I feel inadequate as a gamer. :(

[Pike]

I don't necessarily feel being hardcore it's such a filthy word anyway...along with "true gamers" they are both silly elitist terms that kind of overlooks what it means to be a gamer, simply someone who plays video games. Okay I'm ending me mini-rant... means you have to be playing 24/7.

I don't want to derail the thread but I do sort of want to expand on this a little. I agree that terms like "casual" and "hardcore", when they apply to games, are somewhat "floaty" in that they mean different things to different people. A lot of people might agree that something like Farmville is "casual", but then where is the line where games hop from being so to being "hardcore"? Furthermore, what makes a gamer "hardcore"? Is it the type of games he plays? The hours he puts in? Both?

Different people will say different things, but in fairness, different people will define "gamer" differently, as well.

I've come up with a sort of personal definition for myself. I don't usually refer to myself as a "gamer". Partially because the word has developed negative connotations with your stereotypical 14-year-old kid screaming profanities into his Xbox headset whilst playing Cowadooty, and partially because I feel that I aim higher than that. At the risk of sounding exceptionally silly/geeky/whathaveyou, I self-identify as a "video game enthusiast". I read about games, I write about games, I dedicate most of my free time to playing them or learning about them via history books or blogs, and I take care to play as many classics as I can get my little paws on. I feel that just as there are book buffs, music buffs, and film buffs-- I am a video game buff.

If I had the time, I would explain this to anyone who asked if I was a "gamer". But I don't, so sometimes I just use the much shorter term "hardcore". It's not a very good replacement term, but at least it hopefully gets the point across that I try to play games the way a wine connoisseur might taste his wine.

And that, my friends, is possibly the nerdiest post I've ever written on this forum, which is saying a lot.

[Agent Proto]

That post of yours changed my perspective of what defines a "gamer", Pike. I want to feel the same way, but I just don't have the source of income to invest in gaming, and whatever money I do get, usually ends up going elsewhere more important than gaming. My priorities in gaming is just not as high as yours is, Pike.

[Pike]

My advice, then, is not to worry about how "far behind" you are and just play some games! There are great games from every generation and soon enough you'll find one that absolutely captivates you and that you can't stop playing

[Sylvie]

I don't think I could convince myself to rationalize giving a tit about how authentic my "gamer" persona is. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto. Just relax and be cool, Proto.

[GhandiOwnsYou]

You all are forgetting who won Most Hardcore Gamer this last time! /smug

And yes, I am legitimately bragging about being voted the biggest neckbeard basement-dweller on a forum full of neckbeard basement-dwellers.

That feel when you're scratching your neck as you read this. The shame...