Gamer Subculture Study

[gritch]

I'll help out.

I'm 20 years old and male.

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yes
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
Hard to say. I'd guess around 7 hours a week.
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Mostly by myself but occasionally a few friends will join in.
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
The majority of them. (I can only think of a few who don't actually)
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
I don't play online.
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
Too often. Maybe 5? That'd be a rough guess. Most of it involving this website.
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
Mostly RPGs at this point. Recently I've been playing Tales of Vesperia for about the pass 2 weeks.
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
I started as a small kid because... well they were fun.
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
My mother used to play video games with me when I was younger. Nowadays my parents seem to occasionally enjoy the odd video game but are mostly indifferent.
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Free time? Ha! But no in fairness I have a decent amount of freetime. I spend it mostly surfing the web or watching anime.
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
I get... involved. Online FPS have a tendency to open the flood gate of profanity for me. I don't curse too often - I find I only use profanity when it's something I care about.
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
Junior at College. I have a 3.6GPA. I get mostly As and Bs with the rare C every now and then.
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
I have a part time job as a tutor. I work roughly 20 hours a week.
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
ehh... Well picking up Minecraft the week before finals might not have been the greatest idea. Still not a huge impact on my grades though.
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
I don't normally skip to play video games. More likely I was up late playing games and skip so I can sleep in. I never skip work though.
16. Why do you play videogames?
uhh... They're fun? Yes I think that's it.
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
I doubt it. Violent video games might encourage violent people but for normal people it's no worse than any other violent forms of media. Those violent people would find ways to express their violence in other ways even if there were no violent video games.
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When someone is skipping work/classes frquently or when video games are all they can think of.
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
Perhaps. If I ever get too busy I could give them up. But I still enjoy them so whenever I have some downtime I would pick them back up.
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
I don't own much merchandise outside of the games. My friend gave me a stuffed hanar that is proudly displayed above my TV. I Have a few shirts with video game references but that's about it.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

21 years old, male, european.

1. Nope
2. Depends. Anywhere from 0 to 40+
3. Depends. I love playing local multiplayer in games like Halo 3 and MW2/3.
4. Most of them.
5. Dark Souls is an online game, isn't it...eh, so that's a yes, I suppose. I play as much online as I play otherwise.
6. 3-4, but I am a fast reader and limit my video game videos to totalbiscuit (occasionally), angry joe, spoony and The Game Overthinker (AKA our good friend Bob chipman)
7. I'm not averse to any kind (except maybe farming simulators), but I seem to be playing RPGs (Fallout 3, New Vegas, Dark souls), FPS' (Far Cry 3, Dishonored), Turn-based strategy (X-com, HOMM3), whatever [Prototype] classifies as.
8. Age 6 or so, and they looked fun.
9. Pa's very indifferent, maternal unit thinks it's a waste of time.
10. Read, go on walks, hang out with friends, go to the cinema, try to get writing done, surf the web.
11. Depends on quality of game, but more often than not, quite a bit. Oh and dickbags in multiplayer eventually get to me (Dark Souls spawn-kill gankers when THEY SUMMONED ME FFS)
12. High average.
13. Had a job, 8 hours a day, then it turned out that my boss was a complete and utter psycho, so I quit.
14. Nope. In fact, it's helped me learn to read more efficiently and helped keep my math grades from plummeting.
15. Once or twice in my life.
16. Because movies and tv shows just don't engage me like video games do.
17. Nope. In fact, video games have helped me control and vent my aggression in a more healthy way.
18. When you end up as a stereotypical WoW subscriber/you prestige ALL the CoD games 10 times. Or if it's being a serious detriment to your health.
19. Sure. Haven't played in a while now.
20. About fuckall. Not too interested.

