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[hey_monkey]

I suppose then the argument shifts to "well how do you define what level of interest qualifies you to call yourself a gamer or car enthusiast or whatever". I am not in any position to make any claims or set boundaries here. What I will say is that I think there is a difference between someone who identifies as a a gamer, and someone who happens to play games. 'Hardcore' and 'casual' are terms that shouldn't even exist. I view calling yourself a gamer almost like people who are willing to self-identify as a film buff or movie lover. The self-identification is a very big part of it, and I feel that if you are willing to go out of your way to call yourself something, I expect you must have some wider interest in the subject that goes beyond the populist level.

Where the gamer gurlz fall down is that they make it an integral part of their lifestyle and self-identify as a gamer, but have a pretty limited pedigree to back it up. And by pedigree, I don't mean expecting obscure Japanese games like Jim said, but the ability to actually talk about the who, what, where, when, why of their gaming. I almost picture gamer gurlz like a person saying they're a film buff but who only watches blockbusters like Transformers and Fast & Furious. When you factor in the sex appeal, especially with how the gamer culture is predominantly male, it instantly becomes a lot more understandable why they are doing this.

I want to agree with this, because I believe the argument with film buff vs. someone who only watches blockbusters is an interesting one... however, using that Facebook post as an example, I'm not sure I can agree. It sounds like a good comparison on the surface, but a guy who said his favorite games were BSI, WW, Skyrim, Gears, etc., might be judged on taste but wouldn't be questioned as a gamer. The response that girl got, however, is unfortunately common. Maybe not here, but too often, instead of "you've got shit taste," girls get "OH LOL YOU JUST PLAYED THOSE CUZ UR BF DID" or "LOL CASUAL" or are accused of faking being gamers. I've been gaming for years, I've been hearing it for years, and at this point it just rolls off, but it's still annoying as hell.

 

[casabolg]

It sounds like a good comparison on the surface, but a guy who said his favorite games were BSI, WW, Skyrim, Gears, etc., might be judged on taste but wouldn't be questioned as a gamer.

What you should note in that picture is while he says "not a gamer" once games are mentioned from the woman he calls her a "casual", which is short for "casual gamer" and despite that he says it proves his points, implying the original "gamer" he mentioned is not someone who is casual but a "real gamer". The point Scissors made is correct. The main problem with the picture is the point of making it gender specific in the first place and that incredibly stupid attack at the end. The rest is just normal fanboy fighting about who's the bigger fanboy that you get everywhere.

Also it's impossible to note what would happen if a man did this. I'm willing to think he'd get considered a casual all the same.

 

[hey_monkey]

Yes, it's casual vs not casual, real/not real, etc., but the fact that it starts and end as a gendered argument is a problem, and a not uncommon one women face when talking about gaming. It's that extra prong that goes beyond "oh, you're not hardcore" and becomes "oh, you're not hardcore and can't be because you're a girl and what you've played will never matter." With people who think that way, the answer doesn't change anything. It will always be "wrong." I'm not disagreeing with you or with the post I quoted. What I'm saying is that the film buff vs. casual movie watcher argument only really correlates to the hardcore vs. not hardcore argument (and then it's a limited analogy for a lot of reasons that are sideways to the discussion).