What makes a Gamer?

[Georgie_Leech]

A Gamer has several qualifications:
1. Plays games fairly regularly (duh).
2. Cares enough about games to defend them from people who think they are the source of all evil.
3. Knows enough about a games/games to carry on a conversation with a friend about games.
4. Has played video games long enough to be horribly frustrated by that one puzzle-you-couldn't-solve/enemy-you-couldn't-beat/race-you-couldn't-win/level-you-couldn't beat/jump-you-couldn't-make...

 

[i2esol]

If you play games regularly then you're a gamer. I don't get this other "gamer" title where you have to be able to beat Megaman 2 without dying or whatever.

In the olden days back before anti-aliasing was standard Gamers were considered untouchables. Humans desire classifications and labels to inane ideas and concepts. It's a stigma of sorts that carries stereotypes.

 

[Jenova65]

Everybody here is right. You game, you're a gamer. There do seem to be gamer snobs though, who don't consider you a gamer if you don't have good scores or whatever. Those people need to grow up. I mean, I've been told I'm not a real gamer because I play WoW, and then as soon as I bought Halo 3, the same people said, "NOW you're a gamer!"
I consider my mum a gamer. She plays Prince of Persia, WoW, House of the Dead, Dead Rising and a few others. If you love playing games, you're a gamer.
Yes, you read it right, I have a gamer mom.

Doesn't surprise me, I am one! I'm 44 with three kids 18 years, 15 years and a ten month old baby. Of course my teens do say that their friends want to live with us cos I encourage gaming and their mums are 'boring'!

 

[Snotnarok]

If you play games regularly then you're a gamer. I don't get this other "gamer" title where you have to be able to beat Megaman 2 without dying or whatever.

In the olden days back before anti-aliasing was standard Gamers were considered untouchables. Humans desire classifications and labels to inane ideas and concepts. It's a stigma of sorts that carries stereotypes.

To me that's what I'd call...a "hardcore gamer" haha. I dunno maybe that's just me, I never got the you gotta be competitive and extra awesome at a game to get this "title".

 

[AngloDoom]

I think people are 'gamers' if they consider themselves to be one. I don't consider myself a 'gamer', as I only play games when there's nothing else to do. Sometimes that means weeks without playing, sometimes it means I go through an eight-hour "fuck-the-world" session in which me and Alex Mercer kill enough people to feed every vulture in the universe for a couple of days.

 

[Doktor Merkwurdigliebe]

1)A Game.
2)Identifying yourself as one.

That's it. It's not [insert title here], [insert genre here], or [insert how often do you play [insert title here]]. You need both 1 and 2 to have a Gamer. Playing a Game without identifying yourself as a Gamer does not make you one. As silly as it sounds, calling yourself a Gamer without owning any games still also doesn't make you a Gamer.

 

[Premonition]

The controller in your hands or the keyboard under it.

 

[Artina89]

What pretty much everyone else has said. If you enjoy playing games, you're a gamer.

 

[Lullabye]

Everyone's an artist, and everyone's a gamer. The same subjective argument ensues...

 

[Fathoms]

play good and hard games. if people classify you as a "casual gamer," like Rock Band and Guitar hero and Wii stuff. in my mind, "Gamer" is someone who can run through the original Metroid game on the NES
notice i said "CAN' rather than "DID" because all those old games were the truly tough stuff.

if you've watched E3 this year, you'll know about Steve Weibe. he's the guy that attempted to break the Donkey Kong, JR world record. HE is a gamer. being good at a game that difficult is gaming. for instance, "Jak and Daxter: The precursor legacy" (original one) was good, tough, and would make me consider you a gamer if you beat it. the new ones, dumbed-down easy modes filled with weak enemies, ammo every 5 steps, etc.; are not classified as games as far as i am concerned.

this VG cats seems adequate...
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=282

edit: yes, i do have fairly high standards in what a gamer is.

 

[nick n stuff]

anyone who can get most of the jokes in doomsday arcade

 

[liquidocelot201]

A gamer is someone who plays games and enjoys playing them. That's it, really.

 

[internetzealot1]

Someone who will play the good games, no matter if they lack blood, swearing, or a grey color pallete.

 

[internetzealot1]

and you don't own a Wii.

*cough* Zelda, Mario, Metroid *cough*

 

[andrat]

and you don't own a Wii.

*cough* Zelda, Mario, Metroid *cough*

Okay with that exception, most Wii gaming is a bunch of shovel ware.

 

[DustyDrB]

You play video games. Period.
Not being ironic.

 

[masakoz]

when your able to survive the zombie apocalypse filled with zombie who run faster then olympic track runners .simple as that

 

[The Cheezy One]

I'm sorry but if you've never played pong
i have
and if you've never played a snes game with the console
i also have, the original zelda link to the past, and something weird called equinox
then you can call yourself a gamer all you want but if you go into a conversation about games with me without feeling anxious at the mention of battletoads/megaman/contra then you can gtfo. tbh I would consider someone a true gamer even if they've never played anything past the atari. I'll admit I'm quite the elitist old school or no school type when it comes to games and todays generation of "gamers" quite depresses me.

this isnt directed to you, tetron, but would people stop answering the thread based on the thread title?
im trying to discover what prerequisites, if any, people think a gamer should have to be allowed into the elitist club
[HEADING=1]I GET THE PICTURE, A GAMER PLAYS GAMES[/HEADING]
i dont need 20 people telling me the same thing, i am actually trying to work something out here

 

[ayailla]

Doesn't surprise me, I am one! I'm 44 with three kids 18 years, 15 years and a ten month old baby. Of course my teens do say that their friends want to live with us cos I encourage gaming and their mums are 'boring'!

Awesome! There should be a group for you guys or something! You are a pretty rare breed. All my mates used to say the same thing about my mom.
Nothing beats sitting there while your mother points a light-gun at the zombies on screen screaming, "Die, fucker!" Yeah... I love my mom. Haha.