"Gamer"

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 01:48 pm

All you video game fans/enthusiasts - or should I say, gamers, how do you all feel about being labelled as a "gamer"?

I personally, quite dislike the term. When someone mentions the word "gamer", a kid yelling into his xbox mic immediately comes to mind.
For some time, I limited myself to F2P MMORPGs, and thought I didn't 'deserve' the label. After branching out to other genres, I realized how much I hate the term, "gamer".

If it's the case of a "professional gamer", then I suppose I'll let it off.

Sorry if this has already been brought up before haha;;

By Lowkey. 28/07/11, 02:08 pm

Okay, uhm, what else are we going to call ourselves?

A painter paints. A gardener gardens. A reader reads. A gamer games. Just because there is a negative stereotype about our culture doesn't mean the term is inherently offensive. You can't let negative stereotypes chase you out of a perfectly reasonable descriptor for what we are.

By mystix-candy. 28/07/11, 02:17 pm

It's not like there'a anything else we can call ourselves.
But I do understand where you're coming from ^ ^"

My younger brother was playing MW2 earlier today and you could hear all these little kids talking into their mics B| So much for being M16 or whatever.

I guess it's just something we have to deal with? D:

By Yush. 28/07/11, 02:18 pm

Positive synonyms = Beast, boss. (Jk)

Haha,
Well actually the kid yelling into his mic would be called the 'noob'...so...yeah.

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 02:24 pm

@Lowkey
A video game enthusiast/fan, I suppose. Iunno, I just sorta cringe when I hear/see it x_x; I guess it's for the sake of convenience since "video game fan" is fairly long.

@Yush
U kno it ;D
Haha but yeah iunno, it's probably the way the term's being thrown around.

The term "girl gamer" irks me on many levels, too .___.

By Lowkey. 28/07/11, 02:26 pm

Yush wrote:: Positive synonyms = Beast, boss. (Jk)

Haha,
Well actually the kid yelling into his mic would be called the 'noob'...so...yeah.

Or a kid playing a game, alternatively. There's a lot worse in the community than some children playing a game and getting excited. I mean yeah they annoy me too, but I probably annoy people, too, because I sit there screaming "maaaaauleeeeeer ooooh shiiiiiiiit". That's my right.

There is something wrong with the term "girl gamers" as much as "girl painter" or "girl driver". That's something else entirely.

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 02:38 pm

I wouldn't call someone who nerdrages, a noob - honestly, I believe anyone who communicates with other players whilst playing a game has at least once raged/yelled into their mic Dx

... I think I'm kind of contradicting myself now =o= Maybe my spite towards the term 'gamer' is unjustifiable and unreasonable OTL

By Sorien. 28/07/11, 04:10 pm

I can't really add too much more to this conversation. I agree that the term gamer has negative connotations, and there's not too much you can do about it. I'm sure that people who are bi/homosexual and hear the word 'gay' thrown around get agitated with that too.

Gaming is definitely becoming more mainstream however, I think that's why conventions like Armageddon are tending to get a different audience from the standard anime/manga fans. One term which I find to be somewhat more offensive than gamer, is "Casual Gamer". It suggests that you've dabbled in gaming, but really aren't committed to it, kinda do things willy-nilly. Then there's "hardcore gamers"...I guess that's maybe more what your association goes with, yeah?

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 04:31 pm

Eh, now that you bring the whole "gay" thing up, maybe I am being too problematic about it xD

I'm somewhat fine with the term "casual gamer", though to me it means someone who plays a game for not many hours a day, if every day at all. Or maybe someone who plays casual games like PvZ o 3o

"Hardcore Gamer" is just... eugh. In this case, you're either a 'gamer', or a 'professional gamer' - who gets paid to play (or has participated/won gaming events etc, I haven't really looked into professional gaming so I'm not too sure what the exact definition is)

By Pyro. 28/07/11, 04:47 pm

I use gamer-- I think it's a perfectly legitimate term, for the reasons outlined by Ithurial above. I also use the term casual gamer, mostly because I think it's a reasonable way to discern between the people who play PvZ and Singstar, and the people who play Final Fantasy and Halo.

The term I don't 'get' is 'hardcore gamer'. It seems like every definition of hardcore gamer is different and thus, the term irks me a bit. See, everyone has a different usage of it based on their standpoint. I'm a hardcore gamer to the girl playing PvZ, but to the visual novel enthusiast I am a lower being not worthy of the term. And it's generally a term of admonishment, in that if you're branded with it by others, they're usually being spiteful and if others use it on themselves, they're probably putting down your own gaming abilities.

