Do you identify yourself as a Gamer?

darz1 said:

A few questions.

To the people who dont like labels, do you identify as anything at all?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

I think the one that applies to me is 'graphic designer', because it's a lifelong passion, my job and a hobby. I go to exhibitions, design my own typefaces, keep up to date with industry news and it means much more to me than gaming ever will even after playing games since the c64/Amstrad/NES. I suppose it's that it's my creative outlet and I've been lucky enough to make a career out of it. If I had to choose to drop a hobby, computer games would go way before I dropped typography, reading books, writing, swimming, running, photography and tabletop games.

To the people who simply dont identify as gamers, where do you draw the line of things you identify as? Job? Race? Gender? Nationality? But not hobby right?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Sure some people Identify by hobby- a friend of mine and I like swimming in races in lakes, lochs and rivers. But to him it's a passion, something to research, buy kit, train constantly etc. To him it's all he thinks about outside of work, family and friends. To me it's something I enjoy mainly because I like swimming and enjoy his company, our level of involvement in the hobby outside of events is very different. To me that's the difference between me and a 'gamer'- if they asked me whether I'd played any of the 20 most popular online shooters/MMOs/MOBAS/Battle Royale games, watched any of the most popular streamers, been to any events or even owned a PS4/XBO/PC, I'd just have to shrug and say 'no'. I suppose we'd both be likely to have played Skyrim and that's about it.

To the people who identify that gamers exist but you yourself arent a gamer despite the fact that you play video games and post on video game forums, how do you distinguish yourself from those you define as gamers? What makes them gamers and you not a gamer?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

I look at it that my utter lack of interest in games outside of chipping away at single player RPGs on my commute means I have little in common with toxic online multiplayer communities, esports, twitch etc. To me the social side of gaming is local multiplayer, not harassing people on the other side of the planet.

I don't get the no labels people, who cares if you can be categorized. Even if you don't like them, people/companies will assign them to you anyway.

Of course I do. Video games are my primary hobby, therefore I am a gamer. I'm not going to let fuckfaces take that away.

I suggest none of you do either .

Nah.

I play games. I probably fit most definitions of "gamer".

That's more than enough for me. It's not like the label comes with benefits or a prize.

SG-17 said:

Of course I do. Video games are my primary hobby, therefore I am a gamer. I'm not going to let fuckfaces take that away.

I suggest none of you do either .

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

This

Nah.

I am not from an English speaking Country so I would be interested how often the word gamer is used in the dictionary definition (meaning everyone who plays games in some way)?

I can only realy remember it being used in more specific cases where it meant more. For example if someone asks "do you play video games" and the answer would be "yes i am a gamer" it feels to me like the person says that gaming is important to them and thats why they call themselve a gamer. or what some not so nice people use "you are not a gamer because ..." they will definitly have a very narrow view what a gamer is. And if people talk about gamers in general it most likely talks about the gaming community but it depends of the context if it means everyone who plays games or a more specific definition.

And for me it doesn't help that some people use the english word gamer in the german language where you would never see it in the general definition of people who play games at least sometimes.

If you ask people if they identify as gamers they will use the definition for when they encountered the word the most or if they think of themselve part of the community of the people that used it. And depending on the person that can lead to very different answers. And even if the dictionary definition is "everyone who plays games not matter how much and what games" if they nearly never heard that word with that meaning is it realy that strange that they don't conside the definiton and the label as the same?

I hate that word. Over the years, it has become tainted so much. I prefer game dev over gaming anyway.

RPGam3r said:

I don't get the no labels people, who cares if you can be categorized. Even if you don't like them, people/companies will assign them to you anyway.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

It's probably less just rejecting a label and more of political statement i think especially from the Americans here and ppl influenced by their current political climate, it's the usual black and white thinking at work again.

Why is there such a stigma on the word 'gamer' that you're all terrified of being identified as one? You play video games, you're a gamer.

Absolutely not

Yes. As my gender.

Lost said:

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

What is this?

Jacobson said:

Why is there such a stigma on the word 'gamer' that you're all terrified of being identified as one? You play video games, you're a gamer.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Have you followed the past four or so years of gaming news at all?

Even before then, the term "gamer" reminded me of people who make stuff like the Joker gif above.

