If gamer is offensive, what am I?

I've never understood the hate or disdain for the term gamer.
 
If I'm not a gamer, what am I then? video gamer, interactive media participator?

I've always thought of myself as a gamer. My game of choice happens to be video games.
 
So, what should people who play video games and wish to be called something be called?

An individual?

You and I are both gamers. No worries.

Giantbombers.

Since when is it offensive? I will happily proclaim myself as a gamer, I am a person who enjoys playing games on a level that is above casual, therefore I am a gamer.
 
Its a short, sweet, accurate term of exactly who we are based on what we like to do.. it follows the basic rules of nomenclature, think about other things.. Joker, Masturbator, I dunno, theres lots. It is common sense.

Who the hell has gotten offended because someone called them "gamer" ?  
or 
Who the hell tried to insult someone by calling him/her a gamer? o.O

" I've never understood the hate or disdain for the term gamer.  If I'm not a gamer, what am I then? video gamer, interactive media participator? I've always thought of myself as a gamer. My game of choice happens to be video games.   So, what should people who play video games and wish to be called something be called? "

Gamers we are all. Anyone who tells you otherwise is suffering from a  "I'm Jack's complete case of denial." 

Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck?

Wear it proudly, man.

I'ma gamer....

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

I think Claude is probably thinking about this thread. I don't think "offensive" is the proper word but more like derogotary. I however, don't think it is in anyway whatsoever. I just think thr word "gamer" sounds a little off. Essentially that's what I am but as I said before I wouldn't call myself a "gamer" but just a "guy who plays videogames" instead. It's the same thing really but I just like to call myself that instead.

Either you are a happy consumer or a dirty pirate.

" @Suicrat: If you love video games, video game culture and the video game community, you are a gamer. You might not want to use that term to describe yourself, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a gamer. "

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Well, what the fuck are you then? "

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Word, man. I don't like the term "gamer", but I don't like labels in general. I prefer to say "Yeah, I play a lot of video games" rather than "Yeah, I consider myself a gamer". "Gamer" seems to imply that we're all very similar, which isn't true. "

" @Icemael said:

" @Suicrat: If you love video games, video game culture and the video game community, you are a gamer. You might not want to use that term to describe yourself, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a gamer. "

No, it doesn't change the fact that you feel the need to refer to me as such. You could just as easily make the claim that these traits of mine make me a consumer, and while that would be technically true, that isn't a term I would use to describe myself.@Claude said:

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Well, what the fuck are you then? "

See my first post in this thread.
@Bigandtasty said:

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Word, man. I don't like the term "gamer", but I don't like labels in general. I prefer to say "Yeah, I play a lot of video games" rather than "Yeah, I consider myself a gamer". "Gamer" seems to imply that we're all very similar, which isn't true. "

Exactly, there is infinite diversity within the video game culture, and I think those who insist on such labels are doing the culture a disservice, even if they think otherwise. "

" manflannelists. "

" @Claude: A gamer is also a consumer of sorts. We are all consumers of sorts, none of these terms really describe who we are, so I personally would rather acknowledge this state of diversity by referring to myself and others as and "individual", as in "and end in myself", or "whole", or "distinct". There are many traits associated with being an "individual", few of which revolve around consumption habits, none of which revolve around nothingness. "

As Suicrat said, the term gamer is a label, and like all labels, it truncates individual differences, and I personally dislike using the term for that reason.
People in this thread seem to have a need of fitting people into groups; which in my opinion, is silly as you are you,  not a generic term that may 
vary in meaning from person to person.

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Word, man. I don't like the term "gamer", but I don't like labels in general. I prefer to say "Yeah, I play a lot of video games" rather than "Yeah, I consider myself a gamer". "Gamer" seems to imply that we're all very similar, which isn't true. "

" @SolemnOaf said:

" manflannelists. "

I love his hate, don't hate on him. "

" @Suicrat: But what makes you an "individual" is your unique combination of traits, "gamer" and "consumer" being two of them. "

" @Suicrat said:

" @Claude: A gamer is also a consumer of sorts. We are all consumers of sorts, none of these terms really describe who we are, so I personally would rather acknowledge this state of diversity by referring to myself and others as and "individual", as in "and end in myself", or "whole", or "distinct". There are many traits associated with being an "individual", few of which revolve around consumption habits, none of which revolve around nothingness. "

I want to go your way, but I feel held back because of my hobby. It's shared by so many people that I think it deserves a name. Hell, there's even people called hobbyist. "

I'm a gamer! Er, I think I am, at least....

" @Bigandtasty said:

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Word, man. I don't like the term "gamer", but I don't like labels in general. I prefer to say "Yeah, I play a lot of video games" rather than "Yeah, I consider myself a gamer". "Gamer" seems to imply that we're all very similar, which isn't true. "

But.. we all play games.. so it is true.   The label 'gamer' is designated for people like us who play videogames; therefore being called a gamer, in essence is being called a person who enjoys playing videogames.... and that is something we have in common. Thus our common trait; 'games' is turned into a word that can describe us all; 'gamer'.  I'm not saying we are all the same, obviously we are very different people, and even within games we will of course have differences, but what I am saying is that the label gamer, describes us, we are gamers, we like to play games, its why we are all on a videogame website right now, which is pretty great proof.  As for 'not wanting to conform' to labels, thats just silly and juvenile, people assign labels and names to things to give life order, grouping things with a common trait under a given name, its just taxonomy in action friends, we are all humans, we are all gamers, but we have differences within that.  For example, take a horse and a donkey, obviously they are not the same animal, however they belong to the same family (Equidae) which means that they share common traits. In the same way, while we are all different people, we have common traits, being collectively called 'gamers' is just an attempt to identify and name a common trait we all possess. So fuck your labels. "

" @Icemael said:

" @Suicrat: But what makes you an "individual" is your unique combination of traits, "gamer" and "consumer" being two of them. "

Gaming and consumption being one of them. I can do something without claiming the pretense ofbeing a doer of that thing."

