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"Gamers" are a strange group of people.

Soodanim

Member
This thread is a living meme. You don't see these too often. "Oh, you're a gamer? Prove it - name every game."

At its very best/most innocent it's "Why don't people dedicate as much of their life to this as I do?"

There's no rules for knowledge of media consumption. You do as much or as little as you see fit. That's it. There's no more or less to it.
 
Gaming is also entertainment. You can't expect everyone that enjoys it to be super hardcore into it.


I like reading and listening to music, doesn't mean I own a printing press and a full instrument orchestra in my basement. There are levels to this shit.


You make it sound like you're a gatekeeper to the hobby. Let people game how they want to game, you don't need to be a dev or own a NASA PC to be into gaming.


I'm a hardcore gamer myself and have been gaming since I could walk but I don't expect everyone to be super into the hobby like I am.
 
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reinking

Gold Member
You were spot on with the rest of your post, but reading this makes me wonder if you're actually the very same type you're describing others to be.
Depending on your age you could be referring to an older Charger or a newer gen one. If the former, you were likely overly familiar with changing spark plugs due to old Mopars needing constant work and are sensitive about it. If you're talking about the newer gen 2006 and up charger, why are you bragging about picking on cars designed a decade earlier?
You clearly missed the point of the post. I only used the car analogy to go along with OP's analogy. As far as the charger I mentioned. 'That one was a '77 with a 360 (CA edition), cam and lift kit, Edelbrock intake and exhaust. I did stick with a carter carburator because I got more out of it than a Holly. I could go on but that really doesn't add to the discussion of hobby vs enthusiast. As for bragging, it wasnt meant to be serious.
 
I fucking love chees.
cheesing south park GIF


I’m a true hobbyist.
 
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NahaNago

Member
Since I'm more into a jrpgs I play to experience the world , it's characters, and it's stories. I generally just leave the game on normal unless I really want to progress even faster.
 
Gaming is my primary hobby so I'm the type of enthusiast gamer described in the OP. As for why it's hard to find such gamers...I'd think the average Joe could be naively ignorant and only consumes, not actively participates not just in video games but in other hobbies and in life in general...
 

thief183

Member
I would love to answer some of the posts, but it is gonna take a while and already many of you took this way more personally than I like.

I see a lot of ppl that seriusely felt attacked by my thread while in reality it totally wasn't my objective.

But what about SNES/Genesis/Neogeo/Saturn/Gameboy/PsOne/PSVita?

See? Same thing. You're not hardcore enough. :messenger_sunglasses:

Well, never said I'm a collector even tho I admit I have a Megadrive, a SNES an NES, but they are not probably working anymore.
 
state of the art machine, I love my hobby, I love the games, I love the tech, I love the hardware. I saved money to buy the best mouse around
sorry, can't stop laughing at your state-of-the-art 60s input :messenger_tears_of_joy:

do you still walk/run in games by pushing a digital key too just like the NES? Does the haptic feedback make your mouse squeak? :messenger_tears_of_joy:

pc: the best graphics money can buy, the most outdated controls. Good thing consoles can lend you a hand.
 

thief183

Member
Where is your classic PC and CRT monitor?
Do you have retro consoles?
Do you even own (or even know what is) an OSSC or Retrotink5x?
Do you know about video signals (types, phase shift, sync, jailbars)?
What is your knowledge of gaming history?
Have you even written a shader, used a game engine or written you’re own game from scratch?
Do you have any VR hardware at all?
You talk about challenge, but do you even appreciate narrative in games?
Do you know anything about game design?
Where is your Mister setup?
Do you understand the difference between FPGA and software emulation?

This thread reeks of PC elitism. “Look how fast my processor and graphics card is!!! I’m the bestest evar!!!” Everyone gets into their hobby in different ways. Not everyone does everything. You mention car hobbyists aren’t like this; There is a big difference between someone that restores classic cars and someone that tunes their car for the race track. I think you’re a little short sighted on how diverse the hobby you think you’re a pro at is.

That's a lot of questions.

I got 5 classic PCs (need them for work)
As I said I got retro console but I don't play them anymore
I know what it is but I don't own one
I know a lot (not everything) about video signals (again mostly for work than for gaming)
I know a lot of gaming history, not an expert but depends on the argument
I did at the university, my tesis was on a way different way to load asset on a VR game engine.
I got an Oculus Dev1, Dev2 and the first retail... I don't use them much cause I'm really sensitive to it (makes me feel sick)
Nope I skip majority of the non RPG story in videogames.
As I said yes...
?
Nope, I mean I know what it is but never studied or got interested in it.

