Real gamers, is it really a legitimate category?

I have heard this one a lot (I’m sure those that hang around any type of gaming site would too):
“Y System is not as good as X because it doesn’t have good enough graphics and sounds…”
“Y system is not as good X because they don’t have enough games for us “Real Gamers”, they only have game for kids”
…you get the idea

I hate the terms “real gamer” or “A true gamer would…” what defines that? A real or true gamer is what? Someone who is updated with the system that supports the best graphics, sound, and gameplay? Someone who never touches “kiddie” games that’s “just for fun”, they only play serious games?

Games can be enjoyed by people of all ages and gender. It is a world that is to be open to all. This realm is not supposed to shun people, so why do these hypothetical gates appear? Is the girl playing Barbie on whatever system not a gamer? Why? Is it because she isn’t spilling blood? When was it, that violence and blood became a judgment of whether something is a game or not?
The world of gamming has many genres. And because of the width of genres we also have many different gamers. These people enjoy the games they play and are not shy about trying things that they haven’t touched before. And they will also stay away from genres that they don’t like. So by this definition, what is the difference between Barbie playing girl and FPS playing girl? Nothing, they are both gamers that enjoy what they play. And that’s the way gamming should be, it’s about fun. Think of a world where there is only Halo like games, how horrible. And think of a world where there is only Cooking Ma Ma like games, equally horrible. The world would be boring if it only had one culture, same with the gamming world.

Another thing about “real gamers” is their emphasis on graphics and sound and whatnot. Wow the graphics is great and the movie scenes are so realistic! Does that make a game? If you want that why don’t you watch an animated movie? It’s the same. These are added features that could make a game better, but it cannot save horrible gameplay from being horrible. But a game with old graphics and awesome gameplay can still be a great game. The point is I enjoy Mappy (from namco museum, it’s such a hard game lol) and tetris even though they don’t have 3D realistic environment and surround digital sound. Mappy still has it’s good old 2D and midi but it’s such a fun game to play. Same with old style blood spilling games, although I'd like to see realistic body parts fly and deep crimeson blood, I don't mind if the blood is a blotch of red as long as the how I create the blood was "fun". If the gameplay is fun, and the overall quality is good (i.e no weird texture or bugs), then it’s a game.

Last but not least is the idea of next gen gamming. This area is like “real gamers” paradise, every ideal they have is somehow next gen. Really? Because to me the next gen is a lot of superficial stuff that I have talked about. Graphics and sound is always going to be better, that is not next gen gamming. It’s called updating your hardware and software. Next gen comes when I am personally in the game. Why? Because this generation gamming is you being outside of the actual game environment, you holding on to some sort of device that your fingers (or body part) control, and you staring at a screen. Ever since the oldest gaming system it’s always been like this. With PS3 and Xbox360 and Wii, sure we’ve updated, but not moved away from the theme of outside of the game.

So me, who likes FPS, Slash and hack, RPG, dating sim, and retro games, is waiting for next gen. I want to personally be immersed in a game literally. Meanwhile I hope this whole “real gamer” “next gen gamer”would tone down and people be more open minded. So for now Joe can perfer PS3 over Wii and Jenny her barbie over blood. But both are gamers and there is no need for silly rivalry, because in then end if they own all gamming systems, well that's ideal isn't it?

 

i think that all that "true gamer" is a load of rubbish. a "true gamer" is simply someone who enjoys games and plays them every now and then, not someone who's obsessed with graphics, and plays 24/7

 

no, it is merely an imaginary social position that we develope ourselves.

you wouldn't call a CEO a real worker?! or would you?!

there is an interesting article online about the so called hardcore community and it's supporters.

 

yes it is I believe though that real gamers enjoy the gameplay first rather than look at graphics drool and become retarded. people who can appreciate the game as an artform and the like. you alluded to how a girl who plays barbie isn't a real gamer because she doesn't spill blood or etc wasn't a good example for it imo because the games that are branded are usually horrible in gameplay and just put out there so fans of the brand will buy it mindlessly. I do get your point though that some people who don't exactly know what they're talking about and consider themseleves "gamers" are pretty annoying, i mean its basically found in all facets of life, there are posers for everything nowadays XD

 

Likewise not all spill blood games have good gameplay. The point there being, the two games are of different genres, but just because one person like barbie and the other blood doesn't make a difference whether they are gamers or not. They both still play games.

Well I guess there are people who are Pro as in they are very smart in gaming and can beat anything. But I don't think there are "real" gamers. Not in the sense people use it nowadays.

 

I wonder if games are still fun for them, at the pro level how fun is gaming actually...

 

winning and making money is fun..

 

to earn money? a lot of people from 3rd world countries do it. get sucky jobs that no one likes because they pay more than what they could make back home XD

8-16 hour practice sessions, little social life, the stress the pressure ah... the good life of a pro gamer but true enough there's still fun in it since I bet everyone's had one game they binged on

 

what type of games do pro gamers typically play to earn money?
also, are you referring to those that are in the competition aspect or in the review and those sort of thing?

 

Bam bam bam frag frag splurch "haha you got knifed".

First person shooters.

 

Also games like DDR has competitions, don't forget alot of 2 player fighitng games and also multiplayer strategy games like warcraft, my friend was ranked quite high in Canada when he played in highschool. He was kinda evil as in sacrifice his allies to get what he needs... but then he couldn't keep up with school so he dropped warcraft. I call him pro because he took that game way too seriously (more like addicted). Scary

 

I'd say people who call themselves 'real gamers' don't know a bunch of what gaming really means.


For me there is nothing like a best genre or a best game.

If there's a game which is different doesn't mean it's crap.

I personally play almost everything I can get, no matter if game is called Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Tekken or whatever.

And everytime I try to take the phrase 'real gamers' apart, I only get one conclusion:"real gamers are gamers who are real" and in that way it means all gamers.

 

the job is boring to them. it will have it's moments but in the end, the job is just a job and they will loose interest in it.

you end up hating it as it becomes a chore. eventually you'll get pulled away from the real enjoyment of the game. try playing a game and being serious about it, it isn't fun. if you have a wii, play resident evil umbrella chronicles seriously and you'll see why there are people who hate it.

 

I dont think it is a chore is it? Competitions are open to evryone, it is up to them to join. And surely they have other jobs. I mean winning competitions is not exactly enough to support yourself

 

That's a nice way of looking at it

 

a "real gamer" would play any game and not complaint about it.....they would never limit them self to only one gaming system, so brand doesnt matter to them.

those gamer who limit them self to a single system is what we call fanboy (fanboi)

example: PS3 fanboy (commonly know as Sony fanboi) alwasy complain that other system doesnt have enough power, while WII fanboy (commonly know as Nintendo fanboi) alwasy braging about thier wii remote like it was some kind of never seen before cutting edge technology.

 

it is a chore as it is their career to earn a living. just like tennis players, though they play in competition, i'm sure that they don't actually play often in their personal life unless it is needed for practice before competition, to further develop their skills and talent and/or to show off their tennis skills to others.