Gamer
Encyclopedia
Historically, the term "gamer" usually referred to someone who played role-playing game
s and wargames
. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games. While the term nominally includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves to be gamers (i.e., casual gamers), it is commonly used to identify those who spend much of their leisure time playing or learning about games.
There are many gamer communities around the world. Many of these take the form of web rings, discussion forums
and other virtual communities
, as well as college or university social clubs. Stores specializing in games often serve as a meeting place to organize groups of players . Prior to the emergence of the Internet
, many play-by-mail game
s developed communities resembling those surrounding today's online game
s .
In October 2006, the Entertainment Consumers Association
(ECA) was established as the first non-profit membership organization formed to represent American computer and video game consumers. The ECA was formed, in part, in response to the seemingly imbalanced representation of the games industry (e.g., the ESA
, IGDA and others) in comparison to game consumers in the United States Congress
.
Casual gaming demographics vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.
One casual gamer subset is the "fitness gamer", who plays motion-based exercise games.
stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to a core gamer who is between the casual and hard-core categories.
has contracted Electronic Sports
Gamers with $250,000USD yearly deals.
).
and Europe
, while the terms classic gamer, or old-school gamer are more prevalent in the United States
. The games are played either on the original hardware
, on modern hardware via console emulation, or on modern hardware via ports
or compilations. Some retrogamers are in the business of refurbishing old games, particularly arcade cabinet
s. Some even make their own arcade cabinets.
, bisexual, lesbian
, or transgender
ed and have an active interest in the video game community (gamers). This demographic has been the subject of two large surveys: by Jason Rockwood in 2006, and by Paul Nowak in 2009. Only a "very small minority" of the respondents to the first survey supported the use of the term gaymer.
In 2007 Chris Vizzini, owner of the gaming site Gaymer.org, sought to trademark the term Gaymer with respect to online communities.
) 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.
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.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s and wargames
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
. Since they became very popular, the term has included players of video games. While the term nominally includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves to be gamers (i.e., casual gamers), it is commonly used to identify those who spend much of their leisure time playing or learning about games.
There are many gamer communities around the world. Many of these take the form of web rings, discussion forums
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
and other virtual communities
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
, as well as college or university social clubs. Stores specializing in games often serve as a meeting place to organize groups of players . Prior to the emergence of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, many play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail game
Play-by-mail games, sometimes known as "Play-by-post", are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. One example, chess, has been played by mail for centuries . Another example, Diplomacy, has been played by mail since the 1960s, starting with a printed newsletter written by John...
s developed communities resembling those surrounding today's online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
s .
In October 2006, the Entertainment Consumers Association
Entertainment Consumers Association
Entertainment Consumers Association is a United States-based non-partisan, non-government, non-profit organization dedicated to the interests of individuals who play computer and video games in the United States and Canada.-History:Mr...
(ECA) was established as the first non-profit membership organization formed to represent American computer and video game consumers. The ECA was formed, in part, in response to the seemingly imbalanced representation of the games industry (e.g., the ESA
Entertainment Software Association
The Entertainment Software Association is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association and renamed on July 16, 2003...
, IGDA and others) in comparison to game consumers in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Types of gamers
In the United States, the average video game player is 35 and has been playing video games for over 12 years. In the UK, the average video game player is over 23 years old, has played video games for over 10 years, and spends around 12.6 hours a week playing video games. The term "gamer" is composed of several subgroups.Casual gamer
A casual gamer is a player whose time or interest in playing games is limited. Casual gamers tend to play games designed for ease of gameplay and don't spend much time playing more involved games. The genres that casual gamers play vary, and they might not own a specific video game console to play their games.Casual gaming demographics vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.
One casual gamer subset is the "fitness gamer", who plays motion-based exercise games.
