What is your definition of a Gamer?

[Colenado]

This topic is one I often ponder because of how much the gaming community is slandered as every ist and phobic in the book. I find that a lot of people are herded into the gamer circle that doesn't fit my definition of a "gamer". So I thought I'd put it out there as a discussion. What is your definition of a gamer? Personally I immediately throw out mobile only players but also lean towards call of duty/halo/sports games only crowd. I guess for me if you don't diversify in you gaming habits I really don't consider you a gamer. Am I off base here?

Edit: There have been a lot of insightful discussions in this thread! Thank you.

[Henry09376]

True, but we were defining "gamer" not RPG. the term gamer does appear to be more closely associated with the player of video games of all kinds not just the RPG genre. I still prefer the old tabletop, paper and pencil, dice rolling version of gaming though. pretty much agree with isturbo1984on everything else they said.

[Tuklofeign]

This topic is one I often ponder because of how much the gaming community is slandered as every ist and phobic in the book. I find that a lot of people are herded into the gamer circle that doesn't fit my definition of a "gamer". So I thought I'd put it out there as a discussion. What is your definition of a gamer? Personally I immediately throw out mobile only players but also lean towards call of duty/halo/sports games only crowd. I guess for me if you don't diversify in you gaming habits I really don't consider you a gamer. Am I off base here?

Edit: There have been a lot of insightful discussions in this thread! Thank you.

I'd define a gamer as someone that plays games regularly on PC or console. I don't really call someone that plays only mobile games (phones and such but I wouldn't call mobile consoles like the DS and Gameboy the same) are not games in the traditional since. They tend to be just a quick time passer for when you're on the toilet or when you're on the go. That's not criticizing people that play mobile games, I just don't see them as traditional gamers.

Like some others point out as well, it also comes with a degree of passion and can exist anywhere from the casual hobbiest to the hardcore and everything in between.

I'm probably what you would call a core gamer. I enjoy games with deep story, horror, and love MMORPGs when they're made right.

[Seve82]

Three main types of gamers are (and they all can call themselves gamers even tho some may disagree):

1. Lite gamers who play mobas and or play once in blue moon.
2. Normie gamers who play games intended for the uneducated masses like fortnite or MEIN-kraft
3. HC gamers who play for money&fame in leagues or play hard learning curve games like strategy or realistic milsims.

Then there is the division of pc-gaming-master race and the console peasants. Tho I'm starting to suspect there is even third class of protoplasm who are naturally the moba people.

[Thomas_JCG]

A gamer is someone who has passion for games, it isn't just a mindless waste of time for us.

[scottypops]

My criteria is as follows. Do they consider themselves a gamer? If yes then they're a gamer. It no, then they're not a gamer.
.

I agree with this. It's a community-based definition, which to me makes sense. If someone considers themselves a gamer, they are in some way passionate about it and want to be involved with the community--that's good enough for me. If they don't, regardless of their gaming habits, why would we want to insist that they are?

[Samsonite]

if you've never played Bugsy 3D, then you're not a gamer. Period.

[lowdown]

Man, I've always wondered about this as well.

I think they are a gamer if they play games semi regularly. By that, I mean they play more than once or twice in their life. Even if it's like twice a month to play Candy Crush, they still count.

This comment triggered me so much.

[twidget]

Legalese is used for obfuscation and not clarity.

[twidget]

So somebody who has two jobs to make ends meet and hasn't a lot of free time wouldn't need to spend as much time playing as say somebody living off a trust fund and not having to work?
Or is there an absolute minimum amount of time, by your metric, one has to spend playing to be a gamer.

[Cortex]

Cortex Would a professional gamer whose PRIMARY HOBBY is running be a runner or a gamer?
Both?

For a footballer, (would that cover American football, Australian rules football and soccer? just curious), are weekend pickup games enough to qualify as a footballer or is playing in an organized amateur league the minimum acceptable level to qualify?

How passionate is "very passionate"?
Would playing a mobile game to and from your PRIMARY HOBBY be enough to qualify as very passionate, ergo a gamer?

Lots of subjective qualifiers in your post.
I'm just gonna stick with if you play games and enjoy playing them, whatever they are, you're a gamer.

If you want me to use legalese to eliminate subjective qualifiers I can try

A professional gamer whose primary hobby is running would be BOTH a "gamer" and a "runner". It is possible (and common) for people to be multiple things.

"Footballer" depends on what your hobby is called where you live. If you call your hobby "american football" then you would be an "american footballer"

If you play weekend pickup games that is spending your free time on a game so it qualifies as a hobby that you spend a lot of time on. A hobby that you spend a large amount of your free time on qualifies as your primary hobby.

How passionate for a secondary hobby to qualify: 0.85 as passionate as you are about your primary hobby.

[twidget]

Cortex Would a professional gamer whose PRIMARY HOBBY is running be a runner or a gamer?
Both?

For a footballer, (would that cover American football, Australian rules football and soccer? just curious), are weekend pickup games enough to qualify as a footballer or is playing in an organized amateur league the minimum acceptable level to qualify?

How passionate is "very passionate"?
Would playing a mobile game to and from your PRIMARY HOBBY be enough to qualify as very passionate, ergo a gamer?

Lots of subjective qualifiers in your post.
I'm just gonna stick with if you play games and enjoy playing them, whatever they are, you're a gamer.

[Cortex]

A "runner" is not someone who runs to catch a bus, or even somone who runs while training for another sport. - It is someone whose primary hobby or profession is running.

A "footballer" is not someone who occasionally plays football simply because its mantadory at school. - It is someone whose primary hobby or profession is playing football. (If at school it means he is on the football team, or in the football club, or spends the bulk of his free time playing football)


So a "gamer" is someone whose PRIMARY HOBBY or profession is playing games.

(Or your secondary hobby if you are still very passionate about it).

[Chompy Said]

Anyone that plays a game, card, tabletop, video, or physical.

[KingConnor]

A gamer is anyone who plays video games. It doesn’t matter if they are console, PC or mobile games, they are still video games and therefore playing them makes you a gamer