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{{Short description|Hobbyist who plays video games}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2009}}
{{about|people who play games|the Japanese retail chain "Gamers"|BROCCOLI}}
{{About|people who play any type of game, especially video games|gamblers|Gambling|other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{for|the movie|Gamer (2009 film)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{weasel|date=December 2021}}
[[File:A man posing with two game controllers, while playing on his Xbox One.jpg|thumb|A man posing with two [[game controller]]s, while playing on his [[Xbox One]]]]
[[File:True gamer-girl @vivianepari playing God of War.jpg|thumb|right|A woman playing a video game]]
{{Video Games}}
{{Video Games}}
A '''gamer''' is someone who [[Player (game)|plays interactive games]], either [[video game]]s, tabletop [[role-playing games]], skill-based [[card game]]s, or any combination thereof, and who often plays for extended periods of time. Originally a hobby, gaming has evolved into a [[Professional gamer|profession]] for some, with some gamers routinely competing in games for money, prizes, or awards. In some countries, such as the US, UK, and Australia, the term "gaming" can refer to legalized [[gambling]], which can take both traditional and digital forms, such as through [[online gambling]]. There are many different gamer communities around the world. Since the advent of the Internet, many communities take the form of [[Internet forum]]s or [[YouTube]] or [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] [[virtual communities]], as well as [[Real life#As distinct from the Internet|in-person]] [[social clubs]]. In 2021, there were an estimated 3.24 billion gamers across the globe.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of gamers worldwide |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/293304/number-video-gamers/ |website=[[Statista]] |access-date=8 November 2021 |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108202710/https://www.statista.com/statistics/293304/number-video-gamers/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=What constitutes a "gamer" isn't defined on Statista, and primary sources are paywalled. This is an important number; please clarify, rather than deleting.|date=November 2021}}
Historically, the term "'''gamer'''" usually referred to someone who played [[role-playing game]]s and [[wargaming|wargames]]. More recently, however, the term has grown to include players of [[video game]]s. While the term nominally includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves to be gamers (i.e., [[casual gamer]]s),<ref name=gamasutra_eca>{{cite web | last =Cifaldi | first = Frank | coauthors =Jill Duffy, Brandon Sheffield | title =Gamers On Trial: The ECA's Hal Halpin on Consumer Advocacy | publisher =[[Gamasutra]] |date=2006-10-25 | url =http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1796/gamers_on_trial_the_ecas_hal_.php | format =HTML | accessdate =2007-12-03 }}</ref> it is commonly used to identify those who spend much of their leisure time playing or learning about different games.


==Etymology==
There are many gamer communities around the world. Many of these take the form of [[web ring]]s, [[Internet forum|discussion forums]] and other [[virtual community|virtual communities]], as well as college or university [[Club#Social clubs|social clubs]]. Stores specializing in games often serve as a meeting place to organize groups of players {{Fact|date=December 2007}}. Prior to the emergence of the [[Internet]], many [[play-by-mail game]]s developed communities resembling those surrounding today's [[online game]]s {{Fact|date=February 2008}}.
The term ''gamer'' originally meant ''[[gambling|gambler]]'', and has been in use since at least 1422, when the town laws of [[Walsall]], England, referred to "any dice-player, carder, tennis player, or other unlawful gamer". However, this description has not been adopted in the United States, where it became associated with other pastimes. In the US, they made their appearance as [[wargame]]s. Wargames were originally created as a military and strategy tool. When ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' was released, it was originally marketed as a wargame, but later was described by its creators as a [[role-playing game]]. They called their players ''gamers'' and this is where the word changed definition from someone who gambles to someone who plays [[board game]]s and/or [[video game]]s.<ref name="willaert">{{cite web |last1=Willaert |first1=Kate |title=The Origin Of The Term "Gamer" |url=http://www.acriticalhit.com/origin-of-gamer/ |website=ACriticalHit |date=April 24, 2019 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-date=December 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208014334/http://www.acriticalhit.com/origin-of-gamer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


==Categories==
In October 2006, the [[Entertainment Consumers Association]] (ECA) was established as the first non-profit membership organization formed to represent American computer and video game consumers. The ECA was formed, in part, in response to the seemingly imbalanced representation of the games industry (e.g., the [[Entertainment Software Association|ESA]], [[IGDA]] and others) in comparison to game consumers in the [[United States Congress]].<ref name=gamasutra_eca/>
{{Further|Video game#Demographics}}
In the United States as of 2018, 28% of gamers are under 18, 29% are 18–35, 20% are 36-49 and 23% are over 50.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-game-players-since-2010/|title=U.S. average age of video gamers 2018 {{!}} Statistic|website=Statista|access-date=2019-06-16|archive-date=June 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616124758/https://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-game-players-since-2010/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the UK as of 2014, 29% are under 18, 32% are 18-35 and 39% are over 36.<ref name="Facts and Figures">{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/04/29/gaming-advocacy-group-the-average-gamer-is-31-and-most-play-on-a-console/|title=Facts and Figures|publisher=Askaboutgames|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613033013/http://www.askaboutgames.com/?c=%2Fpages%2FfactsFigures.jsp|archive-date=June 13, 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-07-16}}</ref> According to [[Pew Research Center]], 49% of adults have played a video game at some point in their life and those who have are more likely to let their children or future children play. Those who play video games regularly are split roughly equally between male and female, but men are more likely to call themselves a gamer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/|title=Gaming and Gamers|last=Duggan|first=Maeve|date=2015-12-15|website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech|access-date=2016-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629023751/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/gaming-and-gamers/|archive-date=2016-06-29|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2019, the average gamer is 33 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theesa.com/esa-research/2019-essential-facts-about-the-computer-and-video-game-industry/|title=2019 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry|date=2019-05-02|website=Entertainment Software Association|access-date=2020-01-09|archive-date=January 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200120101209/http://www.theesa.com/esa-research/2019-essential-facts-about-the-computer-and-video-game-industry/|url-status=dead}}</ref>


===Female gamer/gamer girl===
==Types of gamers==
{{Main|Women and video games}}
* '''Video gamer''': A person who enjoys playing [[video game]]s.
A female gamer, or gamer girl or girl gamer, is any female who regularly engages in playing video games. According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2009, 40% of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or older comprise 34% of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women playing online had risen to 43%, up 4% from 2004. The same study shows that 48% of game purchasers are female.<ref name="Theesa.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp|title=The Entertainment Software Association – Industry Facts|publisher=Theesa.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128145706/http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp|archive-date=2014-11-28|url-status=dead|access-date=2010-07-16}}</ref><ref name="Facts and Figures"/>
* '''Table gamer''': A person who enjoys playing [[tabletop game]]s. This term is often used to refer to gamers who play [[Miniature wargaming|miniature wargames]], but it could also refer to players of [[board game]]s, [[card game]]s, or [[roleplaying game]]s. Those who specialize in military table top simulations of the Avalon Hill/SPI variety are sometimes referred to as [[Grognards]], from the term for French Napoleonic soldiers.
According to a 2015 Pew survey, 6% of women in the United States identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men, and 48% of women and 50% of men play video games.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duggan |first1=Maeve |title=Who plays video games and identifies as a "gamer" |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/who-plays-video-games-and-identifies-as-a-gamer/ |publisher=Pew Research Center |access-date=September 17, 2018 |date=December 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914122932/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/who-plays-video-games-and-identifies-as-a-gamer/ |archive-date=2018-09-14 |url-status=live }}</ref> Usage of the term "girl gamer" is controversial. Some critics have advocated use of the label as a [[reappropriation|reappropriated term]], while others see it as non-descriptive or perpetuating the minority position of female gamers. Some critics of the term believe there is no singular definition of a female gamer and that they are as diverse as any other group. However it is generally understood that the term "girl gamer" implies that it is a girl who plays video games.<ref name="Heather Barefoot">{{cite web | url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/10699-In-Defense-of-the-Casual-Gamer | title=In Defense of the Casual Gamer | publisher=Escapist magazine | date=October 30, 2013 | access-date=March 9, 2014 | author=Heather Barefoot | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307122907/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/10699-In-Defense-of-the-Casual-Gamer | archive-date=2014-03-07 | url-status=live }}</ref>


==Psychology==
===Types of video gamers===<!-- This section is linked from [[List of locations in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]] -->
{{Main|Learning curve#Difficulty curves in video games}}
In the United States, the average video game player is 35 and has been playing video games for 13 years.<ref>[http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp The Entertainment Software Association - Industry Facts]</ref> In the UK, the average video game player is over 23 years old, has played video games for over 10 years, and spends around 12.6 hours a week playing video games.<ref>[http://askaboutgames.com/?c=/pages/factsFigures.jsp Askaboutgames - Facts and Figures]</ref> However, the term "video gamer" is composed of many other subgroups of gamers:
[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] says that "I think that first a game needs a sense of accomplishment. And you have to have a sense that you have done something, so that you get that sense of satisfaction of completing something."<ref>How the inventor of Mario designs a game – Vox</ref>