There are you answers, and still I don't understand why many of you got triggered so hard.
 

thief183

Member
sorry, can't stop laughing at your state-of-the-art 60s input :messenger_tears_of_joy:

do you still walk/run in games by pushing a digital key too just like the NES? Does the haptic feedback make your mouse squeak? :messenger_tears_of_joy:

pc: the best graphics money can buy, the most outdated controls. Good thing consoles can lend you a hand.

I see you didn't have the time to read my other posts, I go all the consoles you want, and playing an FPS with a joypad in a competitive enviroment is useless, also haptic feedback is a useless gimmick.
 

Pull n Pray

Banned
1. I really doubt that gamers know less about their hobby than the average hobbyist.
2. You conflate knowledge of gaming with desire for challenge. A lot of game developers don't like to play games on the hardest difficulty.
3. If this trivial shit makes you angry, then you are on your way to becoming a bitter, miserable person.
 

MetalRain

Member
I think I understand what you are saying. I love games and gaming, I learned my craft (software) by trying to create games, I have PC, multiple consoles and even nonsensical gaming peripherals VR, Hotas, TrackIR. I follow gaming news and at least try many games in the market. I am gaming enthusiast.

But gaming is more than that. There are those that have one or two main games, like Counter Strike, Solitaire, Sims or Fifa. There are people who play games as they do watch movies, maybe few a year. There are games that create communities like Minecraft, World of Warcraft and many others. There is competitive gaming with big audiences and rewards. There are all these streaming and VOD content producers and their communities.

I wish gaming will be all that and more in the future.
 
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Faithless83

Banned
I would love to answer some of the posts, but it is gonna take a while and already many of you took this way more personally than I like.

I see a lot of ppl that seriusely felt attacked by my thread while in reality it totally wasn't my objective.
Because your post sounded entitled and high horse AF. Not everyone has the money to have a top notch computer, or even if they do, it's hard to find parts lately. Same as current gen consoles.
Well, never said I'm a collector even tho I admit I have a Megadrive, a SNES an NES, but they are not probably working anymore.
Yet you made it sound like everyone who doesn't understand the tech or don't have a 3080 is not a gamer.

I.e. like a "PCMR gamer".
 

Zeroing

Banned
I don’t have time to read all the posts, did we agree on anything? Are we or not a strange group?

Are we one group or multiple sub groups, fighting eachother over games, brands etc?

can we agree that gamers like to argue on the internet and are very passionate about our hobby!?
 
A Good friend of mine has always played on easy, which is a direct contrast to me because I personally get a new game and jack the difficulty up.

Then he wants to have these long discussions about how he beat the game so much faster then me and im like bro...you had half the enemies/shit going on gunning for you :messenger_tears_of_joy: . Different strokes for different folks man, everyone should enjoy gaming the way they wanna enjoy it - in my opinion thats what makes it special.
 

thief183

Member
I don’t have time to read all the posts, did we agree on anything? Are we or not a strange group?

Are we one group or multiple sub groups, fighting eachother over games, brands etc?

can we agree that gamers like to argue on the internet and are very passionate about our hobby!?

Long story short, we don't agree on anything :D

Someone took my post in a personal way, other understodt what I was trying to say.
 

thief183

Member
1. I really doubt that gamers know less about their hobby than the average hobbyist.
2. You conflate knowledge of gaming with desire for challenge. A lot of game developers don't like to play games on the hardest difficulty.
3. If this trivial shit makes you angry, then you are on your way to becoming a bitter, miserable person.

What made you think I'm angry? (This is actually an honest question cause I'm not native english speacker and sometimes the tone doesn't come out as I expect)
 

GymWolf

Member
I think console players have different interests, for example while a pc gamer can watch a 1h mouse and keyboard comparison the console gamer prefer to watch an 1h documentary about the soundtrack or the level design of a game.

Console players are less interested in the hardware and more about the games, except maybe when some new console get revealed and there is the usual spec war inside forums.

But maybe i'm talking out of my ass, every individual is different.
 

BdazmedPrim

Neo Member
The term "Gamers" has a bad reputation associated with it. Pretty much always had. However, it has evolved over time from one negative stereotype to the next.

