What is your definition of a Gamer?

[FeroxInimicus]

twidget

Actually I’m a Chef by trade, went to school and have been in the business for about 15yrs. That’s why I used that analogy. Obviously gaming is not a profession for 98% of people playing it. What I spoke about wasn’t about exclusivity and push other of a circle because the only time they playing a game with a thumb is just to kill time on the toilet or the subway ride to the city.

I’m not tryin to be pretentious but when we used the word “gamer” like those analyst use it on their research and their only prerequisite to be classified as a “gamer” is a mere $20 expense in a year and game that can easily be played with one finger to me is just not accurate.

If we are going to leave by those standards anybody that played Solitaire from the inception of that game is gamer. But in the name of inclusivity my 3yrs old daughter is a gamer.

[Ram'n]

Yes, gamers with different tastes and desires. You are pointing out how different certain gamers are from others. Those who actively play games are indeed still gaming and have the right to be called gamers.

[isturbo1984]

Even that is a not a good metric. Because it doesn't account for time management. I've seen many adults with poor time management skills cry that they only have one or two hours a week to play video games, when the truth is they would just rather spend it on something else.--All of a sudden their choices to do something else always turns into how I'm somehow irresponsible because I make the time, lol. I've seen it happen time and time again. Even on these very forums multiple times.

[Resurrection7]

Time is definitely a good metric. Not necessarily the amount of time, but rather the proportion of time in one's day/week dedicated to playing video games. An couple hours a week may not seem like much to a teenager person with weekends off; as opposed to a family man or woman who has familial responsibilities and work to contend with who is left with only a certain amount of time per day/week to dedicate to non-responsibility activities; or someone with an hours intensive occupation, where finding rest and the job take up the lion's share of the hours. A couple hours a week maybe is all the can spare, and if they decide to kick back and play a couple competitive FPS match or immerse themselves in an open-world or RPG, they should qualify?

[Turbotailz86]

A gamer to me is those who have a passion for it, be competitive and understand there will be wins and loses in every match. It also shapes your personality up on how you handle pressure especially in player vs player games. It's healthy and unhealthy at the same time, but overall being a gamer = keeping your composure and an escape from reality.

[twidget]

I'm DIFFERENT and that's the bottom line.

Fixed for accuracy.

I'm done here.

[RetroRex]

For me, basically someone who has more enthusiasm for gaming than the average person (though defining that point may be tricky) and actually sees it as part of his identity.

[Aerrae]

Gamers are people who actively play games like a hobby. It could be any game like tabletops, mobile, or PC. Games are a form of entertainment, not some elitist bull.

Let's use this angle...

You like tabletop RPGs. You use a specific companies website that facilitates easy play and allows you to develop custom digital assets and all that, whatever like roll20.

This company decides to discontinue all of these services and instead create a new service in the same style except marketed to attract FPS players into roleplaying. Narrative convenience features are removed and stats, classes, and abilities are severely dumbed down to cater to the FPS audience who is used to simplicity.

... Even among gamers each audience has completely different tastes and desires. There's no mixing of many of these audiences only gamers that participate in multiple audiences.

It's not elitist to say most mobile gamers aren't gamers. Their tastes and dedication are completely opposite to those who regularly play full on console or PC video games or indeed, tabletop rpgs.

[Aerrae]

Mobile "gamers" are definitely not gamers. Flinging birds at pigs isn't gaming and nobody will convince me otherwise. You can't lump 50 year olds playing brain teasers in with fucking full fledged video games.

Again it'd be like calling someone who reads comics an avid novel reader. It's NOT the same. The content mobile gamers consume is NOT the same. It has far inferior depth and complexity in literally every aspect.

Very VERY few mobile games are worth a gamers time and MOST Mobile players don't play those kinds of games. Let's stop pretending otherwise.

Let's also drop this disgusting need to include everyone in everything. They don't belong in the group called gamers. We're DIFFERENT and that's the bottom line. 99% of Mobile games are purely for a quick time waste or even worse, a glorified pay me button.

That's world apart from something like say... Devil May Cry which is a skill based time sink... or an RPG/JRPG which is a story and world to immerse yourself in for 80-100+++ HOURS. It's even different than CoD, all of these games have more depth that a gamer will most likely choose to engage with.

They're not gamers. They're playing the equivalent of crossword puzzles. That's not looking down on them, if you like that sort of thing you do it all you want but it's not what a gamer is.

[twidget]

...is like a home cook and Professional Chef.. Just because you can scramble some eggs it doesn't make you a Chef.....

Oh jeez!
You think so little of home cooks and their cooking?
Have you ever prepped and served a Thanksgiving dinner from scratch at home?
Do you even know what scratch cooking is?

One can expect a professional chef to be a higher quality cook but he or she is still a cook.
A mobile game player is far from a pro but is no less a gamer.

FeroxInimicus, you and several others in this thread have spouted all manner of elitist bullshit of the whys and wherefores to exclude gamers from the "real gamer" circle of acceptance. What they play, play on, frequency of play, failure to engage in discussing games or gaming and even not spending enough on games are all reasons, drawn from this thread, that are being used to segregate not gamers from the real and true gamers.

Maybe there should a sub-forum for gaming elitists.

Just curious, are you a home gamer or Professional gamer?

[Aerrae]

20 dollars a year? A gamer? LOL

Shit I probably spend 20 or 30 times that in a year... for the games ALONE nvm the PC/Consoles to run them... Good god. I'm going to buy a 2080 laptop halfway through this year!

[Inkdipper]

Yeah that last line was just me being sarcastic.

I think holding both concepts at once is healthy. When gaming is your life it's more precious to you and I can see having a sense of pride in that.
I remember when I first played a WoW private server and how that community was so eager to get more people into it. Being a gamer is enjoying your game(s), but being involved in a community with others who enjoy them is arguably the greatest aspect of modern gaming.

[Ram'n]

Gamers are people who actively play games like a hobby. It could be any game like tabletops, mobile, or PC. Games are a form of entertainment, not some elitist bull.

[fenrif]

So gamers are undead?

[SnowyJess]

To me the term 'gamer' implies that someone is willing to dedicate a certain amount of time or money specifically to gaming.