The "death of the gamer"

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There's an awful lot of chatter these days about the death of gamer culture.  I do not at all condone the personal attacks and threats that gave rise to this, but I feel that this intolerable navel-gazing is motivated by a misguided neediness for a positive public perception of gaming.

These articles remind us that "gamer" was for a long time an epithet in the mainstream but fail to acknowledge that for this reason today's loud defenders of the traditional gamer should be excused for being possessive of the label, since they had defiantly embraced it before it was cool.

I also reject the notion in all of these articles that misogyny is at the core of traditional gamer culture.  There is that subset of the culture, of course, but on the whole gamer culture isn't about exclusion.  It's about celebrating a shared experience.  And while we should be open-minded, it's only natural to feel uncomfortable that the cohesion of that experience is being diluted by 2deep4u non-games.

There's really no need to feel threatened, though.  As much as Gamasutra and others craving "respectability" wish it to be, gamer culture isn't dead.  Just as car enthusiast culture survives despite the vast majority of people perceiving cars merely as tools, so too will gamer culture survive despite games now becoming just another medium of expression.  The loud defenders are wrong to the extent that they feel "gamers" and "people who happen to play games" cannot coexist.

What do you guys think?

 
Ain't nobody gonna tell me what I can and can't be!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8XGmZ8HDIU[/youtube]

 
This is all started because an indie dev who was being a shady, manipulative asshole got called out on it. She happened to be a woman, though, so now it's suddenly about misogyny. The whole conversation that's spawned from this is beyond saving. It's exaggeration fought with exaggeration. There's no death of the 'gamer' identity. This is about the worrying state of games criticism because it's turned into a whiny, pretentious pile of click-bait. It's also the result of people who have no understanding of internet culture and continue to take baseless trolling as if it's an actual form of oppression. 

 
Kind of reads like a guy who sits in a starbucks giving his 6th grade interpretation of catcher in the rye using a lot of big words, saying a lot of words and trying to convince others around him that he is really intelligent, shitty, insightful and savvy. When the reality is he just said a lot of things that didnt really mean anything about something no one cares about.

I like games and I play games. But thats all they are is games. To get sucked into all of this vacuous, hollow, pretentious and utterly pointless politics about games is laughably asinine. Really now, who gives a shit about some dumb term?

I wish I lacked the real life problems where I could discuss things like this as if they were real matters to be taken seriously.
 
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This philosophical and intellectual posturing over a hobby (at best) is getting to be downright silly. Do golfers, scrapbookers, hunters, fishers, etc. sit around and pontificate like this?
 
I thought you were better than this, Panzer :cry:

panzerfaust said:
This is all started because an indie dev who was being a shady, manipulative asshole got called out on it. She happened to be a woman, though, so now it's suddenly about misogyny.
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It's also about hearsay overtaking the conversation. Go read this, which is the best article I've seen so far laying out the facts of the situation. Sure, male devs like Phil Fish get shat upon as well, but it tends to be a different kind of shitting.

panzerfaust said:
It's also the result of people who have no understanding of internet culture and continue to take baseless trolling as if it's an actual form of oppression.
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I don't know about "oppression", but the threats Anita Sarkeesian got earlier this week went way, way beyond that.

 
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R. Kasahara said:
I thought you were better than this, Panzer :cry:

It's also about hearsay overtaking the conversation. Go read this, which is the best article I've seen so far laying out the facts of the situation. Sure, male devs like Phil Fish get shat upon as well, but it tends to be a different kind of shitting.

I don't know about "oppression", but the threats Anita Sarkeesian got earlier this week went way, way beyond that.
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Society doesn't care. Nobody cares.

That is obviously an antagonistic response to the ridiculous amount of controversy being pointlessly brewed up over her Watch Dogs tirade. It was intentionally made public for the sole purpose of proving how futile the argument is, and I'd think that anything meant in earnest would have been relegated to direct messages where they would be deleted upon account deactivation. The hypothetical situation would most likely play out that way, even; human males are typically larger and stronger than females, therefore it's more realistic for a man to overpower a woman. Also, Kevin Dobson is an actor.

Tragedy sells. Controversy sells. Egregious crises have been a stipulation of successful media since Oedipus Rex. It's human nature to crave these things. It is a non-issue.

 
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This happens in cycles. The Atari gamers were angry when Nintendo monopolized the industry and took it in a new direction. The Sega and Nintendo gamers, in turn, got pissed when Sony worked to make 3D gaming the new standard. We're seeing it happen all over again now that the Call of Duty and Halo fans no longer have the video game industry by the happy sack. Mobile gaming is the new hotness. AAA titles are no longer economically feasible. Women have overtaken teen boys as the most active players in America. Things are changing in the industry, and the whiners who've crucified Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, et al can't do a damned thing about it. I'm actually happy about this turn of events, because it already happened to me in 1995 and because the gamers who are protesting the industry's new direction are, well, entitled douchebags.

