"Real" or "True" Gamers

[Psychic]

There are girls who stream with low cut tops or in their underwear, but they don't like the games, they just like the money and attention. They are a very small minority of women gamers though, but that's what most people tend to think of.

People doing things for money isn't exactly new, and I don't think the existence of these people changes anything. That's like saying "fake chefs exist because fast food workers prepare food - they only do it because they're paid to!"

A lot of people will pay money to watch attractive women. Welcome to the Internet. I don't see how women taking advantage of that is proof "fake girl gamers" truly exist. People will do things they dislike to get attention, but they'll especially do it for money. A huge chunk of employed people hate their job, but they do it because they want or need money. That's just life.

PS: Men would be doing this too if there was any demand for sexy men to play video games in their underwear. But there isn't, so there aren't. That's why only women do it. The guys who do film themselves playing video games do so because they genuinely like gaming, and they don't even need to be attractive. Women make these videos too, but they're far less popular. I guess guys only want to watch women play video games if they do so half-naked.

Hey look - more proof of sexism in gaming culture! What a shock!

I love you so much, Psychic. <3 You basically said everything I wanted to say in such a much more eloquent way.

Thanks, there are a lot of Youtube videos that say it better than I do, but I'm glad to have (hopefully) shed some light on the topic.

~Psychic

 

[はるひ]

on the subject of making money. that's what they are expected to do. i see guys (and girls because girls complain to) complain on youtube about girl gamers showing their sexuality while playing games. while it's true that just playing call of duty doesn't make you a gamer... these women do this because that's what we as a society expects them to do. we complain about them doing something we expect them to do. they are taught that their worth is in their sexuality. -_-. the whole girl gamer debate leads to **** shaming

 

[Jb]

People doing things for money isn't exactly new, and I don't think the existence of these people changes anything. That's like saying "fake chefs exist because fast food workers prepare food - they only do it because they're paid to!"

A lot of people will pay money to watch attractive women. Welcome to the Internet. I don't see how women taking advantage of that is proof "fake girl gamers" truly exist. People will do things they dislike if for attention, but they'll especially do it for money. A huge chunk of employed people hate their job, but they do it because they want or need money. That's just life.

I don't think those compare well. Working a job you hate and faking a hobby for money are two completely different things. A job is a necessity, faking a gamer girl isn't. And while your hobby can be your job, I don't you're in that dire need of job if you have streaming equipment, computer and such.

 

[bobjr]

People doing things for money isn't exactly new, and I don't think the existence of these people changes anything. That's like saying "fake chefs exist because fast food workers prepare food - they only do it because they're paid to!"

A lot of people will pay money to watch attractive women. Welcome to the Internet. I don't see how women taking advantage of that is proof "fake girl gamers" truly exist. People will do things they dislike to get attention, but they'll especially do it for money. A huge chunk of employed people hate their job, but they do it because they want or need money. That's just life.

PS: Men would be doing this too if there was any demand for sexy men to play video games in their underwear. But there isn't, so there aren't. That's why only women do it. The guys who do film themselves playing video games do so because they genuinely like gaming, and they don't even need to be attractive. Women make these videos too, but they're far less popular. I guess guys only want to watch women play video games if they do so half-naked.

Hey look - more proof of sexism in gaming culture! What a shock!

Yeah, I agree with you. That's why I really don't call them "fake gamer girls". They found a way to make money off of sad nerds and it works for them, and I can't really blame them for doing it. The fault lies in the people who can't make the distinction.

Also there are guys who play video games who have done dumb stuff like video themselves taking a shower or making a sandwich, it just isn't nearly as successful.

 

[PrinceOfFacade]

Today I read an game review on Yahoo! for Destiny. In the comments people started saying if you don't consistently play a game for more than 5 hours straight you aren't a true gamer. That got me thinking about a couple things:

a.) Why do people care about being a "true" gamer?
b.) What is the qualification for a true gamer?

My two cents is that anybody who enjoys games is a real gamer. Just because you play for hours on end does not make you superior in that regard. Sure, you might be better at videogames, but does that really matter? Not all of us have the time to devote to 5-hour-straight sessions of gaming. Many of us have jobs and families, as well as other responsibilities and hobbies.

I look forward to seeing your opinions on this.

This is partially why I despise the competitive scene.

