You call yourself a Gamer?!?

[Halceon]

Will you people stop with these ridiculous ideas of "true" gamers? You can be a smart gamer, you can be an idiot, you can do it while it rains outside and you can devote weekends to raids. You can even be a hardcore bejewelled player, or you can be a casual CoD dabbler. All of those are valid gamers, none of those are the core demographic of gamers and most importantly they have little right to claim they know the opinion of all gamers.

 

[Zantos]

I consider myself a Gamer because I pour plenty of time and money into the medium for my own amusement. I like to collect trinkets and toys and posters so even when I'm not gaming it's easy to see I still have a great passion for it. I've been carrying around my new octus medal for the past 2 days now, when I can find the time I'm turning it into a necklace. COG tags won't have shit on me.

What's holding me back? Not being good at RTS games. Somewhere in between my inability to micromanage and my refusal to include anything more than counting in my downtime I never really got off the ground with them.

 

[krazykidd]

no, No , NO ! Playing games does NOT make you a gamer ! Taking a picture does not make you a photographer , playing an instrument does NOT make you a musician, watching a movie does NOT make you a film critic !

Now that being said, Op is a gamer because he has a passion for gaming. He enjoys it, he reads up upon it , he dedicates time , money and effort on his hobby ( even if he isn't good at some genres ). Just playing games does not make you a gamer, it's much more than that. It's his passion and love for gaming that makes him a gamer. My Mom is NOT a gamer because she plays peggle ( peggle is a gamer and she plays it ) , OP is a gamer because he cares about the medium as a whole.

Gamer [Gey-mer]
- a person who plays games, especially computer or video games.

Seems pretty straightforward.

Still trying to come up with a term. Maybe Gamarse? It has the first three letters of 'game' and another word for ass, which is largely what the more self-righteous and egocentric among us tend to be. But the really cherry here is that it sounds like a butchered pronunciation of gamers.

no, No , NO ! Playing games does NOT make you a gamer ! Taking a picture does not make you a photographer , playing an instrument does NOT make you a musician, watching a movie does NOT make you a film critic !

No, those are all professions is why it doesn't make you that. A photographer, musician, and film critic all get paid to do that. Or if you don't mean professional, then yes - playing games does make you a gamer. I would even do you one better and say that you don't even have to play games just like to play games.

Now that being said, Op is a gamer because he has a passion for gaming. He enjoys it, he reads up upon it , he dedicates time , money and effort on his hobby ( even if he isn't good at some genres ). Just playing games does not make you a gamer, it's much more than that. It's his passion and love for gaming that makes him a gamer. My Mom is NOT a gamer because she plays peggle ( peggle is a gamer and she plays it ) , OP is a gamer because he cares about the medium as a whole.

Your mom is a "casual gamer". Gamers come in many shapes and sizes. What you are talking about is hardcore gamers by my personal definition. People who play only/almost exclusively COD, Peggle, Angry Birds, or any 1 genre and/or have a very small gaming paradigm are casual gamers.

Okay then by you guys logic , If i play a game so i'm a gamer ?

So, if i play a game of:

chess
tag
cards
checkers
catch
poker
peggle (video games)
connect four
charades
etc...

i am a gamer? These are all games btw . Just not VIDEO games. Therefore the entire world is full of gamers?

What i'm trying to get to is that the definition is wrong. It was a definition created before video games was considered an art form. And that the term gamer , requires someone that enjoy the medium as a whole.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

What i'm trying to get to is that the definition is wrong. It was a definition created before video games was considered an art form. And that the term gamer , requires someone that enjoy the medium as a whole.

By your definition no one is a gamer.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

We shall go by the name of Gamaru yes i totatly made that up on the spot if its somthing real well what a odd name xD

OT: I consider myself a real gamer because im extreamly dedicated to my gaming and I enjoy doing it more then anything and I love to play it in all forms weather it be console handheld or PC game like Total Annihlation.

Iv spent more money on games then anything else and iv had prob killed myself without it due to lack of anything for me.

Gamaru..... Isn't that the word Japanese gamers use as a derogation of Western titles? Has a nice ring to it though, and would serve well for a blanket term; instead of sorting through the many related taxonomic terms.

 

[go-10]

I don't play as much as I used to but I'm still a gamer, I just got different priorities now. And while I consider myself a gamer I don't think I'm hardcore anymore I'm more of a casual. Save for games I really like such as: Persona series, Zelda series, Ninja Gaiden, Borderlands, and a few others

 

[targren]

I used to, but now that I'm in my 30s I've started trying to dissociate myself from the title and it's negative connotations. Not the bullshit the media spews about being prone to violence or playing at the expense of my job and that sort of crap, but the things that are all too prevalent in the actual gamer community. The slavish, virulent loyalty to consoles, game publishers, or genres, and the resultant flame wars so devoid of logic and reason that they make Democrats vs. Republicans out to be mature, well-adjusted people by comparison.

