fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2347 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2347 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02.

[Jay from Red Letter Media]

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03.

[Bob's Burgers]

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04.

[CL from 2NE1]

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05.

[Moriarty/Sherlock Holmes]

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06.

[Of Monsters and Men and Glitch (game)]

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07.

[After Man: A Zoology of the Future]

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08.

[Hetalia]

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09.

[Bubble Guppies]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 010 secrets from Secret Submission Post #335.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*stands on soapbox*

I had no comment on the last one because I'm not particularly attracted to women, but as far as guy gamers go, I'd prefer one to a non-gamer simply because it's an important hobby for me and I'd like to be able to share it.

That said, gaming is growing more and more like movies and books these days in that you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone in my age group who hasn't at least played a few of them. Except, with books and movies you have terms like "avid reader" and "cinophile" and "film buff" to differentiate people who consume that media on occasion from those for whom it's a dedicated hobby. These days "gamer" seems to mean anyone who ever plays (or has played) any number or games at any time, ever. I like the term "core" myself ("hardcore" sounding a bit too adolescent) but people take issue with the term because the opposite is assumed to be "casual". Can we just drop the highly political "casual" and just append "core" when we mean "plays games as a dedicated hobby" already? That way everyone still gets to be a "gamer" - which seems to be important to many people despite not really playing many games o_O - but we can also still have a term that isn't as completely meaningless as "book reader" or "film watcher" in that it describes the majority of the population these days.

If I sound a little butthurt, it's because I've met so, so many people - including potential romantic interests - who introduced themselves as "gamers" who... don't actually play and games. Maybe they did ten years ago, or maybe they play for a couple of hours every year, or maybe they just play one game and only one game. Would not "I was a gamer" or "I play World of Warcraft" be more accurate? It feels like a tease when it seems like I'll have something to talk about with some dude but in reality the only game he ever plays is DOTA or the last game he played was the original Diablo back when it came out (two real examples here, and boy did those gentlemen ever cling tooth and nail to the term "gamer" in spite of the fact that.... well... 'former gamer' and 'DOTA player' would have been a lot more accurate).

Please, please let's adopt "core gamer", in the vein of "film buff" and "avid reader". You're not an avid reader if the last book you read was ten years ago (maybe you were once, but you're sure as hell not now); you're not a film buff if you only ever watch the same movie or series again and again. Let's let "gamer" be the self-identifiable, "I have done this thing once in some way ever throughout my lifetime" term that applies to everyone from the dedicated Bejeweled grandmas who can't use a controller to the card-carrying members of the PC master race who spend thousands of dollars a year on their systems and spend 10 hours on a single game of ArmA.

From someone else who finds gaming.. central to their life, I totally like the idea of having a term like core gamer the way you present it. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who DOESN'T play some kind of game - console, PC, and yes, even the mobile, browser and shitty Facebook games count.

Also, I still have no idea why people would present themselves as something they're not or as something that's no longer true. Seems like a waste to me. If you're going to introduce yourself to someone, it would make more sense for them to get to know the current you and not the '10 years ago' you? Or maybe that's too logical for some people...

"Gamer" has unfortunately been politicized, both as a stigmatizing and masculinizing term, which is why some people are so desperate to cling to it and others so desperate to eschew it. The old people shaking their canes at it, the politicians on both sides of the idle using it as a scapegoat, the neckbeards hoisting "no girls allowed" signs, and the mag hags whinging about "looooser guys who play video games" are all at fault for this. This wasn't always the case, but it suuuuure is now.

So, let everyone have it. Everyone's a gamer! That cuts right through the fear-mongering and gender politics. ...But let us keep a word that still actually means something for those of us who game as a hobby.

Question: I consider myself a gamer. Sometimes I'll go for a few months without gaming (I'll be reading, or watching a series, or something), but then I'll go for long spans playing nothing but video games (and feeling bad for neglecting my TV watching or reading). Like, I once played Skyrim for so long it made me vomit.

Under your definition, would you consider me a Gamer (capital G)?

Well, if you'd read my post, you'd know that "gamer" is the term I think anyone should be able to apply to themselves if they've ever played any kind of game.

Are you what I'd suggested calling a "core gamer"? I think you already know the answer. Moreover, why would I get to define that? I don't know you. Do you play a wide variety of game titles from a variety of genres? Is gaming a hobby that you consider important and regularly spend your free time on? Do game publishers target you when they make core games? Do you stay current on the latest trends and titles in gaming? Do you read gaming-related blogs and socialize, on the internet or otherwise, with other gamers?

If yes to all these, then, yes, obviously.

[ SECRET POST #2347 ]

Re: Guy "Gamers"

Re: Guy "Gamers"

Re: Guy "Gamers"

Re: Guy "Gamers"

Re: Guy "Gamers"