In April 2020, researchers found that top gamers shared the same [[mental toughness]] as [[Olympic Games|Olympian athletes]].<ref name="QUT-20200611">{{cite news |publisher=Queensland University of Technology |title=Elite gamers share mental toughness with top athletes, study finds – The influence of mental toughness in elite esports |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/quot-egs061120.php |date=11 June 2020 |work=[[EurekAlert!]] |access-date=11 June 2020 |archive-date=June 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611184638/https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/quot-egs061120.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="FIP-20200423">{{cite journal |author=Poulus, Dylan |display-authors=et al. |title=Stress and Coping in Esports and the Influence of Mental Toughness |date=23 April 2020 |journal=[[Frontiers in Psychology]] |volume=11 |page=628 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00628 |pmid=32390900 |pmc=7191198 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* '''[[Casual gamer]]''': The casual gamer is a person who plays games designed for ease of gameplay (such as ''[[Tetris]]'') and doesn't spend much time playing more involved games. The genres that casual gamers play vary, and they might not own a specific video game console to play their games. ''See [[Casual game]].''
* '''[[Hardcore gamer]]''': A person who spends much of their leisure time playing games. As a consequence of the large amount of time spent, these gamers often become very proficient at playing games, and play their games to the fullest potential, playing games online is also a big part of being a hardcore gamer. There are many subtypes of hardcore gamers based on the style of game, gameplay preference, hardware platform, and other preferences.
* '''[[Retrogaming|Retrogamer]]''': A gamer who enjoys playing or collecting vintage video games from earlier eras. Retrogamers are partly responsible for the popularity of [[console emulation]]. Some collect old video games and prototypes, or are in the business of refurbishing old games, particularly [[arcade cabinet]]s. Some even make their own arcade cabinets (see [[MAME|MAME arcade]]). A notable retrogamer is [[Angry Video Game Nerd|James Rolfe]].
* '''[[Import gamers|Import gamer]]''': A gamer who enjoys playing or collecting video games produced internationally. The most common imports are from [[Japan]], although some [[Europe]]an and Japanese gamers purchase games from North America. Depending on the gaming platform involved, these gamers may use devices such as [[modchips]], [[boot disk]]s, and/or [[Gameshark]]s to bypass [[regional lockout]] protection on the software, though some prefer to purchase imported consoles. A number of these gamers import games that fall into genres generally not released outside of Japan, such as [[dating sims]] or [[anime]]/[[manga]]-based licensed games.
* '''[[Cyberathlete]]''': A professional gamer (often abbreviated "pro gamer" or just "pro") that plays games for money.<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/60minutes/main1220146.shtml Cyber Athlete 'Fatal1ty' article at CBS News]</ref> (The term ''[[electronic sports]]'' is used to describe the play of video games as a professional [[sport]].) Whether a cyberathlete is a subtype of the hardcore gamer largely depends on the degree to which a cyberathlete is financially dependent upon the income derived from gaming. So far as a cyberathlete is financially dependent upon gaming, the time spent playing is no longer "leisure" time. In countries of Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan, professional gamers are sponsored by large companies and can earn more than $100,000 a year. <ref>http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/23/235053/081</ref> Victor De Leon III aka Lil Poison is the youngest professional video gamer. Lil Poison was signed when he was seven years old. <ref>http://lilpoison.com</ref>
* '''[[Newbie]]''': A newbie is a player who is new to the game and is inexperienced. However, sometimes the word noob can be used in a derogatory sense to describe someone who is merely inept at playing the game well. Thus noob has two meanings. One implying the player is a beginner, and the other implying the player is simply inept and/or incapable of getting better at the game. Within the communities of particular games, one or the other meaning may be more popularly referred to when using the term noob. For example, in [[World of Warcraft]] the term noob is typically used by high-level characters to describe a player's ineptitude. In the game of [[Company of Heroes]], "noob" commonly refers to beginner.