 

[ninjapenguin1414]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yes.
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
Too many to count.
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
By myself but with friends whenever I can.
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
Majority of them.
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
Only with friends, hardly ever.
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
Most of the time, lot's of let's play's on youtube.
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
Almost anything RPG/JRPG + action adventure games.
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
When I got my gameboy color with Pokemon Red
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
Don't care that much for them.
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Youtube, anime, tv, this site etc.
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Completely depends on the game, Infamous 2 was really the last time a game actually hit me on a emotional level but I haven't played games like The Walking Dead or Spec Ops: The Line yet so mabye those will hit me on the same level.
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
Crappy one 50-60 (Canada so that's just barely passing)
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
Yes, not very often mabye 18 at the least 24+ at the most during school but more during the summer.
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
Probably.
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
No I probably am addicted to video games in some ways but i've never skipped anything in order to play them.
16. Why do you play videogames?
To have fun, talk to friends, not think about everyday stuff.
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
No, but in the end it depends on the person normally those feeling are already their.
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When you play them instead of doing your responsibilities.
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
A few shirts thats about it, not much of a collector on certain things like figurines.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

22 year old male.

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yeah

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
It varies. Maybe ~14 this past week since Borderlands 2 has again consumed my life outside of work/friends. Average this year other than that has maybe been somewhere from 2-4.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Mostly by myself, but with friends maybe once or so a week.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
Depends on what you consider video games. Pretty much all my friends do, but some of them just play casual games on their phones.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
Rarely, so not sure how many hours it would be. It is usually a lot when I find a game that is fun online without technical issues (like server lag).

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
5-10ish probably. I'm here and on Kotaku a lot.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
Everything short of MMO's (until Survarium comes out). I mostly play shooters though.

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
Probably around the age of 5 or 6, and because it was fun.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
My mom seems to think they desensitize you to violence since she listens to the media rather than people who actually play games, other than that, I don't think they care much.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Hanging out with friends, reading, watching TV, programming, playing with my cat, exercising.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Since I mostly play shooters, not really. Spec Ops The Line was rather moving, and a few of the Final Fantasy games have made me a little emotional.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
In high school I had all A's and B's, and half my classes were advanced/dual enrolled as college classes. College was the same, except I got a C in accounting (I hate accounting).

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
I am a software developer (computer programmer). I usually end up working 42ish hours a week, not counting lunch breaks (if I take them).

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
Sometimes, sort of. For example, I'd go to study for my government exam then I'd remember that I have Dead Space, so I never ended up studying. I still passed most everything with an A or B, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
I asked off one day when Final Fantasy XIII came out (worked in food service at the time), and they made me work a double since the guy I was there with a midnight to get it decided to call in sick.

16. Why do you play videogames?
Entertainment, an escape from life, and because I want to work my way into game development some day, so inspiration.

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
Violent video games? Nope. My friends and I would sit around playing Unreal Tournament or Twisted Metal and be laughing and having fun, while if you put in a competitive sports game, everyone start yelling and getting mad if they are losing.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When you are choosing video games over other things in life. My friend's wife would make us late because she had to play "just 20 more minutes" of Skyrim. I know if I start playing Final Fantasy VII, nobody will see me for a few weeks, so most the time I try to avoid it.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
I could see it happening. I have a lot more important things I need to focus on in life right now, so I'm trying to quit playing video games for the time being (or only an hour or two a week).

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
I have various things from the New Vegas, Duke Nukem Forever, and Borderlands 2 collectors editions. Then also a few posters (Brink, Duke Nukem Forever, Saints Row 3) because I had to use up those reward zone points from Gamestop and the 3 poster pack seemed like the best deal. I have a LRR and Extra Credit's shirt, but that is the closet I get to "gaming shirts".

 

[verdant monkai]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
16. Why do you play videogames?
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)

I am a seventeen year old male.

