_Alkaline_
Member
Pyrokai said:
Do you?
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The 'gamer' term has negative connotations, don't you think?
- Thread starter Boss Doggie
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Do you?
whatsinaname
Member
'A Player of Games' sounds more Cultured.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
MCXC Pioneer said:
Yeah, mainstream ruined it - and it was doing fine back then.
Correctomundo
Member
I'm taking it back.
That's really just "people", regardless of moniker. You'll find people with those tendencies within any larger group, and their labelling or area of interest is more or less secondary to that behavior.Ookami-kun said:
And by extension, you'll find those very people hamfistedly trying to infuse the word "gamer" with more connotations than there are to it, with agendas like degradation and notions of entitlement. "Not a real gamer" "non-gamer" "casual gamer" "hardcore gamer", all given attributes devised to belittle. "Gamer" as a term is certainly somewhat silly, but it exists as a shorthand to refer to what is still a sub-set of the mainstream and popular culture. Once the significance of being a person who plays a game goes away - and that's simply a matter of time - the term will become meaningless. If you regard it as meaningless already then perhaps "useless" is a better description, because right now, there is still a reasonable use for it.
Chances are that it'll always retain a form of nostalgic meaning or enthusiast value that will have people fondly refer to themselves as gamers of course, but eventually, embuing it with negative associations will be utterly irrelevant, and the joke will firmly reside on top of the one that did.
SuperAngelo64
Banned
Ookami-kun said:
Uh... what?! This is absolutely nothing like the stereotype of a gamer.
They're usually liberal/progressive to a fault, meek and awkward, opinionated but introverted, and cliquey. I also wouldn't say 'egotistic' so much as I would say 'elitist', since the generalization is that gamers have self-esteem issues.
Your description might exist in some alternate reality fantasy where 'gamers' are seen as alpha males.
I think anytime someone takes some aspect of an individual, codifies it so that another person may define themselves by this idea is ultimately reductive. It's easy how a person redefining themselves to become something less then complete can be seen as a negative. Reductions, however, makes fine sauces.
When I play games, I'm a gamer.
When I read a book, I'm a reader.
When I watch a movie or tele, I'm a viewer.
When I drive a car, I'm in a wreck.
These have as much power as you give to them and quite honestly I give no credence to such things except to describe the activity in which I or someone else is doing. If someone asks me if I play games or am a gamer, I'll say sometimes. It's not what I am all the time so I don't treat it as such.
Now if you do see "Gamer" as a full and strong term and it matters to you strongly, that's fine. There will be negative connotation to that just like every term for most any activity will. To work against it, take pride in the term and use it in a positive way. If someone asks if you are a gamer and feel secure about it, smile after uttering that you are and treat it as something that makes you happy. It's not much, but it helps and it could spread.
When you call yourself a gamer, act as a nice person and try not to be like that Tossing comic or look down upon others because they don't "game" like you do.
Even if it doesn't catch on in your local area, it at least you aren't spreading the negative connotations.
When I read a book, I'm a reader.
When I watch a movie or tele, I'm a viewer.
When I drive a car, I'm in a wreck.
These have as much power as you give to them and quite honestly I give no credence to such things except to describe the activity in which I or someone else is doing. If someone asks me if I play games or am a gamer, I'll say sometimes. It's not what I am all the time so I don't treat it as such.
Now if you do see "Gamer" as a full and strong term and it matters to you strongly, that's fine. There will be negative connotation to that just like every term for most any activity will. To work against it, take pride in the term and use it in a positive way. If someone asks if you are a gamer and feel secure about it, smile after uttering that you are and treat it as something that makes you happy. It's not much, but it helps and it could spread.
When you call yourself a gamer, act as a nice person and try not to be like that Tossing comic or look down upon others because they don't "game" like you do.
Even if it doesn't catch on in your local area, it at least you aren't spreading the negative connotations.
I think that a large part of the stigma's been removed thanks to wide-net mainstream stuff, but there's still a lingering stigma in two parts: the people who absolutely abhor videogames and consider them, in these specific words, "a waste of time," while the other stigma is the behavior of the "hardcore gamer," whether that be the average XBL user *with a mic* (and whatever the various demographics within their pool of users entails), or even GAF's very own (and online forums in general).
