Gaming as a subculture

[Gali]

If you participate in the subculture/community, through forums, visiting conventions, creating your own content or criticizing games and the like, you are part of it. But as already mentioned, there are even subcultures within the gaming culture: People who play mostly MMOs, Japanse RPGs, strategy games etc. .... Hell, even within a game there are differences: I can play some Starcraft 2 arcade with my buddy, but he doesn't know anything about eSports and never touched the ladder once. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's awesome how diverse games already are.

But let me turn the tables again on you - how do other hobbies do it? How would you determine who belongs and doesn't belong to another hobby? And why is it different in gaming?

Good question. Let's think about other hobbies that are said to be... 'nerdish'.
Tabletop games and TCG? Well, you have to interact with other players sooner or later. When I was playing Warhammer Fantasy, I went to the nearest Games Workshop to play, since playing only with my brother got boring. After it closed, I stopped investing time in it. I think it's a kind of hobby where you are always part of the subculture, because it demands an interaction in person. Maybe I'm wrong and a more experienced player disagrees, I played only a few years.

Comics, a thing I'm still interested in. That's a bit different for me. I read news about them regularly, consume content like interviews with my favorite artists and writers - but I've never actually interacted with members of that community through forums and the like. If I could, I 'd go to conventions, but I'd have to travel to the USA to get the real deal, so that's not possible in the near future. And still, I consider myself part of that subculture.

Good thing that question was asked, I believe I have to change my definition of what makes you part of gaming culture. Maybe it also depends on your knowledge about games. Or how you feel about the community. I feel connected to the people who also read comics, despite really interacting with them. Perhaps there are also such silent participants concerning the gaming subculture.
Have to think more about it for a while...

Anyways, about the second question:
Do you really have to ask what's the gamer stereotype about?^^ I think it's at least today not true anymore. Every 'gamer' I know is quite the opposite of the stereotype.

 

[CorvusFerreum]

Be without nooobtube in the face your enemies,
360 noscope upright that MLG may love thee.
Flame the n00b always even if it would lead to your ban.
Bring pwnage to the casuals and do no hax.
That is your oath.

Rise a gamer.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Apparently, the answer is "being willing to put up with a shitty product that doesn't work on launch, and not being able to get a refund."

'cos anything else you buy, you aren't just entitled to a refund, you wouldn't think it's unusual to get an apology and restitution.

I see, in that case I'm not a gamer, as I'm not buying on launch. Good to know. And apparently I was wrong before - oops.

Well, then, the question is, do you buy anything else on launch?
Clothes? Whitegoods? Food? Movies?
What about your other hobbies? If you get a defective book, or board game, or a ride at a themepark, do you ... wait 2 weeks for them to fix it first?!

If you do, then the very fact that you have to alter your buying habits for this one thing is a travesty.

It's something that's a by product of games having BEEN for kids, when kids couldn't take action to protect their rights as consumers.
It's a sign that nobody, the consumer and manufacturers both, thinks that this industry is anything more than something too trivial to fight over.

 

[DoPo]

-some random words-

I think you're in the wrong thread. Most of what you said neither makes sense nor even applies to the topic at hand - go rant on another corner.

 

[Phasmal]

A gamer is someone who plays games and considers themselves a gamer.
Not that difficult.

I find gamers want to be exclusionary too much, it's probably a habit we should grow out of.

 

[DoPo]

-more ranting-

And I told you you're neither talking on topic nor sense. Whatever issues you feel you have, you should vent elsewhere. Feel free to come back if you have something useful to say. Until then - bye.