If you play Call of Duty you're not a real gamer

cryogeist

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Wait, people still say this crap?
Never understood why we can't just let people do what they want with this hobby
 

NuclearKangaroo

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no, they are clearly not gamers because stop liking stuff that i dont like



i dont get the sort of elitism the gaming community has (mind you other media have the same problems like movie snobs but gaming seems to have it worse), what are these people trying to prove? i have more fun with video games therefore you cant have fun with video games?


sure there ARE casual and hardcore gamers, but all gamers in the end
 

sakesend

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Reading through some of the responses to this thread, I can't help but wonder if people's opinions would be different if the name of this thread had been different and instead of Call of Duty it had been Zelda, Elder Scrolls, Street Fighter or something.

On topic, however, OP's quote doesn't seem to suggest any exclusivity to Call of Duty, and I think by and large we can all agree the idea that someone stops becoming a gamer the moment the start playing Call of Duty is utterly ridiculous.
 

Goliath100

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No, because a "real gamer" can't exist, because it implies that there is a thing as "fake gamer". This is "casual vs hardcore". The generally accepted (among hardcores) definition of "hardcore gamer" is "someone who explore the gaming medium". The punch line here is that someone got the line wrong, it's: "People who only plays Call of Duty is not hardcore gamers."
 

BlindMaphisto

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Abandon these bullshit labels as a way to define yourselves and you won't be so worried about the stupid shit other people say. At least that's been my experience.
 

Zac Jovanovic

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I think what you meant in the title was people who only play Call of Duty.

I can kind of see where this is coming from. The term gamer used to be associated with nerd culture and COD is the go-to sports jock/frat boy game.
With the two cultures being at odds for so long the nerd gamer who owns every console and handheld come out in the past couple decades and plays games as a passionate every day hobby feels his territory is violated by the ex "cool guys" who sit down over an Xbox with a six pack of beer and play the only game they've ever tried because it's somehow cool while the other games are for losers.
 

CannibalCorpses

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Can't say i have ever had this thrown at me but i play far too many games for anyone who knows me to think the mud will stick.

I think this is a tough one and boils down to many things. People want to shame CoD players into getting into other games so they can enjoy other games with the massive player totals that CoD gets and they resent that their favourite game doesn't always have enough players to get a game. They also resent that a game that only changes a little can still sell so many copies while 'better' games struggle to sell more than a million copies. They slag off the term 'gamer' because it instantly upsets 'gamers' and provokes a reaction but since there isn't really any sensible definition of 'gamer' without extra wording it's irrelevant...much like the argument that you're not a gamer if you play CoD.

I suppose if someone said to me that i wasn't a hardcore gamer because i play CoD then i might feel a little miffed but honestly i would just laugh because it would be ridiculous...i have the high scores to prove it ;)
 

Eclectic Dreck

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People who play Call of Duty my not self-identify as a gamer - there is nothing bizarre about this. People often don't identify with such groups.

This does, however, cause some problems given this is largely a result of failure of langauge. Beyond the obvious fact that membership in the gamer group only requires playing games there is a less obvious and entirely arbitrary hierarchy that recalls the "No true Scotsman" argument. Since there is no coherent definition of how much one must game and what kinds of games they must play to qualify as a gamer it seems that self-identification is probably the more important part. In short, if you think you are a gamer, then you are a gamer. No other person actually has authority on the subject given there is no formal definition or requirement for membership in the group. It's like being a geek or a fan of a band or what have you.
 

MeTalHeD

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If we're talking the dictionary meaning (no connotation) then a gamer is someone who plays games (PC or console). Therefore CoD players are gamers.

If you're talking connotative, this is where things get sticky. Using driving as an example isn't fair because, to be honest, driving is a necessary skill (most of the time) unless you drive mostly for the pleasure of it. If you can afford to do so and you don't absolutely need it, it means you're doing so as a hobby. How far into the hobby you go will determine the extent of your commitment to it. Calling someone a racer for driving around town would be inaccurate. They need to compete with other drivers, legally or illegally if they're into that sort of thing.