Mid-core gamer
A core gamer is a player with a wide range of interests and enthusiast toward creative and diverse games, but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys complex games but won't buy every novel release, doesn't have time for long games, and is a target consumer that needs features not found in games for the other types. Nintendo president Satoru IwataSatoru Iwata
is the fourth president of Nintendo, succeeding the long-standing previous president of the company, Hiroshi Yamauchi in 2002. He was responsible in great part for defining Nintendo's strategy both before and during the release of its Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001, a vision which...
stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to a core gamer who is between the casual and hard-core categories.
Hardcore gamer
Hardcore gamers prefer to take significant time and practice on games, and tend to play more involved games that require larger amounts of time to complete or master. Hardcore gamers may take part in video game culture. Competition is another defining characteristic of hardcore gamers, who often compete in organized tournaments, leagues, or ranked play integrated into the game proper. There are many subtypes of hardcore gamers based on the style of game, gameplay preference, hardware platform, and other preferences.Pro-gamer
Professional gamers play video games for money. Whether a professional gamer is a subtype of the hardcore gamer largely depends on the degree to which a professional gamer is financially dependent upon the income derived from gaming. So far as a professional gamer is financially dependent upon gaming, the time spent playing is no longer "leisure" time. In countries of Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan, professional gamers are sponsored by large companies and can earn more than $100,000USD a year, in addition to the following that some obtain. In the United States, Major League GamingMajor League Gaming
Major League Gaming , founded in 2002 by Sundance DiGiovanni and Mike Sepso, is a North American professional Electronic sports organization, headquartered in New York City, New York. MLG has held official video game tournaments throughout the United States and Canada. Major League Gaming...
has contracted Electronic Sports
Electronic sports
Electronic sports comprises the competitive play of video games. Other terms include competitive gaming, professional gaming and cybersports...
Gamers with $250,000USD yearly deals.
Newbie
Newbie, or "noob", is a slang term for a novice or newcomer to a certain game, or to gaming in general. It can have derogatory connotations, but is also often used for descriptive purposes only, without a value judgment. Two derived terms are "newb", a beginner who is willing to learn; and "noob", a derogatory name (an alternate spelling for n00bLeet
Leet , also known as eleet or leetspeak, is an alternative alphabet for the English language that is used primarily on the Internet. It uses various combinations of ASCII characters to replace Latinate letters...
).
Retrogamer
A retrogamer is a gamer preferring playing and collecting retro games - older computer, video, and arcade games. The term retrogamer is used mostly in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, while the terms classic gamer, or old-school gamer are more prevalent in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The games are played either on the original hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, on modern hardware via console emulation, or on modern hardware via ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
or compilations. Some retrogamers are in the business of refurbishing old games, particularly arcade cabinet
Arcade cabinet
A video game arcade cabinet, also known as a video arcade machine or video coin-op, is the housing within which a video arcade game's hardware resides. Most cabinets designed since the mid-1980s conform to the JAMMA wiring standard...
s. Some even make their own arcade cabinets.
Girl gamer
A 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 now comprise 34% of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women now playing online has risen to 43%, up 4% from 2004. The same study shows that 48% of game purchasers are female.Gaymer
Gaymer, or Gay Gamer, is a term used to refer to the group of people who identify themselves as gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, or transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed and have an active interest in the video game community (gamers). This demographic has been the subject of two large surveys: by Jason Rockwood in 2006, and by Paul Nowak in 2009. Only a "very small minority" of the respondents to the first survey supported the use of the term gaymer.
In 2007 Chris Vizzini, owner of the gaming site Gaymer.org, sought to trademark the term Gaymer with respect to online communities.
Avatar
An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag, screen name, or handle is a name (usually a pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
) 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.
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.
See also
- ConsumerConsumerConsumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
- List of gaming topics
- Gamers Outreach FoundationGamers Outreach FoundationGamers Outreach Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization that works to use interactive entertainment in ways that improve the lives of others...
- Entertainment Consumers AssociationEntertainment Consumers AssociationEntertainment Consumers Association is a United States-based non-partisan, non-government, non-profit organization dedicated to the interests of individuals who play computer and video games in the United States and Canada.-History:Mr...
- Player (game)Player (game)A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
- Video game addiction