I'm not offended by the term gamer, but in certain situations coming out of certain people's mouths it does sound pretty lame and awkward. 

"But.. we all play games.. so it is true.   The label 'gamer' is designated for people like us who play videogames; therefore being called a gamer, in essence is being called a person who enjoys playing videogames.... and that is something we have in common. Thus our common trait; 'games' is turned into a word that can describe us all; 'gamer'.  I'm not saying we are all the same, obviously we are very different people, and even within games we will of course have differences, but what I am saying is that the label gamer, describes us, we are gamers, we like to play games, its why we are all on a videogame website right now, which is pretty great proof.  As for 'not wanting to conform' to labels, thats just silly and juvenile, people assign labels and names to things to give life order, grouping things with a common trait under a given name, its just taxonomy in action friends, we are all humans, we are all gamers, but we have differences within that.  For example, take a horse and a donkey, obviously they are not the same animal, however they belong to the same family (Equidae) which means that they share common traits. In the same way, while we are all different people, we have common traits, being collectively called 'gamers' is just an attempt to identify and name a common trait we all possess. So fuck your labels. "

" @Xeiphyer said:

" @Bigandtasty said:

" @Suicrat said:

" Can't someone admit and be honest with themselves and their peers about loving video games, video game culture, and the video game community, and also not wish to be referred to by other people's labels?
 
Sure, I can't stop you from calling me a gamer, but that's not a word I would use to describe myself, and that doesn't make me an asshole, a weirdo, or in denial, none of which have anything necessarily to do with video games or being a gamer, so what the fuck? "

Word, man. I don't like the term "gamer", but I don't like labels in general. I prefer to say "Yeah, I play a lot of video games" rather than "Yeah, I consider myself a gamer". "Gamer" seems to imply that we're all very similar, which isn't true. "

But.. we all play games.. so it is true.   The label 'gamer' is designated for people like us who play videogames; therefore being called a gamer, in essence is being called a person who enjoys playing videogames.... and that is something we have in common. Thus our common trait; 'games' is turned into a word that can describe us all; 'gamer'.  I'm not saying we are all the same, obviously we are very different people, and even within games we will of course have differences, but what I am saying is that the label gamer, describes us, we are gamers, we like to play games, its why we are all on a videogame website right now, which is pretty great proof.  As for 'not wanting to conform' to labels, thats just silly and juvenile, people assign labels and names to things to give life order, grouping things with a common trait under a given name, its just taxonomy in action friends, we are all humans, we are all gamers, but we have differences within that.  For example, take a horse and a donkey, obviously they are not the same animal, however they belong to the same family (Equidae) which means that they share common traits. In the same way, while we are all different people, we have common traits, being collectively called 'gamers' is just an attempt to identify and name a common trait we all possess. So fuck your labels. "

Yes, but humans are beings of infinite complexity, where as equidae are valued for their running and hauling abilities (and in some cultures for the quality of their meat).
 
A lot of the dislike for those of us who are opposed to these sorts of labels seems to stem for some sort of post-modern Platonism.
 
It seems you and your cohorts are making the leap in logic that ends in assuming one is something, because one does something. Sure, you could call me an eater, a breather, a lover, a hater, a fighter, an arguer, a debater, a gamer; and you may see all of these identities and more when you look upon me. But I am the arbiter of my identity, not you. And I am here to tell you that I am an individual, that I am an end in of myself, and that I will define my identity, not you. "

I don't see anything wrong with being referred to as a gamer, when I was kid I thought it was awesome to be called one.

" @Suicrat: It is an assumption that is true. An eater is someone who eats -- someone who eats is an eater. If you eat, you are an eater. That is fact. If you deny it you deny part of yourself and as a result, your precious individuality. "

You may label yourself however you like -- make up a new word or phrase with the same meaning if it suits you. If you have an affinity for gaming and feel it is a defining characteristic of yours, then there is nothing wrong with that. Without labels, it would also be more difficult to have meaningful discussions involving groups with some common trait(s).

" "Gaming enthusiast", anyone? "

Hopefully that joke goes across, maybe the commercials are just Canada only.. =P
 
Anyways, I agree with you guys, but I wanted to represent the other side of the story.
 
I think labels are usually a gross over-simplification of something that is easily used as a tool for stereotyping and prejudice by others.
 
As far as gamer goes though, I never thought of it as having a negative connotation, I don't think most adults are 'down with it' enough to be able to associate gamer with anyone, I personally have never been called a gamer in a negative way, although I know some adults that look down on videogames in general, namely my girlfriends parents >_>"

be proud of being a gamer...we should all be proud

" @vidiot said:

" "Gaming enthusiast", anyone? "

The enthusiast press would agree. Maybe... I'm a video game fanboy. "

" An individual? "

Oh, Claude...I would post a long list of paragraphs about this, but I'll make it short:  the only people that are offended about being called "gamers" are commonly referred to as "haters".