Dean(ish)

Niero at Destructoid posted an article in response to a question asked to him - “What does ‘Gamer Culture’ mean to you?”

To me, a gamer is anyone who enjoys playing games on their own right (as opposed to someone who only plays games when coerced into playing with their friends). Being a gamer, even if you’re a single player RPG-only type, puts you into a part of “gamer culture”. Truly, the term itself is not descriptive enough.

Do we need more labels? Do we need to define every stereotype, and put each one into their own herd? To some degree, clearly, we already have. Fanboys, the hardcore, the casual, forum trolls - there are niche cultures within the gamer culture that cannot be ignored, as all types are integral to gamer culture as a whole.

Not all of us are geeks; some are. Not all of us like blood and gore; some do. Not all of us like to wander aimlessly around a village, performing mail-delivery favors for cutesy animals; some do. Not all of us like online head-to-head battle combat simulation; some do. Despite such differences, we in the gamer culture can all identify with each other on a level that non-gamers have a hard time understanding. We appreciate things like design and story, even when the graphics aren’t great; we sometimes overanalyze - a lot; we look up tips for our favorite games on the Wide, Wide World of Webs. We have favorite games, and we look forward to sequels. Above all, we have a passion for the games we love. That, to me, is what gamer culture is all about.

What is it to you?

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