Sadly, until Microsoft, specifically, realizes how mishandled and broken the "automatchmaking" system actually is, we won't see any change in this particular regard. I say this in respect to the classic lobby system, or more specifically, fluctuating skill rank-based matchmaking (e.g. SOCOM II), or lack thereof. But I'm getting off-track, here.
Personally, I presently consider myself a "gamer," but I couldn't say the same a few months back when I abhored the term.
What I find interesting is that the term "gamer" actually means very different things to different age groups, such as individuals who are 70 or 80 years old, who consider "gamer" to be another name for a gambler.
Its the 12 year old who's at his height of douchiness and swearing, yelling at his mom for chocolate milk. Its the 16 year old who hits on every girl gamer he comes across, offering everything from pictures of his penis to trying to send a friend request. Its the 19 year old who makes misogynistic remarks every chance he gets. Its the 25 year old who never grew up and still talks like he was 14 just yesterday, throwing swears and slurs every which way. Its the 30 year old with his grizzled racist views and questioning every female gamer whether she's a little boy or a girl, but in a creepy deep voice.
And that's the men.
Sadly, until Microsoft, specifically, realizes how mishandled and broken the "automatchmaking" system actually is, we won't see any change in this particular regard. I say this in respect to the classic lobby system, or more specifically, fluctuating skill rank-based matchmaking (e.g. SOCOM II), or lack thereof. But I'm getting off-track, here.
Personally, I presently consider myself a "gamer," but I couldn't say the same a few months back when I abhored the term.
What I find interesting is that the term "gamer" actually means very different things to different age groups, such as individuals who are 70 or 80 years old, who consider "gamer" to be another name for a gambler.
The OP is specifically referring to the online XBL gamer stereotype. That's not to say that this is exclusive to the XBL demographic, but its the most prominent and most recent.SuperAngelo64 said:
Its the 12 year old who's at his height of douchiness and swearing, yelling at his mom for chocolate milk. Its the 16 year old who hits on every girl gamer he comes across, offering everything from pictures of his penis to trying to send a friend request. Its the 19 year old who makes misogynistic remarks every chance he gets. Its the 25 year old who never grew up and still talks like he was 14 just yesterday, throwing swears and slurs every which way. Its the 30 year old with his grizzled racist views and questioning every female gamer whether she's a little boy or a girl, but in a creepy deep voice.
And that's the men.
Always-honest
Banned
Nothing is more anti social than reading a book.
If anything, gaming has become increasingly more social over the past ten years.
If anything, gaming has become increasingly more social over the past ten years.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Always-honest said:
See previous posts.
Also, like I said, gaming has become so social, that it is able to create a new negativity, like eschewing people who are outside of their circle (i.e. fighting game fans)
Always-honest
Banned
not much to find really.. but i think the term gamer is kinda silly anyway. It's just one form of entertainment to choose from. I love co-op, and i can still talk to the people in the room while doing it. They can also join in with certain games.Ookami-kun said:
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Always-honest said:
I was talking about how I didn't say gaming isn't anti-social anymore, yet it added plenty of things that give bad connotations to it.
Always-honest
Banned
Ah okay.Ookami-kun said:
All the other ones seem a bit weird to me. I don't hear other people saying these things.
TheExplodingHead
Banned
Ookami-kun said:
So you're presenting the argument that because over the past two generations gaming has become increasingly "pro-social" or sometimes only social...that within those groups there is animosity and or disgust for other people (and gamers) who play differently from them?
If so, that's just basic humanism. That happens everywhere and always has, even in gamings' past.
robor
Member
Well, I don't know what it means to the gaming community to call one self a gamer anymore but outside of this I think anyone who is intelligent and free-thinking might actually find that term more fascinating than something negative or what ever else.
I mean our society in this modern age is built on filtering our world through gross generalizations and stereotypes (thanks in due part to the media) and that the individual is more of a farce concerning these allegations.
Because the individual really helps to define the word itself and what it means to them. They being the observer can see it for what that terms means when observing the person at hand AS an individual and thus being able to find that who they are observing will see that when they use such a term, it can mean something entirely different to what is widely known.
The negative connotations come from what we collectively perceive this word to be. It requires more pattern recognition and more attention with the finer details on what makes a "gamer" a "gamer". The only way to see these details is to observe the individual at hand and find out what constitutes their interests in gaming.