I think it's tacky to call yourself anything in relations to you hobbies. "I'm a cinephile" "I'm a gamer", it's not something I would say out loud.

But the truth is, if you play a lot of games, if you follow video games news, sales, talk about them regularily on an dedicated message board... you're probably a gamer.

Heromanz said:

What is this?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

From KnowYourMeme

Gamer Joker

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

, also known as Gamers Rise Upand We Live in a Society, is an image macroseries featuring depictions of the DC Comicssupervillain Joker accompanied by intentionally edgy or cringeworthy captions. The memestypically praise video game enthusiasts and criticize women named Veronica who friendzone them in favor of dating "jocks". Examples of the meme are frequently submitted to the Gang Weed Facebook page.[9]

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

It's (mostly) crude parody, but considering how batshit some of the actual 'gamer' memes are in terms of social awkwardness and misogyny etc, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.

In the same vein, lots of satirical media like Private Eye etc have made similar comments about current affairs (mostly Trump/Brexit) about it being hard to make a grotesque caricature of something so cartoonishly awful already without it being hard to tell the difference.

See the word "gamer" had a terrible connotation before being hijacked by alt-right bigots who hate women.

Well it's my biggest hobby. I'm at resetera. I have a family so I work to provide for them but 90% of my economy thats "mine" or if I have money over, is going to gamerelated stuff...hell a 100%

I have a dedicated mancave for gaming.

If someone should ask me if I'm a gamer it really should feel like a lie to say no.

Redcrayon said:

From KnowYourMeme

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Thank you fellow Gang Weeder

Yeah I don't have a problem with hobby labels. It's not like this kind of stuff comes up in rl conversations a lot but if someone would ask "are you a gamer?" I would probably say yes.

Lost said:

Thank you fellow Gang Weeder

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

I had no idea what that was before reading about the Facebook page as I posted it above, but sure, no prob.

Edit: that term is another rabbit hole this forum has led me down. Don't follow. :D

I play video games but I dont like the term gamer due to how toxic so many of us can be. So I dont identify myself as a gamer but I'm not going to get into a semantics argument with someone if they call me a gamer.

Yes.

Megatron said:

Everyone on this site is a gamer.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Yep. Don't care about all the people saying they aren't and using it in a derogatory way now in this site. They are all gamers.

No. I don't identify myself as most things in general. I'm not hardcore enough about most things to use labels. But if you open up a dictionary and read the definition of gamer, well I play games with some regularity so I probably am.

So if I met someone and they asked what I like to do and I went down the list and they were like, "oh so you're a bit of a gamer?", I would be like, "yeah, a bit". Labels in general are more useful when you are discussing demographics. I haven't come across many people who define themselves as gamers or cinephiles or sports buffs or etc.

It's just some shit you like.

Yes, why wouldn't you? You're posting on a video game website.

Being a gamer isn't everything though. I'm also an avid reader and music addict.

Absolutly not.

There is literally nothing morally defensible about gaming.
I have difficulty thinking of another hobby so deeply linked to cultivating school shootings, bigoty, toxicity and the creation of the alt-right.

I wastes you physically making you lose your muscles, your health and your social life.

Not all soccer fans are hooligans. They came up with another word for those idiots.

Can we start calling bigoted gamer fuckheads "gamer hooligans" or some such? Make it clear that we don't fuck with that type of trash despite having the common interest of "we play video games."

Brock Reiher said:

Have you followed the past four or so years of gaming news at all?

Even before then, the term "gamer" reminded me of people who make stuff like the Joker gif above.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

If you followed the past four or so years of gaming news then you are definitely a gamer. People need to move on and find a new slant. Maybe make a separate word for obnoxious gamers.

I would never say "I am a gamer" but if someone asked "are you a gamer?" I'd say yes.

Jacobson said:

If you followed the past four or so years of gaming news then you are definitely a gamer. People need to move on and find a new slant. Maybe make a separate word for obnoxious gamers.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

(The word is Gamer)

Yep. I think if your main hobby is gaming your a gamer. If your main hobby is reading your a reader. Hunting...hunter. Etc.

Absolutely not.

Jacobson said:

Why is there such a stigma on the word 'gamer' that you're all terrified of being identified as one? You play video games, you're a gamer.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

The same reason people identify the Swatiska with bad things despite it originally having a completely different meaning.

