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[MeatSafeMurderer]

In Portuguese we have the term cinéfilo for fanatics of movies (they're akin to Movier, hehe).

But I still think the gamer label is shite because, like I said before, some "gamers" do not even know the Dreamcast or the Turbografx16 existed and they're all lumped in the same bucket with the people who actually have knowledge. But I digress...

Cinéfilo almost certainly comes from the English cinephile, which is a portmanteu of cinema and the Greek, philia, which means love. Literally it means someone who loves cinema. Gamephile as a term wen?

 

[Daniel Thomas MacInnes]

We could always go back to "users." It worked in the movie Tron.

 

[Jack Videogames]

I propose gamerATOR!

Scratch that. Gamerator 2000!

Also french terms make everything fancier. I'm not a fatass, I'm a gourmand. I don't use a plunger, I use a cafètiere.

So wer're not gamers, we're joueurs.

 

[MisterBrimstone]

Since eSports is a thing I think we are all athletes. That should get us laid bois!

 

[lock2k]

Cinéfilo almost certainly comes from the English cinephile, which is a portmanteu of cinema and the Greek, philia, which means love. Literally it means someone who loves cinema. Gamephile as a term wen?

That's exactly what is is.

Gamephile is cool.

 

[Honey Bunny]

We are truly the most oppressed race.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Corrected,

OP: A quick look at the typical audiences that frequent "gaming" expos and cons should tell you that you really don't want to land in the same category as those people. So yes, I agree. I'm also not the kind of "film connoisseur" who enjoys Marvel movies.

97 is pre dream cast and pre Xbox. There were some deep, hardcore and niche games on both those consoles so I think it isn't that early

I agree with the second part

 

[Guilty_AI]

Gamephile as a term wen?

That's exactly what is is.

Gamephile is cool.

This sounds like someone who gets aroused by games.

Sort of true if you play eroge.

 

[sol740]

I prefer "Buttoneers".

 

[Teslerum]

If you play games, you are a gamer, there's no real reason to look any deeper than that.

Yeah, one of my hobbies is videogames, when I play them I'm a gamer. Simple as.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Corrected,

OP: A quick look at the typical audiences that frequent "gaming" expos and cons should tell you that you really don't want to land in the same category as those people. So yes, I agree. I'm also not the kind of "film connoisseur" who enjoys Marvel movies.

97 is pre dream cast and pre Xbox. There were some deep, hardcore and niche games on both those consoles so I think it isn't that early

I agree with the second part

I'd say ps360 was when games began to really go mainstream. It was around the time we had games like Halo 3 and GTA4 bringing in more revenue than certain movies and books and everyone was making a fuss about it.
It sundelly stopped being "the thing for nerds" and became that universal activity that everyone did.

 

[Guilty_AI]

If you play games, you are a gamer, there's no real reason to look any deeper than that.

Yeah, one of my hobbies is videogames, when I play them I'm a gamer. Simple as.

I mean, i know its something ultimately pointless to think about but its still cool to ponder.
In one side we have a petrolhead who only plays certain racing games with a steering wheel. On the other we have a guy who only plays EVE online.
By definition they're both "gamers", however i can't think of the two of them as people who share the same hobby at all.

 

[Imtjnotu]

Seriously wtf is going on this week with this bullshit

 

[Teslerum]

I mean, i know its something ultimately pointless to think about but its still cool to ponder.
In one side we have a petrolhead who only plays certain racing games with a steering wheel. On the other we have a guy who only plays EVE online.
By definition they're both "gamers", however i can't think of the two of them as people who share the same hobby at all.

I... do?

I've never been offended or considered that anything different since the 90's.

At the very worst I only see a distinction between people that play casual games purely for momentary distraction (like for example while waiting or being on the toilet) and anyone that plays larger games.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I... do?

I've never been offended or considered that anything different since the 90's.

At the very worst I only see a distinction between people that play casual games purely for momentary distraction (like for example while waiting or being on the toilet) and anyone that plays larger games.

I mean, one is clearly someone who like cars and the other someone who enjoys playing with strategy and economics.
I feel like games are just one way you have as an outlet for what i'd consider one's real passion.

 

[Slings and Arrows]

I'd say ps360 was when games began to really go mainstream. It was around the time we had games like Halo 3 and GTA4 bringing in more revenue than certain movies and books and everyone was making a fuss about it.
It sundelly stopped being "the thing for nerds" and became that universal activity that everyone did.

I remember it as 2008, which Iirc was pre mass effect 3. I remember the financial crash completely changing the landscape.

And yeah that's when it stopped being for nerds and popularity picked up.

 

[MeatSafeMurderer]

and the other someone who enjoys playing with strategy and economics Excel spreadsheets.