Escapism is a major factor in why individuals enjoy gaming. This idea of being in another world while gaming has become very common with gamers, these video games create a new world where these gamers feel they fit in and can control what is going on'''.'''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Giardina|first1=Alessandro|last2=Starcevic|first2=Vladan|last3=King|first3=Daniel L.|last4=Schimmenti|first4=Adriano|last5=Di Blasi|first5=Maria|last6=Billieux|first6=Joël|date=2021-09-23|title=Research Directions in the Study of Gaming-Related Escapism: a Commentary to Melodia, Canale, and Griffiths (2020)|journal=International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction|volume=21 |issue=2 |pages=1075–1081 |doi=10.1007/s11469-021-00642-8|s2cid=237611120|issn=1557-1874|doi-access=free|hdl=10447/520312|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Gaming is a form of escapism,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Muriel |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHhQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT121 |title=Video Games as Culture: Considering the Role and Importance of Video Games in Contemporary Society |last2=Crawford |first2=Garry |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-317-22392-4 |page=121 |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125231331/https://books.google.com/books?id=cHhQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT121 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Hideo Kojima]] states that "If the player isn't tricked into believing that the world is real, then there's no point in making the game."<ref name="Holmes2012">{{cite book |last=Holmes |first=Dylan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DFBzOO17SHcC&pg=PA83 |title=A Mind Forever Voyaging: A History of Storytelling in Video Games |publisher=Dylan Holmes |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4800-0575-4 |page=83 |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125231331/https://books.google.com/books?id=DFBzOO17SHcC&pg=PA83 |archive-date=January 25, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
All across the virtual world of Azeroth lays thousands upon millions of online players called MMORPG players, massively multiplayer online role playing games. In this vast virtual universe lies monsters and evil as well as good and light. As a World of Warcraft player, one knows that the only way to rid Azeroth of the evil is to combat it face on. This virtual world has no real end and the frontiers are constantly expanding. MMORPG players make Azeroth their home and thus creating a peaceful, exciting, and sometimes loving second life to the hardships of the real world. In virtual worlds, there are no limits to what one can do. Anything that is done in the virtual will not affect the player but only the character; they can play their character care free and don’t have to worry about mistakes. Players playing World of Warcraft are able to escape the real life for an hour or so and enter a realm that they have control over, which makes them feel as if they are worth something in this virtual world. They can accomplish goals that may not happen in the real world and they can be who they have always wanted to be. Through character section and the large variety of choice, no character is exactly the same; this keeps them apart. Players choose their characters to either be someone they have always dreamed of or to be themselves, so when they accomplish something in the game it feels as if they have accomplished something substantial in their real life. Many of the different classes and races in the game are designed to appeal to different groups of people and this shows through their characters. MMORPG players have two lives, one in the game and a normal life outside the game.
Virtual world vs. the Real World
MMORPG players have a carefree aspect about them when they play in World of Warcraft. While going through a dungeon one day, I came across an undead mage who would always run out in the middle of the group and try to kill everything in sight. Dungeons are meant for groups not single players, and yet this mage would not understand this. It did not matter to him in real life because the only thing he lost when he died in the game was time. Most players would run out in a middle of large battle if there were no consequence at all so that is why one must wait or walk to his body before resurrection. Time is the only thing one is penalized for, the horrible death his character had caused no effect on him at all. Players can play carefree because of this reason. This is very appealing to most people and this is one reason why most people play World of Warcraft.
People also like to play MMORPG’s is because of the quick accomplishments they can receive. I just recently got to the level of sixty, which is a huge accomplishment for me. To get to that level I started the night when I hit level fifty eight; I stayed up to two o’clock in the morning just to get to the desired level sixty. Most people that I have talked to in the game have said the same things about their characters. If they are really close to a new level, they will stay up that extra time to get there. After they reach that level, they feel as if they have made a huge accomplishment for themselves and feel as if they just won a huge prize. Some accomplishments in World of Warcraft come easy, but when one gets an accomplishment, like a new level, they feel overwhelmed with joy and satisfaction. This satisfaction is exactly what the makers of World of Warcraft wanted players to feel. The more satisfaction that one receives then the more likely he is going to keep playing the game. This desire to accomplish something is found in all human beings and by satisfying that need Blizzard, makers of World of Warcraft, can keep people playing.
Other desires that player’s feel is the sense of wanting to get away from the real world and relaxing in the second world. When talking to a friend and fellow World of Warcraft player, Jake Forcade, I learned that the second world was a way to relax and get away from the weight of the real world. The drama in the virtual world, as he put it, is minimal compared to his king gossip group of friends. He goes on and says that there is no baggage in the world and if people do start to make fun of you, you can always go to a new server. The game to Jake is a getaway, a utopia, if you will, for him to escape to whenever he wants. Jake is not the only person, actually when asking people why they played the game in interviews in the game, most people thought that they just needed to get away from the real mess of society and go in to something organized and peaceful to their mind.
World of Warcraft players love this utopia because of the idea of a second life, but also because the world is ever changing. The virtual world, much like the real world, changes continually and the frontiers are always expanding. The first and then the second expansion added to the world more than just more land, but more quests and the continuance of your second life. More area for your character to grow and live in means more things to do. Just like when the human race made it to the moon, in the virtual life the characters have made it to Northerend and the outlands. People now have more to do so it keeps the players playing. Every time a character moves to a different zone they feel excited and renewed but to move to a new area has this effect amplified. Everyone once to experience something untouched and unseen by anyone. Players love this fact of discovery in everything that happens in these ever changing worlds; this is why expanding the virtual world is very important in keeping players from leaving the game.
MMORPG culture is linked to the real world, also. How people are in the real world reflects what type of person they are in the virtual world. I conducted over ten different interviews, most being very short and to the point about how people characterize their character. I found out that real life people and the characters that they make in the game are, for the most part, similar to themselves. Real life people like the fact that it is themselves in the game and they are doing heroic things. On the flipside, there are people who want to escape from the real life and play a whole new character to cover up their true identity. What I have found, is that most people make their characters with the same features of their real selves while not always playing the game like they would in real life.
I was talking to some people that I was doing a quest with for a few unrecorded questions. One gentleman made me aware that some people don’t like to be classified or interviewed and that we should keep it to ourselves because some people don’t like talking about their culture and resemblances between real life and the characters they choose. I was taken back and was surprised that this was true, because one of the members in our party was one of these people! I noted this when talking to the next people that I interviewed. The man that did not what to be mentioned, said that he did a lot of research about the classes of World of Warcraft and how they relate to how people act and behave in the real world. I talked to him and confirmed my reasoning that I had about a few of the races.
There are exceptions to everything, but the people I talked to had made their first character in resemblance of themselves. I asked a series of seven questions to three different people and would edit the questions based on what they had to say. The first person I interviewed was a character by the name of “Juggernot.” He was a male at the age of 20 and told me that he had made his character with himself in mind. I first asked him, “When making your first character did you place characteristics about yourself in that character.” Unfortunately, he only responded by saying “yeah.” Luckily, on my list of questions, I had a follow up question to that answer. I proceeded by asking him what characteristics did he put in his character. He said he put his sort of style and how he acted into the character. He said he had also tried to make the character look like him to an extent. Most of the answers he gave were “yes” and “no”; however, I did get a good outlook of what he had made his character to be, when he said that he put in his looks into the character but not really the character’s playing ability. For example, he said that, “In WoW I tend to not help anyone, I’m more out there for myself. But, in real life I tend to help others when they need it, even if it doesn’t benefit me in anyway.” Mainly, what I got out of this person is that he made his character to look like himself, most likely to fit the role of the character, but would rather do things that he would not do in real life but only in the game. I think this is important, since many people would like to get away from real life and enjoy a whole new life even with their own bodies as their characters.
Tim, “Timmah” in the game, made his character just like himself. The name resembles Tim and even the way he plays the character is just like him. Tim said that he wanted to be horde but did not know what to pick as his character that would look like him. So, he decided to be an undead priest. He said, “… it looked like a human and the hairstyle was the same, but everything else was different.” Mainly, he does not have bones as arms and no eyes in real life. He said that he tries to put a little piece of himself in all of his characters, and the name is always a form of “timmy.” As for the playing of the character, he said that, “… as a shadow priest, I slowly but surely destroy my targets mind. I like to do that in real life too.” I asked him to explain what that might mean and he said that to the people that he doesn’t like or people that are really mean, he likes to mess with their mind. Not really mind control or mind blast them but keep them on their toes, sort of thing. Overall, he said that he thinks that his priest is very close to him as a real person. I think this is true, knowing him in real life and seeing him on the game. I have found from these interviews that people generally like to be who they are in real life. This may be because if they succeed in the world then they feel like they have done something important in their real life at home. Players sometimes like to also do things in the game world that would not be right or legal in the real world. The virtual world opens up their minds to being able to do whatever they want yet most people still find themselves trying to be themselves in this world.
Language of the virtual world
By analyzing the language of the players we can understand who they are and what the culture is. The language is the single most important part to understand a culture and needs to be broken down to understand the overall meaning of the culture. Everyday words, such as; good morning, hello, good bye, and nice to see you are all phases and words that we say everyday and can understand. What if you went to Mexico? The words become foreign to us because they are speaking in a different language. This same thing occurs with gamers. Go to any big city in the virtual world and one can see the blend of languages. Languages in World of Warcraft are like texting lingo, but are mixed with the virtual world terms, as well as plain English words. Words like dps, tank, and healz are used every day in the World of Warcraft community and without a basic knowledge of what they mean it would be a foreign language. Words in World of Warcraft can be put into many different categories including, raiding words, class and profession words, words that describe a person’s ability, and talent words.
The first groups of words are the famous raiding worlds, the fast abbreviated words. Such words include the names of the places, RFC, BRD, Naxx, ST and so on. With raiding or a dungeon, group members need three main classes of people, healers (healz), damage per second (dps), and tanks. If you need someone, for example a dps, then you would say LF dps. LF stands for “looking for”. You change it around and say LFM, looking for member, or LFG, looking for group, both of these are common things you will see when dealing with raid groups that need players. Guild is a word that World of Warcraft uses to put together a group of people with a common goal that will stay with each other for a long time. A guild is a group of people that work together and help each other out, really just a very organized long lasting group. Other words that could be used when raiding or in dungeons are works like aggro, pull, and bluff. These are words that you would experience while in a raid and dungeon. People use the aggro and pull to quickly lay down what the players need or need not to do. If a person (like a priest) has fortitude, which is bluff, he can give fortitude to everyone in the party, which increases their stamina. Stamina is a boost in their health so bluffs make them more powerful. Bluffs can be used to destroy much higher level players and bluffs are like the little secret that you keep from other players until the time is right. This class of words is a large class of words; however, it is needed if one is going to try to understand the language of MMORPG players. This class of words all came from World of Warcraft and tell a lot about the players. Gamers abbreviate almost everything in this class of words, but I think it is necessary. Players use these words because they like to achieve a common goal and must use teamwork. Teamwork is essential in the virtual world to raid and complete dungeons. When raiding and doing a dungeon, one must relay the information that he is trying to say as fast as possible so people do not die. By the fast abbreviations, he can communicate incredible fast and thus making it easier to multitask between typing words and fighting. Of course speaking is the fastest way to communicate but sometimes it is hard to get all the members on one channel to speak. The culture that is relieved by this class is the multitasking of players in the game and teamwork that the players have to do. They had to make these words to describe what is in the game and they made it so that everyone knows exactly what they are talking about.
The next class of words describes the class of their character or the profession of their character. This class of words include, priest, hunter, all of the classes, and all of the professions. The classes: priest, hunter, warrior, and so on are words that describe what that character is. If they are a priest, then you know they are healers. If they are warriors, they can dps or tank. By saying what class of character you are, people can tell whether or not they need you in their group. If you are a hunter and a group is looking for a dps person then they might ask you if you what to join their group without you saying anything at all. I personally feel that a lot of people ask me to heal for their group just because I am a priest. Professions are the words that describe what your character does for money. These words include JC, BS, alch, herb, and so on. They use the same logic with these words as the raiding group. They take the first letter or so of the major words, JC, Jewel Crafting. Classes and profession words describe players that play World of Warcraft as being different from other people. For example, if you are a priest you are different than a hunter, and then you also have the profession which adds another variable in the equation. Now if you see two priests together, for example, you cannot say that they are the same. They may not just be priests; one may be JC while the other BS. This makes players in the game completely different than anyone else in the game. I think that many players play World of Warcraft for the variety of who they are and this makes them who they want to be in a game come to life.
The class of words that describe a person’s ability is the class where people in the game are sort of put into categories. There are the new beginners and the old experienced players. As a new person in the game that plays well, people might classify you with the phase, “o well he just started playing the game”. This means that he is not bad at games but just not experienced with this one. If they call the character a newbie or noob, than this refers to the fact that the person is horrible and should not be playing. Newbie and noob are words that one has to avoid being called or one will be looked down upon and will not be asked to come back. Players take the game seriously and if someone messes it up, they don’t like it. The culture reference off these words would be that players put people in classes of playing ability. If you are good, you are treated like a wealthy man in the United States, however if you are bad in the game, they treat you like you were a loser and have accomplished nothing in life, just like the cast system in Asia.
The last category is the talents. The talents and spells that I am focused on are that of a priest. Priests have talents of mainly healing. The talent and spells describe the priest as being the person that renews life and prevents death. Some spells include Dispel Magic, Inner Fire, Fortitude Shield, Mana burn, Renew, holy nova, lesser heal, prayer of healing, abolish disease, cure disease, heal, and resurrection. The list goes on and on but what I took from this is that they are the masters of healing, really. They can stop diseases; they can renew your health, restore your mana, shield you, and dispel magic, everything that would be needed to prevent death. This is why it is so hard to kill priests. Priests can be the ultimate healing class if the specs are right. Priests’ spells tell us that priests are meant to restore life and this culture of the priests being able to heal is the main reason for the priests to be there. Without the healing ability, priest are not very useful, but with the healing ability comes responsibilities. The priests’ abilities are to keeping the group alive and healthy. This can be hard to do but as priests become more powerful and more experienced they use these spells to indirectly kill the enemy. Priests are the healers and this is what they do.
Players like to condense words and phrases to be able to type fast, but at the same time describe what they are saying with detail. Once you get the text/English down the language becomes easier to understand, but just like most languages you might have to slow the speech down to be able to understand it. In World of Warcraft, the minds of the players are to relay information as efficiency and effectively as possible without confusing the people that are listening. Priests are just a subculture of this language; in which, most of the words are words of life and healing rather than destruction and despair. Priests are the main healing class of World of Warcraft signifying who they are as healers. Players choose to speak this way and choose their character all under the perception that the virtual world is only what they make of it. Players choose their class as a small representation of who they are as a person so, the subclasses that some players partake in is that of the undead priests.
Priests and the beloved Undercity
The site in the Undercity is where the priest trainers are and is the site that most contributes to the success of a great undead priest. As one looks forward from this extended platform, one can see my two priest trainers on both sides of a magnificent waterfall, or should I say green lava fall. This “waterfall” consists of a greenish substance that is very thick, causing it to slowly drain down the vertical section of the “waterfall.” It flows down from a skull’s mouth slowly for three-fourths of the way down, until it hits a flat plateau and then continues to fall a few more feet in to the green pond. The green liquid separates as falling and makes the effect of holes in the liquid. These holes are ironic, since the undead have holes within themselves. On both sides of the “waterfall” are two horns that extend upward toward the skull at the top. These horns have holes in them so that the priests can be seen from the platform, where I am also standing. There are two runways up to the priests, in which, a mindless slave walks up to deliver information to the priests. At the start of each path is a training area for warriors to train on dummies. Looking from left to the right of the room, I realize that the ceiling is blue with most of the walls and the stones are a dark bluish color, also. There is the green waterfall and a green pond but besides those two colors there really is no more color in the area. This seems to be the setting of all of Undercity and must be the theme of the undead. I think the undead just don’t care or need any color in their life since the undead are forsaken anyway.
Right behind me is the main attraction of the room. There stand eight warriors, two fighting and six cheering them on to win. The two that are attacking are training for the real world. The trainers of these warriors are standing in front of them giving them their tasks. The one trainer is a priest and heals them when and only when they need it. The other summons the captives. The priest tells the other trainer to summon the captives, which include humans, a ghoul, and an abomination. The humans are first. There are three humans and the undead warrior wipe them out pretty fast, but since they did take damage the priest had to heal them. Then came in the ghoul, in which the warriors took a little more time with but still were successful. Last, but not least was the abomination. Towering over the warriors the abomination attacked. The warriors lost a ton of health but thanks to the priest they were able to take down the abomination and still live to fight another day.
This area in the Undercity has taught me quite a bit about the undead priests world. It seems that the undead don’t really care for colors and they like things that resemble them, skulls and things like that. I have also learned that priest like to be alone in their little place of to the side. The trainers are in a remote place and even the priest trainer, which was with the warriors, was behind the fight as it occurred. Priests cannot be warriors, in that they cannot just go out in the open and mow down everything in their way. Priests have to sit back, attack and heal when needed. The priest trainer would never heal until the battle was won or the solders really needed help right then. Priests have that self-control aspect about them that makes them calm when someone just gets hurt a little. They seem to wait until the time is right and then heal, maximizing their spell and their mana capacity to the greatest point. This room has shown me a lot about where the priests train and study. The room shows that the undead priests are respected in the eyes of the undead, with a whole room dedicated to them.
The culture of my undead priest really only fits in here. The room is made for my culture and tells me a lot about the culture that I have chosen. The atmosphere of the room really has this serious, deep thought-provoking feeling about it. The people in the room strive off of excellence; the people do not except losing. The room’s ambience gives it a more of a library feel. However, right in front of the priest trainers is this ongoing battle. It is not loud and does not distract from the overall mood. Undercity calls it the war area but really it is a clam war area. The way the priests are positioned in the front of the room, with only having two side passages allowing people access to them, gives them the control of the room. Sort of like, when one sees an Indian mound and the chief is the highest mound right in the middle. He is the center of everything yet it takes awhile to reach him. This is what it is like with the priests’ room. The priests are the all high and mighty and the warriors are the ones doing the dirty work out in front of them.
Priests are the respected outgoing caster class that really strives for life. They have the control through the places they are and the spells they conjure. They can mind control and destroy you, but at the same time bring one to life. As leveling my priest, I found that I can really be nothing else. The ability to run into a room full of monsters and fear them away is constant thing that I live for. Playing in the world as a priest has brought me complete control over what the game is. Each level brings me to a much higher standard of playing and strength. With each new talent and each new piece of armor, I become an incredibly strong character. This sense of power has driven me to keep on playing one of my new favorite games, World of Warcraft.


