Whats wrong with the term "Gamer"?

[Pinko Marx]

I posted this in the thread about the Leigh Alexander thread, but no one seemed to pay attention. I figure this is a big enough topic to warrant its own thread. Its also something that has been on my mind, and with that recent article, is ever more relevant.

I don't see the issue with the term "Gamer". Every subculture has a term that describes people who are apart of it. People who are way into books are called "Bookworms". There are Metal Heads, Grease Monkeys , Sneaker Heads, Weeaboos, Film Buffs, and so on.
Gaming is a big enough thing that those who follow the industry, and who game more than others also need a term to describe them. Gamer might be a bit of a simple term, but its what we have and has seen enough widespread use that changing it now would be an exercise in futility.
I feel like the negative connotations that have been ascribed to it are just people throwing their own personal bias onto the term. I simply see a Gamer as one who delves a bit deeper into the culture than others, someone that knows who knows the big names in the industry, might have a favorite director, someone that might be able to dissect what makes certain games work, and why others don't.
Sure, there are people within the culture that are...Well, that are just terrible people all around. But I think people will be dicks, and no matter where you are, or what subculture you are into you will run into these folk. I don't feel like because these people exist within the gaming culture we need to distance ourselves from the term that describes us, we just need to label those people as dicks and keep it moving.

Edit: To clarify, I don't see the term "Gamer" as simple as "One who plays games". A "Gamer" is one who follows the industry and culture. Your mom who plays Candy Crush isn't a gamer. She just plays games. Someone that only plays Madden is not a gamer. Someone that only plays CoD casually is not a gamer. A gamer is one that goes deeper into the culture.

 

[PartTimeWarrior]

If someone tells me they're a gamer I won't shake their hand. It's probably caked with Doritos dust and wet with Mountain Dew

 

[That Wont Fit In There]

I never minded the term gamer and never will. I consider myself a gamer and that's that.

 

[UrbanRats]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

 

[Deft Beck]

It has an odd connotation to it. It's also a very broad label.

 

[Ramza]

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it's a term that's gotten a lot of bad press lately and people want to distance themselves from that. It's extremely broad, too. Way too broad for a good classification.

 

[ponpo]

If someone claims to be a "gamer" I view them as an invalid unless preceded by "rhythm" or "arcade".

 

[PaulloDEC]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

That's my understanding. Some people worry about being lumped in with others if they use the term.

It doesn't bother me. I play games, thus I'm a gamer.

 

[Kurita]

Weaboo isn't really what people into Japanese stuff like to be called since it's always used in a negative way.

 

[BetaTeaser]

Anyone who thinks people who play videogames belong in the same category as the misogynistic outliers who have been so vocal lately, is a terrible person.

 

[GolazoDan]

Nothing. It's just a word. You'd describe yourself as a reader if you read books, people who watch TV shows and movies are viewers (broad term so unlikely to be used to describe yourself), people who play sports are players (works doubly for footballers). Just as none of those terms are tarnished by a percentage that are dickheads, "gamer" shouldn't be either.

Terms like core gamer, girl gamer etc. are a bit wanky though just because they sound like marketing speak. I'd never use those terms in a natural conversation.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it's a term that's gotten a lot of bad press lately and people want to distance themselves from that. It's extremely broad, too. Way too broad for a good classification.

A rose by any other name is a rose just the same. No matter what name we stick to "people who are apart of the gaming culture" there will be people who are shitty that are also apart of it. Its unavoidable.

It has an odd connotation to it. It's also a very broad label.

Gaming is a very broad thing. As is music. Thats why there are subcultures within the subculture. There are people that are way more into Pokemon than I ever will be. There are those that know the in's an out's of The Elder Scrolls games more than anyone else. There are Speedrunners, WoW people, Ultima Fanatics, etc. etc.

 

[Anung]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

I wish I got the memo on when gamer was high jacked. I consider myself a gamer due to being a gaming enthusiast and I don't see Leigh Alexander making a compelling argument (her article wasn't great) as to it meaning other wise. Other than her pushing her own agenda against a stereotype.

 

[Luna Sy]

Because if there's a negative stigma attached to a certain word, don't try to address the negative stigma. Just come up with a different word.

 

[acti]

I really don't care if I'm a geek, gamer or whatever name the GAMING JOURNALISTS call me. But saying that the term "gamer" is dead and that we, the people on play videogames, should not embrace that term, is fuckin bullshit.

 

[TheHall]

If someone wants to identify themselves through their hobby, that is their call.

I do not want anyone to identify me through my hobby.

There are people who are the living stereotype of the "gamer" and that is often not a flattering image. I think the men and women who enjoy playing a game every now and then, would prefer not to be associated with that stereo type.

I sometimes meet the stereotypical gamer, and even through a small aspect of our interests overlap, i try to hide my interest because all conversation tends to be railroaded into a single topic, which is fucking annoying.

