FT 8/24: How Would You Label Yourself As A Gamer?

[Lýfelíëk Heroblãde]

I think that this will be an interesting exercise to sort of see what each of us is playing at the moment and where we're at as far as gaming growth goes. What will be even greater to find out is how each of us perceives ourselves at that stage. I'll get you all started with an example:

Ever since I played my Atari 5200(yes, I'm not truly 'old school') for the first time, I've been completely hooked on electronic gaming. Since that time, I'd found a hobby that, little did I know, would span 14 platforms and over 24 years. I would completely shirk responsibilities and bodily functions so I could game- who really needs to eat? Well, since then I've moved out and gotten married, which does eat up a significant portion of that original gaming time. It's difficult sometimes to find alone time when someone else's well-being depends on you providing for your family. Plus, the funds aren't always readily available(although most of the time I don't have that to complain about) especially when property and school taxes are due. But even with all of these facts against me, I still find time. And when I hit a game, I hit it hard. I will say, in the same breath, that I have gaming ADD. I'll be gung ho about a PC game for 2-3 weeks, then go into what I call "console mode". Sometimes, I'll play for ten minutes if that's all the time I can get. I realize that each of us has a story, but mine ends with me labeling myself as a "casual gamer in denial with hardcore tendencies".

[Breathern]

I'd probably just label myself as a basic "gamer" a True Gamer perhaps.

I remember this one dude was like "my girlfriends a gamer..." And its like, no, just because your girlfriend plays World of Warcraft and DDR and nothing else does not make her a gamer. Its a little tough to define the term "gamer," but my interpretation is someone who plays a lot of games passionately and is a solid member of the gaming world. Damn that sounds goofy, but you get what I mean, right?

Heres a little(EDIT: kind of long) history of Breathern's road to becoming a gamer.

It all started when I was a tiny human. My parents brought out the Atari 2600 and the first console game I ever played was Asteroids. I remember thinking that the game looked nothing like the picture on the cartridge, and my weak little human hands had trouble with the crappy Atari joystick. Playing videogames was fun, but i was to young and it was about as fun as playing with my random toys. I had to be 2 or 3...

Then onto Christmas when I was about 4 or 5 years old, my mom bought a used NES with about 15 games from her friend's son. The first game I remember playing on it was Mario 3. But the main thing I remember was opening the only sealed game, which was the original Zelda. My mom threw away all the packaging as usual, including the instruction manual and map, which still pisses me off to this day. I didn't even know it came with those things until a few years later when I saw them at my cousin's house. Videogames had become a hobby now, and a little more interesting than playing with ninja turtles.

Now in 2nd grade, the Sega Genesis had been out for a little while, and they started the bundle with Sonic 2 and I ended up talking my parents into getting it for me at Montgomery Ward... I think it might have been a Christmas present or something like that... But then I had the first of what I call "the urge..." I was sitting in class and I had a huge urge to just go home and play Sonic 2... I can still remember that first moment when I realized videogames were something special.

Once the Sega Channel came out I was able to get it since I rarely got new games for the system.. I think in the end I had about 3 Genesis games, but with the Sega Channel I had tons choices. I played so many games for the Genesis, and played some games on my friends SNES every once and a while... Eventually the Sega Channel ended, and soon after the price of the N64 dropped and I was able to get it.

A year or so before that I started spending tons of time with computers, and eventually got my fun 56k Stargate internet connection. That opened up so many possibilities. Before then the only videogame news I read was through gaming magazines, which was fine most of the time. Ultra Game Players was a kick ass magazine, I was pissed when it died.. Some of the writers went on to PSM, and one is the director of the official Xbox magazine now...

I missed out on the last years of the N64, because I was too impatient to wait for Zelda. After a few delays I traded my N64 for a PS1 and 5 games. I still played Zelda on my PC when it came out...

The PS1 was my main system... I remember for my birthday one year I rented a Dreamcast and 5 or so games, and just played for days with my friends... The next year I rented a PS2 and did the same... The year after that videogame systems weren't being rented out anymore, I guess people were fucking them up. About a year later I got my own PS2 and its the same system I play today, along with my Wii that I sold my Gamecube to get.