==Types and demographics==
Conclusion
{{OriginalResearch|section|date=August 2024}}
In conclusion, gamers can be found anywhere. The mall, schools, bars, parties, and work places are all just a few examples where players can be. Players are actually rarely found in the virtual world when a social event occurs, even though every so often they are. Players play the game with passion and enjoy the virtual world because of what they get out of it. Not many people can say that they have felt accomplishments from doing everyday house repairs and chores but MMORPG players usually feel these accomplishments when playing virtual worlds. Getting a quest done, getting to a new level, or raising up enough gold are accomplishments that occur quiet often in World of Warcraft and this keeps people interested in the game. Even when one makes it to the highest level and has enough gold, there are still things to do, raids and more quests. Players are always starving for more when it comes to World of Warcraft; they always want the things that they can’t have or get. In World of Warcraft there is the high up gear and the player vs player action for the level 80’s. Then if one gets bored with that level 80 they can go on and make another, but this time have a different class. Players have this drive to keep persisting with the game to make it to the top, when the top is reached they can quit, except in World of Warcraft there is no top. It is like the real world, a business man can make it to the top of his business but that is just when all the fun is getting started, not ending.
===Sexes===
Some gamers also have a feeling to get away. The virtual world can make someone whoever they want to be. If they what to be the biggest and worst person out there, they can. Since one can escape from the real world and leave their life on hold, this makes the virtual world so much more appeasing to them. Imagine if someone just lost their job and they cannot get one in the economic times of today; World of Warcraft can be that boost they need to keep on going. If they are down it can take them out from reality and restore them back as a more enthusiastic person, because they feel like they have done something in the virtual word which can correspond to real life. It cannot, but if they feel that way then World of Warcraft has done its job. I think that everyone has had a day or more when they felt like the world was coming down on them, but by escaping to a different world their burdens are lifted and they can breathe again.
Two highly controversial issues surrounding the gaming world in today's day and age are ideas of gender roles and LGBTQ+ involvement in the gaming industry. It is first important to understand the difference between men and women in the world of gaming. Although roughly the same number of men and women play games, the stereotype of a gamer is one that is predominantly male. A justification sometimes given for this is that while many women occasionally play games, they should not be considered "true" gamers because they tend to play games that are more casual and require fewer skills than men. This [[stereotype]] is perpetuated by the fact that at a professional level, most of the teams competing are composed of men, while female gamers of moderate skill are rendered invisible. The average gamer is seen as a male player who is usually Caucasian.'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ensslin |first=Astrid |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/965718557 |title=Language of Gaming. |date=2011 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-35708-2 |oclc=965718557}}</ref> '''A study has shown 48% of game purchases are from female consumers, but in 2015 only 6% of women that are in the U.S. identify as a gamer.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} Ideas behind the word "girl gamer" tend to spark a contentious reaction, and the use of this name has been supported as a title that is seen as a [[Reappropriation|reappropriated term]].
MMORPG players can have a sense of accomplishment and escape the real world to relax, but when they are in the virtual world what do they do? Well, the virtual world is consisted of quests, dungeons, raids, person vs person, role playing, person vs environment, and much more. Everything that one can do in the real life can be done in the virtual world; except feel what is happening to that character. This is why people also play World of Warcraft, because there are no consequences to failing in the virtual world. People can do a quest and die but not die in the real world. They can run right up to a super high level boss to save someone and die and not feel a thing. The possibilities of things you can do in World of Warcraft are endless because of the fact, which it does not matter if you die or screw up.
When first starting to play the game of World of Warcraft one has to pick a character. They have to pick a class, a profession, a race, and features about who they are. Undead priests are the race and class that I have studied in the game of World of Warcraft. Undead priests is just a subculture of the virtual world and everything that is common to players still holds true about this subculture of the Undead Priests. The undead is the race that I decided to pick and the reason I picked it for my own character was because it was the most human looking one out of the horde races. Priests are usually chosen for the healing abilities. Being one of the best classes for healing, most players cannot resist partaking in this healing class.
The class of priests is a healing class and wants to prevent death. This is ironic that players would want to be undead priests but that is one of the reasons that I picked that class and race together. Priests are holy beings that can heal large groups all at once. They have the gift of fortitude and the prayers of healing. However, do not think that if someone sees a priest that they can kill it, because the gift of shadow makes them dps, damage per second, and the crap out of you. Priests are hard to kill because of their healing and bubble shield abilities, and this is why priest are needed in the eyes of players.
Overall, gamers can get away from the real life though the virtual world, as well as feel the sense of being when they are playing. MMORPG players can choose a large variety of characters that makes them who they are in the game, and who they decide to be can change the way they act in the game. Being an undead priest is just one of the many combinations, but is the combination that can conquer life and death. Priests are the holy “gods” that restore life to the fullest. Priests are the controllers of their life and others with a simple wave of the hand one’s life can be taken or renewed. With the combination of life and death, undead priests make the best healers in the game of World of Warcraft.


===Gaymer===
{{Main|Gaymer}}
[[File:Silicon Valley Pride Parade 2016 - -SVPride2016 (28844993833).jpg|thumb|Silicon Valley Pride Parade]]
Besides the distinction of a "girl gamer" from a "male gamer", there is also a common understanding as [[stereotype]] of a "Gaymer." A Gaymer is a depiction of a gay gamer, and someone who identifies their sexual orientation to be a part of the [[LGBT]] ([[gay]], [[bisexual]], [[lesbian]], or [[transgender]]) community while participating in video games. The concept of Gaymers is a part of two surveys in 2006 and 2009. The 2006 survey took note of the levels of detriment that Gaymers may have experienced, and the 2009 survey kept detail of the content that Gaymers would find to be normalized in [[video game]]s. Staying the topic of ideas behind gaming and the relationship with the LGBTQ community, it has been noted that video games are starting to develop more characters and depictions of members from this specific community. Some of the topics of these specific LGBTQ-friendly video games include such ideas as [[coming out]] stories and [[queer]] relationships.'''<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-27 |title=Meet the gaymers: why queer representation is exploding in video games |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jul/27/meet-the-gaymers-why-queer-representation-is-exploding-in-video-games |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=the Guardian |archive-date=December 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204203843/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jul/27/meet-the-gaymers-why-queer-representation-is-exploding-in-video-games |url-status=live }}</ref> '''These games are also providing the option of character creation with different forms of gender expression along with more LGBTQ romance options.'''<ref name="theguardian.com"/> '''One example of these games in the LGBTQ+ realm of dating would be ''[[Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator]],'' released in 2017.'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winterhalter |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-06-02 |title=Venn Diagram of LGBTQ+ and Gaming Communities Goes Here |url=https://daily.jstor.org/venn-diagram-of-lgbtq-and-gaming-communities-goes-here/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=JSTOR Daily |archive-date=December 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221203120218/https://daily.jstor.org/venn-diagram-of-lgbtq-and-gaming-communities-goes-here/ |url-status=live }}</ref> '''The game had many queer individuals debating, but the overall representation of the game was applauded by many LGBTQ+ people due to its accurate presentation and the way that it provided comfort to people of many sexualities. Having more of these gender- and sexuality-friendly games is providing LGBTQ+ members with a safe space to feel welcome and explore their queerness in a more confident manner.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}


==={{Anchor|Dedication spectrum}} Dedication spectrum===
It is common for games media, games industry analysts, and academics to divide gamers into broad behavioral categories. These categories are sometimes separated by level of dedication to gaming, sometimes by primary type of game played, and sometimes by a combination of those and other factors. There is no general consensus on the definitions or names of these categories, though many attempts have been made to formalize them. An overview of these attempts and their common elements follows.