 
"Gaming news" seems to be more and more about who's throwing shit at whom on Twitter this week. I just like having fun playing video games.

 
Gaming news in general is repulsive. Most of these gaming critics seem to do more reading and writing about games than actual playing, so we get a bunch of yammering about meaningless issues that seem nothing more than click bait.

 
eh fuck it

 

geoff-keighley-rob-florence.jpg


 
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This.

DragonClaw said:
Gaming news in general is repulsive. Most of these gaming critics seem to do more reading and writing about games than actual playing, so we get a bunch of yammering about meaningless issues that seem nothing more than click bait.
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The real issue at hand is the idea that a particular culture can "belong" to anyone. Cultures and sub-cultures are defined by groups of people. While individuals can claim to identify as one culture or another, they can never hold real sway over the cultures they have chosen to define them.

More and more, the modern interpretation of gaming culture is changing, and some people who identified themselves as gamers are becoming resistant towards these changes.

But at the end of the day, those individuals need to get over themselves. A "Gamer" identity is not something that ever truly belonged to them in the first place. If they are truly desperate for a banner to rally around, it's time they found a different one. The term "gamer" is far too general a term for the kind of identity they desire.

As technology advances and becomes more and more ingrained into culture in general, everyone is eventually going to play video games. Children of every gender, race, and creed are being raised on highly accessible entertainment software. Thirty years from now we will be living in a world where the idea of people who don't ever play video games of one sort or another is considered quaint, and a little strange.

 
I still game on my PS3 & vita not as much as I used to back in the day when TGN started up but I'm going to be 49 in december and play pretty much every day depending on my schedule.

Play on.

 
Gaming isn't dying at all lol. Seriously, these froo froo online "bloggers" never give up on trying to make themselves look like seers by coming up with the most random ass subjects and predictions about things they clearly know nothing about. Gaming numbers are actually still going up and have been at their highest in years, it's just not a hobby that is dying any time soon.

Me personally I am losing interest but there are a few titles out there that keep me buying the new systems. I honestly have been playing less since graduating high school and it's been decreasing more with every year passing.

 
[quote name="Navex" post="12127269" timestamp="1412032335"]Gaming isn't dying at all lol. Seriously, these froo froo online "bloggers" never give up on trying to make themselves look like seers by coming up with the most random ass subjects and predictions about things they clearly know nothing about. Gaming numbers are actually still going up and have been at their highest in years, it's just not a hobby that is dying any time soon.

Me personally I am losing interest but there are a few titles out there that keep me buying the new systems. I honestly have been playing less since graduating high school and it's been decreasing more with every year passing.[/quote] This is basically how I feel. I've been gaming les and less the last few years. Now I play when my wife is asleep in the morning, if she is playing games or if I am broke.

Even with all that being said video games have to hit hard times to get close to another crash. They are such big deals now, with companies more profitable than ever, that everyone will do their best to keep them afloat. Now there are several different systems to.play games, not just home consoles and that will help push numbers higher.
 
I think the label itself is the problem. We are just people who enjoy video games. Much like some of the start comments. I agree that to even argue it comes across as pompous. Why should we care if someone calls us a gamer or not?

Just play your games and shut up. Only extremist label themselves. You don't see people who eat a lot walking around labeling themselves. unless they are hipster jerks. Then they are foodies. The same concept applies to everything. Don't fall victim to being anything but human.

 
ArugulaZ said:
This happens in cycles. The Atari gamers were angry when Nintendo monopolized the industry and took it in a new direction. The Sega and Nintendo gamers, in turn, got pissed when Sony worked to make 3D gaming the new standard. We're seeing it happen all over again now that the Call of Duty and Halo fans no longer have the video game industry by the happy sack. Mobile gaming is the new hotness. AAA titles are no longer economically feasible. Women have overtaken teen boys as the most active players in America. Things are changing in the industry, and the whiners who've crucified Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, et al can't do a damned thing about it. I'm actually happy about this turn of events, because it already happened to me in 1995 and because the gamers who are protesting the industry's new direction are, well, entitled douchebags.
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Saying traditional game design will somehow die out because mobile games exist and they're popular is like saying film will die out because a lot of people watch youtube videos. Because why spend time making a movie with a real story when you can make the big bucks doing funny webisodes right? There'll continue to be real PC/console games coming out because there are many people that want to make them for creative purposes and if that isn't enough, they're still making mad dosh from the hardcore market. In short, the existence of the casual market barely has any effect on the massive amount of people who still play "hardcore" games. This is how it's going to be until AR and eventually VR take over and allow for Matrix like gaming scenarios where a controller isn't necessary to play anymore. Oh, and I'm pretty sure Destiny is making a lot of money (same goes for a lot of games like it) at the moment but I guess that doesn't fit your argument so you didn't bother mentioning it.