1. Yes
2. 2 hours week nights/4+ on weekends
3. Mostly by myself as I'm not a multiplayer fan, but I do it occasionally.
4. All of my friends who aren't women or gay (my one gay friend dosen't play but I know gay people do).
5. Rarely, I will only play online if I know my friends will be online.
6. I would say about 7 hours one every day.
7. Pretty much every single kind except Racers and sports games.
8. When I was 7 because I bought a gameboy for my birthday.
9. They think its a waste of time but since they speak out of complete ignorance I do my best to ignore their opinion.
10. Sit and think about my lack of friends... what the hell do you think I do? I hang out with friends, study, exercise and watch films, the normal stuff all guys do.
11. Really depends on the story if its powerful and immersive I will be really invested and maybe cry.
12. A's and B's with one C and a D for my A levels and GCSE's, So pretty varied but I passed everything except Welsh language.
13. No I'm a student.
14. Not going to lie but yes only because I am also a rather lazy guy but you can't blame the games for that.
15. Very Very rarely I have mostly skipped just to go home and sleep.
16. They are the best form of immersive entertainment anyone who doesn't think that doesn't know games.
17. No violent people are violent due to their lack of self control, not because they shot a pixelated monster.
18. When they take priority over work and socialising.
19. I will play less when I have a full time job but I can see myself taking gaming to the grave, as long as micro-transactions and EA don't consume the industry.
20. Tee Shirts, figures and films.

 

[Smeatza]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Certainly
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
At least 50 hours
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
With friends mostly
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
Pretty much all of them
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
At least 10 hours a week I reckon
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
About 15 I think
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
Anything but I tend to gravitate to RPG and strategy games
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
My closest friend introduced me to them when we were kids
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
My Mom plays Driver 2 from time to time and my Dad has always been good at keeping up to date with the latest crazes so they both have no problem with them
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Either chill with my friends or go watch some live music, with my friends
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
I play single player games almost exclusively for an interactive narrative, which I do tend to get emotionally involved in
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
n/a
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
Yes, 40 hours
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
School performance, yes, but only slightly. No for work.
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
Yes, started skipping school when the PS3 came out, continued after. Again, not for work.
16. Why do you play videogames?
Because they are fun
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
If it does then only for 20 minutes or so after playing the game, definitely not permanent.
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When they become a contributory factor towards one being unhappy with their life
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
No it is my preferential form of entertainment
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
Just books and posters

 

[Mrkillhappy]

21 Year old Male
1.Yes.
2. 0-12 Durring the any term I'm in school, 5-20 When I'm off for break.
3. I tend to play by my self however I do meet up with friends weekly for fighting game tournaments.
4. Most if not all to some degree.
5. I rarely play online so about 1 or 2 hours a week.
6. 15-20 hours mostly to kill time between classes.
7. I like old first person shooters or those that have non regenerating health, stealth, Survival Horror, platformers, Turn Based Strategy, 2D & 3D fighing games, Mystery, Sandbox, jrpgs, and rpgs.
8. Around age 3 or 4 when I was in the hospital and that was about the only form of entertainment.
9. My parents are ok with it though I tend to fixate a little.
10. I hang out with friends, go outside, read comics or books, watch tv and movies, or browse the Internet (depending on the weather).
11. Depending on the game I will get very emotionaly involved (example MGS 3) but not with most games and almost never online.
12. I get A's and B's mostly with the occasional C.
13. I work part time 13 to 14 hours a week.
14. Yes I have gotten overly involved with gaming in the past but I quickly learned I needed to control it.
15. Yes but not recently and when I did it was rare.
16. It helps me relax and unwind for the day plus its fun.
17. I did a small study on the affects of violent video games and it does lead to some aggression but not much more then what some would encounter from an argument as for violence I never found any proof that linked games to it (I'm minoring in Psychology).
18. When you begin to stop taking care of yourself and just focus on the game.
19. No I'll always game to some degree.
20. I own tee shirts, videos, a wall scroll, some posters, strategy guides, artbooks, and magazines as I am a game collector.

 

[EmperorSubcutaneous]

how can you play lots of games and not consider yourself part of the "gamer" sub culture?

Female, 26.
1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
No. I choose to not interact with other gamers for the most part, so I'm not part of the subculture.

whys that?