* ''[[Newbie]]'': (commonly shortened to "noob", "n00b", or "newb") A slang term for a [[wikt:novice|novice]] or [[wikt:newcomer|newcomer]] to a certain game, or to gaming in general.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/Misc/welaish.html |title=Masonry on the Internet |publisher=Web.mit.edu |access-date=2012-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708225739/http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/Masonry/Misc/welaish.html |archive-date=2012-07-08 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/04/23/words-online-gaming-opinions-books-newbs.html|title=Gamer Speak for Newbs|work=Forbes|author=Anna Vander Broek|date=2009-04-23|access-date=2010-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409134803/http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/23/words-online-gaming-opinions-books-newbs.html|archive-date=2012-04-09|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Casual gamer'': The term often used for gamers who primarily play [[casual games]], but can also refer to gamers who play less frequently than other gamers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/04/30/core-and-casual-whats-the-difference/|title=Core and Casual: What's the difference?|date=2011-04-30|access-date=2017-08-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726181350/https://venturebeat.com/2011/04/30/core-and-casual-whats-the-difference/|archive-date=2017-07-26|url-status=live}}</ref> Casual gamers may play games designed for ease of gameplay, or play more involved games in short sessions, or at a slower pace than hardcore gamers.<ref name="Heather Barefoot"/> The types of game that casual gamers play vary, and they are less likely to own a dedicated video game console.<ref>Magrino, Tom, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178563.html?tag=result;title;1 GameStop: Casual gamers spurring hardcore holiday sales] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711072417/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6178563.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B1 |date=July 11, 2011 }}, GameSpot, September 11, 2007, Accessed May 3, 2008</ref><ref>Boyes, Emma, [http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6186207.html?tag=result;title;0 GDC '08: Are casual games the future?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711072428/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6186207.html?tag=result;title;0 |date=July 11, 2011 }}, ''GameSpot'', February 18, 2008, Accessed May 3, 2008</ref> Notable examples of casual games include ''[[The Sims]]'' and ''[[Nintendogs]]''.<ref name="inaCasualization"/> Casual gamer demographics vary greatly from those of other video gamers, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6695921|title=Women driving 'casual game' boom|first=Troy|last=Wolverton|work=San Jose Mercury News|date=2007-08-23|access-date=2007-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006163201/http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6695921|archive-date=2012-10-06|url-status=live}}</ref> Fitness gamers, who play motion-based exercise games, are also seen as casual gamers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/04/19/plethora-of-fitness-titles-lined-up-for-playstation-move/|title=Plethora of Fitness Titles Lined Up For PlayStation Move#|work=PlayStation LifeStyle|date=2010-04-19|access-date=2010-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422210705/http://playstationlifestyle.net/2010/04/19/plethora-of-fitness-titles-lined-up-for-playstation-move/|archive-date=2010-04-22|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Core gamer'': (also mid-core) A player with a wider range of interests than a casual gamer and is more likely to enthusiastically play different types of games,<ref name="IwataAsksWiiU3definition">{{cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/index.html?disableNav=true/#/e32011/newhw/0/6|title=Iwata Asks: E3 2011 Special Edition|page=7|publisher=Nintendo|access-date=2011-06-09|quote='''Iwata''': the definition of a core gamer is much wider, namely, someone who has a much wider range of interests, someone who enthusiastically plays many types of games that challenges different creative directions.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608122917/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/index.html?disableNav=true%2F#/e32011/newhw/0/6|archive-date=2011-06-08|url-status=live}}</ref> but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys games but may not finish every game they buy and is a [[target consumer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/06/are-you-a-mid-core-gamer/|title=Are you a mid-core gamer?|publisher=[[joystiq.com]]|author=Scott Jon Siegel|access-date=2011-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628160444/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/06/are-you-a-mid-core-gamer/|archive-date=2013-06-28|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NextGeneration">{{cite web | title=GameStop | url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1277&Itemid=32 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203110531/http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1277&Itemid=32 | archive-date=2007-12-03 | first=Colin | last=Campbell | date=2005-10-10 | work=Edge | publisher=Future| access-date=2008-02-07}}</ref> Former Nintendo president [[Satoru Iwata]] stated that they designed the [[Wii U]] to cater to core gamers who are in between the casual and hardcore categories.<ref name="IwataAsksWiiU3cater">{{cite web|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/index.html?disableNav=true/#/e32011/newhw/0/6|title=Iwata Asks: E3 2011 Special Edition|page=7|publisher=Nintendo|access-date=2011-06-09|quote='''Iwata''': On the other hand, I certainly do not think that Wii was able to cater to every gamer's needs, so that's also something I wanted to resolve. [...] The keyword for our presentation at this year's E3 is "Deeper and Wider". With Wii U, I would like to offer this proposal with that concept.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608122917/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/index.html?disableNav=true%2F#/e32011/newhw/0/6|archive-date=2011-06-08|url-status=live}}</ref> A number of theories have been presented regarding the rise in popularity of mid-core games. James Hursthouse, the founder of Roadhouse Interactive, credits the evolution of devices towards tablets and touch-screen interfaces, whereas [[Jon Radoff]] of [[Disruptor Beam]] compares the emergence of mid-core games to similar increases in media sophistication that have occurred in media such as television.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/9/4604088/the-rise-of-midcore-gaming|title=Core gamers, mobile games and the origins of the midcore audience|website=Polygon|access-date=2013-08-13|date=2013-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812005427/http://www.polygon.com/2013/8/9/4604088/the-rise-of-midcore-gaming|archive-date=2013-08-12|url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''Hardcore gamer'': [[Ernest W. Adams|Ernest Adams]] and [[Scott Kim]] have proposed classification metrics to distinguish "hardcore gamers" from casual gamers,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131397/from_casual_to_core_a_statistical_.php | title=From Casual to Core: A Statistical Mechanism for Studying Gamer Dedication | work=Gamasutra | access-date=June 17, 2014 | author=Adams, Ernest | date=June 5, 2002 | archive-date=July 14, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714225558/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131397/from_casual_to_core_a_statistical_.php | url-status=live }}</ref> emphasizing action, competition, complexity, gaming communities, and staying abreast of developments in hardware and software. Others have attempted to draw the distinction based primarily on which platforms a gamer prefers,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/260885,the-problems-of-defining-a-hardcore-gamer.aspx|title=The problems of defining a hardcore gamer|access-date=2015-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205021102/http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/260885,the-problems-of-defining-a-hardcore-gamer.aspx|archive-date=2015-02-05|url-status=live}}</ref> or to decry the entire concept of delineating casual from hardcore as divisive and vague.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/10/22/call-of-duty-demonstrates-the-completely-fictitious-line-between-hardcore-and-casual-gaming/|title='Call of Duty' Demonstrates The Completely Fictitious Line Between Hardcore And Casual Gaming|first=Paul|last=Tassi|website=[[Forbes]]|access-date=2017-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729125844/https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2013/10/22/call-of-duty-demonstrates-the-completely-fictitious-line-between-hardcore-and-casual-gaming/|archive-date=2017-07-29|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Professional gamer===
[[Professional]] gamers generally play video games for prize money or salaries. Usually, such individuals deeply study the game in order to master it and usually to play in competitions like [[esports]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Daniel Schorn |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/60minutes/main1220146.shtml |title='Fatal1ty' article at CBS News |publisher=Cbsnews.com |date=2006-08-06 |access-date=2010-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312212033/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/60minutes/main1220146.shtml |archive-date=2012-03-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A pro gamer may also be another type of gamer, such as a hardcore gamer, if he or she meets the additional criteria for that gamer type. In countries of Asia, particularly [[South Korea]] and China, professional gamers and teams are [[sponsorship|sponsored]] by large companies and can earn more than {{USD|100,000|link=no}} a year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/23/235053/081 |title=A Brief Look At Professional Gaming |publisher=kuro5hin.org |access-date=2010-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315182456/http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/7/23/235053/081 |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2006, [[Major League Gaming]] contracted several ''[[Halo 2]]'' players including [[Tom "Tsquared" Taylor]] and members of [[Team Final Boss]] with $250,000 yearly deals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/mlg-awards-1-75-million-in-contracts-for-top-pro-gamers |title=MLG Awards $1.75 Million in Contracts for Top Pro Gamers (press release) |work=Major League Gaming |date=December 18, 2006 |access-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119153203/http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/mlg-awards-1-75-million-in-contracts-for-top-pro-gamers |archive-date=2015-11-19 |url-status=live }}</ref> Many professional gamers find that competitions are able to provide a substantial amount of money to support themselves. However, oftentimes, these popular gamers can locate even more lucrative options. One such option is found through online [[live streaming]] of their games. These gamers who take time out of their lives to stream make money from their stream, usually through sponsorships with large companies looking for a new audience or donations from their fans just trying to support their favorite streamer. Live streaming often occurs through popular websites such as [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] and [[YouTube]]. Professional gamers with particularly large followings can often bring their fan bases to watch them play on live streams. An example of this is shown through retired professional ''[[League of Legends]]'' player Wei "CaoMei" Han-Dong.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/11/3/7149137/league-of-legends-pro-player-retires-to-stream|title=League of Legends pro-player retires to stream games for more than $800,000|last=emilygera|date=2014-11-03|website=Polygon|access-date=2019-03-04|archive-date=March 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111423/https://www.polygon.com/2014/11/3/7149137/league-of-legends-pro-player-retires-to-stream|url-status=live}}</ref> Han-Dong had decided to retire from [[esports]] due to his ability to acquire substantially higher pay through live streaming. His yearly salary through the Battle Flag TV live streaming service increased his pay to roughly $800,000 yearly.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Live streaming can be seen by many as a truly lucrative way for professional gamers to make money in a way that can also lessen the pressure in the competitive scene. We are seeing a rapid increase in the young video game players wanting to be professional gamers instead of the "pro athlete". The career path of becoming a professional gamer is open for anyone any race, gender, and background.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bányai|first1=Fanni|last2=Zsila|first2=Ágnes|last3=Griffiths|first3=Mark D.|last4=Demetrovics|first4=Zsolt|last5=Király|first5=Orsolya|date=2020-08-05|title=Career as a Professional Gamer: Gaming Motives as Predictors of Career Plans to Become a Professional Esport Player|journal=Frontiers in Psychology|volume=11|page=1866|doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01866|pmid=32903792|pmc=7438909|issn=1664-1078|doi-access=free}}</ref> The gaming community now has developed at a much faster rate and now is being considered esports. These more serious gamers are professional gamers; they are individuals that take the average everyday gaming much more seriously and profit from how they perform.<ref>{{Citation|title=Players/Gamers|date=2014-01-03|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203114261-35|work=The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies|pages=223–229|publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9780203114261-35|isbn=9780203114261|access-date=2021-11-24|archive-date=January 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230125231335/https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203114261-35/shooting-gerald-voorhees|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:GaymerXLogo.png|thumb|Gaymer Logo for LGBT Gaming Convention]]


Although the LGBTQ+ gamers are starting to make more of a mark in the gaming world, there are still many disadvantages to this process. Homophobia in the gaming world does tend to take a toll on the problem of an equally shared gaming experience. This is both an issue within the games industry and many areas of the games culture. The brings back the thought of importance for increasing LGBTQ representation in games, especially with such events as GaymerX.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Straightwashing ''Undertale'': Video games and the limits of LGBTQ representation |url=https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/download/1516/1866?inline=1 |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=journal.transformativeworks.org |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205192426/https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/download/1516/1866?inline=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is a study called the online roulette survey that shows that queer gamers are at a disadvantage financially for the fact that the highest earning professional gamers in the LGBTQ+ community bring in less money than popular heterosexual professional gamers.'''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-06 |title=LGBTQ+ Gamers Are Facing an Epidemic of Online Harassment |url=https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-gamers-facing-epidemic-of-online-harassment |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=Them |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109233032/https://www.them.us/story/lgbtq-gamers-facing-epidemic-of-online-harassment |url-status=live }}</ref> '''This highlights that not only is there a huge divide between male and female counterparts in the gaming industry, but there also happens to be a great divide when it comes to sexual preference in the gaming world, especially when it comes to the professional gaming scene. Often, tech companies' privilege men's point of view over women's participation in tech and their consumption, which could be seen as vice versa for people of a homosexual and heterosexual identity.'''<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2005rgq |title=Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games |date=2017 |publisher=Indiana University Press |doi=10.2307/j.ctt2005rgq |jstor=j.ctt2005rgq |isbn=978-0-253-02573-9 |access-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205190637/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2005rgq |url-status=live }}</ref> '''The two topics will always hold a big weight in the gaming industry.


