"Real" Gamers vs "Fake" gamers

[InverseSquared]

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Edited August 31, 2016 by SeanStrange

[ExHaseo]

The only time I don't consider someone a "real" gamer, are those that only play casual phone or browser games. People that only play Candy Crush, or the like. It's a completely different market, and completely different experience to games that you'd see on console or PC. I mean, people who play slot machines and virtual poker in a casino aren't considered gamers, and I don't see any real difference between those kinds of games and the casual phone and browser games. Another example, to me, someone saying they're a gamer when playing those kinds of games, is like saying you're a movie buff just because you watch movies sometimes.

 

People can play whatever they want, but I would never put my parents and myself in the same group just because they play Candy Crush and slot machines on Facebook sometimes. 

[D-Tron]

I don't think there's such a thing as a fake gamer to be honest. Unless you find games to be stupid or you're a politician who shifts blame to video games every time a school shooting happens. However, I would prefer to use the terms casual and hardcore rather than fake and real.

 

Those gamers that play one franchise or mobile phone games? I call them casuals.  They play certain games for entertainment, but it's really not something they do a lot and they don't really expand their horizons unless their friends are doing it.  They just come in and out, in and out and so on.

 

A lot of us here I would consider hardcore gamers. We love playing all kinds of games. Whether it's shooters, JRPGs, racers or fighters: we tend to have a huge variety of games. We may have a favorite franchise or genre, but we're not afraid to expand our horizons even if it costs us a pretty penny. Chances are that the reason you joined this site was because you wanted to talk about subjects like this on games. It's more of a hobby to us than the time killer it is to the casuals.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Blue Flare

[awesome_guy_9000]

I don't care, unless they try to trash talk you about how "hardcore" they are, even if they only play ONE game ONCE a month.

[Kulzyc]

For me, Everyone can be a Gamer. but, if you only play a game like 1 hour per month, i don't consider that like a "gamer" i think to be in the gaming community every game count, but it most be a part of your life, like 1 hour a day (you find the hour to play i mean) if your to busy and you play games 2 or 3 hours a week it's ok. otherwise, you're a fake gamer 

Edited January 16, 2015 by Kulzyc

[KillerUni12]

People play video-games for entertainment. I do, you do and many, many others do too. I play games on my consoles, on my handhelds, on my phone, PC, you name it. If it has games, I'll play on it. Everyone who touches a game from time to time is a gamer. Don't want to be called one? That's fine with me. Nobody is a "Fake" gamer. Play what you want, when you want.

Amen!  totally agree with that- it's totally your choice if you want to be called a "gamer" or whatever, there's no definition nor is there a "real" or a "fake" one. Its simply a title that people use to summarize their interactions with digital entertainment 

Edited January 16, 2015 by Killer_Unicorn12

[Nihiris-]

Yeah I think the whole notion of "hardcore" vs "casual" gamers is pretty silly. I mean I have a lot of friends whose favorite game franchise is CoD and that takes up most of their gaming time, but then they also play a lot of Skyrim and other games considered for "hardcore" gamers. 

 

Gamers are gamers, people play what they like and just because one game seems less complex than another, doesn't mean that they are "fake" gamers for playing that particular game.

[antithesis]

If you look at the profiles of online MP leaderboards, you'll find most of those playing have no platinum trophies. That doesn't mean they're bad at gaming, it usually means they're very good at a handful of games.

On the flip-side, I play a broad array of games and my plat count is getting up there. Perhaps it's because I'm simply more experienced overall, but more often than not, I'm at the pointy end of the leaderboard within a few matches and beating them at their own game, before moving onto another challenge. The same could be said of most of us here.

As a casual observer, I would tend to believe the person with the higher trophy / plat count is the better or more 'real' gamer. I suppose there's some truth to it because we are typically more experienced at more types of games. The counter-argument is they stick to a few games either because they're good at them, or they don't have time or money to play other games. But I'm as time-starved and budget-restricted as the next guy, and yet I'll give anything a crack, so it's kind of a moot point.

I wouldn't consider single-title gamers 'fake' because if they pushed themselves into other franchises or genres they'd likely excel as much as they do within their games of choice. However I would consider trophy / cheevo hunters to be more 'worldy' gamers by virtue of our broader horizons. We're more 'experts at gaming' than 'experts at a game'.

I guess the same could be said for movie buffs, bookworms, sports and music lovers - they're all experts within their field, e.g horror, fantasy, football, metal etc, or as a more accurate comparison with this topic, Romero, Harry Potter, Man United, Metallica. There's no doubt they know their shit, but with so much stuff out there to experience, I find it a bit silly to restrict yourself to the one meal on life's fucking huge menu.

Edited January 17, 2015 by ant1th3s1s

[CrimsonWarrior90]

when play nothing but call of duty, online doing the samething search and destory boring how doing some co op. also at least have others games besdies shooters and sports,

[Havok__84]

I've never considered people fake gamers based upon how little they play games. There's obviously different levels of gamers though, very casual to the extreme hardcore gamers. However with that said, there's exceptions to this rule, for example...

 

[pandairo]

Each to their own. I play my games, you play yours, everyone's happy

[LordHoBagBeater]

I want to be a fake gamer 

[ghkjjhfassshhhgd]

In my opinion anyone who enjoys games is a gamer, But there are levels of commitment. A hardcore gamer is someone who cares about online performance and finds the fun of online gaming in winning, And someone who get's invested in single player games on a emotional level. I consider myself a hardcore gamer.

