Gamer

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This article is about people who play any type of game, especially video games. For
gamblers, see Gambling. For other uses, see Gamer (disambiguation).

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Video game culture.
(Discuss) Proposed since June 2019.

A boy playing a video game

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A gamer (sometimes also called player or electronic athlete and eathlete) is a
person who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing
games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time.
In some countries, such as the UK and Australia, the term "gaming" can also refer
to legalized gambling, which can take both traditional tabletop and digital forms.
There are many different gamer communities around the world. Since the advent of
the Internet, many communities take the form of Internet forums or YouTube or
Twitch virtual communities, as well as in-person social clubs.

Contents
1 Origin of the term gamer
2 Categories
2.1 Female gamer/gamer girl
3 Stereotypes
3.1 Gaymer
3.2 Dedication spectrum
3.3 Professional gamer
3.4 Retrogamer
3.5 Classification in taxonomies
4 Avatar
5 Clans and guilds
6 Identity
6.1 Demographics
6.2 Casualization
7 See also
8 References
Origin of the term gamer
The term gamer originally meant gambler, and has been in use since at least 1422,
when the town laws of Walsall, England, referred to "any dice-player, carder,
tennis player, or other unlawful gamer". However, this description was never
adopted in the United States, where it became associated with other pastimes. In
the US, they made their appearance as Wargames. Wargames were originally created as
a military and strategy tool. When Dungeons & Dragons was released, it was
originally marketed as a wargame, but later was described by its creators as a
role-playing game. They too called their players gamers and this is where the word
changed definition from someone who gambles to someone who plays board games and/or
video games.[1]

Categories
Further information: Video game � Demographics
In the United States as of 2018, 28% of gamers are under 18, 29% are 18-35, 20% are
36-49 and 23% are over 50.[2] In the UK as of 2014, 29% are under 18, 32% are 18-35
and 39% are over 36.[3] According to Pew Research Center, 49% of adults have played
a video game at some point in their life. Those who play video games regularly are
split roughly equally between male and female, but men are more likely to call
themselves a 'Gamer.'[4]

Female gamer/gamer girl

Main article: Women and video games

A woman playing Go Play One in 2010

A female gamer, or gamer girl or girl gamer, is any female who regularly engages in
playing video games. According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software
Association in 2009, 40% of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or
older comprise 34% of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women playing online had
risen to 43%, up 4% from 2004. The same study shows that 48% of game purchasers are
female.[5][3] According to a 2015 Pew survey, 6% of women in the United States
identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men, and 48% of women and 50% of men play
video games.[6] Usage of the term "girl gamer" is controversial. Some critics have
advocated use of the label as a reappropriated term, while others see it as
nondescriptive or perpetuating the minority position of female gamers. Some critics
of the term believe there is no singular definition of a female gamer and that they
are as diverse as any other group. However it is generally understood that the term
"girl gamer" implies that it is a girl who plays video games. [7]

Stereotypes
Although men and women play roughly the same number of games, there is a stereotype
that women are not considered "True Gamers" because they tend to play more casual
games which do not require much skill and dedication. This stereotype exists due to
the fact that at a professional level, most of the teams competing are composed of
men, thus, overshadowing the girl gamers who could compete at the same level but
are not able to get the same amount of media attention.[8]

Gaymer
Main article: Gaymer
A gaymer, or gay gamer, is a person within the group of people who identify
themselves as LGBT (gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender) and have an active
interest in video games. [9] This demographic has been the subject of two large
surveys, one in 2006,[10] which noted the level of prejudice that gaymers endure,
[11] and another in 2009, focusing on the content that gaymers expect in video
games.[12][13] The gaymer community provides a "safe place" for LGBT gamers[14]
apart from the isolation they feel from both the heteronormative gaming community
and the gay community.[15] They[who?] also believe that as homosexuality in video
games increase, there will be an increased normalization of homosexuality in
general. "Gaymers are the future of video games" said Hamed Hosseini, who is
married to Mahar Buar, in Valve's gaming convention.[15][16][17]

Dedication spectrum

Warren Moon and Marshall Faulk playing a video game

It is common for games media, games industry analysts, and academics to divide
gamers into broad behavioral categories. These categories are sometimes separated
by level of dedication to gaming, sometimes by primary type of game played, and
sometimes by a combination of those and other factors. There is no general
consensus on the definitions or names of these categories, though many attempts
have been made to formalize them. An overview of these attempts and their common
elements follows.