I mean our society in this modern age is built on filtering our world through gross generalizations and stereotypes (thanks in due part to the media) and that the individual is more of a farce concerning these allegations.
Because the individual really helps to define the word itself and what it means to them. They being the observer can see it for what that terms means when observing the person at hand AS an individual and thus being able to find that who they are observing will see that when they use such a term, it can mean something entirely different to what is widely known.
The negative connotations come from what we collectively perceive this word to be. It requires more pattern recognition and more attention with the finer details on what makes a "gamer" a "gamer". The only way to see these details is to observe the individual at hand and find out what constitutes their interests in gaming.
Sniper McBlaze
Member
I think the terms "game" and "gamer" killed themselves. Games have evolved beyond being just a quick fix to make the time go faster waiting for something more important to do. Games have the ability to make people feel emotions in the same extent that books and movies can. I think it even has the potential to surpass them. "Games" sounds so negative, like we only play them to get entertained.
What games need is a new term, someting that doesn't scream lazy, immature and shallow.
What games need is a new term, someting that doesn't scream lazy, immature and shallow.
I don't think you can lump all fighting game fans into one type of category, everyone knows there's at least 9 types of fighting gamers.
I see what you're saying tho because a lot of competitive players are like "I'M GDLK. YOU'RE FREE." They've sort of homogenized into this Sabin/Yipes/Gootecks/Mike Ross hybrid where they can get really annoying and boring (no offense to those specific guys, anyone dickriding and trying to be like anyone is annoying), but yeah I don't think it has a lot to do with the term "gamer."
I see what you're saying tho because a lot of competitive players are like "I'M GDLK. YOU'RE FREE." They've sort of homogenized into this Sabin/Yipes/Gootecks/Mike Ross hybrid where they can get really annoying and boring (no offense to those specific guys, anyone dickriding and trying to be like anyone is annoying), but yeah I don't think it has a lot to do with the term "gamer."
slopeslider said:
I think it's perfectly legitimate to simply not care what others think -- for the most part, I don't either. If that's your position, that's great (I mean that).
This thread happens to be about public perception, though. I think there is a very different perception of a movie like Spirited Away and a game like Gears of War. Spirited Away is a fantastic example of what I'm talking about: people no longer think of all cartoons as universally childish. I think most people think of Spirited Away (if they've heard of it) as a sophisticated film. I think most people realize Wall E is largely, if not majoratively, for adults. And Up. And Simpsons. And so forth.
Thus, people are willing to see cartoons as "for adults." If people think Spongebob, as an example, is for children, the reason isn't that it's a cartoon -- the reason is that Sponebob is, indeed, for children. Similarly, videogames are no longer universally seen as "for nerds" or "for kids." Wii Fit isn't. Tetris isn't. Chess isn't, and so forth.
The reason Gears of War (using your example) is seen as childish isn't because it's a video game -- the reason is that the game really is largely for young, male teens. That's the perception, anyway. So the difference between Gears of War (perceived as childish) and Spirited Away (perceived as "for adults,") clearly demonstrates the point I'm trying to make.
But as you said, you absolutely don't have to care what other people think. That's a completely reasonable position.
the term "gamer" can't really be compared to anything in other forms of entertainment. It is closer (read; the same as) to something like "skater" where there is a sub-culture that revolves around an activity filled by people who's primary defining characteristic is their involvement in that sub-culture. You can ride a skateboard without being a skater and you can play games without being a gamer. It's entirely a self-diagnosis.
When people call themselves a gamer I think of them as someone who's main interest in life is video games to such a degree that other hobbies/activities/interests become tremendously secondary.
When people call themselves a gamer I think of them as someone who's main interest in life is video games to such a degree that other hobbies/activities/interests become tremendously secondary.
Gamer rolls off the tongue easier than Game Player, so why do you guys feel bad about it? It's not reasonable to hate the term just because Movier and booker don't exist. Why do we always wait for other mediums to make something up so we can adopt it?
English aint my 1st or 2nd language so I never heard anyone use it in real life. Perhaps this is a cultural thing and I shouldn't butt in.
English aint my 1st or 2nd language so I never heard anyone use it in real life. Perhaps this is a cultural thing and I shouldn't butt in.