Edit:
Just read some of the stuff you mentioned OP, and it pretty much reinforces my beliefs. And this is why some people don't like being labeled as a gamer. It's a hobby, chill out. Don't have to be 100% invested. It's a hobby after all.
Yep and most of it, people that massive fun of something hasn't good reputation too, because of looking strange and otherworldly like Einstein
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Console distributors took notice of casual gamers and thought they’d kill pc gaming.
 

engstra

Member
I play a lot of video games and love the medium, following gaming news and announcements etc. but I would not call myself a gamer. That has always had really negative and elitist connotations in my eyes. As long as you can try and experience loads of different type of games and stories, who cares what specs you have? That's a big deterrent to get more people invested in the medium.
Nothing worse as a kid than buying a PC game only to put it into your machine at home and find out it didn't work. Stuck to console ever since. In general there's just a more relaxed vibe to it, more about the games rather than how powerful the box is. I say the more "casual" and accessible the medium can get the better.
 

evolvaer

Banned
In any other Hobby there is a kinda of a rule that you want to know every aspect of that hobby, I'll make an example.

If someone love running with cars or love cars in general 9 times out of 10 they know how the engine works, wich breaks are better and most of the time they know every single aspect of the "racing" anvironment. Same could be said for example for Chees players, a real hobbist in chees know the name of the champions, knows the movsets and all the stuff that ... I don't know cause I don't play it...

This "rule" can be applied almost to everything, but not on videogames.

In our Hobby most of the people is just ok with playing it, they don't care for what mouse you use, the response time, how graphics technology works, they just play.

I mean there are ppl that play games at the easy level!?!?!? When I'll have to do it I'll just stop playing :)

And this pisses me off :D

My PC is a state of the art machine, I love my hobby, I love the games, I love the tech, I love the hardware. I saved money to buy the best mouse around, the best keyboard, the best Videocard and everything else, I keep it clean and don't install any bloataware of any type.

Gaming is my hobby and I want to know everything about it, it is not even an expensive one compared to other stuff (cars or coins for example).

Why do you think is so hard to find someone so "into" in this hobby?
because you sound like an elitist.

People want to enjoy a thing without it being a dick measuring contest. And I say that because inevitably if you are so passionate and certain you know and have the best stuff about your hobby, that is going to clash with other people who have the same mind set as you.

Some people enjoy the thing and are open to others enjoying it. You put a value judgement and gate keep it. No one likes that. It sounds like being a vegan or a religion at that point.
 
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GeorgPrime

Banned
In any other Hobby there is a kinda of a rule that you want to know every aspect of that hobby, I'll make an example.

If someone love running with cars or love cars in general 9 times out of 10 they know how the engine works, wich breaks are better and most of the time they know every single aspect of the "racing" anvironment. Same could be said for example for Chees players, a real hobbist in chees know the name of the champions, knows the movsets and all the stuff that ... I don't know cause I don't play it...

This "rule" can be applied almost to everything, but not on videogames.

In our Hobby most of the people is just ok with playing it, they don't care for what mouse you use, the response time, how graphics technology works, they just play.

I mean there are ppl that play games at the easy level!?!?!? When I'll have to do it I'll just stop playing :)

And this pisses me off :D

My PC is a state of the art machine, I love my hobby, I love the games, I love the tech, I love the hardware. I saved money to buy the best mouse around, the best keyboard, the best Videocard and everything else, I keep it clean and don't install any bloataware of any type.

Gaming is my hobby and I want to know everything about it, it is not even an expensive one compared to other stuff (cars or coins for example).

Why do you think is so hard to find someone so "into" in this hobby?

Wait until you meet a dedicated "Woke" group then you are happy to be a gamer.
 
I agree with some of the more recent posts.

The awesome thing about NeoGAF is that there's minimal/no "gatekeeping" bullshit. If you love video games, you are welcome here. Hell, even if you're just curious about games at arm's length/periphery, you're very much welcome here.

It is possible to want to learn more about a hobby (in our case, video games) and get our personal satisfaction without becoming elitist assholes or engaging in any sort of bullshit gatekeeping.

If someone enjoys playing on Easy mode, as long as they're happy, who cares? If someone is playing at 30fps with drops, but is enjoying the game, who cares? They are equally qualified to share their happiness/enthusiasm as someone that only plays Dark Souls on their RTX 3090.
 

Killer8

Member
There's no greater example of why gatekeeping is a good thing than Resetera.

Gatekeep your hobbies folks, or your'll lose them to the rabble once there's enough of them to make demands.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Gamers aren't "a group", any more than people who drive cars are. Most people who drive a car don't know shit about how cars work.
 
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