I had a lot of really bad experiences with misogynistic gamers, to the point that the casual misogyny spouted by what seems to be the majority is seriously upsetting, because it just reminds me of worse things I've experienced. Every time I tried to come back, I saw male gamers making shitty comments about women (and I "just can't take a joke" even though they really don't make the same type of comments about men) and female gamers acting suspicious of me because I'm also a female, and eventually I just got so sick of it that I decided to not talk to any of them on a regular basis anymore and just play my games in peace.

I still lurk here but that's about it.

 

[mgirl]

19 year old female.

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yes.

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
It can vary. Around 25 - 30 at the moment, and I'm at uni. The number goes up when I'm at home for the holidays.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Mostly by myself. With multiplayer its usually more with strangers than friends as well.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
A few, not many to be honest.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
Again, it varies. Depends on what games I'm playing in a certain week, but its always less than my overall playing time.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
I probably spend at least an hour every day reading stuff online or watching video game related stuff on youtube, but its usually more.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
First person shooters (excluding modern military shooters), western rpgs, adventure games, stuff like that.

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
When I was a kid, I played doom and quake with my mum, It was fun. Gaming has always been pretty mainstream since I was a kid, I'm just in that generation.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
My dad could not care less, my mum thinks I spend too much time playing games and thinks I take them too seriously.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Read, catch up on the tv series I enjoy, or I go out with friends.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Depends on the game, I'll get emotionally involved in a game with a good story, like the walking dead game.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
I'm at uni, and I'm currently averaging at around a B.

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
Nope.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
I don't think so. occasionally I'll put things off for a while but I always get my work done.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
No. I've skipped a few lectures for other reasons, but not for games.

16. Why do you play videogames?
Mostly for fun. Occasionally because I get into a really good story and sometimes for competitive reasons, but mostly fun.

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
No. I'm not a violent person at all, and to be honest, I find violent games can be useful for me in relieving stress.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
Probably at the point where it starts to seriously intefere with the rest of your life, to the point where its the only thing you do.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
I can imagine in the future when I have a proper job I'll have less time for it, but I'm hoping that wont stop me completely.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
I own some replicas, some clothes and posters.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
A: I certainly would, considering I've been playing video games since before I could retain vivid memories.

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
A: Ahh...In total, somewhere around 20 hours a week normally, almost double that during vacations.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
A: Depends on the type of game. Borderlands with friends, and obviously any single player game I'm by myself.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
A: All my close friends, so 7.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
A: Rarely. Maybe in about 1 or 2 hours sessions tops.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
A: A week, maybe 6 or 7 hours a week, mainly on The Escapist before I go to bed.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
A: First person shooters and RPGs mostly, but I'm open to all types of games.

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
A: According to my parents, when I was around 3, and because my father played them.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
A: My dad plays video games, and my mother understands my passion for them. They respect it as a legitimate form of entertainment, though sometimes have trouble seeing it as art.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
A: Surf the internet or out with my friends, most recently looking for more education opportunities.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
A: I tend to get as immersed as possible, so sometimes I feel just as emotionally invested as I would in real life.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
A: High school I got grades of C and B in subjects I'm comfortable in, and D and F in usually math.

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
A: Not currently. Am finding one this summer.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
A: While my family may say otherwise, I have never let my video games directly effect my schooling or social life.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
A: Very rarely, usually when I felt sick anyway but not sick enough to not go to school

16. Why do you play videogames?
A: Entertainment

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
A: Absolutely not.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
A: When you let it isolate yourself completely from friends and family, and you completely toss everything else from your life in favor of video games

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
A: I do not. I feel that they have been such an enriching part of my life that I'll play them into my elderly years.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
A: A few special editions games, a couple posters, and a few plushies

 

[grey_space]

36 year old male

1.Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
yes I suppose.

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
10-15

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
I'm a lone wolf

4. How many of your friends play videogames?

10 roughly

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
I hate online

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
about 4?


7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
rpgs and strategy mostly

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?