===Retrogamer===
{{Main|Retrogaming}}
A retro gamer is a gamer who prefers to play, and enough collect, [[retro games]]—older video games and [[arcade game]]s. They may also be called ''classic gamers'' or ''[[wikt:old school|old-school]] gamers'', which are terms that are more prevalent in the United States. The games can be played on the original hardware, on modern hardware via [[Video game console emulator|emulation]], or on modern hardware via [[Porting|ports]] or compilations (though those 'in the hobby' tend toward original hardware and emulation).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/articles/columns/game/gars-07142004.ars|title=NES Classics: retro gaming, at a price: Page 1|publisher=arstechnica.com|access-date=2008-04-14|date=2004-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607203445/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2004/07/gars-07142004.ars|archive-date=2011-06-07|url-status=live}}</ref>


===Classification in taxonomies===
A number of [[Taxonomy (general)|taxonomies]] have been proposed which classify gamer types and the aspects they value in games.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.amazon.com/Gaymers-Difference-Makes-Video-Players-ebook/dp/B0192KWP06/182-5342459-6520231|title=Gaymers: the Difference a 'Y' Makes: How (and Why) to Make Video Games LGBT Players Care About|last=Nowak|first=Paul S.|date=2015-12-07|publisher=Prince Pocket Press|edition=1|access-date=June 2, 2016|archive-date=February 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214164459/https://www.amazon.com/Gaymers-Difference-Makes-Video-Players-ebook/dp/B0192KWP06/182-5342459-6520231|url-status=live}}</ref>


The [[Bartle taxonomy of player types]] classifies gamers according to their preferred activities within the game:
Works Consulted
Pinckard, Jane. "World of Warcraft Is the New Golf." PC Magazine 25.7 (25 Apr. 2006): 108-109. Business Source Elite. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 20 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=20450716&site=ehost-live>.
"FIRST LOOK." Macworld 21.7 (July 2004): 50-50. Business Source Elite. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 20 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsh&AN=13460046&site=ehost-live>.
Levy, Steven, et al. "Living a Virtual Life." Newsweek 148.12 (18 Sep. 2006): 48-50. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 21 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22300004&site=ehost-live>.
Grossman, Lev. "Architect of Virtual Worlds." Time 167.19 (08 May 2006): 156-157. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 21 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20629663&site=ehost-live>.
FUCHS, FRED, and KEVIN SHAUM.. "Your Campus Knows No Boundaries in Virtual Worlds, Where Teaching, Research, Student Recruitment, Fund Raising and Innovation Escape Real World Limitations." Community College Week (21 Oct. 2008): 4-4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 21 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=35371381&site=ehost-live>.
Hagel, John, and John Seely Brown.. "How World of Warcraft Promotes Innovation." Business Week Online (15 Jan. 2009): 11-11. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 21 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=36149884&site=ehost-live>.
Edwards, Gavin. "World of Warcraft." Rolling Stone (06 Oct. 2005): 94-94. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 21 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=18444061&site=ehost-live>.
Wasserman, Todd. "SECOND LIFE. (Cover story)." Brandweek 47.43 (20 Nov. 2006): 24-24. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 28 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23174435&site=ehost-live>.
Moltenbrey, Karen. "LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT." Computer Graphics World 27.7 (July 2004): 30-32. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 28 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=13936607&site=ehost-live>.
Newitz, Annalee. "Virtual worlds are becoming more like the real world." New Scientist 195.2620 (08 Sep. 2007): 30-31. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 28 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26910498&site=ehost-live>.
Harding, Cortney. "Life And How To Live It." Billboard 120.3 (19 Jan. 2008): 16-16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 28 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=28457250&site=ehost-live>.
"Getting serious." Economist 385.8558 (08 Dec. 2007): 3-4. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 28 Mar. 2009 <http://ezproxy.swic.edu:2185/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=27798954&site=ehost-live>.
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"Priest." DK Publishing Inc. 09 Oct 2008: 161.


* Achievers, who like to gain points and overall succeed within the game parameters, collecting all rewards and [[game badge]]s.
==Gamertag==
* Explorers, who like to discover all areas within the game, including [[Secret level|hidden areas]] and [[glitch]]es, and expose all game mechanics.
A '''gamer tag''', '''username''', '''game name''', '''alias''', or '''handle''' is a name (usually a [[pseudonym]]) adopted by a video gamer, used as a main preferred identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is most prevalent in games with [[online multiplayer]] support, or at [[electronic sport]] conventions.{{Fact|date=November 2008}}
* Socializers, who prefer to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual game itself.
* Beaters, who thrive on competition with other players.
* Completionists, who are combinations of the Achiever and Explorer types. They complete every aspect of the game (main story, side quests, achievements) while finding every secret within it.
The [[MDA framework]] describes various aspects of the game regarding the basic rules and actions (''Mechanics''), how they build up during game to develop the [[gameplay]] (''Dynamics''), and what emotional response they convey to the player (''Aesthetics''). The described esthetics are further classified as Sensation, Fantasy, Narrative, Challenge, Fellowship, Discovery, Expression and Submission. [[Jesse Schell]] extends this classification with Anticipation, [[Schadenfreude]], Gift giving, Humour, Possibility, Pride, Purification, Surprise, Thrill, Perseverance and Wonder, and proposes a number of generalizations of differences between how males and females play.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ePcYCwAAQBAJ|title=The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition|last=Schell|first=Jesse|date=2015-09-15|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781498759564}}</ref>


==Avatar==
Similarly, a '''clan tag''' is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a clan. Clans are groups of gamers brought together by a common interest, perhaps by all being fans of the same game, or merely gamers who have close personal ties to each other. A '''team tag''' is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. These gamers are usually in a ladder of some sort and are trying to increase their skill.{{Fact|date=November 2008}}
{{Main|Avatar (computing)}}
{{See also|Player character}}
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2023}}

Creating an avatar can be one of the first interaction that a potential player makes to identify themselves among the gaming community.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thegamer.com/pro-gamer-steps-important/ |title=26 Important Steps To Become A Pro Gamer |date=2018-08-13 |website=TheGamer |access-date=2019-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121040/https://www.thegamer.com/pro-gamer-steps-important/ |archive-date=2019-01-19 |url-status=live}}</ref> An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag, screen name, or handle is a name (usually a [[pseudonym]]) adopted by a video gamer, often used as a main preferred identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is often most prevalent in games with [[online multiplayer]] support, or at [[electronic sport]] conventions. While some well-known gamers only go by their online handle, a number have adopted to using their handle within their real name typically presented as a [[middle name]], such as [[Ninja (video game player)|Tyler "Ninja" Blevins]] or [[sinatraa|Jay "sinatraa" Won]].

Similarly, a ''clan tag'' is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a clan. Clans are generally a group of gamers who play together as a team against other clans. They are most commonly found in online multi-player games in which one team can face off against another. Clans can also be formed to create loosely based affiliations perhaps by all being fans of the same game or merely gamers who have close personal ties to each other. A ''team tag'' is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. Teams are generally sub-divisions within the same clan and are regarded within gaming circuits as being a purely competitive affiliation. These gamers are usually in an online league such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company the Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as teams and not clans.

==Clans and guilds==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
A [[Clan (video games)|clan]], squad or [[guild]] is a group of players that form, usually under an informal 'leader' or administrator. Clans are often formed by gamers with similar interests; many clans or guilds form to connect an 'offline' community that might otherwise be isolated due to geographic, cultural or physical barriers. Some clans are composed of [[E-sports|professional gamers]], who enter competitive tournaments for cash or other prizes; most, however, are simply groups of like-minded players that band together for a mutual purpose (for example, a gaming-related interest or social group).

==Identity==
The identity of being a gamer is partly self-determination and partly [[performativity]] of characteristics society expects a gamer to embody.<ref name="adaNotGamers"/> These expectations include not only a high level of dedication to playing games, but also preferences for certain types of games, as well as an interest in game-related paraphernalia like clothing and comic books.<ref name="adaNotGamers"/> According to [[Graeme Kirkpatrick]], the "true gamer" is concerned first and foremost with [[gameplay]].<ref name="overlandClueless"/> ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'' founder Alexander Macris says a gamer is an enthusiast with greater dedication to games than just playing them, similar in connotation to "[[cinemaphile]]".<ref name="escapistPublisherNote">{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/12223-The-Escapist-Publisher-Issues-Public-Statement-on-Gamergate|last=Macris|first=Alexander|work=The Escapist|title=Publisher's Note: The State of Gaming|access-date=2015-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117150925/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/12223-The-Escapist-Publisher-Issues-Public-Statement-on-Gamergate|archive-date=2016-01-17|url-status=live}}</ref> People who play may not identify as gamers because they feel they do not play "enough" to qualify.<ref name="adaNotGamers"/> Social stigma against games has influenced some women and minorities to distance themselves from the term "gamer", even though they may play regularly.<ref name="adaNotGamers">{{cite journal|url=http://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-shaw/|last=Shaw|first=Adrienne|title=On Not Becoming Gamers: Moving Beyond the Constructed Audience|journal=Ada|issue=2|date=October 2014|doi=10.7264/N33N21B3 |doi-broken-date=November 2, 2024 |access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123185112/http://adanewmedia.org/2013/06/issue2-shaw/|archive-date=2015-11-23|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="newmediaDoYou">{{cite journal|url=http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/15/1461444811410394|last=Shaw|first=Adrienne|title=Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race, sexuality, and gamer identity|date=June 16, 2011|journal=New Media & Society|volume=14|pages=28–44|doi=10.1177/1461444811410394|s2cid=206727217|access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611090659/http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/06/15/1461444811410394|archive-date=2016-06-11|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Demographics===
Games are stereotypically associated with young males, but the diversity of the audience has been steadily increasing over time.<ref name="bizNotGender">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-10-30-platform-not-gender-drives-gamer-differences-eedar|last=Nofziger|first=Heather|title=Platform, not gender, drives gamer differences|date=October 30, 2014 |access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222140357/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-10-30-platform-not-gender-drives-gamer-differences-eedar|archive-date=2015-12-22|url-status=live}}</ref> This stereotype exists even among a majority of women who play video games regularly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/public-debates-about-gaming-and-gamers/|title=2. Public debates about gaming and gamers|last=Duggan|first=Maeve|date=2015-12-15|website=Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech|access-date=2016-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703000939/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/public-debates-about-gaming-and-gamers/|archive-date=2016-07-03|url-status=live}}</ref> Among players using the same category of device (e.g., console or phone), patterns of play are largely the same between men and women. Diversity is driven in part by new hardware platforms.<ref name="bizNotGender"/> Expansion of the audience was catalyzed by [[Nintendo marketing#Demographic shifts|Nintendo's efforts to reach new demographics]].<ref name="inaCasualization"/> Market penetration of [[smartphones]] with gaming capabilities further expanded the audience,<ref name="inaCasualization"/> since in contrast to consoles or high-end PCs, mobile phone gaming requires only devices that non-gamers are likely to already own.<ref name="bizNotGender"/>