Either way, labelling is weird, but feel free if you want to label yourself, it doesn't bother me.

 

[Valjean Lafitte]

Everything is wrong with it. The term "gaming" was already used by hunters, there was no need for it to be co-opted by another group.

 

[Pinko Marx]

Anyone who thinks people who play videogames belong in the same category as the misogynistic outliers who have been so vocal lately, is a terrible person.

Do these misogynists follow gaming culture as those who aren't do? Then they are all apart of the same group. Those misogynists just get an "asshole" qualifier attached to that.

 

[acti]

Fuckin Bullshit.

FEMINIST GAMERS UNITE!!!

 

[GavinUK86]

nothing.

i play games, therefore i am a gamer. i read books, therefore i am a bookworm etc, etc.

end of.

 

[KelpPlankton]

People who call themselves gamers are usually trying to erect a barrier between them and "non-gamers" so they can exclude people that don't fit their particular idea of someone who deserves to play video games or be involved in discussing them.

You see a lot of this with iOS or Android games. They're "not real games", and if you play them primarily you're not allowed to be a "gamer".

Minecraft is a great example of this. When it was relatively unknown, it was "for the hardcore", it was "for gamers", but then it became popular and found a very large target audience in young children and suddenly it's "casual" and "doesn't count" so you can't be a "gamer" if you primarily play Minecraft.

It's always been a moving hoop to jump through to be allowed to participate in discussion about video games, and anyone who can't jump through it is generally not allowed to have a voice, shouted down, or threatened with violence.

 

[Freeman]

Playing games is wrong. It causes you to become aggressive, violent, antisocial, misogynistic, fat, its messes with your sent of style, it covers you with Doritos dust, essentially it turns you into a caricature, its just not worth the risk.

 

[Dawg]

I'm no gamer.

I'm a dawg.

 

[Renzoku]

Nothing. Some people are insecure about it, and lash out, and some people who are already socially inept use it inanely. It's no different than any other label and how those labels are used/misused.

 

[VanquishUK]

Nothing. People are oversensitive.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Nothing.

That the question even needs to be asked is pretty absurd.

 

[Pinko Marx]

If someone wants to identify themselves through their hobby, that is their call.

I do not want anyone to identify me through my hobby.

There are people who are the living stereotype of the "gamer" and that is often not a flattering image. I think the men and women who enjoy playing a game every now and then, would prefer not to be associated with that stereo type.

I sometimes meet the stereotypical gamer, and even through a small aspect of our interests overlap, i try to hide my interest because all conversation tends to be railroaded into a single topic, which is fucking annoying.

Either way, labelling is weird, but feel free if you want to label yourself, it doesn't bother me.

I see myself as a gamer. But there are many more facets to me as well. Gaming is just one thing I do. It is not my sole identity, nor should it be anyone else's, but it is one subculture I am apart of.
Labeling, I feel, is a natural part of the human thought process. Grouping things together helps us identify.

 

[Gaus]

If someone asked me if I was a gamer, I would say yes. If someone asked my mother who plays candy crush and bubble witch more hours a day than I can count, if she's a gamer, she would say no.

I don't know why i wrote that.

 

[Señor Coyote]

There's nothing wrong with it. If anything it's a super inclusive all encompassing word that covers anybody boy or girl, straight or gay, white or black, young or old. If you enjoy games then you're a gamer.

 

[MisterHero]

The chief complainer from the article in that other thread failed to identify specific people who send death threats and start hate campaigns. So they're going after a whole audience becuase screw solving real problems.

 

[GolazoDan]

Because if there's a negative stigma attached to a certain word, don't try to address the negative stigma. Just come up with a different word.

Yup. I remember this debate on the Hotspot years ago and their counter-argument was "why give it a label, why can't we just be people who play video games". That's not really how language works though.

Plus, say we all say "right, gamers are disavowed from our great gaming union." The elite group of nice people will now be called gamezillas. What happens when the gamezillas get corrupted by the scum? Bin that too? The solution's for more people to self-identify as gamers and change the perception as a whole, and that's not something that happens overnight.

 

[we.are.the.armada]

Reader
Viewer
Listener
Player
Diner
Gamer

Maybe people are too sensitive? I dunno, it's a rather ordinary word so I'm not sure why it's pejorative.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

nothing- people need to get a life.

you commute to work:you are a commuter
you drive a car:you are a driver
you play videogames:you are a gamer

 

[Zukuu]

Personally I don't have much of a problem with it, but I can see how it's has become a bad term.

"Gamer" is a marketing term used to put you in a box. If you agree with that, maybe you can stop reading right here and never use the word again. But let's continue for the rest of us.

