What is a Gamer? The answer and other gamer types await youMar 07 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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gam-er n. - One who plays a game, especially a role-playing or computer game. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company, Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, All rights reserved; a gamer is in fact a person who plays video games, but is not necessarily restricted to role-playing or computer games. There are all types of different gamers, from Hardcore to Casual, and each of them differ greatly in the way they play games. One thought that has burned in my mind for a while, gamers are not necessarily nerds, outcasts, or losers. MANY people who play games do other things aside from just playing games. Personally, being a teenager, I go out and do things with friends almost every weekend, and I’m also on the varsity wrestling team for school, so my life doesn’t revolve around games like so many non-gamers seem to think that people who play games do. Video games, are a form of entertainment. Almost everybody has played some sort of video game in their life, even my grandparents who have an N64. Girls, which consist of the minority in the gamer population, play games too. And if you don’t mind me saying, some of these gamer chicks are amazingly gorgeous. Aside from being entertainment, video games can also be a hobby, which everybody has whether it be a collection of something, a sport, or any other activity that is enjoyable. So just because a person plays games, does not mean they are a loser. Now, the different types of gamers vary depending on how much time is spent playing games, to the amount of years they’ve been playing, to the type of genre that they prefer, etc. Casual/Passive: The casual, or “passive” gamer as I like to say, will pick up and play a game just to pass time or some game might catch their attention and so they’ll play for an hour or so every once in a while to have some fun. The casual gamers don’t really buy many games, and a majority of the games are given to them as a gift. Casual gamers usually only have one console too. Gamer: Considering the amount of gamers there are, I personally fall under the “gamer” type of gamers, in that I’m not to casual about it, but I’m also not hardcore enough to be considered hardcore. I’m about average; I’ve got more than one game system, I play them almost every day for at least two hours, and on weekends when I’m not busy with my friends, I’m playing video games, pulling all-nighters. Hardcore: Hardcore gamers are those who play games almost unstoppably, and have almost, if not every game system that has ever been released. They own a massive number of games, and they might even collect action figures, comic books, etc. of different games. Hardcore gamers are usually the ones who have been playing games since they were wee little lads in the 70s and 80s, and are pretty much open to every single game genre, not that they might not have a favorite genre, but they don’t limit themselves to one genre, they play everything (any gamer who actually had the mind to play the CD-I Zelda games and finish them, are definitely considered hardcore by me). Genre: Genre gamers are those who limit themselves to one type of game genre (such as racing, RPG, action/adventure), and don’t branch off to play other games. There are a lot of racing only gamers, but by far the majority of genre gamers are RPG fanatics, who play anything and everything RPG (those are the guys who have way too much time on their hands, because most standard RPGs, especially now, are at least 30 something hours long and longer, plus any extras). Now there is a difference between liking one genre a lot more than another and playing games in one genre only and not playing any other types, so don’t get them confused. Old-School: These are the gamers who grew up with Atari’s, Sega’s, and Nintendo’s (and/or any of the other systems at the time), and more times than not, they prefer vintage gaming than playing newer games. Just because they’re old-school doesn’t mean that they don’t play new games, however there are some gamers who want to stay old-school and the SNES is probably the newest console they have. Of course, there is nothing wrong with old-school gaming, long-live Nintendo! New-School: These are the gamers, who can’t help when they were born, that were born in the new-age, and so Nintendo’s, Atari’s, and Sega’s are not something they’re going to be growing up with. Cut-scenes, FMV’s, full 3-D graphics, and life-like physics are what they’ll learn to know as “gaming.” Some people have never TOUCHED a 8 or 16-bit game. Console: Console gamers are those who either don’t have a computer, or don’t have enough money to keep upgrading their computers to be a powerful gaming machine, and so they have to rely on home console systems to feed their gaming needs. I personally am a “console” gamer, because my computer is a piece of crap and I’m not going to pay hundreds of dollars every 6 months or so to upgrade everything. Computer: Computer gamers are those who value their computer over everything else, and have some pretty high-priced gaming rigs, which can do some pretty amazing things. Gamer’s Disgrace - Fanboy: I don’ really consider fanboys to be real gamers, but since they do play games, they’re technically considered gamers. However, Fanboys are those who can usually only afford one system. Now, owning just one system is not a big deal, a lot of people don’t have that much extra money to buy more systems, but fanboys are obnoxious about their system and so they flame every other game system. The world is full of fanboys, and they’re multiplying by the millions. Final Verdict All the descriptions of the above “gamer” types are not at all official, and are only what I consider them, although the fanboy by definition is mainly true, especially the obnoxious part. I hope my little “guide” was interesting, thanks for reading, no flames please (this would include fanboys). happy gaming  |
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