 
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Those saying gamers are dead are such negative people. I've been playing video games since the NES. I've never seen anyone that's wanted to keep women out of gaming. When I was a kid in the 80's no one cared who was making the games, hell no one knew who was making the games. All I knew is that they were Japanese. I like all kinds of games Dark Souls, Rayman, Mega man, Castlevania, God of War, Lego, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Ratchet and Clank,etc. New games and old school classics. I'm not against change, I'm open to new ideas in gaming, but not because I think something is wrong with games as they are. I want more people to play games. Gaming brings people together. Me and my lady friend play together all the time. We've plat'ed a lot together.  My daughters mother and I played co-op Dynasty Warriors on PS2 for hours. My daughter plays Dynasty Warriors with her male cousins on PS3. I've made friends of all kinds playing video games in my life. Gaming has always been inclusive. 

 
alfaflyt said:
Those saying gamers are dead are such negative people. I've been playing video games since the NES. I've never seen anyone that's wanted to keep women out of gaming. When I was a kid in the 80's no one cared who was making the games, hell no one knew who was making the games. All I knew is that they were Japanese. I like all kinds of games Dark Souls, Rayman, Mega man, Castlevania, God of War, Lego, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Ratchet and Clank,etc. New games and old school classics. I'm not against change, I'm open to new ideas in gaming, but not because I think something is wrong with games as they are. I want more people to play games. Gaming brings people together. Me and my lady friend play together all the time. We've plat'ed a lot together. My daughters mother and I played co-op Dynasty Warriors on PS2 for hours. My daughter plays Dynasty Warriors with her male cousins on PS3. I've made friends of all kinds playing video games in my life. Gaming has always been inclusive.
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So, a couple of things. Saying gamers are dead is like saying bikers are dead or foodies are dead. It's...not even logical. I agree, it's a negative view and doesn't help anyone but the person stating it and only to get that person more attention.

Like you, I haven't ever seen anyone that wants to keep women out of gaming either. I mean, in real life, on the internet, playing on Xbox Live etc. etc. All I see is people who are complaining about people who want to keep women out of gaming. Of course, that's not to say they don't exist but in my opinion, saying they are overwhelmingly an issue in the gaming culture is ignorant. Do some games portray some aspects of women in a negative way, sure they do. Guess what, games also portray some aspects of men in a negative way too. Even more so, movies, books, and music portray women in a negative light. I would STRONGLY argue rap music is a thousand times more degrading and harmful to women than any video game ever will be. You want to see misogynistic attitudes towards women, listen to rap music. It's absolutely disgusting. Also, what about certain religions? Religions that literally physically harm women for no reason at all. Why isn't Leigh Alexander fighting for those women? Surely a woman getting stoned (as in killed not high) in 2014 is infinitely more important than some 14 year old kid making sexist remarks on Twitch or a game designer creating a character with big boobs and a lack of clothing.

 
As a fan of rap music I agree. That's a good example of how a media can change for the worse(in the mainstream at least).Rap is my favorite genre ( I started making beats when I was 16) but I like all kinds of music, mostly stuff from before they last decade and a half all the way back to the 60's. I'm in my early 30s and I've seen the evolution of these things. Video games are more diverse in their stories and themes then ever before, and that has happened without these people. They claim to advocate for inclusivity but in reality they are divisive. I don't like to dismiss the issues that they bring up as first world problems. I tend to agree with what they say they stand for. I don't think the examples they usually focus on are as severe as they claim. I don't agree with their brand of activism or the solutions that they propose. I question how sincere they are. They try to use victimhood as a status symbol or a trendy fashion. They want to call people out when they themselves tend to be privileged upper class folks that haven't known any struggle. They can dish out criticism, but they can't take it. They're condescending attitude towards working class people is disgusting. They tend to water down the terms like sexist, racist, bigot etc and it cheapens the experience of those who are truly victims. It hurts the causes they claim to stand for. You can't fight fire with fire without creating an inferno. You can't fight sexism with sexism, racism with racism, or bigotry with bigotry. That just makes more sexism, racism, and bigotry.

 
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