What other media uses a single term to describe its audience? Movies use movie-goer, viewing public, or for enthusiasts, cinephiles. The printed word uses "readers," or for the dedicated, bibliophiles. For music, you've got listeners, concert-goers, audiophiles (which is something else entirely), and much more. There are levels of gradation here, allowing different descriptors for different levels of interest and dedication.

The word "fan" applies to all media - it implies a rabid dedication to something specific - a musical artist, an author, a director. But for games, we have one word in common usage, and that's "gamer."

Think about what that means, and how all-inclusive it is about a person's life and interests. It's a simple enough word to break down - it means one who games, right? But there's nothing more to it. It defines someone who plays games, to the exclusion of all else.

MUCH more at the link
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/192107/Opinion_Lets_retire_the_word_gamer.php

You are basically solely defined by one of your hobbies.

 

[Maiar_m]

Nothing is wrong with the word. What's wrong is that you're on the internet, where people go and look really hard for reasons to be upset about something.

 

[Sylverstone14]

The term? Nothing.

A selection of the people who attach themselves to said term... something.

This whole snafu is just nothing but obscenely bad behavior with said term being dragged along with it because stereotypes and other crazy stuff happening.

I don't even understand why this had to be a thing, but it is.

 

[OldmanAndroid]

I snowboard but I'm not a snowboarder. I mountain bike but im not a mountain-biker. I play guitar, but i'm not a guitarist. I jog, but im not a jogger. I play video games, but i'm not a gamer.

I don't want to be labeled anything, as i consider myself a well rounded person.

 

[MaximusPayne]

I play games

 

[Pinko Marx]

If someone asked me if I was a gamer, I would say yes. If someone asked my mother who plays candy crush and bubble witch more hours a day than I can count, if she's a gamer, she would say no.

I don't know why i wrote that.

The difference is your mother won't care that Hideo Kojima is making a new Silent Hill. She probably doesn't even know who Hideo Kojima is. Thats because she doesn't follow the industry, thus she isn't an enthusiast. That is the major difference to me. Its not what type of games people play, it is the degree to which they follow the gaming culture.

 

[Neil_J_UK]

In my eyes, if you play games regularly then you're a gamer, simple as that. I don't see the problem with it.

 

[mrjohill]

Just do whatever you want. All these people trying to tell others what they should or should not call themselves is ridiculous. You want to call yourself a gamer, just do it.

 

[Quasar]

Nothing is wrong with the term. Just a term for people who have the same hobby like cinephiles or revheads, or whatever.

 

[Ultima_5]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

good way to describe it.

like it or not, the gaming community has its share of whiney entitled grown adults who act like children. who the fuck would want to be associated with that?

A few rotten apples ruin the batch and what not

 

[dirtywhirlwind]

I don't see the issue with the term "Gamer". Every subculture has a term that describes people who are apart of it. People who are way into books are called "Bookworms". There are Metal Heads, Grease Monkeys , Sneaker Heads, Weeaboos, Film Buffs, and so on.

I'd say most of these are terms outsiders would use to describe people in these circles. Not necessarily how they would describe themselves.

Kind of how I feel gamer is used these days too.

 

[Sakura]

I don't think there is a problem with the word gamer, just a problem with the way it is used.
Honestly I'm surprised to see the word 'Gamer' being used to refer to a very certain group of people on this forum, I've never used the word like that before.

 

[AudioNoir]

Man, I dunno. I've seen different reactions from all sides when I use "gamer" for myself. Some are like "cool, me too".

Some go "Candy Crush doesn't count, sugartits, lololol!"

Some just ask why I haven't "grown out of that stuff" yet.

t(-_- t)

 

[Next]

It's unnecessary. What do you call people who watch movies?

 

[Xer0]

Theoretically nothing, but it has become synonymous with something you don't want to be associated with.
That's the short version, anyway.

Yep. At this point, it's impossible to disassociate the term with "children."

 

[Pinko Marx]

I snowboard but I'm not a snowboarder. I mountain bike but im not a mountain-biker. I play guitar, but i'm not a guitarist. I jog, but im not a jogger. I play video games, but i'm not a gamer.

I don't want to be labeled anything, as i consider myself a well rounded person.

You are labeling yourself as well rounded. Labels are a thing, everyone falls into labels. You post on GAF, so you must know more about gaming than the average person, so you're a Gamer.

 

[16BitNova]

I consider myself a gamer. I read about them, I play them, listen to their soundtracks, and much more associated with games. With that said I don't really think I would outwardly call myself a gamer when talking with someone else. The exception is when I have gotten to know the person and discover they are into games the same way I am.

I do see why the word may have a negative connotation, especially once you reach your older age. However, I do feel that is slowly changing with time.

Another reason I feel people may not like the word "gamer" is because they feel there shouldn't be a specific term for person who's hobby is gaming. Just like there isn't really a term for someone who's hobby are comics, movies, and other similar forms of entertainment. But, for me the word is there, it's what I do, and I don't mind it.