Newbie: Newbie, (commonly shortened to "noob", "n00b", or "newb") is a slang term

for a novice or newcomer to a certain game, or to gaming in general.[18][19]
Casual gamer: The term casual gamer is often used for gamers who primarily play
casual games, but can also refer to gamers who play less frequently than other
gamers.[20] Casual gamers may play games designed for ease of gameplay, or play
more involved games in short sessions, or at a slower pace than hardcore gamers.[7]
The types of game that casual gamers play vary, and they are less likely to own a
dedicated video game console.[21][22] Notable examples of casual games include The
Sims and Nintendogs.[23] Casual gamer demographics vary greatly from those of other
video gamers, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.
[24] "Fitness gamer"s, who play motion-based exercise games, are also seen as
casual gamers.[25]
Core gamer: A core or mid-core gamer is a player with a wider range of interests
than a casual gamer and is more likely to enthusiastically play different types of
games,[26] but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a
hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys games but may not finish every game they
buy, doesn't have time for long MMO quests,[27] and is a target consumer.[28]
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to
core gamers who are in between the casual and hardcore categories.[29] A number of
theories have been presented regarding the rise in popularity of mid-core games.
James Hursthouse, the founder of Roadhouse Interactive, credits the evolution of
devices towards tablets and touch-screen interfaces, whereas Jon Radoff of
Disruptor Beam compares the emergence of mid-core games to similar increases in
media sophistication that have occurred in media such as television.[30]
Hardcore gamer: Ernest Adams and Scott Kim have proposed classification metrics to
distinguish "hardcore gamers" from casual gamers,[31] emphasizing action,
competition, complexity, gaming communities, and staying abreast of developments in
hardware and software. Others have attempted to draw the distinction based
primarily on which platforms a gamer prefers,[32] or to decry the entire concept of
delineating casual from hardcore as divisive and vague.[33]
Professional gamer
See also: eSports
Professional gamers generally play video games for prize money or salaries. Such
individuals usually deeply study the game to master it and usually to play in
competitions.[34] A pro gamer may also be another type of gamer, such as a hardcore
gamer, if he or she meets the additional criteria for that gamer type. In countries
of Asia, particularly South Korea and China, professional gamers and teams are
sponsored by large companies and can earn more than US$100,000 a year.[35] In 2006
Major League Gaming contracted several Halo 2 players including Tom "Tsquared"
Taylor and members of Team Final Boss with $250,000 USD yearly deals.[36] Many
professional gamers find that competitions are able to provide a substantial amount
of money to support themselves. However, oftentimes, these popular gamers can
locate even more lucrative options. One such option is found through online live
streaming of their games. Live streaming often occurs through popular websites such
as Twitch.tv, Hitbox, and YouTube. Professional gamers with particularly large
followings can often bring their fan bases to watch them play on live streams. An
example of this is shown through retired professional League of Legends player, Wei
Han-Dong also known as "CaoMei".[37] Han-Dong had decided to retire from Esports
due to his ability to acquire substantially higher pay through live streaming. His
yearly salary through the Battle Flag TV[38] live streaming service increased his
pay to roughly $800,000 yearly. Live streaming can be seen by many as a truly
lucrative way for professional gamers to make money in a way that can also take
lots of the pressure away from the competitive scene.

Retrogamer
Main article: Retrogaming
A retro gamer is a gamer who prefers to play, and often enough collect, retro
games�older video games and arcade games. They may also be called classic gamers or
old-school gamers, which are terms that are more prevalent in the United States.
The games are played on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or
on modern hardware via ports or compilations (though those 'in the hobby' tend
toward original hardware and emulation).[39]

Classification in taxonomies
A number of taxonomies have been proposed which classify gamer types and the
aspects they value in games.[40]

The Bartle taxonomy of player types classifies gamers according to their preferred
activities within the game:

Achievers, who like to gain points and overall succeed within the game parameters,
collecting all rewards and game badges.
Explorers, who like to discover all areas within the game, including hidden areas
and glitches, and expose all game mechanics.
Socializers, who prefer to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual
game itself.
Beaters, who thrive on competition with other players.
Completionists, who are combinations of the Achiever and Explorer types. They
complete every aspect of the game (main story, side quests, achievements) while
finding every secret within it.
The MDA framework describes various aspects of the game regarding the basic rules
and actions (Mechanics), how they build up during game to develop the gameplay
(Dynamics), and what emotional response they convey to the player (Aesthetics). The
described esthetics are further classified as Sensation, Fantasy, Narrative,
Challenge, Fellowship, Discovery, Expression and Submission. Jesse Schell extends
this classification with Anticipation, Schadenfreude, Gift giving, Humour,
Possibility, Pride, Purification, Surprise, Thrill, Perseverance and Wonder, and
proposes a number of generalizations of differences between how males and females
play.[41]