FTFY. Sim City 4 is another one like that...and it's better than Sim City 2013. Cities Skylines gives it a run for its money but the agent system kind of breaks everything and your city inevitably collapses once you reach the limits and the garbage trucks no longer stay on the roads long enough to collect the garbage before they despawn...if they ever spawn at all...but I digress.

 

[acm2000]

I... do?

I've never been offended or considered that anything different since the 90's.

At the very worst I only see a distinction between people that play casual games purely for momentary distraction (like for example while waiting or being on the toilet) and anyone that plays larger games.

I mean They're both video games, thus gamer... Doesn't matter if it's a hardcore SIM or candy crush.

If you want to throw in "hardcore gamer" then go ahead.

 

[killatopak]

Back in my day it was called Nerd.

 

[Orthodox Gaming Dad]

"gamer" is a vapid identity created by a marketing team (possibly at Microsoft prior to the 360 launch). Growing up in the 80's there were people who played video games and people who didnt... No one identified as a "gamer", nor should we today.

 

[Danjin44]

Here is more simple question, should we really care if someone called us "gamer" or not? Video games to me is nothing more than hobby, its my favourite hobby but just a hobby.....nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Naru]

Ultimately, i can't help but ponder.
Can we really consider a guy who mainly plays visual novels and jrpgs and a guy who only plays FIFA as really having "the same hobby"? That is, "playing games"? A "gamer"? Even though the interest for their hobby are completely different in nature, like comparing someone who plays ball with someone who watchs anime?

Just rambling a bit.
I'm not drunk.

Isn't that similar to the "is reading comics really reading" discussion? I personally think if it has text, you are reading and if it's a game then you are playing. But"Gamer" always meant to me that someone is playing games on a regular basis so this applies only to that kind of person in my opinion, regardless of the type of game you are playing.

 

[Lanrutcon]

You're here on a gaming forum arguing that you don't want to be called a gamer.

Some of y'all need some introspection time.

 

[XBlackCavendishX]

interactive entertainment enthusiasts?

 

[Guilty_AI]

Here is more simple question, should we really care if someone called us "gamer" or not? Video games to me is nothing more than hobby, its my favourite hobby but just a hobby.....nothing more, nothing less.

You're here on a gaming forum arguing that you don't want to be called a gamer.

Some of y'all need some introspection time.

I mean this in the most respectful way but, please read what i said before answering.
This isn't about not wanting to be called a gamer, nor it has anything to do with the negative connotations the word has received, nor its necessarely about the word at all as much as the "playing games" hobby.

 

[Lanrutcon]

I mean this in the most respectful way but, please read what i said before answering.
This isn't about not wanting to be called a gamer, nor it has anything to do with the negative connotations the word has received, nor its necessarely about the word at all as much as the "playing games" hobby.

You're on a gaming forum. Everyone reading this is. You've already crossed the line between casual and hobbyist. Whatever the role is called is kind of irrelevant. We're all in here together, you poor bastards.

 

[DavidGzz]

I'm many things, gamer is just one of them.

 

[Ascend]

Ultimately, i can't help but ponder.
Can we really consider a guy who mainly plays visual novels and jrpgs and a guy who only plays FIFA as really having "the same hobby"? That is, "playing games"? A "gamer"? Even though the interest for their hobby are completely different in nature, like comparing someone who plays ball with someone who watchs anime?

Drummers, guitarists, vocalists, producers, composers, all do very different things, but, all of them are still musicians.

 

[OutrageousFacts]

I prefer "weeb" - it encompasses everything I like: Games, Anime, animetiddies

 

[BloodOmenPT]

From what I've seen from forums, twitter, youtube chat and other stuff during the last few weeks of presentations, reveals and trailers, I've come to the conclusion that there are very few gamers left, and by that I mean people who can actually enjoy games and be glad that other people can also enjoy games. Don't necessarily have to be the same ones, we are all unique. Well, not so much now it seems, a lot of sheep just following herd mentality in many cases. Basically, what I call "Entitled toxic whiney little bit****". There's a lot of that going around.
Most recent case in point: the Marvel Avengers presentation from a couple of minutes ago, 90% of the people in the chat were like "PS2 graphics", "crap", "pass", "OMG Kamala sucks". Don't like it, move along, there are hundreds of choices for gaming, why all the constant negativity...

 

[Reindeer]

Videogaming has become so popular that this "gamer" tag has lost all its meaning. Nowadays it's probably harder to find people that don't play videogames in some capacity, which is very different to how it was back in the day when gaming was seen as a childish activity. Being called a "gamer" made sense when gaming was not mainstream, but today it's as popular as any other hobby, if not more so. I see some people describe themselves as "hardcore" gamers to distinguish themselves from casual gamers, but this tag is also kinda losing all its meaning.

 

[Kamina]

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