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What's your definition of "Gamer?"
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I was hoping for any kind of response. This is perfect, guys, please keep going!
If you want to change the question to be about the "gamer as a sub-culture," go ahead. But that won't make keith's definition of what a gamer is in general incorrect.
That's completely different.
Wrong wrong wrong. Gaming is an activity with a subculture, like most activities that have a large following.
Because Marines do P.T. all day. Right.
People who frequently play video games, and consider it a high priority hobby are called hardcore gamers.
It really shouldn't be any more complicated than that.
seriously though, to me a gamer is anyone who can look at a given situation, look at the given inputs, and possible resolutions and begin to devise a strategy on how best to manipulate the system to get the most optimum outcome.
On failure a gamer will look back at the situation and try to understand why it is that he or she lost and will persist until victory.
It doesn't even have to be a video game or a board game, I think just possessing the mind set where you think, "I can't just accept this defeat, I failed to accommodate an initial condition, let me try again" is what makes you a gamer.
I'm sure you've already taken a look but if you haven't you should take a look at Game Theory or read some papers written by game theorists.
Man what?
So by your definition basically every inventor and scientist is a gamer, since every invention and scientific innovation was created through trial and error. By making mistakes analyzing why you failed and retrying.
For the OP I would try to leave the label gamer out of your project completely. Say your target demographic are games enthusiasts or hobbyists
To me, a gamer is someone who considers gaming as a hobby. So yes, this would exclude that one guy that comes over to play halo for an hour once a month.
Is he a gamer by definition? sure. Is he a gamer by my definition? no.
If it isn't obvious already, you're going to get as many different opinions as you have posters in this thread.
Pretty sure he meant in the context of games.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
really yes. I think being a gamer means having that try try again. . .
actually revision, I think having that quality makes you a gamer if you apply it to any kind of game.
You're doing it wrong.
Your target audience shouldn't be defined as 'gamers'. That is of extremely limited use for marketing purposes and the precise definition of 'gamer' is entirely irrelevant.
There are games out there that aren't board or video.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Like hopscotch.
'Gamers' are not my only target audience. It just happens to be the one I'm asking about in a gaming environment.
Except joining the Marines is a job. Just like the "sub-culture" of doctors, bail bondsmen, chefs, etc, you do need training. Because it's a job.
Video games (or games in general) are not a job, they are a hobby. There are no prerequisites other than an interest and the financial means to participate.
I am curious though, what does the gamer "sub-culture" entail? You can't join unless you know X things about Y games? You have to own X systems? You need to watch primarily anime in favor of western television?
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Yeah, but those are just poser gamers.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Edit: To add something mildly constructive, why the hell are you asking us to define your target? Isn't defining the target the same as selecting the target? You selected the target, so you have to have some sort of idea of what that target is.
I already know my definition. I wanted to hear yours so I can have more of an idea of what the target is and alter it if need be. Am I wrong for putting research into the project?
Head, mind, ... of the heart..., etc.
My definition of 'gamer' -
Someone for which playing videogames is a hobby.
It doesn't have to be their main hobby. It doesn't have to be a hobby they spend 20 hours a week on. They can be casual or light gamers, or gamers that have played games for a long time. They can play complex games or simple games.
The defining issue here is that gaming is a 'hobby,' be it a big or casual hobby.
That's my definition.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Someone that can score as well as me on this quiz:
For the love of gaming
I have high standards.
Willie Tanner Livestream
Compare the lifestyle of a gamer to that of someone who's hobby is football, and you'll see alot of parallels.
I have a word in mind (Gamer) and want to hear your definition for said word (Gamer).
Now if you just have a vague idea of your audience and you're looking for help doing the leg work for defining it for your assignment, I can understand that. It makes you lazy, but I can understand it.
Playing solitaire, WOW, Madden or whatever once in awhile doesn't make you a gamer it makes you someone who plays video games once in awhile.
Playing solitaire, WOW, Madden or whatever a lot without any real knowledge of the video game industry doesn't make you a gamer, it makes you someone that likes to play video games a lot.
Playing solitaire, WOW, Madden or whatever a fair amount and knowing something for example like who the major players are in the video game industry and what their big franchises are probably would make you a gamer.
This like most labels is elitist. You can complain as much as you want it doesn't change labels from being exclusive. Labels exist to exclude people.
This like most labels for classification does come into problems with a sorties paradox (at what point does someone play enough games and know enough about the industry to go from being a non-gamer to a gamer).
Hearing different definitions is very helpful, because now I can safely say that there is no single definition, and that 'gamers' cover a very broad, diverse spectrum while keeping a few constants (hobby, passion, etc). I don't see how market research can be seen as lazy.
Freedom Evans. He's a gamer. Period.
Breaking it down into sub categories (casual, hardcore, etc) annoys the hell out of me though.
Especially since, according to the OP, the idea is to design and market a "games expo." The target audience is not going to be grandmothers who play Bejeweled and Solitaire, it's going to be a more serious crowd of people who are interested in games as more than just a casual thing.
I understand that "gamer" probably should mean "anyone who plays games," but in the context of the OP, it's probably closer to what PAers might describe as "hardcore gamer."
But I might as well add what I think.
They should know at least 5 Third-party developers so they don't just think that hey I played halo and was the dude in the shiny suit so I am gamer! Time for a kegger!
[tiny]Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.[/tiny]