Requirements for a gamer

[Cavehybrid]

a certain amount of time playing games,
everyone needs to actually know they can play some basic games

a love of playing said games,
you have to enjoy what you do to announce yourself as one,(you can be one but not announce it if not like)

a small knowledge of game history,
We as gamers have a RICH history and mythos, so being part of that is important,

a desire to call yourself a gamer,
many religions require you to announce your faith so being a gamer could be the same

anyone agree or have other ideas?

 

[nifedj]

As people have said, being a gamer is just playing games. I understand what the OP is getting at, though. It's a fun topic provided you don't take it too seriously or act like you're setting out requirements to be in a cool club.

With that in mind, I would say;

-Played a Zelda game, Mario game and Pokemon game.
-Knows that giant eyeball on boss = weak point.
-Knows what "that plot twist" in Bioshock is.

 

[badgersprite]

Requirements:
-Minimum of eight years experience in gaming.
-Master's in Gaming Enjoyment Studies strongly preferred.
-Three references from certified Gamers
-Critical thinking skills. Must be able to overcome obstacles and think dynamically.
-Ability to work with a team of dense AI

I agree with this comment, but a true gamer should also be able to frag at at least 65 Noobs Per Minute, minimum. They should also possess the ability to escort dense AI with no health and a deathwish through even the bloodiest warzones, and should be fluent in how to read and calculate stats.

 

[Smertnik]

You have to be the kind of person that thinks his/her preferred entertainment medium is their defining characteristic.

This definition sounds about right to me.

 

[UlytimateDestruction]

Do you play videogames?
Yes

Do you enjoy playing videogames?
Yes

This is how you can tell your a gamer, you don't need to do certain goals. you just need to have an enjoyment for playing videogames. If you are a true gamer, you appreicate the art of videogames.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Do you pursue gaming to at least a hobby-ish level?

Winner! You are a gamer.

 

[Mr. In-between]

I hate the media. I'd just like to go on record to say how much I hate 24 hour news programs and VH1 BS pop culture roundups because they created this stereotype of the basement-dwelling "gamer" that is so widely recognized in our day. I partially blame xbox live for this because it gave the wrong type of players the ability to connect and organize with one another.

Bottom line: you do not have to shop at thinkgeek, drink energy drinks, or listen to shitty white rappers in order to be a "gamer".

 

[snow]

I've made a 12 step program for anyone who's wishing to become a full fledged gamer, and I have been able to compact all 12 steps into 1 for your benefit!!

Step 1: Play games.

That will be $49.95...

 

[kickyourass]

They are fans of video games. If you think they need something else, then you are simply wrong.

 

[Vonnis]

Trying to turn a hobby into a lifestyle/subculture are we? That's not cool. People who play games regularly are gamers, there are no "requirements" besides that. If you feel the need to belong to some kind of group, join a church.

 

[JasonKaotic]

Do you play games?

Yes?

Do you enjoy them enough to get excited about them?

Yes?

Then you're a gamer.

Pretty much this.
It's annoying when someone plays one round of a game then declares themself a gamer.

 

[AbstractStream]

casual gamer- plays games for fun (plays sometimes)
gamer- plays games for fun (plays most days)
hardcore gamers- plays games for the challenge and to win (plays almost everyday)

It doesn't matter what game you play, its why you play and for how long you play.

I think I agree with this the most.
I'm in between gamer and hardcore gamer haha.

 

[DustyDrB]

Requirements:
-Minimum of eight years experience in gaming.
-Master's in Gaming Enjoyment Studies strongly preferred.
-Three references from certified Gamers
-Critical thinking skills. Must be able to overcome obstacles and think dynamically.
-Ability to work with a team of dense AI

I agree with this comment, but a true gamer should also be able to frag at at least 65 Noobs Per Minute, minimum. They should also possess the ability to escort dense AI with no health and a deathwish through even the bloodiest warzones, and should be fluent in how to read and calculate stats.

Ooh, I like those revisions.
Now I'm going to have to start the interview process over again...

 

[iDoom46]

To be someone who plays games and gets enjoyment out of playing said games.
That fits pretty well, and oh, what do you know, that pretty much applies to every human being on the planet. I guess that means that everybody is a gamer.
Good, because, as Moviebob, Yahtzee, and the people from Extra Credits have all said, the word "gamer" needs to die.

It's a non-serious question ffs

You must shatter at least one controller

Does it count if you break a leg or something? Since, you know... "Kinect, for Xbox 360! You are the controller!"

 

[deathstrikesquirrel]

(This is all in jest)
All day (16-24 hours) gaming session
Had at least one semester of schooling ruined by gaming
Have at least one game that you will defend to the death
Raged on at least one forum
Dropped an embarrassing amount money at an arcade when caught up in a game
Ended a friendship over something game related

1. Done that, on the free day we had to study for exams
2. I failed my math class in seventh grade because I wanted to play Final Fantasy X and didn't do my homework, does that count?
3. Megaman Legends! -breaks beer bottle-
4. Does getting annoyed with the complaints on the bioware forums count?
5. I paid 7.99 for perfect dark zero, I would call that an embarrassing amount of money
6. Not really ended, but an old friend erased my FFX save (60+ hours!) while he was trying the game out, and somehow his adventure of goku game got saved over while the cartridge was in my possession -whistles innocently-

 

[Suicidal_Ferret]

If you have to ask for what makes and doesn't make someone a gamer, you're not a gamer.

 

[Beautiful End]

Simple. Play a video game and like it.

