Don't Use the Word "Gamer"

[M-JN]

Yyyyyeah, but I think in a lot of ways it's necessary to have some labels on yourself. I mean, you don't have to, but things like "I'm a gamer" help to identify with other people within the bracket. People outside it may hold the stigma, but people inside it will know what you're talking about and may concede to be friends with you.

Most people label themselves regardless of whatever negative connotations there may be, because it's just easier than explaining their personal attributes when a bunch of people will already get the point because of that one word.

For another example, I'm gay, and there are is certainly rather a lot of stigma around that label. But it's still easier than trying to explain to people that I am a human with sexual urges toward other humans contrary to typical breeding procedures and whatnot.

 

[awesomeClaw]

I agree that "Gamer" does carry some negative publicity to it, but like someone said before me, it will change in time.

However, i strongly disagree with your notion that "games aren´t important" Games are indeed, (At least for me) important. Not as important as school, or my parents or that stuff, but nevertheless, important. However, there is nothing i can say to get you to understand my argument, since my argument isn´t so much an opinion as a feeling.

So we´ll just haveto agree to disagree.

Anyways, you´re going on vacation again. Odd, i thought it was only 1 time last year. *Suspicious look* Just kidding.

 

[Labcoat Samurai]

The term is fine, it just doesn't apply to every person who plays video games. For example, I own a motorcycle and ride it occasionally, but I'm not a biker.

 

[Beto Estolano]

This is not the first time a label is created from people who do something and it's addopted by yonger people trying to show himself off.

It happend by the end of the 90s with heavy metal, it's happening now with Nerds, and at the same time there's some kind of Nerd Prestige Classes or Especialization like: "Gamers", "Otakus", "Geek", "Gadgters" whatever.

People look for a label to make themselves feel like someone with something especial, than begin to create new ones, when they think there's too many people already using it.

 

[Marohen]

I hardly agree with this, regarding someone who calls themselves a gamer in a negative light without actually knowing the person is indicative of a problem with that person, not the name itself. I could just as easily turn this argument around and say the same for anyone who calls themselves a "Critic".

I do agree on the whole "Girl Gamer" thing, though. Really, it's just a phase in identity, women aren't going to call themselves this several years down the line.

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

You should open a Mana Bar in the UK, preferably near me, preferably in the North, near Blackburn...I'd go!

Nah if you do at least open one in Manchester

 

[Forgetitnow344]

I was cool with this until the part about no ZP or XP this week. Damn it.

 

[Terrorist_school_drop-out]

It's just a word, sure people make stereotypes about it like about many other things, but to my mind it's just something like driver: a person who drives or moviegoer: a person who enjoys movies or pedophile: a person who... you get the picture, it's a word that defines a group, nothing special. There is nothing wrong in beeing called a gamer as long as it's amongst other things, when it's an individual's only trait than yes the stereotype mentioned in the article sadly applies.
Anyway, interesting articele but come on, there's nothing wrong in the word gamer or all those beeing called gamers conforming to the stereotype of "that" guy....sure there is still that view from people who don't play games regarding our little hobby but it's like thinking that everyone who is called a reader of books also beeing a literary fag.

 

[Forgetitnow344]

You know, I've put up with the self-important, narcissistic bullshit of a one Benjamin "Yahtzee" Croshaw for quite some time now. And though that is hardly a stretch for me, as I have been absorbing the anger and prejudice of the world's asshole population for a good three decades, I can no longer stand to have Yahtzee's own brand of verbal diarrhea being funneled into my ear canal any longer.

I put up with a lot of shit from people like Yahtzee over the years. But when you call Aerith Gainsborough a "flaky bint", you have stepped over the proverbial line. I have no more patience for you, Croshaw. Take your crybaby rants that you poorly disguise as legitimate reviews and stick them up your pasty, white tuchus. You really wanna know what the definition of the stereotypical asshole gamer that gives us all a bad name? Every morning you look at one in the mirror when you wake up. It's people like you that ruin this hobby for the rest of us.

And before you accuse me of the following. No, I do not own a body pillow or any other perverted anime crap. Though I'm sure you'll claim otherwise in next week's article.

Aeris is a flaky bint. Hell, she was the most boring character in the game. I stand by that steadfast. I never understood the obsession with her.

 

[Chunko]

I agree with what he's saying here. Playing games doesn't define us, it's just what we do. I've stopped referring to myself as a "gamer".

 

[BlueHighwind]

I don't know why people love labels so much. Its like you imagine there are only six types of people, and you have a biological imperative to conform to one of those six breeds or suffer without an identity and consequently, friends. How about you all graduate high school already?

Here are my labels: a male 5'10''-ish human being. I might get that tattooed on my ass one day.

 

[GrinningManiac]

Completley with Yahtzee

Being with a minority is cool, because you get to act like everyone in the majority should feel guilty and is missing out on something. Case and point : Jews and Arabs. Sure, they've had problems, and their societies and cultures might have drawbacks. But you just feel you're missing out on something pretty cool, if only the languages.

I myself like to big up my Catholic-ness, as does my Mormon mate, and my Baptist mate (together, we are Team Religious Minority at our school)

However, my point (got there eventually) is that Gaming is not an important "minority", or even a real "minority". Beyond staying in and looking at a screen, there is no unifying culture, no history, nothing that would suggest a social or cultural group that differs from mainstream society.