 

A casual gamer is someone who doesn't care about their K/D or the characters in single player games. A casual gamer is the kind of person who would be evil in a game with morality choices on there first run because they find it to be more fun.

 

No matter how you play games or what you play, We are all gamers and we love this medium. I play everything from online shooters to puzzle games and i'm not to prideful to admit that I enjoy Call Of Duty. 

 

Don't hate on your fellow gamers, 

[StrickenBiged]

The only way you could be a "fake" gamer, IMO, is to not play games but to claim that you play games.

 

OP missed out board-games. I'd call people who play board games but who do not play video games gamers too.

 

I'd say a "gamer" is anyone who counts plays games as one of their hobbies, so if you've only played a few games and decided it wasn't for you, then you're not a gamer.

[LukaLaurent]

In my opinion... actually I don't care. I don't see the importance in the label, or why some people insist that others are 'fake gamers' simply because they don't enjoy a variety of games, or play x amount of x period of time. What I play, how much I play and on what consoles or devices I play on is my concern, and only my concern.

 

If I had to choose, anyone can be a gamer, there's just incredibly varying degrees of interest and participation. I don't know why people need it to be an exclusive club, though I guess it's common among pop culture things these days. People just love being assholes.

[samturret_]

My mom plays candy crush on her iPhone sometimes. Does that make her a gamer? Hell no.

[Memnoch]

Be individuals, stop trying to put yourselves, and others, into boxes - it just a way of passing time in any sense.

 

Just be happy with what you are doing

Edited January 16, 2015 by Memnoch

[Ric]

Real gamers don't exist. I feel weird to call myself a gamer at all, let alone a "real gamer" even though I usually play 3+ hours a day and played 100s of games in my 30 years. After spending time with my family it's my main passtime. It's just a silly title and the self-proclaimed "real gamers" should just go play their games rather than moaning at Mobile Phone gamers on forums.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Ric

[Lovejinder_LJ]

For me, Everyone can be a Gamer. but, if you only play a game like 1 hour per month, i don't consider that like a "gamer" i think to be in the gaming community every game count, but it most be a part of your life, like 1 hour a day (you find the hour to play i mean) if your to busy and you play games 2 or 3 hours a week it's ok. otherwise, you're a fake gamer 

2-3 hours a week? I play 2-3 hours a day

Being "busy", I believe, is a lazy excuse made by wanna-be gamers

If u r a gamer, u will always find the time to play

[skateak]

I have some people on my Friends list since World at War and the only games I have seen them play is COD. Every year they buy the new COD, Max Prestige and keep playing until the next one comes out. I personally can't see how people can do that. I can't even play COD for a whole day, let-alone a year. Rather than "fake gamers" I call them H.C Gamers. It stands for Hella Casual.

[Fastandslow]

I get told this old gem all the time "Oh you play games?" then i say yes then i get the response "what do you call your sims" 

[bpmotard]

There will always be those guys that discriminate other gamers for being casual, or playing a certain game like Call of Duty but in the end what is a gamer? Someone who plays video games, doesn't mather the age, the gender, the game, nothing, a gamer is a gamer; no such thing as real or fake. I've played a LOT of games since I was 8 or so, but that guy who lives next door whom only plays 4 games on his PS2 is also a gamer.

[dharksoul]

Because everyone needs labeled. How about we're just humans. Screw politically correct. Just people passing time till we die.

[Kazeh54]

I don't think Fake/Real are the correct terms for what you're asking. I'd say it's more casual and hardcore.
Someone who sticks to 1 game or 1 franchise and not open to others, they are still gamers. It all comes down to the amount of time they spend on the game. If you play games like 8+ hours daily, you're a hardcore gamer.
If you play just on the weekends for example. I see that as casual.

In terms of this part of the question:

"Does it tick you off that they don't want to play any other type of game other than their favourite? Be it Call of Duty, Need for Speed or Final Fantasy?"

 

Not really. If that's the only game they are interested in and truely invested into that genre....well that's their personal preference. I won't deny that I think people who stick to 1 series only or 1 genre only are missing out on some gems from other genres/developers though.

[Taliesin_2943]

i might make afew people angry when i say this but i do believe in fake gamer but its not really fake its a complete lack of understanding of the concept of what gaming is

 

for example u play a game for hours and hours racking up kills collecting ur stuff etc thats gaming or sitting for 5 minutes playing candy crush or checking on ur smurfs village thats kind of gaming yea kinda half assed but still gaming lol

 

now for the dark fake gamer or complete lack of understanding

 

people who buy into games like wow, gta online, etc and spend forever sitting in a hub or walking around talking to people every now and then maybe do a quest and let everyone battle and win while u hide and save up and spend ur hard earned real world money for the stuff u could just earn but u want to look cool without the effort  thats not gaming thats social media set in a game world and kind f a wast of money buying the stuff but then u say oh im level 43 dark elf something or other with this this and this or i have this car or that unlocked  and ur talking this big game but when smeone who actually plays tries to conversate about it u start grasping at straws and blowing smoke out ur tail pipe that is a "fake" gamer in my opinion if u wanna have the title gamer in my opinion u gotta earn it its not hard u JUST PLAY THE GAMES 

 

and yes i know some people just arnt good at games but come on atleast put the effort in ill call u a gamer even if u die a million times and never win a match or battle cause ur trying ur playing but if ur standing behind a piller while ur team is battleing u might just be a fake gamer