Are we 'real' gamers?

[mrclucks]

So I just saw one of the bs Facebook commercial where it was dissing gamers. Now are we actual gamers or not?

[Bloody_looser]

'Bs Facebook commercial' is kinda vague, isn't it? Care to provide more information on the matter?

Anyway, I don't think this thread belongs into General KSP.

[RyanRising]

So I just saw one of the bs Facebook commercial where it was dissing gamers. Now are we actual gamers or not?

We play games, so yes.

Also, those who play FarmVille are gamers by that logic. But then you'll try to define "gamer", and you're in one heck of an argument.

[keeper]

BS FB commercial dissing gamers? ...lmao whatever

Saying gamer like its a profession lol Apart from my day job, my other career is running full time space junkie

Bit of battlefield 4 and team fortress 2 for the mix aswell, cos i like actual crap games you see.

I dont watch commercials!

EDIT: You should get a vote thing going.

I'd vote no, because even though I play more hours than i work, (i dont play crap fb games, flash games, aps etc) and i work more hours than full time so SHOULD be a "gamer" however not getting paid to play makes my REAL job what I am, and i am definatly unfortunately not a "gamer" during the day. And I dont get paid to play at night so, just no.

Not boasting but should point out steam says i've clocked like 2000 hours on ksp, 1300 on tf2 and i have a list as long as the train to space what games i've played over the years.

Edited September 1, 2015 by keeper

[sal_vager]

Protip, ignore lame facebook ads.

[regex]

Am I a "real gamer"? Probably not and I don't care. It's an artificial and stupid label designed to segregate and/or exclude. If there's one thing I've learnt in thirty years of playing tabletop and video games it's that "the more the merrier", so anyone trying to restrict the playing field by belittling their potential opposition obviously can't handle "real" competition.

[KSK]

I play games. I'm not a gamer, real or otherwise and have absolutely no desire to be labelled as such.

In fact I'd prefer to admit to clubbing baby seals as a hobby.

[AbacusWizard]

I don't think "gamer," especially "real gamer," is a very useful label. I'm a human, and I play games, and I enjoy playing games, but they're not such an important facet of my life that I consider them to define who I am.

[Cydonian Monk]

I was once told by an interviewer that folks who play video games contribute nothing to society. This was followed shortly after by a rather direct jab at my Engineering department and how we make terrible programmers. Needless to say I didn't get the job.

I am one of those "real gamers" and have no trouble being labeled as such. Both of my primary hobbies involve creating intricate simulations of complex systems that are then played out by various actors, one using physical objects the other using video games. From the outcome of any given "game" we gather data and try to find better or more efficient means of completing the same or similar tasks.

I also at times play Halo and the like, which I guess is what your "BS Facebook Ad" had in mind.

[Nuke]

gamer is the catch-all term. its too general for phrases like "real gamer" to mean anything. you can subdivide that to competitive gamers, and casuals and every shade of gray in between.

ksp really isn't a competitive game though. i have a feeling with multi it will focus on coop play. i suppose through the challenges forum you can kind of have a form of competitive play though its not actually part of the game itself.

[r4pt0r]

Semi-relevant

[Bill Phil]

Define "gamer".

[ZedNova]

Well, i play alot of games, and i love finding new ones. They are a big part of my life.

But I'm not gonna call myself a "gamer" because it's weird.

[Just Jim]

Am I a gamer??? When I was in the Army in the 80's, I learned to play Dungeons and Dragons (the real way, with dice, calculators and lots of pizza) to kill the boredom. A year later I won my first tournament. It's been downhill for me ever since.....

Name it... chess, cards, computer games... I'll play... and very likely win...

[Norcalplanner]

Call me old school, but I think that you need to have experience pushing cardboard on a hex-based game board to be called a "gamer".

However, I generally dislike the title of "gamer". I've often thought that I should tell people I fish or golf, since it's somehow socially acceptable with those hobbies to spend lots of money on gear, travel to destinations to indulge your hobby, and otherwise spend a lot of time on that particulat brand of fun. Heck, I think the quilters probably get more respect.

[Superfluous J]

This reminds me of all the hoopla in the National Novel Writing Month forums about if the participants were "real" writers, only this seems to be the opposite. They all wanted to be, and a lot of the people here either don't care or don't want to be.

The final consensus at the NaNoWriMo forums was if you write, you're a writer. So I'll go with that here. I play games, so I'm a gamer. Easy to define. I actually physically exist in this world and am not lying about my passtime, so I'm also a "real" gamer.

And so are all of you.

[problemecium]

Nah, we're imaginary gamers. In fact this forum is entirely a product of your imagination. In reality, you are lying comatose on a hospital bed, alone, your family and friends having given up on you years ago.

WAKE UP

WAKE UP!

[Superfluous J]

WAKE UP!

Into a world without KSP? NEVER!

[vger]

FB ad? By this, do you mean an ad that was actually created by Facebook? Or one of the ten bajillion ads in the universe that Facebook typically displays on the sidebar? If it's the latter, can't help you much there. If it's the former... link, maybe? It's gotta be out there somewhere.

