order to choose what specifically a person is attracted to, one forms opinions on people and things based on their past experiences and knowledge. New experiences can change one's opinions, but some people will close themselves off to new perspectives because they are too deeply seeded in their own opinion. Perhaps because subconsciously they do not want to admit that they are wrong, but i wont elaborate on that. Ive already strayed somewhat from the path of my original intentions. Anyhow, my point is that while we probably wont be able to eliminate stereotypes and preconceived notions because they are an instrumental learning tool and defense mechanism, we can however, choose to get to know a person as a whole before forming a definite opinion about who they are.
It is the way of the philosopher to question one's initial impressions and the opinion of the majority. That's not to say that these opinions cant be right, it just means that people should not only just think for themselves, but also realize that their own understanding of others is limited by looking through only their default perspective, and that you must look at things from multiple angles to even come close to understanding them.

 

[musim]

I'm commenting on this again because I've decided I was mostly wrong in my reply. Gamer is a restrictive term and its silly to limit our lives in scope to one word.

 

[Canon Fodder]

ya know, I wish that you guys would go global, cause I would love to show up at the Mana Bar!

 

[Nerazzurri]

Irony:
Your signature reads "Yahtzee is a British-born, currently Australian-based writer and gamer..."

 

[Hyakunin Isshu]

I have graced you with my presence for 27 years and I think it's only fair you do something for me in return.

I want a full refund, then. right down to the last attosecond.