And on top of that, it's not even a "cool" one! Like ZP said, the stereotype is a pretty unappealing one, and what upside is there? You get to act smug? That's nothing! Who ever needed an excuse to be smug!?

Bleh

I'm a human being, and I play video games

 

[Chrissyluky]

Agree 100%, I never liked the word gamer and this is definitely why. Also Aeris was a plot device with hair.

 

[WanderingFool]

Awwww... NO ZP or XP for a week... im sad...

You know, I've put up with the self-important, narcissistic bullshit of a one Benjamin "Yahtzee" Croshaw for quite some time now. And though that is hardly a stretch for me, as I have been absorbing the anger and prejudice of the world's asshole population for a good three decades, I can no longer stand to have Yahtzee's own brand of verbal diarrhea being funneled into my ear canal any longer.

I put up with a lot of shit from people like Yahtzee over the years. But when you call Aerith Gainsborough a "flaky bint", you have stepped over the proverbial line. I have no more patience for you, Croshaw. Take your crybaby rants that you poorly disguise as legitimate reviews and stick them up your pasty, white tuchus. You really wanna know what the definition of the stereotypical asshole gamer that gives us all a bad name? Every morning you look at one in the mirror when you wake up. It's people like you that ruin this hobby for the rest of us.

And before you accuse me of the following. No, I do not own a body pillow or any other perverted anime crap. Though I'm sure you'll claim otherwise in next week's article.

Wait, are you talking about the same Aeris/Aerith as Yahtzee? She must be the most unimportant character in any game I ever seen. Hell they killed her off for a reason...

Also he said he wasnt going to have a XP next week, so you'll have to wait two weeks for he response (if he feels you are deserving of one.)

 

[Gamegeneral]

If I said we need a better word, I'd just be applying the same logic of what happened to "Gamer" as you described to whatever word I switch to.
So basically you think a change of mind can be helped along by a change in terminology?
Interesting enough to warrant a try.
I guess from now on, I'm not a "Gamer", I'm a guy who plays games.
Or, to save time, I won't describe myself in an "I'm a [blank]" Format. I'll just say "I play games."
Night.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I disagree.

People should be able to identify however they please. If they want to identify as a "gamer", go ahead. It sounds a little odd to me, but that's just my personal view. Besides, just because a stereotype emerges around a label doesn't mean that people shouldn't identify by the label.

 

[Ne1butme]

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

Yahtzee is a British-born, currently Australian-based writer and gamer with a sweet hat and a chip on his shoulder. When he isn't talking very fast into a headset mic he also designs freeware adventure games and writes the back page column for PC Gamer, who are too important to mention us. His personal site is www.fullyramblomatic.com.

Read Full Article

If you can't convince the Escapist editors of your cause and get them to change your bio, then what hope do you have for the rest of the community?

 

[FlameUnquenchable]

It is just like every other label, people associate it with a certain group, normally a negative relationship and then that is all they see.

I normally hate the term 'nerd' because people automatically think of white pasty kids in the basement playing DnD or people who wear pocket protectors, when in reality people are 'nerdy' about a lot of different things. Men can be nerdy about cars, or sports, women can be nerdy about shoes or collectible horse figurines, etc. but at the end of the day it is used to represent a stereotype of someone who has no social skills and is bad with women.

I hate the term gamer because of the people who use it mostly, but I guess I tend to dislike groups of people who need to feel included in stuff. I normally say I'm a 'fan of' books, games, poetry, music, etc. or just simply, I like to do this or that. It is less defining, and makes people think, hey that person is very varied.

 

[CyricZ]

Interesting thought, because I'll be attending PAX in Seattle next week; one of only two times I'll claim having had the ability to dip my foot in the Pacific Ocean, but my point is that I'll be among thousands of people who gather for the sole reason to be proud that they're "a gamer".

Further criticism could be leveled at the term simply because of the fact that being "a gamer" still says very little about what you are, and simply going to PAX this past March proved that to me like nothing other. Are you a sports games fan? Do you enjoy FPS? JRPG? WRPG? etc. etc. Are you someone who jumps at every new gaming system and technology, or do you still hunker down with the NES on occasion to play some Dr. Mario? Hell, what about tabletop games, board games, and P&P RPG?

This reminds me of my last girlfriend, to be honest. She is "a gamer", too, and it was one of the bases on why we got together, yet in the end we found very little common ground on what kind of games we enjoyed. I play a veritable hodgepodge of stuff, and usually the more obscure and "arty" the better for me, but I still imagined I played enough of a range that we could find something we enjoyed together. Welllll guess what: she enjoys WRPGs, simulations (like THE SIMS *thunderclap* and Tropico), and D&D, and very little else. All three of those genres I was very loosely attached to, so sadly, there was a nice little roadblock in our relationship. Plenty of other reasons why we didn't work out, of course, but a lack of being able to play together often did not help.

So it always leads me to caution when I go to these large conventions about the kind of genres these people enjoy, and wondering if being "a gamer" is really all we need to define ourselves as having camaraderie. We may be shooting ourselves in the foot with such a collective label, tearing ourselves apart from the inside, and we may not even need people on "the outside" to bring us down.

 

[hoov]

I hope this doesn't make me one of these people, but I thought it was Aeris in the European version and Aerith in the American version. But I've no idea why this happened, if indeed it is what happened.

Right I'm off to drink beer, play sports and have sex with women.