1985 cousin brought an amstrad (or maybe a spectrum?) over to my house


9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
they dont

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
martial arts. I'm a karate instructor and I'm on the Irish team. ualso read voraciously

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Fairly. I like it when I am.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
it's not, but I always barely passed

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
yes. it varies. 24-64 depending

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
probably but not by a lot
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
never

16. Why do you play videogames?
escapism

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
no

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
when you dont eat.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
probably not

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
nothing. maybe a tshirt


edited for putting in my rather advanced age

 

[Laurents van Cauwenberghe]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
yes
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
50-70
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
mostly by myself but that's because the games i play are mostly singleplayer only
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
maybe 5%?
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
0-5 per week
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
2-4
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
rpgs, squad based strategy games and hack and slash dungeon crawlers (like diablo)
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
around the age of 3 i think, i don't really know why i started playing them... i just enjoyed it
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
they're strongly against it
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
playing sports or going to a bar with friends
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
i'm only really emotionally involved with a game when the characters could be actual people (the characters from telltale's walking dead for instance)
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
i don't really know how it works in america but mostly 8/10 or 9/10
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
no, i'm too young to work
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
not that i remember, no
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
never
16. Why do you play videogames?
it's hard to explain, i guess because i like interacting with other characters/ the world and because i generally like the gameplay. but in some games (like diablo) i'm just there to get different kinds of armor, weapons etc.
but mainly it's to escape the monotony of life and to experience other worlds and meet new, interesting characters
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
no, a normal human has 'mental barriers' (i guess that's waht you can call them) to seperate a video game from reality, so it's just impossible for a normal person to emulate the violence in a video game. if a person actually does emulate that kind of behaviour, then it's because of the fact that that person was already insane before playing a video game.
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
i think gaming becomes an obsession when the gamer in question doesn't come out of their room anymore (except to buy food) and never socializes with people outside of the videogame world.
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
no, they've become an integral part of my life and i wouldn't know what to do when i'm not at school/working/...
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
i own a world of warcraft poster that came free with my copy.


i hope this helps and goodluck with your class!

 

[necromanzer52]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Not sure, I'd really call it a subculture, but if so, then yes.

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
It varies. Right now, none. When I'm not busy, 10-15.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
More by myself, but I enjoy playing with friends.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
Most of them do to some degree.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
Used to. Not anymore.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
20-30 or so.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
Generally things that are lumped into the action/adventure genre. My favourite kind of games is platformers, but I branch out into other genres sometimes.

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
I would've been around 3 or 4. I don't know why, I guess someone probably said, here play this.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
They've both been known to play them from time to time, but aren't avid gamers, though my dad tends to keep up with the latest gaming news.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Surf the internet, play music, watch a movie, read a book, hang out with friends.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
If the story's written well enough, I can get fairly emotionally involved.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
Fairly high.

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
Nope.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
Nope.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
I don't think I've ever done it specifically to play video games, but I have skipped it for other reasons, then played video games instead.

16. Why do you play videogames?
It passes the time.

17. Do you think violent videogames affect aggression and violence in its players?
No.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
At the point when you basically do nothing else, and start to suffer because of it.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
Not really. Though I play video games far less than I used to, I don't see myself ever giving them up completely.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
I've got a lot of pokemon stuff, and the first 4 halo books. That's about it, really.

 

[GundamSentinel]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
- Yes

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
- 30-50

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
- By myself

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
- All of them. I'd say three of them are really gamers.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
- Yes, I play some online games. Maybe 10-20% of my gaming hours is multiplayer. Some weeks nothing, other weeks nothing but.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
- About 5-10 hours I guess.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
- I play most genres. Types of games I rarely play are sports games, racing games, fighting games and 2D games.

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
- When I was 13 mostly and finally got a decent PC, and a lot of friends played games. Before that I had played some video games, but not really as a big hobby.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
- They don't care much one way or the other, and don't question what I do with my time. My mother likes to play some simple puzzle games once in a while.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
- Reading, watching movies/series, drawing.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
- I get really involved in good storytelling, especially if the game paces itself well. I don't really get emotionally involved in multiplayer games.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
- Good ones.

