Yes the word Gamer. Search through the hundreds of online video game message boards and you will undoubtedly find that oh-so-magical word in some form or fashion. Many people who play video games as a hobby would consider themselves a gamer. I consider myself a gamer, not only because I love playing games but also because of my interest in the industry. So I guess it’s simple; whoever plays video games is a gamer…right?
The reason for bringing up this topic is because I’ve been watching the second season of Sony’s Playstation 3 exclusive reality-show, The Tester. Now before you condemn me, yes I know it isn’t exactly high-caliber television but then again neither is most reality shows. I take the show for what it is: thirty minutes of ridiculous semi-gaming silliness. Anyway there’s a contestant named Max1m (in case you’ve never seen the show, they give contestants codenames ala Flavor of Love…[ man I‘m really setting the bar low, huh?]) who admits he only likes playing sports games and shooting games (translation: Madden and Call of Duty). While those are fine games in their own right, many posters on various forums lambasted Max1m claiming he wasn’t a real gamer. So this brings me back to my question: What defines a gamer? If this guy Max1m is proficient in both games and has dedicated a significant amount of time playing and learning these games, why should we discount him in the gaming community? Are there certain games you must play first to be considered a gamer (or Hardcore gamer as some would say)?
Gamer or not?
Understandably I’m asking a lot of questions but these are interesting points crossing my mind as I read the outcry of the gaming community. While he's not the only example, I've witnessed the rise of complaints and need to categorize types of gamers between hardcore and casual. It seems hardcore gaming fans prefer to outcast those who casually enjoy playing the hot game of the moment (any games that’s hugely popular at a given period) and with games consoles and devices like Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft Kinect the line might get harder to distinguished.
The Nintendo Wii has been out on the market for more than 4 years and since, has enabled everyone to join in on the gaming fun. Whether or not these same people will continue playing games when next iteration comes out has yet to be determined but with the advent of the Wii, the gaming community has been divided by the two aforementioned classifications of players hardcore gamers and casual gamers. This distinction isn’t doing anyone any favors except separating everyone who loves playing video games. For better understanding, this is how I've seen the mainstream media (and even the gaming community) define hardcore and casual: Hardcore = Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Casual= Wii and Kinect. In the gaming community casual usually denotes something that’s easy to play and may not require much effort and/or skill. I’m not a big fan of these terms but recognize why they tend to be used.
The new face of gamers
I believe the term gamer can apply to anyone. Not only those who play online shooters or have spent 50 hours on a RPG. It could both a woman who's played games since the days of the Atari or man who only plays phone games. I know plenty of persons who have excellent gaming skills yet if you ask them who Shigeru Miyamoto is, they wouldn’t have a clue. And you know what? I don’t see anything wrong with that. There are some people who are more dedicated to particular hobby than others but it doesn’t mean that those who lack the industry knowledge can’t enjoy it. And on the other side of the coin, one can have a vast knowledge of video games from past and present but may not be so skillful. Everyone has a certain game they like to play and just because someone isn’t into some niche title doesn’t mean they don’t love video games. They love playing the games they want! So in the end, being gamer is all about having fun and enjoying yourself regardless of anyone's classification.
The reason for bringing up this topic is because I’ve been watching the second season of Sony’s Playstation 3 exclusive reality-show, The Tester. Now before you condemn me, yes I know it isn’t exactly high-caliber television but then again neither is most reality shows. I take the show for what it is: thirty minutes of ridiculous semi-gaming silliness. Anyway there’s a contestant named Max1m (in case you’ve never seen the show, they give contestants codenames ala Flavor of Love…[ man I‘m really setting the bar low, huh?]) who admits he only likes playing sports games and shooting games (translation: Madden and Call of Duty). While those are fine games in their own right, many posters on various forums lambasted Max1m claiming he wasn’t a real gamer. So this brings me back to my question: What defines a gamer? If this guy Max1m is proficient in both games and has dedicated a significant amount of time playing and learning these games, why should we discount him in the gaming community? Are there certain games you must play first to be considered a gamer (or Hardcore gamer as some would say)?
Gamer or not?
Understandably I’m asking a lot of questions but these are interesting points crossing my mind as I read the outcry of the gaming community. While he's not the only example, I've witnessed the rise of complaints and need to categorize types of gamers between hardcore and casual. It seems hardcore gaming fans prefer to outcast those who casually enjoy playing the hot game of the moment (any games that’s hugely popular at a given period) and with games consoles and devices like Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft Kinect the line might get harder to distinguished.
The Nintendo Wii has been out on the market for more than 4 years and since, has enabled everyone to join in on the gaming fun. Whether or not these same people will continue playing games when next iteration comes out has yet to be determined but with the advent of the Wii, the gaming community has been divided by the two aforementioned classifications of players hardcore gamers and casual gamers. This distinction isn’t doing anyone any favors except separating everyone who loves playing video games. For better understanding, this is how I've seen the mainstream media (and even the gaming community) define hardcore and casual: Hardcore = Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Casual= Wii and Kinect. In the gaming community casual usually denotes something that’s easy to play and may not require much effort and/or skill. I’m not a big fan of these terms but recognize why they tend to be used.
The new face of gamers
I believe the term gamer can apply to anyone. Not only those who play online shooters or have spent 50 hours on a RPG. It could both a woman who's played games since the days of the Atari or man who only plays phone games. I know plenty of persons who have excellent gaming skills yet if you ask them who Shigeru Miyamoto is, they wouldn’t have a clue. And you know what? I don’t see anything wrong with that. There are some people who are more dedicated to particular hobby than others but it doesn’t mean that those who lack the industry knowledge can’t enjoy it. And on the other side of the coin, one can have a vast knowledge of video games from past and present but may not be so skillful. Everyone has a certain game they like to play and just because someone isn’t into some niche title doesn’t mean they don’t love video games. They love playing the games they want! So in the end, being gamer is all about having fun and enjoying yourself regardless of anyone's classification.
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