I personally hate it when people starts saying stuff like:

-You need to have an INCREDIBLY awesome and customized system.
-You need to be able to play FPS games and not suck at them.
-You can't be a noob. (?)
-You gotta be good at every genre.
-You gotta know the story/plot by heart.
-You must have played the most famous titles out there at least once.
-You gotta have ALL the achievements/trophies.
-You gotta have a collection of at least 50 games.
-You gotta own every single gaming system that ever existed.
-You gotta know everything there is to know about games.

I mean, I consider myself a gamer. I play when I have time, I have games that I haven't even started playing or finished (I haven't finished GTA4 or MGS4), I am in the process of playing my first Zelda game; Ocarina of Time for the 64 (As in, not as an emulator), I love FF games but I don't obsess with reaching lv. 100 (Not anymore, at least), my main systems include a PS3, a Game Boy Micro and my 64, I'm not planning on buying a Xbox just so I can say I've played Gears of War of L4D or Halo, I'm okay with most games. Not awesome, just okay.

And still, no one can tell me I'm not a true video game fan or a "gamer". If someone asks you, are you a fan of ice cream? You might say "Yeah, I eat it from time to time. It's awesome, actually". What if someone tells you it's a lie because you don't eat it everyday or you don't like Pistachio flavored ice cream? You would be pissed! What do they know about what YOU like? So it's the same. I'm a gamer. I don't care about Trophies or what the kool kids are playing. I play what I want, when I want, if I want. No one can tell me it's not true.

See, it's all a matter of opinion, I guess. But sadly, the word "gamer" has been pinned as "Proud geek who has played almost every game out there and can kick everyone's ass". While that's fine and dandy (In a way), that's not the true definition. Gamer just means someone who plays video games and likes doing that. Yeah, I guess 5 year old kids are also gamers in a way. So what if they fling the Wii mote all over the place while laughing and screaming? Are they not having fun? Are they not playing, more or less? Who are you to tell them they're not having fun correctly? Heck, even people who play FB games could be gamers. Sure, they're lame games and you get no Achievements or anything but it's still a game. Or has anyone forgotten about PC gamers? The precursors of everything? What's so different about FB gamers or PC gamers?

So those are my two cents about the ridiculousness of the assumed meaning of the word Gamer and what a true gamer is.

 

[Suicidal_Ferret]

The casual gamer is a by-product of a successful gaming industry. I don't really like "casual gamer" (as defined by the general accepted parameters of low play, low interest), one has to admit that they are beneficial to a degree.

More attention to games means more interest means more money means more games.

It's up to the more "hardcore" gamers to help define where it the industry goes.

In other words, vote with your wallet. Broaden your horizons.

 

[Beautiful End]

the most important requirement of all is that you give a shit where gaming is going, and have your purchases reflect that.

In other words... don't buy games based off hype, don't buy games only for the multi-player, make your voice heard when you find a game that sucks ass, and make your voice heard when you find a game that is actually good. By that, I do not mean a game that you just found fun, a game that really hits home in every category. Plus, you have to have been playing since 1995... PS1/SNES era experience is required.

Then again, not everyone is really smart enough/qualified to do all of that. There are plenty of people out there that think Dragon Age 2 is a good game...

I guess what I'm saying is that not everybody can be a gamer. Despite what you may think, we are an elitist crowd, we don't welcome everyone, and you have to be a certain kind of person to make the cut.

Also no girls allowed! lol

I'm not sure how to reply to this. Why is it an Elitist crowd? What makes someone who, let's say, LOVES playing Gran Turismo but is not really into it and not willing to finish it a 100% different from someone who wastes the entire day playing Halo: Reach? Is one having more fun than the other? Should the former guy be stoned because, according to everyone's standards, he's not a 'hardcore' gamer and therefore, he cannot play? Is he not allowed to spend his money any way he wants despite the fact that a PS3 is his first system? Is he wrong for loving a game like DA2? Does that mean he's mentally challenged, according to Elitists? I mean, we've all loved crappy games once or twice. Only no one has the bawls to admit it.
I'm sorry if you're actually being sarcastic and I missed it. Like I said, I'm not sure.

However, I gotta say I'm a bit offended by that "No girls allowed" comment. I'm a girl and I work at Gamestop. I might not be a Hardcore gamer but I sure as hell can kick some ass given that I am playing the right game, just like everyone else. Unlike most self appointed Elitists I've run across at work, I'm not fat or obsessed with games and simply because of that, I must say some other chauvinist guys skip me when they have a question about games and instead they ask the nerdiest-looking employee around. So who says girls can't play games? Who says I'm not allowed to like Killzone or CoD? Who says I can't be good at MK? Who says I'm probably only into Hannah Montana games or something like that?

So I will say this: THAT, sir, is the wrong definition of a gamer. I don't mean to sound like a crazy Amazon but that's just a silly comment. Sorry to break it to you.

 

[veloper]

The casual gamer is a by-product of a successful gaming industry. I don't really like "casual gamer" (as defined by the general accepted parameters of low play, low interest), one has to admit that they are beneficial to a degree.

More attention to games means more interest means more money means more games.

It's up to the more "hardcore" gamers to help define where it the industry goes.

In other words, vote with your wallet. Broaden your horizons.

I wish. Core gamers and hardcore gamers are a minority now. If you also happen to like a genre that isn't mainstream, you're out of luck.
You should still vote with your wallet, but if a game sells less, the AAA industry will reckon they need to make the game even more accessible to the lowest common denominator.