It is filled with pretentious players who feel they are above all other players because of the 'time and effort' they put into playing. However, all I see are players who are taking video games way too seriously. Now don't get me wrong, I love video games and I aspire to compose in the gaming industry. However, I do know that video games are ultimately for entertainment, for fun. To me competitive playing takes all the fun out of video games.

This idea of a 'true gamer' is absurd. If you play video games, you're a gamer. It's as simple as that. But if you feel habitually investing hours and hours into playing a video game makes something of you, you seriously need to reevaluate your life.

 

[Psychic]

I don't think those compare well. Working a job you hate and faking a hobby for money are two completely different things. A job is a necessity, faking a gamer girl isn't. And while your hobby can be your job, I don't you're in that dire need of job if you have streaming equipment, computer and such.

My comparison can actually still work, because plenty of people enjoy cooking as a hobby. It just so happens that this hobby is also a profession. Video gaming is also a paid competitive sport now in some countries, now that we're on the topic. Are the professional gamers less "real" or "true" because they're getting paid? After all, we have no idea if they actually enjoy gaming - they could just be doing it for the money! Yet I have yet to see them be called "fake gamers." Are we still sure that it isn't sexist at all that men are never questioned as to whether or not they're "real gamers"?

Moving on, you don't know if the women making these videos do or do not "need" the money, but I fail to see what difference that actually makes. Also, there are many jobs and hobbies require expensive equipment, such as anything in film, photography, or art, so that point is irrelevant.

Either way, as I alluded to, people will pay to watch women do other tasks that might not be considered a "real job," such as having sex, masturbating, pole dancing, or stripping. Whether or not the woman likes what she's doing and whether or not she fully relies on that money really don't mean anything.

For example, plenty of women pole dance as a hobby. The women who are paid to pole dance even though they dislike it do not invalidate the others. Just because some people do something as a hobby and others do it for money doesn't make them "fake." It just means they monetized something that others do for sheer enjoyment. There is zero ethos involved here.

If you really think this is unethical, you're going to have to explain why, and give other examples where this applies. However, unless they say "I am a girl gamer," and you magically know that they dislike gaming deep in their soul, you don't actually know whether or not they're "fake."

Yeah, I agree with you. That's why I really don't call them "fake gamer girls". They found a way to make money off of sad nerds and it works for them, and I can't really blame them for doing it. The fault lies in the people who can't make the distinction.

Also there are guys who play video games who have done dumb stuff like video themselves taking a shower or making a sandwich, it just isn't nearly as successful.

Ah, sorry about that, you hadn't mentioned that you didn't agree, so I didn't know what your stance was. I apologize if I came across as overly rude or snarky.

~Psychic

 

[Jb]

My comparison can actually still work, because plenty of people enjoy cooking as a hobby. It just so happens that this hobby is also a profession. Video gaming is also a paid competitive sport now in some countries, now that we're on the topic. Are the professional gamers less "real" or "true" because they're getting paid? After all, we have no idea if they actually enjoy gaming - they could just be doing it for the money! Yet I have yet to see them be called "fake gamers." Are we still sure that it isn't sexist at all that men are never questioned as to whether or not they're "real gamers"?

I don't know about it being sexist but I think this stems from not having a concrete definition of "gamer." From what I've seen from professional gamers, they tend to be good at what they do, and usually has a gaming hobby background. While there could be "fake" competitors, that seems like a pretty big risk for this potential hobby. They need to pay for travel and rooming accommodations for qualifiers, and they usually use their own equipment useless the rules state otherwise. Then they need to actually win and get noticed. It doesn't seem likely to me that someone playing at the level would "fake" it and jump in without a potential gaming background. They would mostly get beat out by people with more knowledge in that hobby. That said, I'm sure that there are some people who probably just saw that could make money by playing games and decide to do that based on the fact that they want money alone. However, when I compare that to the streamer who's just sitting in their underwear, taking a shower/w.e, while also being bad at the game and talking about irrelevant topics, i'm more likely to question if their "fake" compared to someone who seems like they know what their doing.

Just for the sake of clarification, I personaly don't care if people are "fake"gamers, but I can see why people might question it, or at least more so compared to competitive ones.