Bandage said:

The same reason people identify the Swatiska with bad things despite it originally having a completely different meaning.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

If you think these two things are one in the same then you're delusional.

If you think that to be the case then you should stop playing video games all together. You wouldn't want people accidentally associating yourself with those dirty gamers.

lol no.

Peter said:

If you think these two things are one in the same then you're delusional.

If you think that to be the case then you should stop playing video games all together. You wouldn't want people accidentally associating yourself with those dirty gamers.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Nah, I can enjoy a harmless hobby without being associated with its (mostly) awful base.
There's a reason Era is a unique gaming site in the industry. And its not Night Theme.

Nope, just say I play/like video games if it's ever brought up.

I like how we have plenty of posters claiming to be gamers in here (everyone on this site that plays games is by definition) and other posters claiming gamers are racists, incels and bigots. Typically you don't see this level of generalization going on in most threads, especially when half of the posters in the same thread can identify with the term.

Really had no idea it was at this level. GG's are the scum of the earth but they have their own term, and nobody in here (I hope) is aligning themselves with them. I just think it's alarming that on a gaming site we are eating our own.

I kinda do, although I don't play nearly as much as many other identifying themselves as gamers.

Most of the people that I see calling themselves "gamers" are children/teens and casual players who only play stuff like Grand Theft Auto V and Fortnite. The majority of the people that use the term "gamer" have no idea "gamergate" even exists, so the "most gamers are sexist/racist scumbags" excuse doesn't really make sense, at least to me. Every group of people that encompasses a very large variety will have the racists and the sexists, it's not a gaming exclusive thing.

Anyways, I don't refer to myself as a "gamer" simply because it sounds tacky and feels weird, I don't have a problem with people who do though.

I admit that I've been distancing myself from the title of "gamer" since GamerGate gave the shitty parts of gaming an amplified voice. They were always there, I was always upset by it -- I remember being constantly annoyed by toxic behavior in online gaming as far back as Halo 2, which was one of my first online multiplayer experiences, so it's not as if I were ignorant to it all along, I just figured it was a very minor subset of "gamers" that were like that. GamerGate changed that perception greatly, and so I feel pretty ashamed to throw myself in with that lot now that it has a really strong presence via social media and honestly among a lot of the enthusiast channels for games.

I'm definitely enthusiastic about games and pour a lot of my own time into playing them and hanging out on Era and consuming some of my favorite YouTube channels dedicated to games, but I've decided that I won't let my own take on the medium and the culture surround it be represented by the term "gamer," which at the present time seems owned by a section of the gaming populace that's largely occupied by a cross section of bigoted or otherwise mean-spirited types, to put it politely. It is certainly a term I have proudly claimed in the past, though.

I'm still okay with expressing that I really, really enjoy the medium of games, but I'm pretty ashamed of the term "gamer" nowadays, but despite being without a familiar label, I at least know I'm not alone feeling that way.

No, but I never did. I mean, I play a couple of instruments but would never call me a musician.

I just like videogames. Thats all.

Jacobson said:

Why is there such a stigma on the word 'gamer' that you're all terrified of being identified as one? You play video games, you're a gamer.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Nah... after the likes of Gamergate, swattings, etc... Gamer doesn't just mean someone who plays video games. And it's true, to a lot of people it might still only mean that, but to a lot of other people (myself included) it's a society with goals that I don't agree with and thus want no part of.

I have noticed there are people who omit gaming from their hobbies because they fear to be put into certain categories. Never understood it, given how many people these days play. Gamer is still associated too much with Call of Duty, FIFA and Battlefield.

I'm happy to discuss playing video games with people, but I've always thought the word gamer was silly, particularly so once it became associated with Mountain Dew/doritos/being unhealthy and especially now that it's associated with toxicity, homophobia/racism/misogyny. People can bemoan the loss of the term, but the battle is lost - I really think the community should just move on. I'd propose the term "player" - which is more benign and makes more English sense.

Gravy Boat said:

I would never say "I am a gamer" but if someone asked "are you a gamer?" I'd say yes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Yeah I think this has it about right.

I don't share my love of gaming if people don't ask first... but it's also the same with other hobbies I have. It might be a bit of paranoia but I want to avoid being put into categories like that.