What is a Gamer?
By Shannon Hunt
Without hesitation, every person I’ve met that considers themselves to be a Gamer has an opinion on what a Gamer is. A few define it reasonably as just a word that represents someone who likes to play games, with the possible addition of playing them regularly. Dictionary.com simply states a Gamer is “a person who plays games, especially computer or video games.” Makes sense, right? By this definition, it’s a very inclusive group to be a part of that seems accepting and easy going. This definition even allows Tabletop Gamers a seat at the “table”.
Ah, but as words often do, the question invites each individual asked to apply every filter they’ve assimilated on the topic to their answer. When I asked the question “What is a Gamer?” on Twitter and of my own Gamer friends, I got a huge variety of answers. Many included long lists of requirements that reflected their own style of game play as though they were a part of some exclusive club that had benchmarks for membership. Some seemed to almost be name-calling with the word “gamer”, as they listed nothing but negative stereotypes. A few responses I got were as follows:
Someone who plays games as their primary chosen entertainment.
Someone who plays games more than they watch TV.
Someone who seeks out and finds all the Easter eggs in the games they play.
Someone who plays hard core shooter games rather than fantasy games.
Someone who games and is tech savvy, but puts little effort into personal hygiene or fashion. Oh and they have anger issues.
Someone who enjoys games so much that games dominate their spare time. They are also antisocial in public, but connected within the Gaming Community.
We tend to want to express an empowered version of ourselves more times than not.
As a Female Gamer, I look at these definitions and realize that many of them largely exclude women from the “Gamer” title or “club membership” mentality. Why? Women often have real life challenges that keep us from being able to invest the time and energy needed to gain the kind of exclusivity that these narrow definitions allow.
It is hard to game as primary entertainment when you have kids watching Disney Movies on TV or playing their own games on your gaming system. And what of dance recitals and soccer games and school functions? Many Female Gamers are of child-rearing years. Considering raising children covers a considerably long span even with just one child, this might keep us out of the Gamer Club for most of our adult lives. Never mind adding careers to that busy schedule. As for Easter eggs, they take a long time to find and are very elusive unless you are of the “youtube the spoilers” camp.
Women are often attracted to fantasy games rather than first-person shooter games. They are still difficult, in spite of their less aggressive appearance. They require a great deal of finesse and effort to master gameplay, the same as shooter games. However, I suppose killing things as a beautiful elf or adorable gnome is somehow not to be taken seriously enough to gain Gamer status in some circles. The characters we choose are often sexualized by Male Gamers as well, which forces us Female Gamers into sexualized roles we didn’t seek out, or excludes us altogether from general Gamer status. And there is no guarantee when playing a game that a female character will even be a female. It is many times a Male Gamer who “would rather look at a girl’s butt instead of a guy’s butt” or who says that female characters are smaller targets in games, so they use them to avoid getting shot. Interestingly, you rarely see a Female Gamer choose to play a male character, if given a choice. We tend to want to express an empowered version of ourselves more times than not.
As for the stereotypes mentioned, maybe the Gamer Club isn’t so attractive after all. If being a Gamer means that I don’t bathe or know how to dress myself or am completely ineffective when dealing with humans in daily life, maybe I’m just a female who plays games. No. I don’t believe that. The truth is, I *AM* a Gamer and I *AM* a female. Thus, I am a Female Gamer. I choose to embrace the simple “person who plays games” definition and give each Gamer the space to be whatever kind of Gamer they want to be. It is in this place of freedom from judgment or requirements that we can all make the most friends and have the most fun. As for me, I release myself from the expectations of the “Gamer Club” and embrace confidently being a Gamer who is female.
About the Author: Shannon Hunt
Shannon Hunt is a Freelance Writer, the author of the upcoming memoir She Slays Dragons, and a Gamer. She has been gaming since the early days of World of Warcraft. When asked what she is, the first phrase that always pops into Shannon’s head is, “I am a Night Elf Hunter.” She doesn’t tell people that little detail, though, and would appreciate your discretion. When taking a much needed break from writing her memoir, Shannon can most recently be found roleplaying a pirate on Darkside RP in the game Atlas. She considers the back of a horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 to be as close to nirvana as possible without actually riding a real horse. Her nerdy dreams include cosplaying as Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy, and Kynmara, her Night Elf Hunter from WOW. You can find her online at sheslaysdragons.com and on Twitter as @magnolia3169.
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