Moving on, you don't know if the women making these videos do or do not "need" the money, but I fail to see what difference that actually makes. Also, there are many jobs and hobbies require expensive equipment, such as anything in film, photography, or art, so that point is irrelevant.

fair enough

If you really think this is unethical, you're going to have to explain why, and give other examples where this applies. However, unless they say "I am a girl gamer," and you magically know that they dislike gaming deep in their soul, you don't actually know whether or not they're "fake."

I guess my above reply covered this as well.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

I can kind of see why people do this, it's sort of a defense mechanism against an industry that is shifting away from them. Since gaming became mainstream, there's been a slew of casual gamers and for lack of a better word, dudebro gamers (basically for those who don't know what this is, it's the kind of gamer that likes "mature", edgy games like CoD) who have entered the market, and there's so damn many of them that virtually the entire industry revolves around them now. So because the industry no longer caters to their tastes, they distance themselves from these demographics and say that they're not "true" gamers as a way to belittle them for "ruining" the industry. Like everyone else said, it's basically elitism.

 

[THRILLHO]

i personally feel if your personality revolves around the media you consume you are a boring and sometimes toxic person to be around ok bye

 

[mjunior3]

Being a gamer means someone who plays games. ...Pretty self explanatory there, so yeah

 

[Psychic]

I don't know about it being sexist but I think this stems from not having a concrete definition of "gamer." From what I've seen from professional gamers, they tend to be good at what they do, and usually has a gaming hobby background. While there could be "fake" competitors, that seems like a pretty big risk for this potential hobby. They need to pay for travel and rooming accommodations for qualifiers, and they usually use their own equipment useless the rules state otherwise. Then they need to actually win and get noticed. It doesn't seem likely to me that someone playing at the level would "fake" it and jump in without a potential gaming background. They would mostly get beat out by people with more knowledge in that hobby. That said, I'm sure that there are some people who probably just saw that could make money by playing games and decide to do that based on the fact that they want money alone.

I mention the sexism because in these conversations, the focus is so often on "fake girl gamers." It is rare for anyone to discuss potential "fake male gamers." I am trying to suggest the possibility for professional gamers (who are usually male) to be "fake gamers," but we still can't seem to move past the wymenz.

You're going to have to define what you think qualifies someone as a "real gamer" VS "fake gamer," because it looks like we're not on the same page right now.

I am going off Sogeking's example, using the assumption that a "fake gamer" is someone who only pretends to enjoy and be interested in gaming for personal gain. At no point did I reference skill level, because I don't think it's relevant. That's why I asked if getting paid to play can make someone a "fake gamer," or if a professional gamer can be a professional without enjoying the sport. I assumed that it goes without saying that if a person isn't a skilled gamer, they won't be a professional gamer.

For a comparison, I am asking if a professional tennis player could be considered "fake" because a) they're payed to play or b) they play without actually liking the sport. You are suggesting that an unskilled ("fake" in your terms) tennis player could somehow become a professional. If you're bad, you are not going to be a professional, simple as that.

However, when I compare that to the streamer who's just sitting in their underwear, taking a shower/w.e, while also being bad at the game and talking about irrelevant topics, i'm more likely to question if their "fake" compared to someone who seems like they know what their doing.

Just for the sake of clarification, I personaly don't care if people are "fake"gamers, but I can see why people might question it, or at least more so compared to competitive ones.

Plenty of famous video game Let's Players on Youtube will be bad at certain games and discuss irrelevant topics. Is that all it takes for you to question if they're "fake gamers"? Because you might have to take that up with people like the Game Grumps.

You have not said that you think "fake gamers" are a myth. If you think "fake gamers" exist, please give a definition of what defines a "fake gamer" and how to tell them apart from "real gamers."

~Psychic

 

[Jb]

I mention the sexism because in these conversations, the focus is so often on "fake girl gamers." It is rare for anyone to discuss potential "fake male gamers." I am trying to suggest the possibility for professional gamers (who are usually male) to be "fake gamers," but we still can't seem to move past the wymenz.

I agree. I'm only saying "fake girl gamers" because that simply seems to be context used in this thread.

You're going to have to define what you think qualifies someone as a "real gamer" VS "fake gamer," because it looks like we're not on the same page right now.

