You call yourself a Gamer?!?

[New Troll]

Lulzy 'veteran' gamer being so proud of 'being there' when the first video games became popular, selflessly shooting down all the relative new comers because he was there when it all began! MWAHAHA. I WILL ALWAYS BE THE WISEST GAMER, NOT YOU.

You make me laugh, we are all gamers, because we play games with some sort of passion. Get over yourself, it doesn't matter that you are an old gamer, the new generation can always kick your ass.

So... is feeling old or new what keeping you from reaching your full potential to yourself? I know I can relate when I play certain genres. Especially shooters. As much as I love Team Fortress 2, I know I will always feel like a newb while playing. Course that game is probably best if you know how to laugh at yourself. Can think of many other games to play "seriously."

 

[New Troll]

My short attention span, My love of multitasking, the fact that I don't own every console, and my love of girly things which takes time, energy, and money away from it.

Then there's the fact that I only really started gaming when the Xbox 360 game out.

Honestly, sometimes I feel like less of a gamer because i'm girly, and not really a tom boy.

Ninja'd

As much as I would love to spend everyday lost in my game stack, girly things tend to create a divide. It's a choice between a new top or the new game.
I'm not really girly, but I love new clothes

mabye rearranging my spending priorites might do wonders for my wardrobe :/......so I'll put clothes second to action figures...(dont look at me like that)

*sigh* actually its not money I just hate cloths shoping, I was born without the "cloths-obsession" part of my brain or somthing...

in a games/dvd store its all good

clothing store

"hi, need any help?"
"STOP TALKING TO ME YOURE STRESSING ME OUT!! uhh no Im fine thanks"

Haha. I never mind clothes shopping for my son. Can get lost for hours doing so. but when it comes to myself... I glance at the Clearance section while walking by and if nothing jumps out at me right away, then it just isn't meant to be. Worst is shoe shopping because if I am doing so, then I REALLY need new shoes but I get stuck between my need to get a good pair that will last awhile and my desire not to spend that much money on apparel. That $100 could go a long ways on my son... or make a great new harddrive!

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Edit: To me, a "gamer" is someone who plays games while a "Gamer" is someone who goes beyond just playing the game and has dedicated at least some part of his life to the medium.

Meh, semantics. It's all the same thing as far as I'm concerned. Besides how do you differentiate when speaking verbally to someone?

In answer to your question, yeah I consider myself a Gamer since I've been gaming since I was like 6. However lately I've begun to feel like being a Gamer is hardly a condition to be desired.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

Never considered myself a "gamer" because I've associated the term with all those gaming communities, particularly online, that are full of so many anti-social, immature, pretentious judgemental fuckheads that make me want to punch kittens (ie, most of the gaming communities that exist) and I have absolutely no interest in being associated with that. This place is tolerable but half the time I even have to stop posting here just so I don't go insane.

I'm a person who plays games fairly regularly on his PC, I have very few gamer friends and don't subscribe to any aspect of gamer "culture" (I use that word with massive quotation marks btw), I enjoy the Call of Duty and Battlefield multiplayer more than any multiplayer i've ever tried because they're fun, frantic, and theres a sense of progression through unlocks. I don't really like indie games, and I play the majority of games with an Xbox360 controller. I dislike nostalgia and don't have any for anything even though I've been gaming about 12 years now; I judge things by todays standards so I no longer enjoy 90% of old "classic" games, for example, I think Deus Ex is a dated piece of crap compared to any respectably decent game that's come out in the past 5 years. Half-Life 2, Mass Effect 2, and Assassin's Creed 2 are a few of the best games i've ever played.

^ All this will cause conflicting emotions among most "gamers". Some will think I'm still a gamer, most will completely disregard my gamer status because I have different tastes in games than they do. The term is too different among different people and in my mind theres too much of a negative assosiation with the word for me to even want to be called one. I'm just a guy who plays games along with many other things I enjoy doing. and so are most people who play games.

 

[The_Deleted]

I play games with my son (5) all the time. He discovered more in 15 minutes of play time of Driver:SF than I did in a few hours. He got to grips with the shift mechanic in no time and claimed it his best game ever.


I get to play my games when the kids are in bed or out.

 

[RemuValtrez]

I see it as I play games quite often, and I love a lot of them. The fact that more and more people are playing games nowadays make people think that others aren't as much a gamer as they are. As long as you have a game or two that you enjoy, you can consider yourself a gamer.

As for everyone who thinks that there should be a derogatory name for people that aren't "true" gamers due to them just playing because it's what in at the moment, there is a reason why there are ranks to it: Casual gamer to Hardcore gamer.

