Don't Use the Word "Gamer"

[CyricZ]

It's my general policy to assume the worst of people until they prove other wise.

Must be tough making friends. :-/

Frankly I've been sick of ZP for quite some time, and what little appreciable humor exists with in is drowned beneath of tidal wave of pointless insults, questionable gaming taste and endless nitpicking.

And yet, as they say, here you are. I'm not one to say Yahtzee is a perfect critic, nor even a particularly honest one, as he has long entrenched his style of humor in picking the worst parts out of game, and what we are fed as his reviews may not even actually match up with his own experience. We'll never know unless we watch the man, of course, but you always have to activate "grain of salt" when at someone point he says that he was enjoying the game, regardless of the vitriol in the rest of the review.

If you'd like to clarify your position though, I'm willing to hear you out.

My "position" is that I agree with Yahtzee about his statement about the "gamer" identity (which I fleshed on in my first post) and that I disagree with your opinion that Yahtzee is, to put your words in short, not worth the time.

My "point", though, is that by default "assuming the worst" about the people you've spoken to, you've made unfair judgments and put yourself at a frankly horrible position in terms of an argument. People don't expect rational or coherent things out of you if you make those kinds of judgments.

If you feel that you need to label me as a Yahtzee bootlicker, then that's your right, I suppose, but it's not going to win you any kind of respect.

 

[Kavachi]

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.

Perfect example of unwarranted self-importance.

OT: Well, I don't agree with every XP you write, but this one was right on the money. Gj on this one. Also, that gaming bar sounds like fun, should go to Australië sometime to check it out.

Oi, I keep forgetting that disagreement with Yahtzee brings about the swarming of his fanboys. You know the ones who make accounts here, poison the forums with parroting of Yahtzee's vitriol as well as constant espousal of their man crush on him. Then generally they leave, get banned or move on to off-topic to make other types of useless or insulting threads. Thanks, Yahtzee Fanboys! You make The Escapist a much less enjoyable place to be.

And the example continues... If you don't like Yahtzee, why bother reading his articles?

 

[Seventh Actuality]

Arf, Yahtzee, I love you precisely because you don't normally pull this shit. Overlong, pretentious article based on the assumption that something is a much bigger deal than it actually is. You may be right or wrong to decry the "gamer" label, but it won't matter either way because...well, it doesn't matter. I honestly think you could just erase the word from existence and nothing would change in how the world percieves gamers and how gamers view themselves.

Also, I wonder how many of the insecure misogynistic tween crowd are going to home in on that paragraph about girl gamers to the exclusion of everything else.

 

[blalien]

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?

 

[Sirch.Cajnos]

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.

hahahahahahahahaha, i love people like you, even though i hate people like you. Fanboys always give me a laugh...even though you're what perpetrates half the negative stereotypes associated with people who play video games. The great part is that this wouldn't be as hilarious if he didn't set up that (most likely intentional) error for people like you to ***** and moan about. Plus, since you clearly read at least the next few sentences of the article, you knew this and yet you still spouted the ridiculous argument that he expected you to spout. So, bravo Mr. Stereotpye Fanboy, bravo.

Oh go away, you have a ZP avatar. Clearly that outs you as someone who has no right to argue on the subject of fanboys. Especially of the ZP variety.

Nice counterargument, accusing me of what i was calling you, essentially "I know you are but what am i?" Hell, it worked in gradeschool right?
Yeah, i have a ZP avatar, in fact it was Yahtzee, combined with some interesting topics on the forums, that prompted me to join this website. However, that doesn't make me a fanboy. I've disagreed with many of his reviews but know that he's supposed to be as critical as possible to keep his traffic figures up. I know this, and he probably knows this as well. However i consider him tearing apart games and/or game mechanics i like(d) an excellent trade off for well-constructed arguments and discussion like in this article, in fact this is possibly the first time i've posted on one of his comment boards. In other words my avatar does not make my argument invalid, no more than your avatar makes anything you say invalid.

Oh and one more thing: I also he's human, with his own things that he enjoys that i don't and vice-versa. I know that he's not gonna like some of the games i really enjoyed and i know that i most likely won't understand some of his recommendations, I also just brush it off when he rips a game i like a new asshole, in fact i even laugh because the stuff he says that isn't obviously a general dislike for the genre/franchise is right. I watch him for some valuable critique on games, but mostly just because the man is damn hillarious.

 

[PapaJupe]

I would never call Yahtzee a gamer....a comedian, maybe. A whiner, definitely. But never a gamer.

I play games. I am a gamer. And I don't a good God damn what ideas pop into someone else's mind when I say that. That is their problem, not mine.
And anybody that does care has a pretty simple mind.

 

[Falseprophet]

Preach on, Brother Yahtzee! Video game players should stop calling themselves "gamers" and return the term to its rightful bearers: players of tabletop pen-and-paper RPGs.

If the term "gamers" is going to conjure images of sweaty, fat, neckbearded manchildren, then it should be applied to us D&D nerds who actually fit the description.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Dr. Wily III]

I never really use the word since I'm Dutch. I don't play games, I play videospellen.

Was there ever a reason that dutch almost sounds like german? Videospiele.

 

[MasterChief892039]

.

 

[gl1koz3]

Very bolt-tightening and screw-collecting article. Some need that.

