Gamer - Defined

[Fogel]

We are starting to enter an era where I think Gamers need to take a stand on who qualifies and who doesn't. As mobile phone and tablets gain popularity the industry is defining people who play them as gamers. IGN just posted a Top 100 Modern Games list I am sure most have seen by now. For those who haven't seen it a couple mobile phone games like Angry Birds and Tiny Wings made it to the list. That means games with very little development time and practically no depth are beating games where actual game developers are investing a lot of time/effort/finances into. So a game you can litterally play while waiting in a Subway line or even while taking a dump is competing with games that will take you multiple days to complete. If you want to come up with a Top 20 mobile phone games list, awesome!

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the hell out of Free Cell and Spider Solitaire ...but no way in hell would I compare them with any game on a Top 100 list, let alone games that didn't make the list to make room for these games. Comparing mobile phone/tablet games to PC/Console games is like comparing a doodle you made in work/class to professional artwork. You just don't do that. It could be a really cool doodle but like hell is it real art. At some point phones and tablet may receive games where real development time is spent but we aren't there yet.

 

The defense is casual gamers deserve to be respected too. That statement alone I agree with, but do people that only play mobile phone games/apps qualify even as casual gamers? I will show the official definition of a gamer and then I will show you my dictionary friendly revision.

 

OFFICIAL DEFINITION

Gamer - Someone who play games

 

MY DEFINITION

Gamer - Someone who considers playing games as one of their primary hobbies

 

 

Simple and I think it leaves it open to when phone and tablet games mature. It is all about attitude. Someone who only plays mobile phone games is not any kind of gamer if they are capable of playing games on a PC/Console if they so desire. It simply means they are gaming (verb vs noun) on their phone. Now if someone is completely addicted to games but their mom/wife won't allow them to have a PC/Console so the only way to get their fix in is through their phone they are a gamer (a neutered one, but still a gamer). At some point you have to take your craft seriously to be considered part of the community.

 

 

Why do I care? Same reason artists care what is considered art and what isn't. If real game developers are getting less respect for all the time and effort they put into a game in favor of someone who created a game drunk people are playing on the crapper something is pathetically wrong. Why go to the trouble of sinking all that time and money into making a really nice game when the industry is going to pimp out Angry Birds instead of your game? Not to mention there are some really good indie games that deserve more respect than Angry Birds/Tiny Wings and cost the same or less on a good Steam deal. There are games that are trying to make a name for themselves and even competed for Game of the Year but lose a spot in a Top 100 list in favor of Angry Birds - really? The game I am thinking of is Okami. Resistence 2, Demon Souls, Crysis and League Legends all lost to Angry Birds.

 

I'm not saying Angry Birds or other mobile phone games aren't fun and don't deserve respect, but don't compare them to real games. And don't say people who play those games are gamers. Not everyone who games is a gamer. Not everyone who draws is an artist.

 

//end_pointless_rant

 

Agree / Disagree?

[Fogel]

To save people time in looking up the IGN Top 100 I am referring to, here is the list

 

100. Demon's Souls

99. League of Legends

98. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP

97. Resistance 2

96. Tiny Wings

95. Kirby's Epic Yarn

94. Crysis

93. Angry Birds

92. Rainbow Six: Vegas

91. The Sims 3

90. Far Cry 2

89. Dragon Age: Origins

88. Valkyria Chronicles II

87. Killzone 2

86. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

85. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

84. Elite Beat Agents

83. 'Splosion Man

82. Splinter Cell: Conviction

81. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

80. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

79. Bionic Commando Rearmed

78. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fat of Two Worlds

77. Total War: Shogun 2

76. Brain Age

75. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

74. Cut the Rope

73. Flower

72. The World Ends With You

71. Meteos

70. Super Stardust HD

69. Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise

68. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

67. Donkey Kong Country Returns

66. Picross DS

65. Mega Man 9

64. Burnout Paradise

63. Fable II

62. Advance Wars: Dual Strike

61. Alan Wake

60. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

59. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

58. Wii Sports: Resort

57. Mirror's Edge

56. Dead Rising

55. DJ Hero

54. Pokemon Black & White

53. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

52. Shatter

51. Company of Heors

50. Battlefield: Bad Company 2

49. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

48. Castle Crashers

47. Super Street Fighter IV

46. GOD of WAR 3

45. Super Paper Mario

44. Braid

43. Tetris DS

42. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

41. Sid Meier's Civilization IV

 

40. Infamous 2

39. The Legend of Zelda Twilight princess

38. Lumines

37. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

36. Shadow Complex

35. Borderlands

34. Little Big Planet 2

33. NBA 2k11

32. World of Goo

31. FIFA 11

30. Peggle

29. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

28. Forza Motorsport 3

27. Team Fortress 2

26. Limbo

25. Mario Kart DS

24. Rock Band 2

23. Plants vs Zombies

22. Gears of War

21. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

 

20. Dead Space

19. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

18. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

17. Left 4 Dead 2

16. Heavy Rain

15. New Super Mario Bros.

14. Halo: Reach

13. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

12. Half Life 2: Episode 2

11. Grand Theft Auto IV

10. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

9. Batman: Arkham Asylum

8. Assassin's Creed II

7. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

6. Fallout 3

5. Portal 2

4. Super Mario Galaxy 2

3. Red Dead Redemption

2. Bioshock

1. Mass Effect 2

[Locutus]

Wow so I own/owned 25/100 of those games.