While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6% identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.<ref name="pewGamer2015">{{cite web|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/attitudes-about-video-games/|last=Duggan|first=Maeve|publisher=Pew Research Center|title=Gaming and Gamers|date=2015-12-15|access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219073925/http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/12/15/attitudes-about-video-games/|archive-date=2015-12-19|url-status=live}}</ref> This rises to 9% among women aged 18–29, compared to 33% of men in that age group. Half of female [[Pc game|PC gamers]] in the U.S. consider themselves to be core or hardcore gamers.<ref name="pcgamerFemale">{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/researchers-find-that-female-pc-gamers-outnumber-males/|title=Researchers find that female PC gamers outnumber males|newspaper=PC Gamer|date=2014-10-29|access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218143012/http://www.pcgamer.com/researchers-find-that-female-pc-gamers-outnumber-males/|archive-date=2015-12-18|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="superdataWhyAll">{{cite web|url=https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/why-all-gamers-matter/|title=Why ALL gamers matter – my view as a female games analyst|date=October 28, 2014|access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224230547/https://www.superdataresearch.com/blog/why-all-gamers-matter/|archive-date=2015-12-24|url-status=live}}</ref> Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused women to be less willing to adopt the label.<ref name="nytimesShunLabel">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/technology/personaltech/women-who-play-games-shun-gamer-label.html|last=McPhate|first=Mike|work=The New York Times|title=Women Who Play Games Shun 'Gamer' Label|date=2015-12-16|access-date=2017-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708010149/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/technology/personaltech/women-who-play-games-shun-gamer-label.html|archive-date=2017-07-08|url-status=live}}</ref>

Racial minorities responding to Pew Research were more likely to describe themselves as gamers, with 19% of [[Hispanics]] identifying as gamers, compared to 11% of [[African-Americans]] and 7% of [[whites]].<ref name="pewGamer2015"/> The competitive [[fighting game]] scene is noted as particularly racially diverse and tolerant.<ref name="polygonFightingGame">{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/features/2014/2/6/5361004/fighting-game-diversity|last=Bowman|first=Rich|work=Polygon|title=Why the Fighting Game Community is Color Blind|date=2014-02-06|access-date=2015-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222112413/http://www.polygon.com/features/2014/2/6/5361004/fighting-game-diversity|archive-date=2015-12-22|url-status=live}}</ref> This is attributed to its origin in arcades, where competitors met face to face and the barrier to entry was merely a [[Quarter (United States coin)|quarter]].<ref name="polygonFightingGame"/> Only 4% of those aged 50 and over identified as gamers.<ref name="pewGamer2015"/>

===Casualization===
Casualization is a trend in video games towards simpler games appealing to larger audiences, especially women or the elderly.<ref name="inaCasualization">{{cite web|last=Sarrazin|first=Vincent|date=October 7, 2011|url=http://www.inaglobal.fr/en/video-games/article/casualisation-video-games|title=The Casualisation of Video Games|work=ina global|publisher=[[Institut national de l'audiovisuel]]|access-date=June 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906195110/http://www.inaglobal.fr/en/video-games/article/casualisation-video-games|archive-date=2017-09-06|url-status=live}}</ref> Some developers, hoping to attract a broader audience, simplify or remove aspects of [[gameplay]] in established genres and franchises.<ref name="gamasutraDumbingDown"/> Compared to seminal titles like ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|DOOM]]'', more recent mass-market action games like the [[Call of Duty]] series are less sensitive to player choice or skill, approaching the status of [[interactive movie]]s.<ref name="eurogamerDoom">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-06-22-years-on-doom-retains-the-ability-to-shock|last=Stewart|first=Keith|work=The Guardian|title=22 years on, Doom retains the ability to shock|date=2015-07-07|access-date=2015-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222081803/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-06-22-years-on-doom-retains-the-ability-to-shock|archive-date=2015-12-22|url-status=live}}</ref>

The trend towards casual games is decried by some self-identified gamers who emphasize gameplay, meaning the activities that one undertakes in a game.<ref name="overlandClueless">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamestudies.org/1201/articles/kirkpatrick|title=Constitutive tensions of gaming's field: UK gaming magazines and the formation of gaming culture|last=Kirkpatrick|first=Graeme|work=Gamestudies.org|access-date=2016-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623063357/http://gamestudies.org/1201/articles/kirkpatrick|archive-date=2016-06-23|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Brendan Keogh, these are inherently masculine activities such as fighting and exerting dominance. He further says that games women prefer are more passive experiences, and male gamers deride the lack of interactivity in these games because of this association with femininity.<ref name="overlandClueless"/> Belying these trends, games including ''[[The Sims]]'' or ''[[Minecraft]]'' have some of the largest audiences in the industry while also being very complex.<ref name="gamasutraDumbingDown">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JohnathonSwift/20140110/208440/quotDumbing_downquot.php|last=Swift|first=Johnathon|work=Gamasutra|title=Dumbing down|date=January 10, 2014|access-date=2015-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222164844/http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JohnathonSwift/20140110/208440/quotDumbing_downquot.php|archive-date=2015-12-22|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Joost van Dreunen of SuperData Research, girls who play Minecraft are "just as 'hardcore' as the next guy over who plays ''[[Counter-Strike]]''".<ref name="washpoMoreWomen">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/10/17/more-women-play-video-games-than-boys-and-other-surprising-facts-lost-in-the-mess-of-gamergate/|last=Harwell|first=Drew|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=More women play video games than boys, and other surprising facts lost in the mess of Gamergate|access-date=2015-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223202854/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/10/17/more-women-play-video-games-than-boys-and-other-surprising-facts-lost-in-the-mess-of-gamergate/|archive-date=2015-12-23|url-status=live}}</ref> Dreunen says being in control of a game's environment appeals equally to boys and girls.<ref name="washpoMoreWomen"/> [[Leigh Alexander (journalist)|Leigh Alexander]] argued that appealing to women does not necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.<ref name="edgeDumbingDown">{{cite web|url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/too-many-gamers-think-diversity-means-dumbing-down-its-time-to-forget-that-outmoded-view/ |last=Alexander |first=Leigh |work=Edge |title=Too many gamers think diversity means dumbing down – it's time to forget that outmoded view |date=August 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713174818/http://www.edge-online.com/features/too-many-gamers-think-diversity-means-dumbing-down-its-time-to-forget-that-outmoded-view/ |archive-date=July 13, 2014 }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Video Games|Society}}
* [[Consumer]]
* [[List of gaming topics]]
* [[Gamers Outreach Foundation]]
* [[Entertainment Consumers Association]]
* [[Entertainment Consumers Association]]
* [[Esports]]
* [[Gamers Outreach Foundation]]
* ''[[Going Cardboard]]'' (documentary)
* [[List of gaming topics]]
* [[Player (game)]]
* [[Player (game)]]
* [[Video game addiction]]
* [[Video game addiction]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2021-09-03|En-Gamer.ogg}}
* {{Commons-inline}}

{{Fandom}}


[[Category:Gaming]]
[[Category:Gaming]]
[[Category:Nerd culture]]
[[Category:Stereotypes]]
[[Category:Video game culture]]
[[Category:Video game culture]]
[[Category:Video gaming]]

[[Category:Video game terminology]]
[[bg:Геймър]]
[[es:Videojugador]]
[[fr:Gamer]]
[[he:גיימר]]
[[ja:ゲーマー]]
[[ko:게이머]]
[[nl:Gamer]]
[[pt:Gamer]]
[[ru:Геймер]]
[[sv:Gamer]]
[[zh:玩家]]

Latest revision as of 00:39, 21 December 2024

This article is about people who play any type of game, especially video games. For gamblers, see Gambling. For other uses, see Gamer (disambiguation).

