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Are you ashamed to be a "gamer"?
- Thread starter oni-link
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Some Nobody
Junior Member
You could post another 20 of those articles and it still wouldn't change the fact that the less attached you are to the world of gaming, the more likely it is you don't know WTF I'm talking about when I bring up "gamergate". I'm not trying to white-wash anything.
Maybe it's different where you live. I'm in the middle of Mississippi. Which, if you want to be honest, I'm more ashamed of that than I am of being a gamer. And I'm not even a white guy.
TriAceJP
Member
Vocal majority. The people who actually say things.
Kurt Angle
Member
i'm not a "gamer," cringe worthy shit
i play video games for enjoyment
i play video games for enjoyment
Bits N Pieces
Member
Us kids that grew up with C64's and Speccys are now the majority, the silent majority!
And I can still Just Dance with the best of these whipper snappers
ComputerBlue
Member
This.
The term gamer is dumb.
Not a book worm, not a gamer, film buff etc etc.
I like these things, I do these things and that's that.
For me it is kinda hard to be a gamer. I live in environment where it is considered embarrassing to be a gamer but it is not embarrassing to get drunk every other day. I personally don't care and I will never be embarrassed by that but it is hard to have passion for games and live in environment like that.
TheEndOfItAll
Neo Member
Those people that exist here on NeoGAF must really think GamerGate is a much bigger deal in the mainstream than it is. People that know me know I play games and no one has ever brought anything up about the negativity in the gaming world.
TriAceJP
Member
Us kids that grew up with C64's and Speccys are now the majority, the silent majority!
And I can still Just Dance with the best of these whipper snappers
We reign supreme as these children squabble on their Twitter's and their Discords
momshotdad
Member
Not at all. I'm just ashamed on how much money I spend on it.
Manny Calavera
Member
Not at all, I don't see how anyone should be. It's a hobby like watching films, reading, running or any other. I've been playing since I was 5-6 years old and almost everyone I know plays games from my wife to my brother and friends.
OmegaTreeFish
Banned
I dont really identify with the term. Its just one of my hobbies.
Do i have to also be a movier, book worm, box setter etc as well?
If all i did in my spare time is play games and it in someway defined me then i guess I would consider myself one and i wouldn't be ashamed of it. But its a really strange term that says something about you (like any label) whether such a thing is true or not.
Do i have to also be a movier, book worm, box setter etc as well?
If all i did in my spare time is play games and it in someway defined me then i guess I would consider myself one and i wouldn't be ashamed of it. But its a really strange term that says something about you (like any label) whether such a thing is true or not.
Gravy Boat
Member
I've never heard gamergate mentioned anywhere in the real world, really the only place I hear about it is GAF. I don't think regular people know or care about that stuff as much as people on here think they do.
Regardless I'm not ashamed to play games. It's just a hobby.
Regardless I'm not ashamed to play games. It's just a hobby.
Some Nobody
Junior Member
Just so we're clear on where I stand: Given the way people involved in it behaved, Gamergate should have been a bigger deal.
...But yeah, this is basically my experience too. When I go to parties or hang out with people, I've been identified as a gamer and no one's turned their nose up at me. I also still see tons of folks (women and men alike) that identify themselves as gamers and there's never a major discussion or any assumptions made. It feels very much like pre-2014.
I'm also willing to believe that this experience is different outside of my town. I can only speak for where I live.
Nimmermehr
Neo Member
I really don't like the term "gamer".
Also playing visual novels and JRPGs is so far away from Call of Duty as a Meg Ryan Movie from Godzilla.
Also playing visual novels and JRPGs is so far away from Call of Duty as a Meg Ryan Movie from Godzilla.
