Yes, They're Gamers, Too

[Photon987]

When someone tells me that I'm not a gamer because I don't like COD, Halo, Gears, Left 4 Dead, or Guitar Hero/Rock Band (by people who have never played anything BUT those games), I cannot find words that can accurately convey how much I hate them.

Middle and High school were particularly bad. Dozens and dozens of kids from the "In" Crowds calling themselves gamers, despite never having touched anything other than a 360 for no better reason than "those other games are ugly, and cannot even compare to [Popular Game of the Month]!" Mocking me and my friends for liking Blood, Starfy, STALKER, and Mega Man more than we did the newest brown-gray FPS.

I feel that to be a true gamer, you can't just play games - anyone can do that. You should want to go out and play the old games; you should want to avoid limiting yourself to only playing the newest, most popular games - go and find the hidden treasures of the video/computer gaming world.

But then again, I'm just a bitter nerd who fears that his favorite pass-time is being warped to make it more accessible to the people that used to mock him for playing games. I already know what my opinion is worth.

 

[SaunaKalja]

Never played any Megaman game, or even Braid. I might be able to do a memorized combo on a playstation controller. But yeah, what stupid criteria for being a "gamer".

I'm really not at all protective about who gets to use the label. On the contrary in fact. Back in the day I was considered to be a weirdo at school for being a gamer. But then came along Max Payne and people started finally realizing they're also gamers if they enjoyed the game and were looking forward to playing it some more. It didn't really help with the weirdo status, but hey. Even my parents cut me some slack when I asked that if I've seen them play Spider Solitaire or Freecell after 1 AM more than once, how can they not see why I enjoy games.

That all seems like ages ago. These days it's hard to find someone who doesn't enjoy playing games. Sure, some people do it more than others and some like a different or wider variety than the others.

 

[Ramen n' MaltLiquor]

I still defend the status as a gamer, though i feel a bit silly admitting it after reading that.Its always been something thats made me an outcast growing up, and as i grew i met many great games.

Nowadays casual gamers are most of the population, which is good. I am no longer an outcast for my hobby and people respect it as a decent past time.
On the other side, i've seen that the rise in popularity has followed a decrease in game difficulty and a lack of imagination.I mean i bless games like mirror's edge which have recently tried to put a new spin on playing games.

There's nothing wrong with pen and paper games if you read my entire post I said I used to play them. The only reason I dont still play them is I now have NWN2 and similar games to fill that void (read as; video games have killed my ability to use my imagination to that extent).

This reply is now trash as it was an answer to someone who asked me "whats wrong with pen and paper games" and I failed to use the preview button. Disregard this

 

[Zac_Dai]

I don't even like Megaman...

Its like making out people who read Harry Potter books aren't "real readers".

That may be the best analogy on this subject yet.

After all, a reader is any person who is currently reading. I wouldn't say I'm a reader when I'm not reading. I'm only a reader as I read.

We should switch "gamer" to that mental space. You are a gamer during gaming. When you stop, you're something else. A person, maybe.

Yeah exactly, peoples identities are a lot more complex than one type of leisure activity.

 

[mechanixis]

Christ, whatever, man. If you want the label so bad, take it, geez. You can call yourself a Gamer or an Elite or a Cheese Sandwich or the Earl of Goosetown. They'll all just mean "guy who plays a fucking ton of Megaman."

 

[AgentChunk]

Those requirements to become a gamer are ridiculous to say the least. Everyone knows that you must battle the minions of the pop culture god Oprah, be a drug dealing child raping cereal killing psychopath (who obsesses over the cake being a lie), and finally beat guitar hero on expert. After all of this you are finally knighted a gamer by the Elven Queen Tycho Brahe.

( The criminal ones are making fun of the way the media represents gamers please don't call the mods)

 

[Randomologist]

How to tell if someone is a gamer:

Q: Are they playing, or have they recently played a game?
Yes: Gamer
No: Not.

Simples.

Also, what's all this about "real" gamers? If one exists, one is real. A twitchy 14-year-old who lives off Red Bull and plays Halo all day is no more of a gamer than your mum playing puzzle games on a DS or something. The gameplay is different, but a game it remains.

