Question of the Day, May 19, 2010

[JLML]

If pirates: NO! they're parasites/pests/cockroaches.. call it whatever you want.

If demo players: No. They aren't "real" gamers since they don't play the actual game.. maybe we'll just call them "demo-players". That's still kind of a gamer, but not a "real" gamer. =P

If people playing free games, like portal (GIVE ME THREE CHEERS FOR VALVE!! HIP HIP, HURRAY! HIP HIP, HURRAY! HIP HIP, HURRAY!!! NOW LET'S GIVE THEM SOME... CAKE!!! ) and stuff like free MMOs: Yes. They're "real" gamers, simply because they play "real" games.

 

[300lb. Samoan]

F2P MMOs are games, Which I assume the poll is talking about.
as opposed to pirates, which I feel this thread is aimed at.

All pirates will have bought one game at one time or another.
And even if they haven't, they may be scum, but they are still gamers.

Well put. I know a guy who I play games with all the time, who pirates every game he plays (except the games I play with him, TF2 and Diablo 2, because you need to pay to have online access.) I also know lots of people who never paid to play Doom, only playing the shareware copies that we'd loan to each other. That shareware episode was so great I think it got everyone I knew hooked on gaming.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

I think being a 'real' gamer is a nonsensical idea to begin with, especially now that gaming has become a more or less mainstream form of entertainment. Whether you play free games or paid games doesn't mean a thing. What makes a person a 'gamer' is, to me at least, simply the fact that they regard videogames as their hobby. Whether that's competitive gaming, casual gaming, or any other kind of gaming you might think of.

Building imaginary walls between 'real gamers' and 'other people who play games but aren't gamers' is narrow-minded, counter-productive, and just a jerk move that promotes a sense of elitism and us-vs-them.

 

[wildpeaks]

Free as in only playing abandonware, demos and free games ? Sure you can be a "real" gamer.

Free as in pirating every game you play ? No, you're not.

 

[Parivir]

I say you have to have finished a game to be a gamer. You can't call yourself a runner if you've never finished a race, you can't call your self a reader unless you've finished a book/ article and you can't call you self a gamer unless you've finished a game. Price dosn't come into it.

 

[Beardon65]

Yarg! But yee be a pirate gamer! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[b34r]

I'm somewhat biased, working for a games studio and all, but my general belief is that if you're not contributing to the community, you don't get the title.

Free-to-play games make their money off advertisements - so you're covered there.
Pirates just don't make the list for me.

 

[Russ Pitts]

I don't frequently spout my beliefs in this forum, but this one is pretty important to me, so, please forgive the unseemliness.

In short, I think that if you're not paying for the games that you play, you should be punched in the face.

Thank you for your time.

 

[joshthor]

free games - yes, flash games - yes, facebook games - ugh....yes, playing games at a freinds on a regular basis - yes, however, if you pirate you arent a gamer. you are a douche.

 

[Flying Dagger]

I don't frequently spout my beliefs in this forum, but this one is pretty important to me, so, please forgive the unseemliness.

In short, I think that if you're not paying for the games that you play, you should be punched in the face.

Thank you for your time.

Controversial opinion there russ, but what if the game is free, either one that runs off advertising revenue, or sells items in game?
Or if you get bought games. Should I have been punched in the face for playing a copy of counterstrike my mate gave me for my 13th birthday, that I played every day til I was about 15?

 

[JEBWrench]

Um, why wouldn't they be?

What's with all the tr00 kvlt "real gamer" business lately? Aren't we fringe enough without further dividing ourselves? If you don't think games rot the brain and turn kids into spree killers, you're a real enough gamer for me.

Because cretins some "gamers" think that their hobby is somehow being ruined by gradual mainstream acceptance.

 

[addeB]

1 third of the people who play games maybe? And almost every one plays games from time to time these days and I wouldn't call half of those who play games gamers.

 

[Twilight_guy]

You're a gamer, sure, but you're also either a browser gamer or a pirate as well.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Errrrrr........... "real" gamers buy mindlessly, the casual core knows nothing of qaulity they are fodder and the supposed hardcore gamers get it on with brand fetishism they are almost as bad as the fanboys of old......


rant aside a real video gamer plays mainstream console/PC centric games in some steady amount.

A gamer plays anything.....and perhaps that is what video gaming has become.....anything....

Um, why wouldn't they be?

What's with all the tr00 kvlt "real gamer" business lately? Aren't we fringe enough without further dividing ourselves? If you don't think games rot the brain and turn kids into spree killers, you're a real enough gamer for me.

Because cretins some "gamers" think that their hobby is somehow being ruined by gradual mainstream acceptance.

It is and has been and you can not deny it.

 

[Twad]

Add option 4 ; Who cares? You play, you have fun. THats what matters.

 

[the_tramp]

(I know this is from Wikipedia and it should not be referenced but it says it better than I can)

"Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing games and wargames. More recently, however, the term has grown to include players of video games, eventually becoming more associated with this group than the original, at least in mainstream culture . While the term nominally includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves to be gamers (i.e., casual gamers)"

Ergo a gamer is a person that plays games so yes, even if you play free online games or whatever that still makes you a gamer. I think the real issue here is the stigmatism that comes from being called a gamer brought on by cheesy 80s films where geek and gamer went hand in hand. Do not be embarrassed to call yourself a gamer and eventually more people will be courageous enough to proudly say it, eventually elevating the stereotype.

 

[Russ Pitts]

I don't frequently spout my beliefs in this forum, but this one is pretty important to me, so, please forgive the unseemliness.

In short, I think that if you're not paying for the games that you play, you should be punched in the face.

Thank you for your time.

Controversial opinion there russ, but what if the game is free, either one that runs off advertising revenue, or sells items in game?
Or if you get bought games. Should I have been punched in the face for playing a copy of counterstrike my mate gave me for my 13th birthday, that I played every day til I was about 15?

Pedantry will also earn you a PITF, FYI.

Obviously, if the game is offered for free by the manufacturer, then there's no payment expected. Similarly, if someone purchases it for you, or gives it to you outright, then, likewise, either the payment was never expected, or has been dealt with for you.

What I'm talking about (and kill me now if I really have to explain this to anyone) is piracy.

-R

 

[Kajt]

If you count gaming as one of your hobbies, no matter if you pay for your games or not, you are a gamer.

 

[TriggerHappyAngel]

Free to play games: yes, why not?
Pirated games: no, please !@#$ off and buy the damn games already!

 

[ReverseEngineered]

This seems like a strange question for The Escapist, who usually decries the "gamer" label. Do you have to spend a certain amount of time playing games to be a "gamer"? Do you have to play certain genres or the latest titles? Is there some distinction between "casual" and "hardcore", and if so, where is it? We can categorize ourselves all we want, but what's the point?

If you play games and enjoy them, feel free to call yourself a gamer. If you normally play demos or freeware, that doesn't make you any less of a gamer, it just means you are frugal (or poor).

Besides that, I'd like to know who these people are who have never paid for a game. We've all stuck a quarter into an arcade machine at some point in our lives.

You don't have to buy thousands of dollars of instruments to be a musician, nor do you have to spend years in an art school to be an artist. Gamers are no different: you are a gamer because you play games, not because you've reached some arbitrary level of dedication. Stop trying to find a way of separating yourself from everybody else who plays games.