Fantastapotamus
Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
I don't run around with a shirt that says "Ask me about my Gamerscore" and it's not the first thing I bring up in a conversation but if somebody asks what my hobbies are I'll mention it.
capylikesgames
Banned
Ashamed is a weird word in this context; I personally don't see the need for it. Gamer always seemed like a marketing term first and foremost, and it was always in-hand with ads that try to rile up the scene and promote elitism, as far as I saw growing up. Not to say people can't make the term something positive for themselves, but I have no interest in doing the same. The word itself has never done anything for me, and I see no reason to put energy into it. Other mediums I'm passionate about (music, animation) do not suggest a label for me to wear before I am allowed to enjoy them thoroughly.
BRocknRolla
Member
I love reading. I love movies. I love plants. I love technology. I love games. These are pieces of my identity on some level.
Do I identify as a gamer? I'm not afraid of the moniker, but what does being a gamer even mean? If it means it is the core of who I am, my sole interest, or that I identify as part of some type of community group-think, then no, I guess I'm not a gamer.
There is nothing shameful about liking games any more than any other hobby. I'm fully aware that there are those who stigmatize them, but those people are idiots. Don't give into those people.
Do I identify as a gamer? I'm not afraid of the moniker, but what does being a gamer even mean? If it means it is the core of who I am, my sole interest, or that I identify as part of some type of community group-think, then no, I guess I'm not a gamer.
There is nothing shameful about liking games any more than any other hobby. I'm fully aware that there are those who stigmatize them, but those people are idiots. Don't give into those people.
What is a "gamer" and why let one aspect define you so much you let yourself be embarrased by it. I play games. Big whoop. I play instruments too and thst scene has involved heavy substance abuse and alcohol from big composers.
I run with my dogs and that community has its own problem with training them too hard and bordering on abuse.
I play board games, paint, embroider, etc. All interests has communities that carry some terrible stories, but that doesn't mean I have to participate.
I enjoy my hobbies for the content, not the stuff surrounding it.
I run with my dogs and that community has its own problem with training them too hard and bordering on abuse.
I play board games, paint, embroider, etc. All interests has communities that carry some terrible stories, but that doesn't mean I have to participate.
I enjoy my hobbies for the content, not the stuff surrounding it.
Cynn
Member
So if you'd played golf on and off for 35 years and someone asked if you were a golfer you'd say "DONT DEFINE ME MAN!"?
Seems like you might be in the ashamed category amigo.
People are waaayyyy too worried about labels these days. Do what you like. A spade is a spade.
petethepanda
Member
I don't really label myself as a "gamer" even though I play tons of games, just as I don't go around saying I'm a "film buff" or something because I see tons of movies. I don't have anything against others who do so, but I've always been weirded out by the idea of identifying myself based purely on my interests. (I guess it's all just semantics anyway.)
But no, I'm not ashamed to play games.
But no, I'm not ashamed to play games.
DarkLordMalik
Member
Nah. I am not ashamed right now and I won't be. Ever.
Gaming is a hobby. It shouldn't be something that you are ashamed of.
Gaming is a hobby. It shouldn't be something that you are ashamed of.
Cinephile
Telephile
Bibliophile
There are words to describe enthusiasts of particular media.
Stigma unique to gaming though.
Movies, television and books aren't as embroiled in socially awkward geek culture as games are.
Gravy Boat
Member
Yeah I'd never really call myself a gamer but if someone asked if I was a gamer I'd say yes.
"I don't define myself by my hobbies, I just play games but I do other things too" just seems like an obnoxious and unnecessarily aggressive response.
FannyCabbage
Member
Hell no. Gaming is a hobby, one I really enjoy so I don't really care what anybody else thinks of it
RomanceDawn
Member
Everyone in my life knows that I absolutely adore Pokemon, Donkey Kong and I suppose Nintendo in general but especially those 2 IPs. When I get new Pokemon cards my martial arts students hear all about it. I wear shirts and shoes decorated with Mario and Donkey Kong. After I was told "you may kiss the bride" I had a big band version of the OG Mario theme play in celebration.
I remember being in a makeup wagon with the cast of The Catch, I was watching a Pokemon direct live and proudly announced how happy I was that an Orangutan Pokemon was revealed. One guy looked at me like I was unworthy of his presence but I didn't care I love Pokemon!