I think I could probably have been considered a gamer around middle school when I had a ps1... I remember in 6th grade we had to do some goofy game where we would write facts about ourselves and people had to guess who it was.. For mine I wrote "I spend all my time on my computer and playing videogames." Immediately everyone knew it was me. Yeah, I know thats corny as hell, but its how it was...

I really only met a couple other people in school that played games as much as me... Then I met Shawn at GE and that shit was perfect... Heh...

Now I'm here on a message board talking about games, and trying to get a job in the game industry... No clue where I'll be in another 20 years or so...

[Zeiram Wing]

I think I would label myself a hardcore gaming collector in hibernation. The gaming part of me is pretty much asleep this generation, as there is no platform that interests me.

I've never been much of a PC gamer, and not only because the types of games don't interest me, but also nowadays the copy protection on games is fucking retarded. its so nice to see pc gamers pay over twice as much as any other entertainment, but yet get half the freedom with it. I'm not one for installing malware just to play a game... but having said that, most of my gaming as of late has been on pc, but mostly with Ragnarok Online. finally found a decent private server, and been having a good time with that.

And on the console side, this generation just doesn't have anything i want as well. granted its still early, but out of the three, the xbox is the one on top for me, but even then, it has enough shortcomings to keep me wanting it. (console death, online play with a bunch of bastards) The WII had me interested to a point, but its really looking to be a gamecube + for me, where i'll get about 2 AAA titles a year and the rest are just stupid party and dumbed down games. but nintendo always was ruthless. they'd be the first to alienate their hardcore fanbase for a extra nickel. And poor sony is just stumbling right now. i see nothing that isn't coming to the 360 that i would enjoy. I'm not a Metal Gear fan, and i'm not a Killzone fan. and even if the rumors of it coming to the xbox aren't true, i'm not a Final Fantasy fan.

Now the collector side of me is still alive and kicking. because of the state of the current gen, it lets me go back and get some classic games and flesh out my collection. Its always a bit of a challenge and a thrill to try and find a game in mint condition for some of the older consoles. and i like collecting game related items as well, like shirts or little trinkets.

gaming pretty much rules my life for the most part. even if i'm not interested in a console, i still keep up on its news. and i still game alot, just now with older games. so maybe hardcore gaming collector in hibernation isn't a good label. maybe something like hardcore gaming collector with arrested development or something.

[Rabid Scotsman]

Wow. Hard one. Again. *Shakes fist and swears to kill Steve in his sleep* (lol)

I think I'd go with what Breathern said, for the most part. Except I'm going to try
to label it. *clears throat* here goes.

A 6th sense, I know if it sucks, before it sucks, "Jock-Box" hating because it's not hard core
enough, play it, get EVERY THING, beat the hell out of it, love the whole experience,
(Rediculously challenging or not.) so I keep it. Addicted to it the moment I pick it up,
play it 24/7 until I own it, Gamer.

I could never bring my self to sell a game! It's like a trophy. I set it up on my mantle if it was
awesome. And I remember how *I* beat that game, it didn't beat me. (lol)
Is that too long? heh.

I have a great friend, we've been friends since eigth grade. I picked up most of my gaming style
from him. I was already a huge gamer at that point. But I didn't understand the joy of *knowing*
that I had experienced, and done, every thing possible in a great game. I always give a game
a fair chance. Nothing like, "Wow I hate these controlls." *power off*
I often tend to see it from the developers stand-point. If thier heart was in it. It deserves a chance.
Because of that, I have a large collection of what I like to call, "sleeper games."
They were games that no one heard about (usually because of a small starting company.)
That ended up with a great game. (Usually with stuff that *still* hasn't been done in the gaming
world.) Like "The Mark of Kri" for PS2. There's stuff in that game that designers could really learn
from, even today. It was challenging and fun.

Simply put. I enjoy diving in to the gamer world, head on, enjoying every moment to it's fullest.
After all, this is our only escape from a horrible world, full of deciet and hatred.
We may as well enjoy it. And as corny as all that sounds, it bonds us together as brothers
and sisters. In gaming.

World peace through games!