Hello all. Before developing Games, I played them. Lots of them. I was a young buck then. I use to be ashamed to call myself a ‘Gamer’ as an adult, because, I felt is was childish. Does any one else feel this way?
Not at all, in reality most people are “gamers” and that title doesn’t have to associate with just “video games.” The title goes a very long way. So don’t be ashamed to call yourself a gamer because surely there’s millions out there who play video games and associate themselves as being a “gamer.” I’m a really huge gamer myself.
@ - Thank you for sharing. Perhaps Gerard Butler has given the label ‘Gamer’ a new ‘Manly’ image:
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But even in that movie, the protagonist is a skilled teenage gamer, must survive thirty sessions in order to be set free.
@franktech - Thank you for your input. See that’s what I’m saying…trolls? post truth? in one form or another there is some sort of underlining negativity associated with that label. This is a serious concern for myself. I believe myself to have evolved beyond just a Gamer, I’m now a Gamer Developer.
I have never seen the label ‘Gamer’ negatively. Being a gamer has always been a positive thing for me. Only the coolest people are gamers the rest are just posers. I wonder if that’s just an Asian thing though since I’m from Asia. 
I love games and I think it’s the future. E-sports will most likely overtake other sports sooner or later in my opinion. It’s simply more accessible to everyone and anyone can spectate. I also believe games are very important. People need new experiences, when people lack new experiences life becomes dull and repetitive and start becoming “old.” Games allow us to create new experiences, things people could never imagine. The only limit is our imagination. It keeps us feeling youthful and love life. 
getting wasted and spawning back at a hospital is a Gamer’s life or how he is defined then I like being called a gamer
Thank you for sharing dacster13. Your statement is very encouraging, and the direction of E-sports is promising. I’m certain I’m viewing the term ‘Gamer’ through a old negative lens and only recently it appears to be a shift in attitude towards the term.
I love games, but, I love developing them more so, which I believe the term ‘Gamer Dev’ is better suited for us Game Developers who love playing Games. We don’t just develop games, we developer Gamers…
Yes ‘Gamer’ varies a lot. I lived in Hong Kong for a few years, gaming there is much more mainstream and inclusive than in the West (in fact the tech industry as a whole is).
Unfortunately the ‘gamer’ demographic in the West has been tainted by the behaviour of some that predominantly spew abuse and lose their **** if someone dares to make a game that isn’t aimed at a pubescent teenage boy.
I was doing some Christmas shopping at the local mall today. Coincidentally, I passed a young boy (12+) wearing Red T-shirt with word ‘G A M E R’ outlined in Large White Military Font. At first, I started to get happy accepting that term is popular now. Immediately followed by my ego crashing realizing I’m too old (30+) to refer to myself as GAMER. So from this point forward I’ll refer to myself as a GAMER DEV.
[SIZE=7]**GAMER DEV **
We don’t just develop games, We develop Gamers![/SIZE]
Did U play Just Cause 3 till now ?
Is “bicyclist” bad? A lot of kids ride bicycles.
I feel that “gamer” is about the same as “bicyclist.” It’s a hobby activity in which people of all ages partake.
Now, “gamer gater” on the other hand …
Where I’m from, Young/Teenage Males can be Gamers, Adult Males can not. Adult Males who refer to themselves as Gamers are perceived to be lazy, out-of-shape, unattractive, introverts who play games all day. They were not considered to be serious or responsible Males. I’m not sure where society stands on that term today.
Interestingly, this is a perspective described by Adult Females of my generation. I’m not sure how Adult Females of newer generations would respond to a Adult Male referring to himself as a Gamer. I would be interested in the Female viewpoint on this topic.
Hi,
I think years ago it was bad to be called a “gamer” but for today where nearly every person is playing something this isn’t true anymore. I started in late 90s with gaming and development and I was a gamer. A played a lot of stuff. But we had amazing lan parties and clans and so on. This was really great, because we don’t just sit in our dark small rooms. We were out there and player together in groups of up to 120 people. All self organized in tents and restaurants, even at home with up to 12 people :D. No I don’t think you have to be ashamed that you are a gamer. Gaming is one of the biggest driver of innovation.
freakxnet
Yes, I concur Gaming is one of the biggest drivers of innovation, and I would add its also motivator for setting personal career goals in Technology. I pursued careers in high tech due to my passion of video games. This is playing a role in my subconscious inability to refer to myself as just a gamer or ‘consumer of games’. I now develop Games, I’m a ‘producer of games’. I found comfort in the label GAMER DEV. I want to start a movement. Perhaps I’ll go get a few GAMER DEV T-shirts printed up?
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I don’t love the term gamer but mostly because I don’t like to be defined by the things I buy. The scope of the term is so broad at this point its hard to pin down a definition anymore anyway.
I don’t think that having other people perceive you as being a gamer is a bad thing anymore but who knows what the kids on the playground are calling each other ¯_(ツ)_/¯
If you are insecure what people think? Son your no GAMER.
This discussion reminds me on how japanese people consider manga and anime fans otakus. As the “gamer” term, “otaku” is also a very used term in Japan. Initially, it was neutral, but after a bad event in press involving a killer, it became negative. Nowdays, otaku means people with social problems, obsessed with manga and anime, that avoid human interractions. As with “otaku”, maybie the term “gamer” was initially neutral, but because of some bad events, it became a bad term in some parts of the world. In the western culture, some people call themselves otakus with pride. In Japan, doing that would be a very bad idea.
I don’t like people calling me a gamer.
It’s pejorative from my POV.
Where I come from (Western Europe) I feel the general attitude is that you’re supposed to stop gaming when you’re around 20 years or so. About that age it’s time to grow up, and playing video games isn’t seen as a particularly grown up thing to do. Wishing to actually create video games is perhaps even worse, at least as long as you don’t study it as a young adult or actually make money from it. Game development as a hobby isn’t something I’d brag about at parties…I’d only mention that if I had been already cornered, ehe…
I think a part of this negative attitude towards games is that most people see games as escapistic and not arty or developing in any way. Maybe in 10 or 20 years things will change, like with Bob Dylan.