Hardcore gamers believe they're more racers than simply drivers. In other words, they would scoff at someone claiming to be a racer for drag racing their mom's Uno from one traffic light to the next. The professionals would believe their track racing or modded vehicle (in gaming terms, a wider collection of games, plenty of practise and great knowledge on the subject) trumps the Uno driver's small traffic light to traffic light drag. Technically speaking, of course, someone taking part in a race is a racer, but there is a distinction between the two.

The problem - if we're arguing about word definitions here - is that we have limited words for describing different degrees of gamers. Casual gaming is supposed to mean you love mobile gaming (and usually includes online games, such as those on Facebook and games like Zuma Deluxe or Candy Crush among others), but what happens if, say, you played chess online or on your phone? That's incredibly competitive and it would clearly place you in a different category to the "casual" chess player. And by the way, chess is just as bad. Knowing the moves and playing on the odd occasion doesn't guarantee you will be seen as a "true" chess player no matter how much you argue that you are (and no matter how many times you point to the dictionary meaning). I had a friend who competed, won national titles and even though I knew how to play, he never would have considered me a "true" chess player.

This is why it gets sticky. All we really have is hardcore and casual gamers under the banner of "gaming" or "gamers". In other words, you have gamers but people like to believe they are either hardcore or casual. Hardcore and casual, though, are two ends of the same spectrum. In between there are quite a few people who have an interest in playing games, but not necessarily any interest in spending their time building gaming libraries or learning about more than a few games. They're the Uno drivers who bought the car from mom, slapped on a turbo and often challenge their friends for a few bucks. Sure, technically they're racing and I know a racetrack nearby which encourages street racers to take part in Street2Strip events and keep their speeding on the track so they don't kill anyone on the road. They're not professionals (hardcore) and they're not just driving for pleasure (casual) but I believe they would like to consider themselves racers (or at the very least, drag racers).

Should drag racers be considered proper racers if they take to the strip? Do the racers who have sunk hours into track time have a point when they say the Street2Strip guys are not "true" racers? Therefore, should gamers who only play Call of Duty be considered different from more "hardcore" gamers who have sunk more (overall) time into the hobby and expanded their libraries and knowledge in the process?
 

Yopaz

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Jun 3, 2009
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MeChaNiZ3D said:
WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU SEE THIS EVER.
A couple of the posts so far in this thread have actually expressed agreement to the stance, so if you can't find it you really aren't looking. At all.

OT: Meh. People feel pride in the fact that they play games, they want to isolate themselves from the others by gaining a title. That title is gamer and some regard themselves as hardcore gamers thinking that makes them even more worthy of worship from peasants who play Fruit Ninja while waiting for the bus. You'll see it with everything.

Movie crowd, music crowd, comic book crowd it's not just the gaming community. We want to be taken seriously so we want to make sure that we are the masters of our own domains. Then again, we shouldn't really let this upset us for the same reason. Ignore them, move on. Opinions exist, there's no constant definition of the word gamer and we can find some definitions where the majority of us can be excluded from the term, we can find a definition that includes pretty much everyone.
 

Erttheking

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People who play call of duty are gamers. Are they hardcore gamers? Not if that's the only thing they play, but they are still gamers. I really don't see what the big deal about being thrown under the same umbrella as COD players. They are gamers. Causal gamers, but gamers.
 

Mad World

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Unfortunately, enjoying Call of Duty is akin to listening to Justin Bieber; it's seen as too mainstream.

I personally don't care much for the game, but I have no issue with people who do. Each to their own, no?

Personally, I will admit, though, that I could never see how someone could prefer it over Battlefield. But, again, it's all about personal preference.
 

NSGrendel

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Does running to the fridge during a commercial break make you a 'runner'?

If so, then only playing one specific game makes you a 'gamer'.

It all depends on what connotation you have. Different people have different connotations, so will argue on meaning. There's no official standard, so it's not like either side can be 'right'.

Stupid argument is stupid.
 

MeChaNiZ3D

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Yopaz said:
MeChaNiZ3D said:
WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU SEE THIS EVER.
A couple of the posts so far in this thread have actually expressed agreement to the stance, so if you can't find it you really aren't looking. At all.
That's true. I may have exaggerated a little, or a lot. Still a rare opinion though.
 