Similar to my first post, I think a "real gamer" is pretty much someone who games as a hobby, usually gaming a few times a week for fun. I don't think that's the same thing as someone who noticed that they could make money while gaming by doing irrelevant stuff or using sex appeal. It doesn't help that the people that do seems to spout a lot of incorrect facts about the game they are playing or other things that make you question if they know what they're talking about.

I am going off Sogeking's example, using the assumption that a "fake gamer" is someone who only pretends to enjoy and be interested in gaming for personal gain. At no point did I reference skill level, because I don't think it's relevant. That's why I asked if getting paid to play can make someone a "fake gamer," or if a professional gamer can be a professional without enjoying the sport. I assumed that it goes without saying that if a person isn't a skilled gamer, they won't be a professional gamer.

I think skill is relevant because it's something that a "fake gamer" most likely wouldn't have, since becoming a pro takes a massive time investment that someone that hasn't been gaming for years wouldn't have. In that sense, I would say that it's unlikely that a professional gamer would be "fake." I don't think getting paid would automatically switch you to "fake" status. I don't think you could become a pro if you didn't enjoy the sport.

You are suggesting that an unskilled ("fake" in your terms) tennis player could somehow become a professional. If you're bad, you are not going to be a professional, simple as that.

I don't think being bad makes you "fake", sorry if I said or implied that. But being bad is usually a cause of not playing something. This seems to hand in hand with people that game with gimmicks like the ones stated in thread.

You have not said that you think "fake gamers" are a myth. If you think "fake gamers" exist, please give a definition of what defines a "fake gamer" and how to tell them apart from "real gamers."

I do think fake gamers exist. I don't they're mainstream enough to take note of yet though. I'll pretty much use the case that other people pointed out. Someone playing games in their underwear (because that's what gets views) while playing badly or spouting incorrect information and shows no interest in the game. I've came across a few of these people use Tinychat.

Do keep in mind that I don't watch a ton of let's play, or even actually looks for "fake gamers" so I won't be able to give you a wide range of examples.

 

[~Emolga~]

I think real and true gamers are the same meaning

 

[Sedaheht]

The fact that there is no unanimous consensus on what a "gamer" is should be quite telling. There is no absolute definition of gamer, everybody is entitled to their own subjective definition of it. Personally, I think it would be rather silly if a person could play video games but not be a gamer.

What's the point of excluding some people from the definition of gamer? You don't want to be included in the same category as someone you think lowly of? Well guess what, everybody you hate is a human, and so are you. We're all in this together. Why pretend to separate yourself from them in this way?

As I cannot think of any purely logical reason (only baseless emotional reasons) why the population of video game players should have subcategories such as "real" "fake" "true" "pure" etc. then a gamer is someone who plays games, and that's my opinion.

 

[shadow wolf]

At this point I'd say anyone who plays video games as a hobby as opposed to a time waster is a gamer.

The fact that there is no unanimous consensus on what a "gamer" is should be quite telling. There is no absolute definition of gamer, everybody is entitled to their own subjective definition of it. Personally, I think it would be rather silly if a person could play video games but not be a gamer.

What's the point of excluding some people from the definition of gamer? You don't want to be included in the same category as someone you think lowly of? Well guess what, everybody you hate is a human, and so are you. We're all in this together. Why pretend to separate yourself from them in this way?

As I cannot think of any purely logical reason (only baseless emotional reasons) why the population of video game players should have subcategories such as "real" "fake" "true" "pure" etc. then a gamer is someone who plays games, and that's my opinion.

...Uhh, you do realize people are irrational right? Also, just because someone is the same species doesn't mean they are entitled to love, respect, etc... So by all means, hating a human isn't a crime, and telling them they're hating a human isn't going to change anything. Seriously, people will continue to pass judgement based on faulty reasoning on an individual/at worst a group, and the concept of we're all in this together isn't going to do anything to change their mind when they are perpetuating division.

 

[Sedaheht]

...Uhh, you do realize people are irrational right? Also, just because someone is the same species doesn't mean they are entitled to love, respect, etc... So by all means, hating a human isn't a crime, and telling them they're hating a human isn't going to change anything. Seriously, people will continue to pass judgement based on faulty reasoning on an individual/at worst a group, and the concept of we're all in this together isn't going to do anything to change their mind when they are perpetuating division.

So you would rather just do nothing because people are hopelessly stupid? Forgive me, but I will continue to call out irrationality when I see it. Not everybody is completely unaffected by rational persuasion.