That, and I don't buy this 'this is the golden age of gaming' crap. We've got three major console makers, all of whom insist that they own my console even after I've shelled out up to a week's pay for one of them, and can do what they want, whereas I can't, despite the fact that it's my own damn hardware, and innovation is at all but a standstill, while beloved franchises are being 'rebooted' left and right to strip them of their identities and make yet another clone of one of the big-4 console game types (FPS, God of War Clone, MMO, 40-hour-hallway passing as an RPG).

I've already decided that this one most likely my last generation in gaming. With so little coming out to be worth my hard earned money, the scummy practices of the console makers (all of them) and facepalm-worthy design gimmicks (I'm looking at you, WiiU), there's just less and less to offer every passing month.

 

[Something Amyss]

I've been a gamer since I was like 5.

I will probably always be a gamer. I don't care about the negative connotations.

 

[TehCookie]

My definition of gamer is one that has an interest in games. If you play games but aren't interested in them you're not a gamer. If you don't play games but are still interested in them that makes you a gamer. My mom plays her DS constantly every day but she doesn't know anything about games. My dad on the other hand doesn't have the time to play games all day but still reads PC gamer to keep up on the latest gaming news so I consider him a gamer.

 

[Xanadu84]

To be a gamer you have to A) Play games. B) Have an appreciation for games. C) Want to call yourself a gamer. I consider myself a gamer because I play games, love them, and it's an easy term to use as long as I avoid the argument over how evil labels are.

 

[Savagezion]

Okay then by you guys logic , If i play a game so i'm a gamer ?

So, if i play a game of:

chess
tag
cards
checkers
catch
poker
peggle (video games)
connect four
charades
etc...

i am a gamer? These are all games btw . Just not VIDEO games. Therefore the entire world is full of gamers?

What i'm trying to get to is that the definition is wrong. It was a definition created before video games was considered an art form. And that the term gamer , requires someone that enjoy the medium as a whole.

If you mean on a general basis, pretty much, yeah that would make you a gamer. If I play poker on Monday nights with my buddies, checkers and connect four with the kids throughout the week, charades often on a Saturday night with friends, and chess after church on Sunday, I would easily be able to call myself a gamer. Now, if you mean you played a game 1 time, then not necessarily. That would make you a person who has played a game before. But if you liked it, then that means you have a gamer mentality and you are possibly a gamer at heart. Personally, I am OK calling someone who plays poker a lot a gamer so far as it is for the game and not the gambling as that would make you a gambler. Play chess, checkers, and connect four a lot but really nothing else? Those are all TBS genre so casual gamer.

However, pop culture today has associated "gamer" to focus more on video games. Society has deemed the word gamer to mean "someone who plays video games on a semi-regular basis or more". I, amongst most people (a.k.a. society), feel that to be an acceptable assessment. More importantly, the video game industry has deemed this to be so and have launched several marketing campaigns pulling in several billion dollars this very generation around that idea. By your definition people who aren't "gamers" have supported the video game industry 3x as much as 'real gamers'. "Real Gamers" were too busy complaining about how current video games suck while "Not real gamers" were too busy buying, playing, and enjoying the video games they bought. Ironic isn't it?

On a minor note - you can't win at tag or catch so those aren't really games so much as activities or pastimes. You can play catch or play tag but I can also play guitar but that doesn't make it a game.

 

[Veldel]

We shall go by the name of Gamaru yes i totatly made that up on the spot if its somthing real well what a odd name xD

OT: I consider myself a real gamer because im extreamly dedicated to my gaming and I enjoy doing it more then anything and I love to play it in all forms weather it be console handheld or PC game like Total Annihlation.

Iv spent more money on games then anything else and iv had prob killed myself without it due to lack of anything for me.

Gamaru..... Isn't that the word Japanese gamers use as a derogation of Western titles? Has a nice ring to it though, and would serve well for a blanket term; instead of sorting through the many related taxonomic terms.

well a quick google search shows nothing of that and it dues sound nice. We need to spread it xD

 

[Redweaver]

Okay then by you guys logic , If i play a game so i'm a gamer ?

So, if i play a game of:

chess
tag
cards
checkers
catch
poker
peggle (video games)
connect four
charades
etc...

i am a gamer? These are all games btw . Just not VIDEO games. Therefore the entire world is full of gamers?

What i'm trying to get to is that the definition is wrong. It was a definition created before video games was considered an art form. And that the term gamer , requires someone that enjoy the medium as a whole.

You are one of the closest to correct here.

Gamers love games.

Not just video games.

Games.

The term "gamer" existed (and I labeled myself with it proudly) long before Bill Gates got interested in those electric paperweights he helped popularize.

 

[badgersprite]

I haven't been playing many games recently do to university work taking up my time, but hells yeah I'm still a gamer.

I haven't played a game in months, but I still watch game reviews and read up on gaming news. I just don't have the time anymore, but I don't think that disqualifies me as a gamer.