Tsukuyomi

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The answer to if the idea that only playing CoD and Fifa/Madden makes you a gamer, to me, will only be proven if and/or when those things or gaming in general falls out of being the "it" thing like it is now. I've had discussions on this subject before with my friends since we actually know a guy who claims to be a huge gamer but plays only CoD and Madden and nothing else despite our best efforts to help him expand his horizons.

Eventually we left him alone, accepting that if he wanted to play those games and just those, that's his choice and we shouldn't be forcing him into anything different if he doesn't want to. Morpheus kinda put it best: "I can only show you the door. You have to be the one to walk through it."

Anyway...Is it true? I'm not sure but like I said, I think you'll find the answer only when gaming has stopped being the cool thing to do. Mostly because I feel like being a gamer is about passion, and a large part of having a passion for something is doing it no matter if it's cool or not. Doing it because YOU enjoy it and damn everyone else and what they think because you just get that much enjoyment out of some aspect of the thing. If Military Shooters as a genre suddenly up and disappeared and EA finally got tired of making Madden games and all the people who played those two titles exclusively suddenly stopped playing and traded in their consoles or suddenly they never go achievements aired on facebook or anything, I think you'd have a pretty strong answer there. Not that this will ever happen, but I think everyone here can agree that if his or her favorite major franchise ended/shut down/changed irrevocably, we'd simply move on and find something new to love.

Ultimately though, I don't think it matters much. The people who fall into that category may be annoying sometimes, but they're here and eventually many will find there's more to games than just those titles, which is great. If they don't? Well...their money keeps new consoles being built and the publishers and studios in business. The latter two of which can use that stable base to make the occasional daring leap and develop something that isn't a military shooter or sports game that the rest of us can enjoy. It may not happen often, but at least it happens, so I suppose if we can think of nothing else for these types of people, we can at least be thankful they exist in that regard.

I mean let's be honest here: if EA wasn't making grand-canyon-sized amounts of cash from the Madden and Fifa stuff, would they really have agreed to stick their name behind a fresh new IP like Mass Effect? Yes, yes, I know, ending, but still. I'd be willing to bet that extra, steady cash-flow that the "gamers-but-not-gamers" provide made EA comfortable enough to fund what they were probably sure was just a garbage little Xbox 360 Launch Title that wouldn't go much of anywhere and look what we got out of it.
 

Yopaz

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Jun 3, 2009
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MeChaNiZ3D said:
Yopaz said:
MeChaNiZ3D said:
WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU SEE THIS EVER.
A couple of the posts so far in this thread have actually expressed agreement to the stance, so if you can't find it you really aren't looking. At all.
That's true. I may have exaggerated a little, or a lot. Still a rare opinion though.
That said, I agree with you that it's not worth discussing. There are plenty of stupid opinions, we don't need to discuss them all.
 

VanQ

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Oct 23, 2009
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Dead Century said:
Well, one of the producers at Infinity Ward, Mark Rubin. Has this stated before.

"We have an enormous amount of players who are more in the casual game space, but they play a lot."

"It's kind of a weird, ironic thing to say."

"They aren't hardcore gamers, or even gamers, but they play Call of Duty every night."

"And those guys are going to continue to play regardless of platform. So I think not only will we continue to engage with that existing player base, but we?ll take next gen and see how far we can go with it."
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128868-Infinity-Ward-Says-Call-of-Duty-Players-Arent-Hardcore-Gamers

I can agree this assessment of the playerbase. I know people who are like this. And I don't think any less of them.
You could take those statement and change the words "Call of Duty" with "World of WarCraft" and it would describe the playing habits of about 50% of my entire WoW guild. And we're in the top 10 guilds for heroic raiding on one of the most competetive servers in the game. I wouldn't call a single one of us casual and we only put 9 hours a week into our raiding.
 

OldNewNewOld

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Gaming or being a gamer is a hobby.
If someone plays a single game over and over and over again, he is not a gamer. Gaming is not his hobby. He's just a fan of that game.

If someone were to only watch Die Hard over and over again, would you call him a movie buff? If someone were to read Twilight over and over again and nothing else, would you consider that someone a bookworm? If someone were to listen to only Justin Bieber, would you consider that someone a audiophil? If someone had only one post stamp, would he be a stamp collector? Would you consider yourself a gourmand if you only eat hamburgers and nothing else?
If someone plays only one game, is he a gamer?