And... play a couple of the more popular facebook games. Many were designed to be easy enough for a 2-year-old. Many jokes have been made about some of their games only requiring the mashing of a single button - usually for 1000 sessions just so you can afford a cute hat for your avatar. I don't think FB deserves to have any say in what a 'real' gamer is.

[razark]

What is a "gamer"?

What is a "'real' gamer"?

What does it take to be a "gamer"? I play games sometimes. I play various different games at various different times. At some points of my life, I've spent more time playing games than doing anything else. Does that make me a gamer? I don't follow the latest news on video games. I don't keep up with the different consoles or spend any real effort on figuring out if I should use 'X' CPU and 'Y' graphics card. I don't play multiplayer video games. Does that make me not 'real'? Am I even a gamer?

I really don't care. I don't choose to apply the label to myself. I don't particularly care whether or not other people apply the label to me. I play games I like to have fun.

I watch movies sometimes. Does that make me a "movier"? Am I a "reader" if I occasionally read books? Am I a "televisioner" because I watch shows? Most people I know eat every day, usually several times. Should I identify them as an "eaters"? What about the ones that don't know how to cook and eat ramen, pizza, and fast food all the time? Are they not "'real' eaters"?

Or is there any purpose to applying these labels to each other and complaining that some person that doesn't "do X" just like us isn't a "'real Xer"?

[Camacha]

Is the term real gamer not a device to sell expensive gaming gear and 'specialist' hardware to people thinking it will make them better gamers? The stronger this divide can be made by the various parties that have interests, the more money is to be made. Make a motherboard, say it is designed for gaming and overcharge people because they like to feel special. The whole argument is silly and artificial.

Yes, I have a fancy mouse too, but I have no illusions about it. The only real reason I bought this one is because it looks snazzy on my desk, though sometimes I like to pretend it helps my Quake game along too.

[legoclone09]

I play games. I'm not a gamer, real or otherwise and have absolutely no desire to be labelled as such.

In fact I'd prefer to admit to clubbing baby seals as a hobby.

That would be fun. Those damn seals eat too much tuna. Delicious tuna that coukd be MINE!

On a serious note, I count a real gamer as say, a counter-strike player who plays the game competitively, and not casually, like Call of Duty.

Edited September 2, 2015 by legoclone09

[Flymetothemun]

Okay, so what does "real" mean? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as:

": actually existing or happening : not imaginary

: not fake, false, or artificial

: important and deserving to be regarded or treated in a serious way"

And gamer?

": a person who plays games and especially video or computer games

: a person who is game; especially : an athlete who tries very hard to win games, competitions, etc."

So, the first definition of "Gamer" seems to suit most people, if not all, on this forum. The first definition of real also fits. However, the second and third definitions of real propose two questions: "Are we faking this?" and "Are we important?" I wouldn't, by my own observations and opinions, say that most people on this forum are false in their zeal for games, be they computer, board, card, or etc. However, I think that the entire gaming community and even history is the jury on whether or not we are important. To answer this question ourselves would brand us self-important, and self-importance leads to self-destruction. If I were on the outside then I would class us as not important, after all we are an incredibly small community playing a game that is vastly outclassed by such games as Word of Warcraft, Call of Duty, or one of the many popular video games on the market and that are still being played. We have very little, if any effect on the gaming industry, and I don't think we'll ever get to the level of a medium-large publisher such as Valve.

Apart from the dictionary definition, there is also the cultural effect of labeling something real. In the context of gaming, real would probably mean having a lot of experience in a wide range of genres and styles. There may also be time commitments and levels of skill that would have to be achieved to meet a personal or group standard of a "real gamer". But, in conclusion, I think it depends on what the definition is, how you apply it, and who you're talking to if you meet the definition of "real gamer".

[Columbia]

If it doesn't go against Community Rules, can I take a look at the video? I'm curious..( á° Üʖ á°)

(I'm sorry.)

On topic: Honestly, I think the definition of a "gamer" is self-explanatory, so KSP would techni---Not even technically, it WOULD count.

And the fact that you have to play the general trend (Fallout, GTA, all that stuff) to be considered a "gamer" is quite.. Ugh. That's like the whole "PC Master Race" and "Console plebs" thing -- Degrading someone for having a preference. Actually, there are a lot of examples. People who look down on classical music listeners for listening to something "no one listens to anymore", etc.

I could go on ranting about all this, but I don't want to risk an infraction..

[lajoswinkler]

If I had a moni each time I was told I wasn't a "real gamer", I'd have lots of moni.

I'm pretty sick of RPG-fantasy bastards who think they have a monopoly on defining even what a game is. Fantasy is by its definition unlimited, yet we have a commercially made blob of lard that has one particular lore and a need to diss everyone else.

Screw them!

A gamer is anyone who spends a relatively significant amount of time and effort on a game, compared to general population.