Avatar
Main article: Avatar (computing)
See also: Player character
Creating an avatar sets the stage of a player becoming an avatar; it is the first
interaction that a potential player must make to identify themselves among the
gaming community.[42] An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag, screen
name, or handle is a name (usually a pseudonym) adopted by a video gamer, used as a
main preferred identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is most
prevalent in games with online multiplayer support, or at electronic sport
conventions.[citation needed]

Similarly, a clan tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the
gamer is in a clan. Clans are generally a group of gamers who play together as a
team against other clans. They are most commonly found in online multi-player games
in which one team can face off against another. Clans can also be formed to create
loosely based affiliations perhaps by all being fans of the same game or merely
gamers who have close personal ties to each other. A team tag is a prefix or suffix
added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. Teams are generally sub-
divisions within the same clan and are regarded within gaming circuits as being a
purely competitive affiliation. These gamers are usually in an online league such
as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company the
Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as
teams and not clans.

Clans and guilds

A clan, squad or guild is a group of players that form, usually under an informal
'leader' or administrator. Clans are often formed by gamers with similar interests;
many clans or guilds form to connect an 'offline' community that might otherwise be
isolated due to geographic, cultural or physical barriers. Some clans are composed
of professional gamers, who enter competitive tournaments for cash or other prizes;
most, however, are simply groups of like-minded players that band together for a
mutual purpose (for example, a gaming-related interest or social group).

Identity
The identity of being a gamer is partly self-determination and partly
performativity of characteristics society expects a gamer to embody.[43] These
expectations include not only a high level of dedication to playing games, but also
preferences for certain types of games, as well as an interest in game-related
paraphernalia like clothing and comic books.[43] According to Graeme Kirkpatrick,
the "true gamer" is concerned first and foremost with gameplay.[44] Escapist
founder Alexander Macris says a gamer is an enthusiast with greater dedication to
games than just playing them, similar in connotation to "cinemaphile".[45] People
who play may not identify as gamers because they feel they don't play "enough" to
qualify.[43] Social stigma against games has influenced some women and minorities
to distance themselves from the term "gamer", even though they may play regularly.
[43][46] Notably, during the Gamergate Controversy that began in August 2014, the
gaming press responded to anger from gamers with numerous articles calling the
gamer identity "dead" due to changing demographic shifts, despite continuing to use
the term to attract advertisers.[47]

Demographics
Games are stereotypically associated with young males, but the diversity of the
audience has been increasing over time.[48] This stereotype exists even among a
majority of women who play video games regularly.[49] Among players using the same
category of device (e.g., console or phone), patterns of play are largely the same
between men and women. Diversity is driven in part by new hardware platforms.[48]
Expansion of the audience was catalyzed by Nintendo's efforts to reach new
demographics.[23] Market penetration of smartphones with gaming capabilities
further expanded the audience,[23] since in contrast to consoles or high-end PCs,
mobile phone gaming requires only devices that non-gamers are likely to already
own.[48]

While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6%
identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.[50] This rises
to 9% among women aged 18�29, compared to 33% of men in that age group. Half of
female PC gamers in the U.S. consider themselves to be core or hardcore gamers.[51]
[52] Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused
women to be less willing to adopt the label.[53]

Racial minorities responding to Pew Research were more likely to describe

themselves as gamers, with 19% of Hispanics identifying as gamers, compared to 11%
of African-Americans and 7% of whites.[50] The competitive fighting game scene is
noted as particularly racially diverse and tolerant.[54] This is attributed to its
origin in arcades, where competitors met face to face and the barrier to entry was
merely a quarter.[54] Only 4% of those aged 50 and over identified as gamers.[50]

Casualization
Casualization is a trend in video games towards simpler games appealing to larger
audiences, especially women or the elderly.[23] Some developers, hoping to attract
a broader audience, simplify or remove aspects of gameplay in established genres
and franchises.[55] Compared to seminal titles like DOOM, more recent mass-market
action games like the Call of Duty series are less sensitive to player choice or
skill, approaching the status of interactive movies.[56]

The trend towards casual games is decried by some self-identified gamers who
emphasize gameplay, meaning the activities that one undertakes in a game.[44]
According to Brendan Keogh, these are inherently masculine activities such as
fighting and exerting dominance. He further says that games women prefer are more
passive experiences, and male gamers deride the lack of interactivity in these
games because of this association with femininity.[44] Belying these trends, games
including The Sims or Minecraft have some of the largest audiences in the industry
while also being very complex.[55] According to Joost van Dreunen of SuperData
Research, girls who play Minecraft are "just as 'hardcore' as the next guy over who
plays Counter-Strike"[57] Dreunen says being in control of a game's environment
appeals equally to boys and girls.[57] Leigh Alexander argued that appealing to
women does not necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.[58]