So that's the term that annoys me-- I am cool with being a gamer, and I understand that casual gamer is a legitimate 'thing'. Professional gamer is a career, so that's obviously legit. But hardcore gamer is just bad whatever the usage. :/

And there's my 2c.

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 05:28 pm

Usually anyone who labels themselves with "hardcore ___" irritates me, to be honest .-.

'Gamer' is perfectly fine, technically -- a painter paints, a worker works, etc. I was wondering what everyone thought of the term, whether or not you guys shy away from it for various reasons, such as the stereotype(s). Personally I don't feel the need to label oneself in such a way, unless you're a professional gamer, which is essentially your occupation, I guess.

By commandercandyfloss. 28/07/11, 05:39 pm

I'm a gamer and proud, bro.

By Lowkey. 28/07/11, 05:43 pm

dysphorique wrote:: Usually anyone who labels themselves with "hardcore ___" irritates me, to be honest .-.

'Gamer' is perfectly fine, technically -- a painter paints, a worker works, etc. I was wondering what everyone thought of the term, whether or not you guys shy away from it for various reasons, such as the stereotype(s). Personally I don't feel the need to label oneself in such a way, unless you're a professional gamer, which is essentially your occupation, I guess.

I don't really see it as a label. It's just a thing, like being a skateboarder or ... a hockey player. It's a way to describe a thing we do. Yeah, it has connotations, but that applies more to the act of gaming than to being a gamer. It's just something that is still seen as inherently "nerdy". Like comic books and D&D, we who enjoy games still have the soda-drinking chip-crunching pizza-faced and bespectacled forty year old man stereotype to contend with, but already that's different from what you linked to the term with the shouting kids.

I don't know, I don't think it's any kind of a thing.

**Guest** Guest

i don't think it's something to be proud of

it's an immutable fact. you're either play games or you don't; unless the act of playing games strikes you as worthy of pride somehow this seems kinda weird

hardcore gamer isn't a term i've ever heard being thrown around negatively, but that's probably largely because most people i keep company of are gamers to some degree

imo it's more of a mindset thing

though both hardcore and other gamers might play metal slug, only the hardcore one is going to try to 1cc it or see what the smallest amount of jumps you can use to get through the game is. a hardcore gamer is going to learn the infinites in king of fighters or get through panzer dragoon using only basewing, while a standard one will be content with clocking the game or getting all the achievements

whatever though the term is still pretty dumb and thrown around way too much by the gaming press
just to signify like
a hard game
or one that is vaguely 'arcadey'

also it is used as a label, as is 'skateboarder'. which doesn't mean that when someone calls you or themselves a gamer they mean anything more than 'plays videogames' and if they do they're probably kinda ignorant or being post-ironic

also labeling yourself is gay as heck
don't do that at any point ever

By dysphorique. 28/07/11, 06:27 pm

I don't see myself associated to any 'things' which describe what one does, so it's probably why I'm having trouble understanding others' viewpoints. I personally wouldn't be proud of a label I've put on myself -- I hate labelling myself, really. But that's just me, so I respect the fact that you take pride in being a gamer, XOrengenOX =w=

But I agree with sweet georgia brown, I really don't understand the need to label oneself at any point :/

I appreciate your opinions ^^ I've had my mind on this for a while and this thread's made me realize that I've been somewhat closed-minded -- shying away from a term due to its stereotypes and disliking labelling oneself are two different things, I've realized.

By Yush. 28/07/11, 06:42 pm

They should have mic licenses "Gamer" 89858

Will prevent wrong use of team communication

By tashamanx1. 29/07/11, 07:48 am

i like the term gamer because it gives us something to call ourselves, like me and my sister sometimes use the term "otaku" which means geek in japanese but i dont think anyone else will think very highly of that. but then again i ate a scone without using my hands this morning coz my sister said it would be funny, so im just strange and you probably shouldnt listen to me coz im 12 and i dont know anything Smile

By Lowkey. 29/07/11, 08:12 am

tashamanx1 wrote:: i like the term gamer because it gives us something to call ourselves, like me and my sister sometimes use the term "otaku" which means geek in japanese but i dont think anyone else will think very highly of that. but then again i ate a scone without using my hands this morning coz my sister said it would be funny, so im just strange and you probably shouldnt listen to me coz im 12 and i dont know anything

Ugh. There's nothing wrong with being twelve, there's something wrong with using your age as an excuse because if you have to do that you obviously have the presence of mind to know what you're doing is silly or wrong. Just saying.

