True Gamers

[Paladin Wiegraf]

Gamer. That word seems to be overused these days. Anybody who picks up an Xbox controller calls himself that. They play Halo or Call of Duty for a little bit and then they call themselves a "gamer". Well, nay I say! To be a TRUE gamer, you must have the heart and soul of one. I was the one who wrote down countless pages of passwords for games on the NES. I was the one who scoured the levels looking for every secret. I am the one who, through blood sweat and tears but mostly blood, ascended to a level of true gaming that the average person cannot comprehend. If you are a true gamer, then you'll know what I mean!

 

[inconsequential]

Does grumbling to one's EQ group because your wife wants to have...um...relations count?

 

[DMMullinax]

Does grumbling to one's EQ group because your wife wants to have...um...relations count?

Quite possibly the best quote I've heard in a veeeeerrrrry long time on this forum

But yes, Paladin Wiegraf, I know what you speak of. Being a true gamer is having knowledge of all the new systems and games flying off the shelves, and instead turning to embrace your old version of original Red Faction for PS2 or Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 for the 95/98 PC. But alas, we are a dieing breed, and the whistels and bells of the new systems make most forget the splendor, and treasure of the older consoles and games.

 

[Constantine]

We need a better title than "true gamer." If all those noob players are calling themselves "true gamers," we need to call ourselves "Ultimate Best Champion Gamers!"...or something

 

[Paladin Wiegraf]

We need a better title than "true gamer." If all those noob players are calling themselves "true gamers," we need to call ourselves "Ultimate Best Champion Gamers!"...or something

I agree! These kids these days need to know their roots! One cannot simply pick up a controller and expect to join our hallowed ranks! Why, I still play the original Bionic Commando for the NES!

 

[Cabal]

Denominationalism in games.

*facepalm*

Eh, I can't say I've been that hardcore a gamer* (not scoured entire games for secrets etc) but I have been gaming for quite a long time, about 20 years now. My experience is quite wide-ranging and I'm almost proud to say Halo isn't on that list.

To be honest, I think PC gaming deserves to be true gaming by default damn kids today with their consoles and their music and their makeout sessions



*Probably the most hardcore thing I did was preordering the Orange Box and then my USB ports decided to break, so no mouse. Completed both Half-Life 2 Ep 2 and Portal using a trackpad.

 

[NiobiumTragedy]

I think people spend too much time worrying about trying to be elite. Get over yourself.

 

[Breetai]

My favourite consoles are the Turbografx-16 and the Sega Saturn. Am I eligible for the club?

 

[The-Doctor]

Does it count if you managed to get your name on the best players list for weeks on end down at the Arcade? I have been playing Arcade, console, PC games since early childhood and still play now on various mediums

 

[Ayersy]

My favourite consoles are the Turbografx-16 and the Sega Saturn. Am I eligible for the club?

All I can think of now is Jonny Turbo.

I consider myself a true gamer, I've been playing since 3 or 4, on my old Mega Drive (Genesis to you Americans ), Atari and a Amiga.

I also once devoted a whole weekend to playing Final Fantasy 7 back when I was in school, I left my room only to use the toilet, and have a Pot Noodle. I slept 3 hours over the whole weekend. Then fell asleep in geography on the monday back at school.

 

[inconsequential]

I remember spending hours copying BASIC code from a book into my Atari 800XL computer just so I could play some cheesy breakout or pong type game. Of course that was after hunting down and correcting all the syntax errors from typos.

 

[147]

I've owned the majority of consoles at some point. I love all genres, but my forte is fighters, and can play them endlessly, especially now that online modes have permeated the consoles and PCs.

It kills me to see people say "I'm a gamer for sure" and then you notice all they've ever played is a Wii. Cmon. Learn your roots, kids. Unless you're picking up Virtual Console ports of classics, or at least playing something other than Cookin Mama Kitchen Showdown 14 on that system, you are not a gamer.

I'm all about making video games a less anti-social hobby, but at the same time, the word gamer is being thrown around too loosely.

 

[RiderJman]

alas the gaming industry has now focused more on teh casual gamer due to tis much much bigger market, thats why you go for the ps3!!!!!

i use to play dota without em does that mean im a true gamer ?

 

[jamiejohn]

I only have a pretty old pc and a PS2 can I still be a true gamer? I'm too cheap to buy a new console..... think I might just upgrade my pc, someday. But I've been gaming since Rally X in the arcade.

 

[CyberPaladin]

I only have a pretty old pc and a PS2 can I still be a true gamer? I'm too cheap to buy a new console..... think I might just upgrade my pc, someday. But I've been gaming since Rally X in the arcade.

Having the latest console is only a requirement if wish to be a graphic's harlot. A true gamer knows that if a game's main value is it's graphics then it has no real value at all.

 

[Paladin Wiegraf]

Having the latest console is only a requirement if wish to be a graphic's harlot. A true gamer knows that if a game's main value is it's graphics then it has no real value at all.