 

[JesterRaiin]

Why - being an adult - do you care about opinion of others about such trivial subject ?

 

[Voulan]

There is no one definition of 'gamer'. The term has several different connotations, ideologies and structures of feeling associated with it. If you think you're a 'gamer', whatever you wish for that to mean, then you are.

I use the term to show how I have a relatively large knowledge and love for them, and spend some of my time talking to others about them, playing them, etc.

There you go.

EDIT: Honestly, people need to stop with these one-sided terms and definitions. Don't they realize things mean different things to other people? The Signified, and the Signifier?

 

[genericusername64]

I beat demon souls four times, so that should give me a little nerd cred

 

[New Troll]

Meh, semantics. It's all the same thing as far as I'm concerned. Besides how do you differentiate when speaking verbally to someone?

Doubt I'd ever have this conversation verbally, but if I did I'd probably say something like "Hardcore Gamer." Doesn't really matter though because that's not what the conversation is about. Really wouldn't matter. Would just expect better responses on a site like this, more dedicated to Gaming.

In answer to your question, yeah I consider myself a Gamer since I've been gaming since I was like 6. However lately I've begun to feel like being a Gamer is hardly a condition to be desired.

If being a 'Gamer' is not fun then what's the point? This isn't about a label, it's about enjoying life through Gaming. Or in the least, finding a means of 'Escaping.'

 

[New Troll]

EDIT: Honestly, people need to stop with these one-sided terms and definitions. Don't they realize things mean different things to other people? The Signified, and the Signifier?

This is NOT a one-sided definition argument. It's a question on what you personally feel holds you back from being what you personally feel you could truly be. The original post was my personal feelings, and all I was asking for were yours. But like I've said several times before, people aren't reading the OP and just posting to dispute, which I find mostly amusing.

 

[New Troll]

The difference between a "gamer" and a "Gamer" is a capital "G"

So is that what you feel is holding you back from your full potential? You have no capitol "G?"

 

[Canadamus Prime]

If being a 'Gamer' is not fun then what's the point? This isn't about a label, it's about enjoying life through Gaming. Or in the least, finding a means of 'Escaping.'

It's not about fun, it's about being associated with the self-centered ignorant masses that also call themselves "Gamers."

 

[LiberalSquirrel]

Honestly, sometimes I feel like less of a gamer because i'm girly, and not really a tom boy.

No! Don't feel that! I'm a girly gamer too! It just makes us more awesome, not less of a gamer.

While I may not be the perfect stereotype of a gamer (I prefer RPGs to FPSs, I enjoy casual games now and again, et cetera) I don't think anything "holds me back from being a true gamer." As long as I like games and play them, I am a gamer. Simple as that.

 

[New Troll]

If being a 'Gamer' is not fun then what's the point? This isn't about a label, it's about enjoying life through Gaming. Or in the least, finding a means of 'Escaping.'

It's not about fun, it's about being associated with the self-centered ignorant masses that also call themselves "Gamers."

Guess I just never cared what other people thought. I wish to be a Gamer cause I find entertainment in doing so. That is all that matters to me.

 

[WOPR]

I'm a Gamer... now allow me to beat contra without the code out of sheer boredom... THEN I'll play super meat boy some more (83 bandages!)

 

[Canadamus Prime]

If being a 'Gamer' is not fun then what's the point? This isn't about a label, it's about enjoying life through Gaming. Or in the least, finding a means of 'Escaping.'

It's not about fun, it's about being associated with the self-centered ignorant masses that also call themselves "Gamers."

Guess I just never cared what other people thought. I wish to be a Gamer cause I find entertainment in doing so. That is all that matters to me.

I'm not at all suggesting that I'm going to give up playing games, I'm strictly talking about associating myself that particular label. In other words, if being a "Gamer" means being a self-centered, egotistical, ignorant, whiny dickhead, then no, I'm not a "Gamer;" however do I play video games? Yes, yes I do.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Real gamers love their games and their medium, and know how not to let it ruin their life, but enhance it. Gaming is a wonderful thing, until the addicted allow it to control their life, and ruin it because they can't get their lazy ass off the game to take care of their life responsibilities. That's just how I see it though. All kinds of gamers are all kinds of awesome. Except the female gamers that suffer from Gamer Girl Syndrome. >> "I just beat you, and I'm a GIRL!" Those gamers need to get over themselves.

In a nutshell: Real gamers retain their self-control and show restraint when needed, and do not let gaming habits run their life. You do what you need to do, before you do what you want to do.