Now am I ashamed to be a gamer? Absolutely 100% YES! I like playing games and I don't care if people know about it but I don't like that word, I associate it with things I can't stand.
Is the logic in my head all messed up? Probably but I don't care. Don't like being called a gamer, don't like associating myself with people I define as a gamers.
I remember being in a makeup wagon with the cast of The Catch, I was watching a Pokemon direct live and proudly announced how happy I was that an Orangutan Pokemon was revealed. One guy looked at me like I was unworthy of his presence but I didn't care I love Pokemon!
Now am I ashamed to be a gamer? Absolutely 100% YES! I like playing games and I don't care if people know about it but I don't like that word, I associate it with things I can't stand.
Is the logic in my head all messed up? Probably but I don't care. Don't like being called a gamer, don't like associating myself with people I define as a gamers.
Gaming is a huge part of my life, it's my biggest hobby and one of my greatest passions. It has helped me make friends, express myself creatively, and fight depression. It even helped me connect with my parents when they were battling addiction. I will never be ashamed of enjoying an entertainment medium that has done so much for me. All of my friends, family and coworkers known that I love video games, but they also know I am a decent human being and so don't judge me negatively for it (plus most of them play games anyway).
I will also continue to condemn those that use video games as an excuse to be assholes.
I will also continue to condemn those that use video games as an excuse to be assholes.
Even though it's my biggest hobby, i don't go out of my way to two people i play games. Still see it as having that mid 90's "you're still playing games, they're for kids" stigma.
My family and close friends know, my colleagues at work don't. Sometimes they ask me what forum in browsing (GAF) and i tell them it's TV and Film i don't know why.
My family and close friends know, my colleagues at work don't. Sometimes they ask me what forum in browsing (GAF) and i tell them it's TV and Film
i don't know why.
Melchiah
Member
+ for genres... horror hound, trekker, etc. There's a label for everything. That's what people like to do, put everything into nice little boxes.
TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared
Member
I detest the term 'gamer' so no.
I don't label myself a gamer because I don't really label myself as anything, it's not indicative of a resentment of the medium.
I like games more than the average person, that doesn't mean I let it define my identity to the point that I am or even could be ashamed of it. I also don't walk around wearing it as a badge of honour, the same way I don't for most other things, somebody walking past me on the street would be none the wiser to my enjoyment of them.
Am I worried that expressing my interest in them when the subject comes up will cause others to lump me in with the GG crowd or a lot of the other bullshit that goes on in the industry? No. It's ultimately down to me and my behaviour that informs others opinion of my character, and I quite happily undertake the responsibility to be one of the good ones, or at least try to be.
I like games more than the average person, that doesn't mean I let it define my identity to the point that I am or even could be ashamed of it. I also don't walk around wearing it as a badge of honour, the same way I don't for most other things, somebody walking past me on the street would be none the wiser to my enjoyment of them.
Am I worried that expressing my interest in them when the subject comes up will cause others to lump me in with the GG crowd or a lot of the other bullshit that goes on in the industry? No. It's ultimately down to me and my behaviour that informs others opinion of my character, and I quite happily undertake the responsibility to be one of the good ones, or at least try to be.
CountAntonius
Member
I play videogames, listen to music and watch movies and TV. These are hobbies and not the center of my being. I am not ashamed of any of them nor do I need to associate myself with anyone else who also enjoys them.
Yeah, I mean it's fine to not go up and introduce yourself to someone as, "I'm an audiophile, and yourself?" because yeah that's weird, but I always found the retort of, "well other hobbies don't have labels. Why do I deserve an -er label for what I enjoy," a little ingenuous.
TRUE ORDER
Member
Naaah, I love some games.
Vince DiCola
Member
Uh fuck no.
Playing games is my hobby and I love it
Playing games is my hobby and I love it
Refreshing read. Thx.