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
- Yes I do, some 8 hours a week at the moment. Mustn't let it get in the way of my studies.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
- Maybe once or twice, but there were always other factors involved.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
- No, never.

16. Why do you play videogames?
- It passes the time, I enjoy a good story or player interaction, I enjoy challenging myself sometimes and it's a bit of escapism. All those.

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
- Yes, in a positive way. Just like sports, violent games can be a good outlet for aggression and pent up energy.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
- Difficult to say. Very difficult indeed. I wouldn't know.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
- No.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
- Some figurines, various small merchandise from collector's editions (New Vegas playing cards, Mass Effect 3 N7 patch, The Force Unleashed flash drive, some art books), game guides (quite a few of those), soundtracks, a poster or two, a bunch of papercraft, and half a dozen t-shirts.

 

[KefkaCultist]

-snip-

Age: 21
Gender: male

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yes

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
I usually tend to binge on one game a week, but sometimes two or three.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Myself lately. I used to play WoW with group of friends though.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
Most of them do.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
Not so much any more. I played probably around 6-8 hours a day when I played WoW though.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
Well, I watch Game Grumps videos, so that's about 30 minutes a day at least and I read articles on my favorite website (Escapist), so probably like 4 or 5 hours a week.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
RPGs, shooters, action/adventure

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
When I was really young. Probably like age 4 or 5. Because my brother had a SNES and I would play Super Mario World 3 a lot.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
They're indifferent. They allowed me to get M rated games when I was young since they knew I was mature enough to handle them, but they never expressed interest in them themselves.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Hang out with friends, read, go on Escapist, or watch videos/tv

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Usually not very, but it depends on the game. Mass Effect was one of the few.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
Relatively average. Cs and Bs for the most part.

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
I have two. I get about 18 a week at one and about 35 a week at the other.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
Yes, very yes.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
No I've never been that addicted.

16. Why do you play videogames?
Because I'm good at them. There's very few things I can say that about lol.

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
My belief is that it's not the violent videogame itself, but the person playing it.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When I played WoW about as much a full time job. lol

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
No. I've definitely been playing games a lot less than I used to, but I'll never stop altogether.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
*deep breath* Diablo skull with crystal flash drive, Batman Baterang, N7 hoodie, Gears of War Cog tags, Legend of Zelda poster (framed), Fallout New Vegas Caravan deck, Fallout New Vegas poker chips, God of War III hard cover strategy guide, God of War III art book, God of War III Pandora's Box, Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty strategy guide, Persona 4 strategy guide, Assassin's Creed limited edition art book, Diablo III art book, map of Skyrim (framed), Nintendo Power Super Mario Adventures limited edition comic book, Pokemon figures (Charmander, Pikachu, Squirtle, Reshiram, and Victini), custom made Batman and Joker styled rubber ducks (I was bored at work and rubber ducks were the craft), poster of Kratos ripping of the head of Helios (framed), WoW horde hoodie, plush Okami pup, and Batman symbol headphones. I think that's it.

 

[jdogtwodolla]

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
Yes

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
5 hours

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Myself

4. How many of your friends play videogames?
5

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
no

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
24 (at the least)

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
open

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
4, I enjoyed them

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
They were fine if my grades were good

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
Think

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
Decent

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
A,B,C's

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
No

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
Indirectly

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
No

16. Why do you play videogames?
For enjoyment

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
For Aggression, yes. For Violence, maybe.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
When your life revolves around them and they are directly getting in the way of your productivity to a harmful degree.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
Not really

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
I own a hang-able stuffed Mushroom and Star.

 

[ChemicalAlia]

I'm 30, female.

1. I guess.

2. 4-8 hours

3. With friends

4. Almost all of them

5. Yes, about half of my game time is online multiplayer these days

6. Around 5 hours

7. FPS, classic games, adventure games

8. My uncle bought a NES for my cousins when I was 8 or 9. He convinced me to give Super Mario Bros. a try, and after protesting that it was "for boys", I tried the game and pretty much instantly loved video games from that point.