^ This. I still know what's coming out, what the consensus is on several games, which games I'm going to get when I have the free time, and I keep up on developments in the industry. It's a bit like saying you can't call yourself a music lover if you haven't bought a new album or been to a concert in the last X days.

As someone earlier in the thread said, being a gamer is more about having a passion for games than your level of skill or how many you play, sort of like being a film buff isn't necessarily defined by how many movies you've seen or whether you even see new releases at all but how much you care about film and, at the risk of sounding pretentious, appreciate film as a medium.

 

[New Troll]

It's amusing just how off-topic most people are in this thread. The question wasn't if you are a gamer or what you perceive a gamer to be. The question was what you feel holds you back from your full potential, if anything. But keep it coming. Amusing read.

 

[Vonnis]

I think a more relevant question is: who cares? Do you have some pathological need to belong to a subculture? Just enjoy your hobby without labelling yourself.

 

[Project_Xii]

You sir, are a gamer. You are just a gamer that life has caught up with, like all of us.Like anyone with a passion or hobby, it gets hard to maintain that when family comes along. Some things are simply higher priority then your own desires.

I'd have to agree with other posters about the definition of a gamer: just cause you play a few games, doesn't make you a gamer. If you play nothing but Call of Duty, Oblivion or iPhones games, you are not a gamer. For real gamers, video games are their passion in life. Obviously they can function without them, but it's their personal area of interest, their hobby and their favoured form of entertainment.

Real gamers play a range of games, over a range of genres. They can appreciate individual aspects of certain games, even if the overall game isn't that great. They won't call a game "stupid", "gay" or "retarded" simply because they read unfavourable reviews or played a demo. They reserve judgement until they've played it for themselves and tested it properly. They also know that age doesn't always render a game unplayable, even if it's not quite as easy on the eye as it used to be.

This new generation of XBLA spawn that think their hardcore gamers cause they play CoD or Halo 24/7... yeah, run along now. You have underage drinking parties to prepare for in like 3 years time, and then you'll forget all about this. Their opinions on gaming as a whole seemed to be summed up quite nicely for me at work recently, when I was helping a kid and every game I pointed out to him as good, he dubbed as "boring and repetitive". All I could think was:

"Scumbag Kid - Claims every game is boring and repetitive. Plays Call of Duty non stop for an entire year, buys sequel which is exactly more of the same." Gah.

 

[Hollock]

No I dont. I havent been playing many games this year. But even when i did no, the same way Im not a movie-er

 

[Legion IV]

Snip

I think its fair to think what you want but i gotta disagree.....

Playing a game doesn't make you a gamer it just doesn't. You need to have real passion and dedication to really call yourself a gamer. Me and my friends love fighting games and more importantly love guilty gear, but to the outside world guilty gears dead and yet its the most well designed fighting game ever made. Guess what we did? we loved the game so much we maintain a weekly group get together and practice for the game with tournaments.

Another friend friend of myn decorates his whole apartment with gaming apparel and posters and just simply being surrounded by his passion his noticeably just makes him happy. Another thing me and my buds will do is actually beat an rpg and do multiple playthroughs to actually find out the cryptic hidden items and secret endings without reading any walkthroughs and yet most people just take the no effort way.

Or importing Japanese games and getting your friend to translate or worse if hes on vacation (dammit Andy!! we need you) you try to learn Japanese yourself. Hell i traveled to japan and guess what i spent most of my time on? Competitive Guilty gear at the arcades (all the best players in the world are there)

Sorry i guess these dont prove my points really, just examples of what i see it takes to be a gamer, the passion dedication, the love.

Here , heres the best example i can give a test so to say.

Lets say your madly in love with someone 5 year relationship or something or maybe your married, if she asks you to stop playing games because you should spend more time with her and maybe do some fun new things with her (take up painting maybe?) and if you say sure and give up coming. Your not a gamer, thats it.

Also if you feel you'll eventually grow tired of gaming your grow to old for it. your not a gamer. Its simple as that.

And before you say thats unfair. My best friend's passion in life is music, he was playing some form of musical instrument. So if some girl he knew for 5 years asked him to play less or not at much at all, even if he was engaged am sure he would tearfully say no. When you do something that long with so much passion and love and that you want to do for the rest of your life, you'll never give it up for anything.

Thats a gamer, thats a musician, thats an artist, thats an athlete. Theres one thing all those share, passion and love for the game/art.

 

[geK0]

I used to rent most of my games, but with the rise in price of game rentals and the closing of large movie/game rental stores, Ive found myself a bit out of the loop with current gen.

Also, I have a habit of obsessing over a few games rather than trying a lot of different games. There are a lot of titles that people would expect me, as a self proclaimed gamer, to have played; such as diablo, assassins creed, god of war, but I've yet to try any of those = \.

The amount of time ive spent on my NES, SNES, N64, PS2, PS3, WII and computers collectively though.... it probably adds up to more time than I've spent in school!