 

[Indecizion]

I mean i knida do i do hate people who call themselves "casual gamers" because being a gamer is more than just occasionaly playing a game, its about gaming pretty frequently but also about being a part of a community such as this one, but on the other hand i dont call myself one, though i am often reffered to as one, but yeah i dont like people using it as though playing video games somehow makes you cool like hipsters seem to, i mean come on i went to 2 private boyschool's and was bullied relentlesly for being into games as much as i was and acting as though its now cool does irk me a fair bit >:{.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

A gamer for me is someone who not only plays games but has a vested interest in the industry and does what they can to always know what's new and happening. Even if a person doesnt keep up with the news and know how the fact that they sit down and play a game for hours upon hours is one. Then you got the people who play an online game on facebook once for about 5 mins and then they consider themselves one and now act like they know everything *shudders* that annoys my ass

 

[Crunchy English]

The accomplishments listed in that article are, I hope, just for context. The point is, gaming can be, and often is, a lifestyle choice. I think I said this already in one of the incessant "Hardcore vs. Casual" arguments. It's not the games you play, or how well you play them. Its about what you do when you're not playing.

A gamer might come to the escapist and argue about the artistic merits of zombie blood splatter in L4D2. A non-gamer doesn't care what the company who makes their favourite game will do next, or the subtext, or anything like that. A non-gamer is unlikely to care about Gamer Points and completionists streaks or speed runs. If the game ends when you turn of the Xbox, then you're not a gamer. But if that's just half the fun, then you are.

I would like to point out however, that being a gamer is a lifestyle choice, not a badge of honor. You might take pride in it, you might have worked for it, but it doesn't make you better than anyone. Its like being an artist, or a student or a business professional. It's a choice and a persona, but its not really an accomplishment.

 

[Generic_Dave]

Core gamer, have played 18-20 hours straight a day, usually rack up at least four - five hours a day...but eh...what the frakk is Megaman? And I'm no kid I'm 25, but never heard of the thing...so I'm not core...frakk you weird university chronicle man!

 

[Dogstile]

To be fair if you put yourself under a title you're asking for trouble anyway. But my two cents to this discussion is that anyone who calls themself a title based on what they enjoy, then they take an active interest in that hobby. This is why i don't consider casual family wii "gamers" gamers. Because aside from the use at parties and such, they don't take an active interest in the hobby.

The exact same way a footballer (British terms here) who plays for fun doesn't consider himself a footballer, just a person having fun. Or a person playing ping pong isn't an... ping ponger?

 

[Carnagath]

Allow me to disagree. Gamers are people who really appreciate games as an artform or as a valid, exciting means for entertainment. Also, I use the term "gamer" not with the intention to exclude or belittle, but as a term that defines someone with whom I share a common passion or interest. Two examples of people that I do not consider to be "gamers":

1) A female friend of mine who does play Farmville but got bored and yawned during Bioshock's intro (you know, bathysphere goes down, Ryan explains that he has created a utopia of men without masters, Welcome to Rapture, whale swims below you). You know what Farmville is to her? A way to kill time, an alternative to cracking her knuckles or playing with her hair. She does not understand gaming, it is of no value to her, therefore not a gamer.

2) Two male friends of mine who own kickass PC's but have never bought a game for them, but still bought a Wii, because "it understands movement and you can, like, run Tennis on it and it's like swinging a racket". You know what the Wii is to them? Not a console that allows you to experience Zelda games or Mario games or whatever. It's just another cool gadget that they can place right next to the billions of other gadgets that they own and never ever use. Again, not gamers. Doesn't make them lesser beings in any way, but we certainly do not share a common interest there.

 

[Fortesque]

It comes down to 3 categories.

Casual Gamers
Gamers
Hardcore Gamers

If you play games of any kind, you would fall into 1 of these categories.

 

[nmaster64]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBDAcOEKuI

 

[UnravThreads]

It comes down to 3 categories.

Casual Gamers
Gamers
Hardcore Gamers

If you play games of any kind, you would fall into 1 of these categories.

Truth, simply. Of course you could further divert from this (Hardcore then Pro gamers as a fourth).

 

[Yvl9921]

If someone wants to call themself a gamer, that's usually fine (as long as you dont apply the "hardcore" label, that one's gotta be earned) but please people, don't go calling everyone who's played Solitaire or Wii Play a gamer, it depreciates the name we call ourselves.

 

[robert022614]

well gaming has been around long before video games right? i think if you have played freeze tag, hide and seek or any of the other childhood games you are a gamer. so even if you say you hate games mr. atkinson almost everyone is part of the collective might as well submit 8P

 

[snow]

Facebook games aren't real games... I know because my sisters boyfriend thing *hates* games but he plays those.. So they can't be real games!!!