9. They didn't like them when I was growing up, allowed me and my sister a few hours a week to play, and a new game maybe on birthdays and Christmas. They didn't forbid us from playing any games due to violence, and had no problem with me playing Wolfenstein at 11 or 12 years old.

10. Lately I've been working on a lot of modeling for Dota 2 and TF2 workshops, as it allows me to work on a variety of styles and is a great income source. I also draw, go on photography adventures and play classical piano.

11. A lot usually, it's a blast.

12. Not applicable.

13. Yes, 40-50 hours/week.

14. No.

15. No.

16. Enjoyment, fun with friends, relevant to my job as a game developer.

17. Not really, though I'm sure violent people play games.

18. When they begin to negatively affect other aspects of your life, such as work/school performance or your sociability.

19. I sometimes go for months at a time without playing games due to my work schedule and important side projects, but I can't see myself ever losing interest in playing them altogether, free time aside.

20. I work at a game studio, so I have shirts, sweaters, posters, toys, books, and collectibles piled onto me at an incredible rate.

 

[Griffolion]

-snip-

Dude, [a href="http://www.limesurvey.org/"]Lime Survey[/a] is your friend. Or Survey Monkey. They help quantify and collate your results more effectively. Just a suggestion.

Spoiler: I'll put it in a spoiler, so as to not take up a lot of space

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?

Not actively. If I were to think about it I'd say that I was, but I never think of myself that way outside of being prompted to, like the question did.

2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?

Depends on how I'm feeling. Class me as 0 - 10.

3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?

Define this further, please. I technically play by myself, as I am on my own in my room while playing. However most of the time I am joining with my friends across the country via Skype, and we are in one game session. Please take from this what you need to.

4. How many of your friends play videogames?

The majority of them, to some degree.

5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?

Again, define this further. Are you meaning multi-player play, or being online while playing anything at all? The majority of my time is multi-player in such games as Battlefield and Blacklight Retribution. However, whenever a good single player game comes out, my time spent playing games will almost exclusively be "offline" vis-a-vis single player. I've racked 100+ hours for Skyrim, 50 hours for Deus Ex: Human Revolution etc.

My "staples" (what I define as games played by me on a consistent basis) are multi-player.

6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?

Quite a few, a enjoy a lot of the gaming YouTube channels, and I obviously am a patron here at the Escapist (the only gaming website I really go to). Let's say 5-10.

7. What kinds of videogames do you play?

Mostly modern/near future military first person shooters (but don't tell that to anyone here that, they tend to be really judgemental about games that aren't the pinnacle of artiness).

I've also gotten into turn bases strategy (Civ 5), open world fantasy games (Skyrim), first person hack'n'slash (Chivalry), third person shooter/rpg (Mass Effect).

8. When did you start playing videogames and why?

When I was young. I found them to be better company than the kids outside who would usually call me names. My disdain for humanity has stayed ever since.

9. How do your parents feel about videogames?

My dad isn't really in the picture, so I'm not counting him. My mum has generally been accepting, though she does see it as a waste of time compared to doing outdoor stuff. But she understands where I come from regarding games (see number 8) and so tolerates it.

10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?

I usually read, catch up on a TV show I've recorded, or go out for a walk/to a coffee shop to read.

11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)

Again this is hard to pin down. A close match of Battlefield can get the heart racing, and I can get very invested in winning.

On another side of the die, a single player game like Mass Effect had me upset at the death of some of the characters because I had become invested in them.

As far as the story based games go (Mass Effect etc) I do try and get myself as invested as possible because I've payed however much for an experience and I want to do my best to get into it. If a game has failed to do that, then it truly is a waste of time, even by my standard.

12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)

I'm UK.

Highschool: 3 A's, 7 B's, 2 C's

College (16 - 18 years old): C's across the board for four A levels (Biology, Psychology, English, General Studies). Would have gotten better if it weren't for that darned chicken pox right in exam season.

