I found myself at the center of a debate recently. An argument between two others began with one person stating that any real gamer knows that PlayStation is the best console brand to pick from. This was an obvious attempt to spark the never ending console wars. The person that comment was directed at, didn’t offer the rebuttal I was expecting. Rather than playing into the hands of the PlayStation Fanboy, he went on to say that there is no such thing as a Gamer and that people need to stop labeling people that enjoy video games.
Their argument escalated while more and more people jumped in to make their points. It was interesting to read and I was staying out of it until a friend of mine tagged me and asked me to drop my thoughts on the matter. Granted, at the end of the day, it’s all opinions no matter how hard people want to claim it as facts. So, after entering the debate, I decided I would share my opinion here as well.
Is there such a thing as a Gamer? My answer is yes, Gamers are real people. Is being called a Gamer a label? Yep, It surely is a label. And what do labels do? They identify something you know what it is. It makes life easier. Not all labels are a good thing, but I personally think the label of Gamer is a good thing. Some of us like to use that label to easier explain our passion. Yes, we Gamers tend to be passionate about video games.
So what makes one a Gamer? Well, there are several things that can be factored in here, but I’m going to keep this fairly simple for the ones in the back. Simply put, if you like and play video games, that would classify you as a Gamer. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that, but it can also get much deeper when explaining why we like and play our video games. I’m not going to explain all of that, but I am going to continue with explaining just a few other personal opinions of mine.
Now that I’ve simplified what makes a Gamer, I want to throw out that Gamers are not restricted to one game type. Gamers are also not expected to play every single game made, let alone like them all. You can like ice-cream and not enjoy every flavor. Just because someone enjoys playing Call of Duty and doesn’t play much else, doesn’t make them less of a Gamer. They just have their favorite game all picked out and that’s ok! I personally play all sorts of titles and genres, but I also have some friends that only play Fortnite. That doesn’t make them any less of a Gamer to me. It just means if I decide I want to play Fortnite, I’ll have a friend to join me.
Now, the console wars. This may be my opinion, but when it comes to this particular subject, I feel like it is more so fact than just my thoughts… What you choose to play your games on does not define you as a Gamer. Whether you’re on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintnedo, even an old school atari you found at a yard sale, whatever platform you play on, makes you a Gamer. It can also make you a Fanboy, but a Gamer just the same. If my favorite Basketball team is the Boston Celtics and your’s is the LA Lakers, well, that doesn’t make me any less a basketball fan than you would be. I’m still a fan of the game, just not the same team. The same goes for almost anything else you can think of.
So, to recap. Yes, Gamers are real. No, I don’t believe in using terms like “True Gamer” or “Real Gamer.” A Gamer is a Gamer is a Gamer. While this article is based on opinion, you would find it hard to debate with me and many others. I am open to all opinions, but if you do decide to open a debate over this, be prepared for a respectful rebuttal and make sure you have thoroughly considered your stance. I will poke holes through your statements as well as any other Gamer that comes across the thread.
Thank you for taking a moment to read up on my thoughts and hopefully you’ll share yours too! As always, I will see you online!