I think you'd be hard pressed to find many highschool athletes who don't also play video games. Video games are not some sort of exclusive basement nerd niche and haven't been for decades (if ever.)
You're describing the gamer stereotype. Any objective definition of gamer is merely "one who plays games." If you step away from pop culture depictions of the stereotype and look at some real world data (for instance, percentage of American homes with a gaming device, which has been above 50% for years), I think you'll find that most gamers don't fit the gamer stereotype.
No it is not. There is culture around it that defines what gamer is. I used to play games and I was not gamer.
No gamer would call me gamer or accept me as gamer either. I would be "not a real gamer" in their eyes. And I don't want to be called gamer, because I don't like that culture either.
There are people who play games and there are people who call themselves gamers. Those are two different groups.
Also, I stopped playing games afre living with guy who changed into gamer. Seeng what the obession and irritability after playing does to others around made me understand the dislike and stereotype.
> There is culture around it that defines what gamer is
That "culture" is just the gamer stereotype. If you play games, you're a gamer. Whether you choose to self-describe that way is irrelevant. Whether people who self-describe that way also describe you that way is irrelevant.
You may as well claim to ride bicycles but not be "cyclist" because you don't own spandex. If you ride bicycles you're a cyclist, whether or not you self-describe as a cyclist, whether or not people who self-describe as cyclists consider you a cyclist, and whether or not you resemble the stereotype of cyclists. If you ride bicycles, you're a cyclist. If you play games, you're a gamer.
No, gamers themselves distinguish between gamers and non gamers. Quite strongly and it is important to them. Gamers do have shared values I tend to disagree with.
No cyclist ever told "she/he is not a real cyclist", so cyclist is descriptor for people who cycle enough. Cyclist is not identity.
Gamer is identity and subculture, because gamers use it as identity. You can't be like "she is not real gamer" and then turn around "everyone who occasionally play games is gamer" when it suddenly suits you.
The things gamers consider good, I don't. The shared values and culture of gamers makes them more then just stereotype.
And also, I am here talking about things and people I gave experience with, both online and in person. No, it is not media stereotype what I talk about. More of conclusions based on interacting with gamers.
Thanks for being on this thread here and elsewhere, I forgot to check replies for awhile.
I agree completely. If anything they need to do what the deaf/Deaf community does and actually brand as a capital-g Gamer.
Remember the whole point of this post is that the military is using games to recruit kids.
It does not matter if they are a Gamer or a gamer in that case because it doesn't matter.
The military will be on Twitch or running real-life fire team tactics in COD Warzone and it doesn't matter anymore. Gamer or gamer they will reach some kids, some of which will be fit enough to join.