Best post in this thread.Brobzoid said:
There's movie buff and music lover. Not too sure but there is probably a word for people who enjoy reading.kasavin said:
On the topic of the OP, "gamer" does have negative connotations. Gaming as a hobby is still looked down upon in the States in general. It's nice to play video games every now and then but in this society saying something like, "Oh, I just watched 8 hours of movies yesterday." Is perfectly acceptable while saying, "Oh, I just played 8 hours of video games." Still garners the "lol nerd, get a life" response from the general public.
Conciliator
Banned
Despera said:
The effect that media can have on a word cannot be overstated...it's really incredible. As you say, 'gamer' should just be a description of a person who plays games. Pretty simple, right? But its use on the internet, on TV, in the media and elsewhere has given it huge secondary meanings and associations. That's why you see the distaste here for a word that should be extremely straight-forward. I imagine you have examples of this in your native tongue...it ain't unique to American English, I'm sure
sixteen-bit
Member
I blame the film with that dude from 300
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
Gamer used to be fine but now everyone's a gamer to an extent so its meaning is useless.
The One and Done™
Member
When muggles think of gamers they tend to think of people who have no life, no meaningful relationships, no social skills and limited physical proficiency. It's a negative team. But I really don't care. In highschool, I was in advanced studies and captain of the football term. People always called me the smart jock, but it was demeaning, like saying a small elephant. But whatevs, I'm happily married and have a handful of very close friends. I can play videos games for hours and hours. But I do other things that make me happy as well, like masturbate 
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I blame dudebros!
But seriously, yeah. The mainstream media ruined the word.
But seriously, yeah. The mainstream media ruined the word.
StalkerUKCG
Banned
If i was to class myself as anything it would be a hardcore gamer. Now before people jump on me about this wait.
My main hobby is gaming, im not professinal i dont make money from this but the same way as a avid cyclist would call them selves such i would call myself a gamer.
I class myself a hardcore gamer because i feel we are at a point where the term gamer has become and umbrella term. We now have sub-categories that people fall into . Social gamer, Casual Gamers, Hardcore gamers ect.
The way i see hardcore gamers are people who are very invested in games, not the COD Everyman or the facebook gamer but someone who not only pays attention to the fine qualities of games such as textures, animations ect but someone who immerses themselves in the lore, the plot and the character.
Maybe im romanticising it a tad but what other way can people like me describe themselves. The dicitonary has hardcore as committed and id say at the level im talking about it sums "us" up pretty well. Where committedm be it to franchises, developers or games in general.
We take gaming more seriously than the vast majority.
My main hobby is gaming, im not professinal i dont make money from this but the same way as a avid cyclist would call them selves such i would call myself a gamer.
I class myself a hardcore gamer because i feel we are at a point where the term gamer has become and umbrella term. We now have sub-categories that people fall into . Social gamer, Casual Gamers, Hardcore gamers ect.
The way i see hardcore gamers are people who are very invested in games, not the COD Everyman or the facebook gamer but someone who not only pays attention to the fine qualities of games such as textures, animations ect but someone who immerses themselves in the lore, the plot and the character.
Maybe im romanticising it a tad but what other way can people like me describe themselves. The dicitonary has hardcore as committed and id say at the level im talking about it sums "us" up pretty well. Where committedm be it to franchises, developers or games in general.
We take gaming more seriously than the vast majority.
D
Deleted member 81567
Unconfirmed Member
I think you're just taking useless terms seriously.StalkerUKCG said:
StalkerUKCG
Banned
Each to their own, if someone called them selves a guitarist because they had devoted a lot of time and practice to playing a guitar would that be a useless term, its a helpful way to identify yourself. Obviously we are all different but alot of us do similar things and to people outside the circle of subject knowledge how better would you describe yourself?Dr Eggman said:
Some one who enjoys games and gamer is just splitting hairs. The terms are interchangeable they both put across the desired point, if you have to break the catagory down you have different types of gamers or different types of people who enjoy games.
Obviously i dont meet people and greet them with "hey im craig, 21, hardcore gamer" but if the topic comes up i would say im commited to my passion, maybe i wouldnt use the term hardcore because it creates an idea that im something im not. (hardcore to a lot of people is someone unappealing to say the least)but im conveying the same thing.
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