Hey everyone.
This is a topic that, in light of the recent GG discussions, has given me a bit of thought. But not for the usual reasons, so this is not a GG, a feminism, or social justice thread. This is a thread about what games mean for us and what calling ourselves "gamers" is supposed to communicate.
So a gamer is someone who plays games. That's simple, but it's also not an identity per-se. You can define yourself by something you do, of course, but this doing something must then be somewhat central to the way you see yourself. And with regard to gaming, I find it actually somewhat problematic to call myself a gamer. Not because I don't spend a lot of my time gaming. Not because gaming doesn't shape the way I organize my free time. But rather because gaming does these things, and I am never sure if this was and is something positive that I should elevate to something of an identity.
Gaming has been a major part of my life, but it has also been a major time sink, and as such I hold it responsible for some major failings in my life. I do sometimes wonder what I could have done with all that free time that I invested in some savegame that is forever lost, or some MMORPG that I no longer play. This makes me conflicted about defining myself in any way with recourse to games, i.e. saying that I am a "gamer". I am not sure what I would like to communicate with that, because for me it carries the implication that I waste a lot of time. It's an accurate description, but hardly something I'd like to write into my resume.
So does anyone else feel conflicted about being a "gamer" in a similar way? What do you think has gaming done for you? What would you like people to think of you when you call yourself a gamer?
This is a topic that, in light of the recent GG discussions, has given me a bit of thought. But not for the usual reasons, so this is not a GG, a feminism, or social justice thread. This is a thread about what games mean for us and what calling ourselves "gamers" is supposed to communicate.
So a gamer is someone who plays games. That's simple, but it's also not an identity per-se. You can define yourself by something you do, of course, but this doing something must then be somewhat central to the way you see yourself. And with regard to gaming, I find it actually somewhat problematic to call myself a gamer. Not because I don't spend a lot of my time gaming. Not because gaming doesn't shape the way I organize my free time. But rather because gaming does these things, and I am never sure if this was and is something positive that I should elevate to something of an identity.
Gaming has been a major part of my life, but it has also been a major time sink, and as such I hold it responsible for some major failings in my life. I do sometimes wonder what I could have done with all that free time that I invested in some savegame that is forever lost, or some MMORPG that I no longer play. This makes me conflicted about defining myself in any way with recourse to games, i.e. saying that I am a "gamer". I am not sure what I would like to communicate with that, because for me it carries the implication that I waste a lot of time. It's an accurate description, but hardly something I'd like to write into my resume.
So does anyone else feel conflicted about being a "gamer" in a similar way? What do you think has gaming done for you? What would you like people to think of you when you call yourself a gamer?