 

Where the hell did that list come from? Some of those games don't even deserve to be on there. (For example, Far Cry 2 is undoubtedly one of the worst multiplayer experiences I've ever had.)

[dr_bowtie]

@ Fogel.....

 

I think you are on the right track....

 

Although I own over 100gb of games spilt up into 40-50 titles and I keep buying them I DO NOT consider myself a gamer. I havent ever found that game that really keeps me other than the occasional TQIT or Sins of the Solar Empire and some Eve. I have played some 12 hour non-stop runs a few times but 99% of the time I dont even play games and there are the times I will fire up a game and only last 30 minutes to an hour and then I am done. I may not play for a week after that.

 

Something most people do not know.....

[Shadowtroop]

is this a top 100 of all time or of the last 5 years or so?

 

because if its for all time it is not a very good list

[VaporX]

I like your defintion of a gamer but we need to realize that using the world as our gauge there are levels of gamers.

 

As I work from the bottom up :-) realize that each new level can include the levels before it.

 

• 
   
  
• Social Gamers, think Farmville and other Facebook games
  
• Casual Gamers are those people that polay games like Chuzzle or Angry Birds.
  
• Light Gamer, these might devle now and then into some deeper games but they consider games a brief distrations.
  
• Gamer, this type considers gaming a hobby and not a distraction.
  
• Hardcore Gamer, this person has gaming as their primary hobby, occupied multiple hours daily.
   
  

What do you think?

[Imagine]

What I don't really like about that list is, the huge amount of Mario games there, I mean sure Mario is cool but it seems Nintendo is just milking it now. Personally I don't think Halo should be in the top-20 and the top-20 looks horrible some games just shouldn't be there.

I like your defintion of a gamer but we need to realize that using the world as our gauge there are levels of gamers. As I work from the bottom up :-) realize that each new level can include the levels before it. Social Gamers, think Farmville and other Facebook games Casual Gamers are those people that polay games like Chuzzle or Angry Birds. Light Gamer, these might devle now and then into some deeper games but they consider games a brief distrations. Gamer, this type considers gaming a hobby and not a distraction. Hardcore Gamer, this person has gaming as their primary hobby, occupied multiple hours daily.

Personally on the topic of what defines a gamer, I agree with OP here. For me a gamer is someone who is devoted to games and takes it as a major hobby of theirs. I don't really class "social" or "casual" gaming as actual gaming because it doesn't require huge amounts of thought and tbh it just isn't as immersive as some bigger titles.

[potatochobit]

you know, IGN is probably one of the least credible game communities around

if you were a gamer, you would have known this

Edited July 3, 2011 by potatochobit

[Locutus]

I like your defintion of a gamer but we need to realize that using the world as our gauge there are levels of gamers.

 

As I work from the bottom up :-) realize that each new level can include the levels before it.

 

• 
   
  
• Social Gamers, think Farmville and other Facebook games
  
• Casual Gamers are those people that polay games like Chuzzle or Angry Birds.
  
• Light Gamer, these might devle now and then into some deeper games but they consider games a brief distrations.
  
• Gamer, this type considers gaming a hobby and not a distraction.
  
• Hardcore Gamer, this person has gaming as their primary hobby, occupied multiple hours daily.
   
  

What do you think?

Don't forget somewhere between light gamer and gamer, there's a little sub-category called console-(insert expletive.)

 

Some of them might consider themselves "gamers" but playing halo on the big screen for 3 hours a week just doesn't seem to fit the same category. XD

 

Note: I'm not dissing consoles, or those who own them. But there are some people who exclusively game on consoles. Of those, some play a bit more than a light gamer, but still less than what most people would consider to be even a moderate hobby. This is the group I'm talkin about.

[El_Capitan]

Let's not forget people in the Midwest: Board gamers.

[red1776]

Gamer:

A person that plays on PC and objects strongly to the BS Cervat Yerli and EA/Crytek pulled with Crysis2

Edited July 4, 2011 by red1776

[Deathmineral]

you know, IGN is probably one of the least credible game communities around

if you were a gamer, you would have known this

As much as I hate the tone used in that statement, I have to agree with potatochobit here. IGN is to gamers is what Norton is to anti-virus, why anyone cares what IGN thinks about anything is beyond me. IGN is just an opinion, not the final word.

 

To disagree with something that IGN says, that's fine, to disagree with something IGN says to this extent, kind of shows you're paying too much attention to them.

 

Let's not forget people in the Midwest: Board gamers.

You just jeluz cuz scrabble make me spell gud.