Amen to that! Companies these days believe that graphics are all that goes into a game these days. Incredible graphics a good game does not make. There are quite a few factors that play into it, probably the most important one being PLAYABILITY. I cant tell you how many games Ive played that looked really good, but the controls were so clunky that it made it impossible to play. Also, what about sound? If the game drives you to the point that you have to mute the tv, something is wrong. And of course, the overall experience. Simply put, the best games are the ones that are fun to play and keep calling you back; its not totally about graphics. I wish people would figure that out soon.

 

[Breetai]

I've owned the majority of consoles at some point. I love all genres, but my forte is fighters, and can play them endlessly, especially now that online modes have permeated the consoles and PCs.

It kills me to see people say "I'm a gamer for sure" and then you notice all they've ever played is a Wii. Cmon. Learn your roots, kids. Unless you're picking up Virtual Console ports of classics, or at least playing something other than Cookin Mama Kitchen Showdown 14 on that system, you are not a gamer.

I'm all about making video games a less anti-social hobby, but at the same time, the word gamer is being thrown around too loosely.

I recommend you pick up an old Super Aladdin or Super Comboy. Better yet, get an old Vistar! They probably use the old 100V system.


Games to replay again and again:

Blazing Lasers (Turbografx-16, Wii VC, PSN)

Gradius II (Famicom, Turbografx-16(import), Wii VC)

R-Type (Turbografx-16, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Playstation, X-Box 360, Wii VC, PSN)

*I didn't list computer versions of these games, just the console versions.

 

[CyberPaladin]

Amen to that! Companies these days believe that graphics are all that goes into a game these days. Incredible graphics a good game does not make. There are quite a few factors that play into it, probably the most important one being PLAYABILITY. I cant tell you how many games Ive played that looked really good, but the controls were so clunky that it made it impossible to play. Also, what about sound? If the game drives you to the point that you have to mute the tv, something is wrong. And of course, the overall experience. Simply put, the best games are the ones that are fun to play and keep calling you back; its not totally about graphics. I wish people would figure that out soon.

Tell me about it with the sound Silent Hill Origins I had turn the background sound down to about a a quarter of the normal setting just so I could hear things approaching. Also the clunky gameplay is a symptom of a bigger problem the bastardization of the word inovative it's expected of every game by some of the shallower fans and as result we get overhyped minor improvements and games that scarifice playability just so they can be different.

 

[Fenrir003]

WOW.....o.o''........ Ok then... So I can agree with most of whats been said on this thread. It does get on my nerves when someone who calls themselves a "gamer" has never touched a system outside of the ps2 or any of the other next gen consoles...However, why get so riled up about something that is so trivial? Before you start to bombard me with jargon and 1337 curses from the 7th circle of hell think about the situation. When most of us here started to play games it was on the Famicon, Genesis, 2600,intelivision, or what have you. Either way we started playing when this stuff ,outside of Japan, wasn't considered mainstream. Sure there was money in it and sure there were millions of players back then, but it doesn't compare to what the industry is today. Back then it was considered a fun, interactive toy. That was it for most people. Now days it has become an industry that rivals the movie and television business when it comes down to gross income and users. What happens when a company needs to make money?.. They make a market tag for the consumer. After the first Need for speed flick, everybody and their idiot brother became a "street racer".. In the 60's and 70's martial arts became a money making business. They all used consumer tags. Scion sells cars for the individualist in you... They don't look that individual when all in the same lot.. They look like a bunch of Toyota's. Same thing with so-called modern gamers. Let a Twin Supra or a 3000gto VR-4 pull into that lot of TC's and the difference is instantly noticed. Same thing with us. Let the knowledge, experience, and skill do the talking. Otherwise we end up sounding like a bunch of sissies crying on a web page about how a 12yr old beat our team in the tournament. lol.. Not saying that was happening but it was getting there. The term "gamer" has become as industry tag that they use to give everyone an ego boost. Just like the terms racer, martial artist, soldier, and many others have been watered down, so has the title gamer. Let it go. Beat them on the field and leave it on the field. Whether that field be a digital football field or one crawling with running people and quake mods. lol

 

[mwright7]

Yeah, I agree that it's annoying when these kids come in playing Halo and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, talking about being gamers. I mean, how can you talk about shooters and not have played Doom or Half-Life? And talk about Fallout 3 (one of my favorite games, don't get me wrong) and not play rpg's like Final Fantasy (any will do, preferably the originals and the PS1 games). They don't know the roots, the passion that went into gaming back then. I remember when I first got into Final Fantasy. I first started with FFVII, but I went and played the originals also, and loved them. Plus, It wasn't like now, where quite a bit of games are so easy. We had to play for hours just to beat one level, or to get all the secrets, or whatnot. Not every game now is so easy, but there are some out there.
I remember the passion back then: wanting to get past this next level in Mega Man or Mario. Trying to get another level up or beat the next boss in Final Fantasy.
But it seems like now there has to be two labels: Casual, and Hardcore. Why can't there be middle ground? I just want kids to respect the roots of gaming and the heart and soul. I don't care if you're some 12 year old kid who can "pwn" me at Modern Warfare. How much passion do you have for it?
Sorry, didn't mean to get all emo on you. But yes, I consider myself a gamer. I love gaming. That's all there is to it. So just keep loving games, and you'll be a gamer.