University: Upper Second Class degree in Neuropsychology with Honours (1st class dissertation).

13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?

I do, it's part time, as I'm currently studying a second degree (I'm cool like that). I work between 15 and 20 hours per week.

14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?

Yes.

15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?

No, never.

16. Why do you play videogames?

For entertainment.

17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?

Ah, now I'm seeing the point of this survey.

My studies led me to the conclusion that such things can do that to people pre-disposed to being affected by the depiction of violence in media. Meaning games are no more liable to do so in this individuals as, say, films, television, and books are.

If you're going to talk about !insane (not-insane) Joe Average, no, it's highly unlikely to evoke lasting feelings of aggression or violence in them. I'm just going by the numbers.

18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?

There's a great Extra Credits video about getting the semantics of this right. There's no such thing as video game addiction, but there is such thing as video game compulsion. You see that in people who can't keep away from WoW for too long, etc.

As for "when", I'm not sure what this means at all. Are you on about how much time has to be played per week to be classed as obsession? Or about the mental state of the person in question to be classed as obsessed?

It's a mix of personal circumstances (those who become compelled by video games are often in very unhappy emotional/life circumstances), neuropsychological pre-disposition, the mechanics of the game that promote repetitive behaviour, and time.

19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?

I certainly see me dialing it back when/if in the future I become a father or take on some other major form of responsibility.

But it will never go away.

20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)

A Dishonoured t shirt I got for free from Eurogamer.

A Battlefield 3 poster & lanyard I got for free from Eurogamer.

A 20cm statue of Ezio Auditore I got in the "White Edition" of Assassins Creed 2.

A small figuring of Chris Redfield I got with the special edition of Resident Evil 5.

Just out of interest, are you going to be qualitatively examining all of these answers? If so, what key phrases are you looking for in your analysis, etc?

 

[magicman326]

Gender: Male
Age: 21
1. Yes
2. Varies due to college, but generally around 30 hours a week
3. By myself
4. All of them. All 2 of them
5. Do you mean online multiplayer? If so, No.
6. 2 hours, maybe?
7. Preferably something with a good story. Generally RPGs
8. age 6. No real reason
9. They play games on occasion, but not often.
10. Read, watch movies, write book
11. depends on how good the story is, but usually very well involved
12. mostly B?s
13. currently unemployed, full time student
14. No
15. Never
16. For the stories, to kill time, to relieve stress
17. aggression yes (just like sports) violence no.
18. When you neglect your life for them (i.e. neglecting to feed your infant so you can play more WoW)
19. yes, when I?m dead.
20. T-shirts mostly, some books

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

34 M

1. Do you consider yourself a member of the gamer subculture?
No
2. How many hours of videogames do you play a week?
0-20
3. Do you tend to play videogames by yourself or with friends?
Self
4. How many of your friends play videogames?
1
5. Do you play online? How many hours online do you play?
No
6. How many hours a week do you spending watching videos/reading about videogames?
0-4
7. What kinds of videogames do you play?
TBS, RTS, FPS, RPG
8. When did you start playing videogames and why?
1991 other kids at school had computers, looked fun
9. How do your parents feel about videogames?
no idea
10. If you have free time and aren't playing videogames what else do you do?
read, visit friends, take drugs, cycling, DJ, make music, paint minis
11. How emotionally involved do you while playing videogames?(online play, amazing story, etc.)
not at all.
12. What grades do you get in school/college? (If Applicable)
I go the equivalent of As and Bs
13. Do you have a job? How many hours a week do you work?
not currently
14. Has playing videogames ever negatively affected school/work performance?
no
15. Have you ever skipped work/school to play videogames? How often?
no
16. Why do you play videogames?
convenient distraction while at home
17. Do you think violent videogames affects aggression and violence in its players?
aggression, maybe, violence no
18. When do videogames go from being a passionate hobby to an unhealthy obsession?
no idea
19. Do you ever see yourself not playing videogames?
yes
20. What other gaming merchandise do you own? (t-shirts, figurines, posters, etc.)
nothing