 

[Terminal Blue]

Flaws of aeris:

1. She's unecessarily 'speshul'. The whole 'last of the ancients' thing basically comes down to 'unique without actually having to bother with any character development'.

2. Her 'personality' (for want of a better word) is a series of cutsey/moe stereotypes. She has no real complexity and just bounces between being offensively sweet and upbeat and ramming her 'targic' history in our faces in an effort to gain our sympathy.

3. The game actively attempts to force you to like her (generally by ramming home that all the other characters do), which is fucking irritating in light of the above.

Okay, so final fantasy characters don't tend to be that good.. but really, she's not even a good specimen of the breed.

 

[veloper]

His worst article yet.

There ARE movie buffs and they are more into movies than people who merely watch movies.
A book worm is someone who is more into reading than the average person who reads the occasional book.
A race driver is not someone who brings his cabriolet to the race track on a weekend.

Gamer: plays more than the odd casual title on a rainy day.
Must be identified as such, because gamer won't play casual games.

 

[blalien]

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?

If gaming is a deal breaker for a woman, she ain't worth it. Trust me, your life will be more miserable if you choose to pursue someone that stuck-up.

I say let her know that you play video games, but don't make it the centerpiece of the evening's conversation.

Normally I'd agree with you, but my personal experience tells me that people who don't care what others think tend to be alone. First impressions really do matter. I like to at least avoid the topic on the first date until I've established that I'm normal.

 

[esperandote]

Let's start using "Electronic entretainment aficionado"

 

[MatsVS]

Thanks, Yahtzee Fanboys! You make The Escapist a much less enjoyable place to be.

Completely agreed. With the other stuff you said, too, but mostly this.

WAIT A FUCKING MINUTE!!! Im I arguing with someone over a FUCKING videogame character? Does anyone else realize how pathetic it is to defend a fictional character? I cant believe I even bothered resonding...

It's about as worthwhile as discussing any other character that has had an impact on you from any given book or movie, I suppose. You know, as in it's actually interesting.

 

[Taneer]

Damnit, Yahtzee. Now you've got me screwed up by calling your column XP. EXTRA PUNCTUATION IS EP. EXPERIENCED POINTS BY SHAMUS IS XP.

Stupid attempts to shorten my RSS Feed names aside, I like what you're getting at. People need to stop just defining themselves by their hobbies.

 

[Dora]

The only term I hate more than "gamer" is "foodie". I roll my eyes a little whenever I hear someone refer to themselves (or me) as a gamer, like it's something to be proud about. (It's nothing you should be ashamed of either, it's just a damned hobby.) But I absolutely, truly, cannot stand ANYONE who refers to themselves as a "foodie". I have corrected people who call me a foodie just because I love to cook. I don't know why. I think, sort of like the association Yahtzee has with the word gamer, I hear foodie and I think smug, insufferable obnoxious twerps who look like Ina Garten and pronounce ethnic dishes with the corresponding accent and can't stop talking about foie gras.

You enjoy food of different types. HOORAY FOR YOU. Just like most of the population.

You enjoy electronic entertainment. HOORAY FOR YOU. Just like most of the population.

I guess I just don't understand why you would want to identify yourself as a hobby you enjoy, rather than what sort of person you are.

 

[ThatFanBoyGuy]

I think the term "gamer" arose when the title for someone who played a lot of videogames was simply "nerd." There needed to be a clearer distinction because not everyone who plays video games a lot is a nerd, nor are nerds restraint to just people who play a lot of video games. A nerd may play video games seldomly, rarely, or not at all. So we invented this phrase "gamer" and we let it fly.

But now the question remains: what really makes a person "gamer"? Is the Nintendo Fanboy, who mostly only plays the Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Donkey Kong and Starfox franchises a gamer? Is the FPS fanboy, who mostly only plays Halo and Call of Duty on multiplayer when his friends are around, is he a gamer? Is the Guitar Hero/RockBand fanboy who mostly only plays these music games, but can play all instruments on expert, is he a gamer? Is the guy who obsessively levels up his Pokemon and World of Warcraft character a gamer? Do you need multiple consoles to be a gamer, or is one enough to be considered a gamer (and does it have to be a specific console)? Can one favor a genre or does one have to play all genres to be a gamer? Is the person who plays a lot of solitare, hearts, pinball and minsweeper on their PC a gamer? We can go on and on arguing this, or we could say "yes" to all of this, but someone would be offended.

And then we end up full circle. Maybe someone who plays casually is a gamer, but someone who plays obsessively is a nerd. Maybe someone who plays some video games is a gamer, someone who plays a lot a nerd, and someone who plays a little but acts like he plays a lot is a n00b. And we can go on and on again, only to end up full circle again.

So I think we should reserve the word "gamer" to anyone who plays videogames. And for those who play a lot of video games and are good at it, we should give the title Yahtzee invented for them in his Super Smash Brothers Brawl review: "That Guy"

 

[pretentiousname01]

If you didn't even like the game, why even bother arguing about it? Go play Fantasy World Dizzy with Mr. Trilby.

OOO OOO question!?!?!

If you don't like zp why are you following it?

Not gonna touch the whole ff7 debate thats going on here. Especially as its at best second. If we're only counting the numbered ones.

I also think it is sad that we as gamers can't put aside our own anger and resentment for the greater good. Reminds me of that thread a few days ago asking people to stop spelling it micro$oft.

 

[TheEnglishman]

Enjoy the holiday Yahtzee.