Also otaku doesn't just mean nerd, it means never-comes-out-of-the-house-social-reject and is not a thing you want to call yourself (see above where SGB advises against labeling yourself.)

By firecat70. 29/07/11, 09:20 am

I can understand wanting to shy away from using the term 'gamer'. Just like how the term 'skateboarder' makes you think of the stereotypical chilled out teen in baggy clothes (...well baggy tops? They've begun wearing skinny jeans...) gamer makes most people think of a basement dweller in his 20s who still lives with his parents/a little kid with rage issues.
I think it's interesting that despite the stereotypical gamer being young, the average age of gamers is 30-40.

Sometimes it's good to use labels. They can be handy. It can also show people that not everyone who defines themselves as a gamer fits into the stereotype and broaden their minds.
But people are very complex and it is a disservice to pigeonhole people by seeing them just as labels.

By PIe. 29/07/11, 10:47 am

While I can see where you're coming from with not wanting to be label/have stereotypes applied to you I agree with most people in this thread saying that there is nothing 'off' about the term. I am hardly a gamer, I'm getting more into games but I spend more of my time reading or watching tv shows and movies. If someone decided that having played a few games makes me a gamer I wouldn't find it an insult just like if the called me a bookworm or a 'whateveryoucallsomeonewhowatchedlotsoftvandmovies' I wouldn't, it's a term used to describe something you do or enjoy doing, builders arfen't going to start not wanting to be called builders because people think of Bob the Builder when they hear the term.

By Mandie_Chan. 29/07/11, 11:42 am

XOrengenOX wrote:: I'm a gamer and proud, bro.

^Quoted for truth~

Really proud of being called a gamer even though I have a very narrow band of games that I play. Then again I love the games so much I play them like 50 thousand times and thus have no time for anything else xD

By hyolee123. 29/07/11, 11:53 am

^I third that notion!!! o/
I actually had a go at someone who called themselves a hardcore gamer before. Truly he should get his facts right before trolling a video.

I don't get narked at any term thrown towards me and I don't often label myself. Others call me gamer, nerd and geek often but I don't really let that stir my boat.

I get why 'casual' gamer is a thing.

What I don't get is the hardcore gamer thing. People often come rushing to my face (through the internet) proclaiming hardcore gamers are this and that. But when you compare all these iddy litte facts it doesn't add up to equal something balanced.
~A hardcore gamer is:

Spoiler:

The list could go on a little bit more. But how do people only play FPS and only play WoW even the whole console war is brought into the hardcore gamer thing. Why did I waste my time looking into this?

*The guy was flaming a Batman Arkham city gameplay video claiming real gamers only play "real" games like Halo. My response was not all that pleasant.

But that brings up what is the definition of a "real" gamer? I bet it's different for everyone. In general people who play video games doesn't all appeal to me. Because what if you're a person who only likes playing stuff like Madden and NFL because you like sports (I mean playing sports in RL)? Does that mean you're a sports gamer or does it mean you're a sportsman? (Lame example I know but I hope you know what I mean)

Or

If you only like playing one game. Would it infuriate you for someone to call you a gamer?

I should stop there but before I do. I have heard people call DnD players and other board gamer players being called gamers.

On Gog kill me now orz

By superarmy. 31/07/11, 05:45 pm

Awesome video going in-depth about this very topic Besides, if you don't watch extra credits already, you should...

I find it a really odd term personally, it lacks any real meaning, like calling someone a filmer or booker. Video Games today are enjoyed by such a large portion of people it's odd to try and put such a massive blanket word that applies to all of them. Gaming is just a media form, trying to label someone that likes said media form doesn't really apply.

And to the above discussion about trying to fit a specific type of label inside it? Again it kind of doesn't work, labels work fine for demographical purposes; I am white, I am male, I am 20, I am a student, and so on, because you can't refute these. Pushing labels onto anything that can't be clearly defined or universally accepted by those who both; hold the titles and don't hold the titles makes the label redundant.

And nobody is any more of a "real gamer" as such as a result, you just play games, none is more "real" than any other.

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