I'm A Gamer! Are You?
Only REAL gamers know. You know?
I went through
’s And ‘ post regarding gamer identity which can be seen below, and make for good reads.
And it had me thinking—
Regarding My Gamer Identity.
I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember, even if I didn’t know that was a thing back then. Thanks to my older siblings, I picked up gaming when I was very young. My brother introduced memorable RPGs like Suikoden IV, Gladius, Legends of Dragoon, Front Mission, and the very memorable game, Seek and Destroy1.
He also introduced me to competitive games and would repeatedly beat my ass in them, and lastly, and most importantly, he introduced me to the world of PC gaming with gems like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Runescape (which he used me to level up his Woodcutting).
On the other hand, my sister helped me get through multiple games that I was too young and dumb to understand. I mean, I couldn’t get outside the first zone of Banjo Kazooie or other platformers. I still remember her helping me get through a panther chase scene from Emperor’s New Groove2. She also introduced me to The Sims, Harvest Moon, and other more casual games.
Most importantly, she normalized women playing video games, any type of video game.
When I was young, I was very surprised that my friends couldn’t believe my sister, or any girl, would play games. It happened so many times that I normalized guys being surprised women played, or even weirder, being impressed.
It’s something that I’ve still seen happens today but now it just feels so strange, weird, and uncomfortable to hear a guy shout, “You’re a girl?!” and the classic, “You play games?!” which is why I hate the term “girl games,” because I just think games are games. I think things have gotten better but then again, my wife did have an uncomfortable experience that pushed her away from talking to people on Discord.
But growing up, all I did for fun was play video games, and eventually, when I was introduced to the world of online gaming, I became the same type of creature any kid would become if introduced to those spaces. That’s right, one of those fanboys and gatekeepers.
Gaming became part of my identity, but it was narrowed down to not just gaming, but XBOX gaming, competitive and action games. And the deeper I went into competitive gaming, the stronger my love/hate relationship with gaming became. This was around the time when casual gaming wasn’t real gaming to me, but I didn’t know any better.
I was just a creature.
That phase of my try-hard gatekeeping hit hard with League of Legends, as I started playing it in season three, and have had an active account since beta. From then on, competitive gaming was mostly the only type of gaming I did. And I must tell you, I do not recommend it. I was just angry every time I played any type of competitive game, but it felt great to win.
From breaking my Joy-cons to punching holes into my desk, these weren’t the most positive of times. They became a toxic way of venting my frustrations, even creating hostile situations with friends.
But after many years of anger, one day after winning two League matches in a row, I realized I wasn’t having fun. That’s when I dove deep into indie games, and I stopped taking comp games as seriously anymore.
And now, video games are fun again, I don’t gatekeep, and it led to me creating this blog and YouTube channel. I had to take a step back and think to myself, “Games are supposed to be fun, right?” and now I’m back to playing single-player games, tycoon games on Roblox, and whatever else that won’t make me chuck my controller across the room.
Because the most important thing about being a gamer is enjoying video games. Also, telling developers not to exploit you with loot boxes and such, that’s another part of being a gamer, too.
What is a gamer?
Simple, it’s a person who plays video games and enjoys them. They don’t need to follow the news, play a specific genre, play for an amount of time, or have played since they were a one year old. They don’t have to be a specific gender, a specific age or anything. They just play games.
Now, if you want to figure out what kind of gamer you are, such as a cozy gamer, casual gamer, Milsim gamer, TCG gamer, horror gamer, VR gamer, and so on, then you’re just going to have to play tons of games. The gamer subcategory is a long one. Which is good, because it means that there’s always a video game out there for anyone, so just keep your mind open, take your time, and enjoy the experience.
Thank you to
and for inspiring me! GO READ THOSE POSTS. It was a bit introspective writing this article, and it kind of makes me want to write about the perspective of gaming changing over the years. From being a non-nerd activity and something anyone can play, it has changed.Also, expect a video and post on Keep Driving this Friday or Saturday! I was given a key, and the game is as hype and interesting as I thought!
Side note, GIPHY is pretty good.
But please, let me know what you thought in the comment below! What is a gamer? What shaped you into becoming one, or why would you not consider yourself one if you don’t? What perspective on gamers are you glad is no longer even considered?
“What is a gamer” is the type of question I could write a whole book on (maybe I will someday!).
You could say a gamer is just someone who plays and enjoys video games, but this seems overly simplistic and reductive.
Then there’s the stereotypical, capital “G” hardcore Gamer, but that’s also highly reductive in addition to being problematic and stigmatizing (and something I don’t personally identify with anyway, despite enjoying many of the games associated with this cohort).
I think at the end of the day, a gamer is someone who derives deep enjoyment and even meaning from games, on a deeply subconscious, primal, and even spiritual level. And that’s definitely the case with me.
A parallel to this would be my wife, who deeply enjoys movies. Watches them all the time, devours commentary tracks, directors cuts, and BTS podcasts. Dives deep into the historical, cultural, and biographical context behind her favorite movies. Doesn’t just watch films, but lives and breathes them in a deep and visceral manner. Just like I do with games
Not that you have to be as intense as I am to be a gamer, lol. Maybe the best definition really is the first one: if you play and enjoy games, you’re a gamer!
That's kind of crazy that we sort of similar epiphanies throughout our respective journeys. I was a competitive fiend growing up, besting in drawing dungeon maps with my middle school friends, competing professionally in Dota 2, grabbing Grandmaster in TFT, sinking deep into Ascension 20 in StS.. of course going through many periods of "Who am I without video games?" etc.
And now I'm completely infatuated with game development. I just know that my life would be very different, and probably sadder, if I wasn't introduced to video games.