 

[shadow wolf]

So your plan is just do nothing

Kind of, I'm tired and a cynic. If you want to make these people "see the light", telling them they're being bigoted isn't really going to do anything, this only works for the truly ignorant. Unfortunately the best way to deal with these people is to simply ignore or punish them, and not have them be part of the group so to speak. Lets put it like this, arguing with these people is like continually trying to break down a brick wall by slamming your head into it, pretty much futile unless some miracle occurred. Should proper behavior of any group be defined most definitely, you do have to say that bigoted behavior is unacceptable. Just so you know, I agree with your point, just your argument for it is a bit iffy, sorry if that wasn't clear.

 

[Sedaheht]

Kind of, I'm tired and a cynic. If you want to make these people "see the light", telling them they're being bigoted isn't really going to do anything, this only works for the truly ignorant. Unfortunately the best way to deal with these people is to simply ignore or punish them, and not have them be part of the group so to speak. Lets put it like this, arguing with these people is like continually trying to break down a brick wall by slamming your head into it, pretty much futile unless some miracle occurred. Should proper behavior of any group be defined most definitely, you do have to say that bigoted behavior is unacceptable. Just so you know, I agree with your point, just your argument for it is a bit iffy, sorry if that wasn't clear.

(I edited my post with a little extra content, you may want to read it)

Well if everybody was tired and a cynic, then the world would be a much more depressing place than it is right now. I wholeheartedly disagree that it's not worth trying to convince people rationally. There are 7 billion human beings, so there are certainly plenty of people who are capable of changing their minds. It's not fair to give up on everybody just because some people aren't worth the effort. The people who are worth the effort more than make up for the wasted energy spent trying to reason with the truly irrational.

 

[AncientCharizard]

being a gamer is simple, being good at a game takes some time unless you have talent...

true/hardcore/real gamers are just a term to justify the incredibly high amount of hours spent in a videogame, and are likely to limit the games to a specific genre or even a single franchise...

there is nothing wrong with playing for fun, and there is nothing wrong with playing for glory... nothing wrong with playing alone, nothing wrong with playing social... nothing wrong in playing offline, nothing wrong in playing online...

you are free to choose what you like and dislike... i like sonic games (except06, bad just bad), i like pokemon games, i like platform games, i love puzzles games... and i hate call of duty, and i hate candy crush...

 

[shadow wolf]

So you would rather just do nothing because people are hopelessly stupid? Forgive me, but I will continue to call out irrationality when I see it. Not everybody is completely unaffected by rational persuasion.

Stupid people should be educated but that's because they're ignorant, if they're bigoted, then you're not convincing them. That's fine to call out irrationally, but keep in mind your fighting an uphill battle against a species that tends to be irrational more often than not. What irrationality are you calling out, big, small, all, few, etc... because if irrationality is that much of pet peeve, then it's not going to be a pleasant experience having to deal with every small instance of irrationality humans present. This is very true, but considering fallacious persuasion tends to do a fine job of persuading people, that should tell you quite a bit. I'm just telling you to be careful of the way you spend your time and energy and to not waste it, considering rationality appears to be something very important to you, wisely choosing your battles will save you from being burned out by having to deal with the tiny bits of irrationality humans express in their daily lives.

(I edited my post with a little extra content, you may want to read it)

Well if everybody was tired and a cynic, then the world would be a much more depressing place than it is right now. I wholeheartedly disagree that it's not worth trying to convince people rationally. There are 7 billion human beings, so there are certainly plenty of people who are capable of changing their minds. It's not fair to give up on everybody just because some people aren't worth the effort. The people who are worth the effort more than make up for the wasted energy spent trying to reason with the truly irrational.

I forgot to mention I'm also a realist, and I'm glad the world isn't shittier than it already is. I never said you shouldn't try to convince people rationally, rather I was saying it's pretty much useless against those who are irrational. People most definitely are capable of changing their minds, again I'm talking about those that won't, even when presided with unmitigated fact, it happens. I don't believe I said that we should punish people because of a few bad apples, once again that select group. You're right, but it should be clear when you need to just quit smacking your head on the brick wall. Again, I am talking about the people that won't listen to reason, my entire point was don't waste your time and energy on those people, you will not win.