A man posing with two game controllers, while playing on his Xbox One
A woman playing a video game
Video games
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Development

A gamer is someone who plays interactive games, either video games, tabletop role-playing games, skill-based card games, or any combination thereof, and who often plays for extended periods of time. Originally a hobby, gaming has evolved into a profession for some, with some gamers routinely competing in games for money, prizes, or awards. In some countries, such as the US, UK, and Australia, the term "gaming" can refer to legalized gambling, which can take both traditional and digital forms, such as through online gambling. There are many different gamer communities around the world. Since the advent of the Internet, many communities take the form of Internet forums or YouTube or Twitch virtual communities, as well as in-person social clubs. In 2021, there were an estimated 3.24 billion gamers across the globe.[1][better source needed]

Etymology

The term gamer originally meant gambler, and has been in use since at least 1422, when the town laws of Walsall, England, referred to "any dice-player, carder, tennis player, or other unlawful gamer". However, this description has not been adopted in the United States, where it became associated with other pastimes. In the US, they made their appearance as wargames. Wargames were originally created as a military and strategy tool. When Dungeons & Dragons was released, it was originally marketed as a wargame, but later was described by its creators as a role-playing game. They called their players gamers and this is where the word changed definition from someone who gambles to someone who plays board games and/or video games.[2]

Categories

Further information: Video game § Demographics

In the United States as of 2018, 28% of gamers are under 18, 29% are 18–35, 20% are 36-49 and 23% are over 50.[3] In the UK as of 2014, 29% are under 18, 32% are 18-35 and 39% are over 36.[4] According to Pew Research Center, 49% of adults have played a video game at some point in their life and those who have are more likely to let their children or future children play. Those who play video games regularly are split roughly equally between male and female, but men are more likely to call themselves a gamer.[5] As of 2019, the average gamer is 33 years old.[6]

Female gamer/gamer girl

Main article: Women and video games

A female gamer, or gamer girl or girl gamer, is any female who regularly engages in playing video games. According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2009, 40% of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or older comprise 34% of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women playing online had risen to 43%, up 4% from 2004. The same study shows that 48% of game purchasers are female.[7][4] According to a 2015 Pew survey, 6% of women in the United States identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men, and 48% of women and 50% of men play video games.[8] Usage of the term "girl gamer" is controversial. Some critics have advocated use of the label as a reappropriated term, while others see it as non-descriptive or perpetuating the minority position of female gamers. Some critics of the term believe there is no singular definition of a female gamer and that they are as diverse as any other group. However it is generally understood that the term "girl gamer" implies that it is a girl who plays video games.[9]

Psychology

Main article: Learning curve § Difficulty curves in video games

Shigeru Miyamoto says that "I think that first a game needs a sense of accomplishment. And you have to have a sense that you have done something, so that you get that sense of satisfaction of completing something."[10]

In April 2020, researchers found that top gamers shared the same mental toughness as Olympian athletes.[11][12]

Escapism is a major factor in why individuals enjoy gaming. This idea of being in another world while gaming has become very common with gamers, these video games create a new world where these gamers feel they fit in and can control what is going on.[13] Gaming is a form of escapism,[14] Hideo Kojima states that "If the player isn't tricked into believing that the world is real, then there's no point in making the game."[15]

Types and demographics

Sexes

Two highly controversial issues surrounding the gaming world in today's day and age are ideas of gender roles and LGBTQ+ involvement in the gaming industry. It is first important to understand the difference between men and women in the world of gaming. Although roughly the same number of men and women play games, the stereotype of a gamer is one that is predominantly male. A justification sometimes given for this is that while many women occasionally play games, they should not be considered "true" gamers because they tend to play games that are more casual and require fewer skills than men. This stereotype is perpetuated by the fact that at a professional level, most of the teams competing are composed of men, while female gamers of moderate skill are rendered invisible. The average gamer is seen as a male player who is usually Caucasian.[16] A study has shown 48% of game purchases are from female consumers, but in 2015 only 6% of women that are in the U.S. identify as a gamer.[citation needed] Ideas behind the word "girl gamer" tend to spark a contentious reaction, and the use of this name has been supported as a title that is seen as a reappropriated term.

Gaymer

Main article: Gaymer
Silicon Valley Pride Parade

Besides the distinction of a "girl gamer" from a "male gamer", there is also a common understanding as stereotype of a "Gaymer." A Gaymer is a depiction of a gay gamer, and someone who identifies their sexual orientation to be a part of the LGBT (gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender) community while participating in video games. The concept of Gaymers is a part of two surveys in 2006 and 2009. The 2006 survey took note of the levels of detriment that Gaymers may have experienced, and the 2009 survey kept detail of the content that Gaymers would find to be normalized in video games. Staying the topic of ideas behind gaming and the relationship with the LGBTQ community, it has been noted that video games are starting to develop more characters and depictions of members from this specific community. Some of the topics of these specific LGBTQ-friendly video games include such ideas as coming out stories and queer relationships.[17] These games are also providing the option of character creation with different forms of gender expression along with more LGBTQ romance options.[17] One example of these games in the LGBTQ+ realm of dating would be Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, released in 2017.[18] The game had many queer individuals debating, but the overall representation of the game was applauded by many LGBTQ+ people due to its accurate presentation and the way that it provided comfort to people of many sexualities. Having more of these gender- and sexuality-friendly games is providing LGBTQ+ members with a safe space to feel welcome and explore their queerness in a more confident manner.[citation needed]

Dedication spectrum

It is common for games media, games industry analysts, and academics to divide gamers into broad behavioral categories. These categories are sometimes separated by level of dedication to gaming, sometimes by primary type of game played, and sometimes by a combination of those and other factors. There is no general consensus on the definitions or names of these categories, though many attempts have been made to formalize them. An overview of these attempts and their common elements follows.

  • Newbie: (commonly shortened to "noob", "n00b", or "newb") A slang term for a novice or newcomer to a certain game, or to gaming in general.[19][20]
  • Casual gamer: The term often used for gamers who primarily play casual games, but can also refer to gamers who play less frequently than other gamers.[21] Casual gamers may play games designed for ease of gameplay, or play more involved games in short sessions, or at a slower pace than hardcore gamers.[9] The types of game that casual gamers play vary, and they are less likely to own a dedicated video game console.[22][23] Notable examples of casual games include The Sims and Nintendogs.[24] Casual gamer demographics vary greatly from those of other video gamers, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.[25] Fitness gamers, who play motion-based exercise games, are also seen as casual gamers.[26]
  • Core gamer: (also mid-core) A player with a wider range of interests than a casual gamer and is more likely to enthusiastically play different types of games,[27] but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys games but may not finish every game they buy and is a target consumer.[28][29] Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to core gamers who are in between the casual and hardcore categories.[30] A number of theories have been presented regarding the rise in popularity of mid-core games. James Hursthouse, the founder of Roadhouse Interactive, credits the evolution of devices towards tablets and touch-screen interfaces, whereas Jon Radoff of Disruptor Beam compares the emergence of mid-core games to similar increases in media sophistication that have occurred in media such as television.[31]
  • Hardcore gamer: Ernest Adams and Scott Kim have proposed classification metrics to distinguish "hardcore gamers" from casual gamers,[32] emphasizing action, competition, complexity, gaming communities, and staying abreast of developments in hardware and software. Others have attempted to draw the distinction based primarily on which platforms a gamer prefers,[33] or to decry the entire concept of delineating casual from hardcore as divisive and vague.[34]

Professional gamer

Professional gamers generally play video games for prize money or salaries. Usually, such individuals deeply study the game in order to master it and usually to play in competitions like esports.[35] A pro gamer may also be another type of gamer, such as a hardcore gamer, if he or she meets the additional criteria for that gamer type. In countries of Asia, particularly South Korea and China, professional gamers and teams are sponsored by large companies and can earn more than US$100,000 a year.[36] In 2006, Major League Gaming contracted several Halo 2 players including Tom "Tsquared" Taylor and members of Team Final Boss with $250,000 yearly deals.[37] Many professional gamers find that competitions are able to provide a substantial amount of money to support themselves. However, oftentimes, these popular gamers can locate even more lucrative options. One such option is found through online live streaming of their games. These gamers who take time out of their lives to stream make money from their stream, usually through sponsorships with large companies looking for a new audience or donations from their fans just trying to support their favorite streamer. Live streaming often occurs through popular websites such as Twitch and YouTube. Professional gamers with particularly large followings can often bring their fan bases to watch them play on live streams. An example of this is shown through retired professional League of Legends player Wei "CaoMei" Han-Dong.[38] Han-Dong had decided to retire from esports due to his ability to acquire substantially higher pay through live streaming. His yearly salary through the Battle Flag TV live streaming service increased his pay to roughly $800,000 yearly.[citation needed] Live streaming can be seen by many as a truly lucrative way for professional gamers to make money in a way that can also lessen the pressure in the competitive scene. We are seeing a rapid increase in the young video game players wanting to be professional gamers instead of the "pro athlete". The career path of becoming a professional gamer is open for anyone any race, gender, and background.[39] The gaming community now has developed at a much faster rate and now is being considered esports. These more serious gamers are professional gamers; they are individuals that take the average everyday gaming much more seriously and profit from how they perform.[40]

Gaymer Logo for LGBT Gaming Convention

Although the LGBTQ+ gamers are starting to make more of a mark in the gaming world, there are still many disadvantages to this process. Homophobia in the gaming world does tend to take a toll on the problem of an equally shared gaming experience. This is both an issue within the games industry and many areas of the games culture. The brings back the thought of importance for increasing LGBTQ representation in games, especially with such events as GaymerX.[41] There is a study called the online roulette survey that shows that queer gamers are at a disadvantage financially for the fact that the highest earning professional gamers in the LGBTQ+ community bring in less money than popular heterosexual professional gamers.[42] This highlights that not only is there a huge divide between male and female counterparts in the gaming industry, but there also happens to be a great divide when it comes to sexual preference in the gaming world, especially when it comes to the professional gaming scene. Often, tech companies' privilege men's point of view over women's participation in tech and their consumption, which could be seen as vice versa for people of a homosexual and heterosexual identity.[43] The two topics will always hold a big weight in the gaming industry.

Retrogamer

Main article: Retrogaming

A retro gamer is a gamer who prefers to play, and enough collect, retro games—older video games and arcade games. They may also be called classic gamers or old-school gamers, which are terms that are more prevalent in the United States. The games can be played on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations (though those 'in the hobby' tend toward original hardware and emulation).[44]

Classification in taxonomies

A number of taxonomies have been proposed which classify gamer types and the aspects they value in games.[45]

The Bartle taxonomy of player types classifies gamers according to their preferred activities within the game:

  • Achievers, who like to gain points and overall succeed within the game parameters, collecting all rewards and game badges.
  • Explorers, who like to discover all areas within the game, including hidden areas and glitches, and expose all game mechanics.
  • Socializers, who prefer to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual game itself.
  • Beaters, who thrive on competition with other players.
  • Completionists, who are combinations of the Achiever and Explorer types. They complete every aspect of the game (main story, side quests, achievements) while finding every secret within it.

The MDA framework describes various aspects of the game regarding the basic rules and actions (Mechanics), how they build up during game to develop the gameplay (Dynamics), and what emotional response they convey to the player (Aesthetics). The described esthetics are further classified as Sensation, Fantasy, Narrative, Challenge, Fellowship, Discovery, Expression and Submission. Jesse Schell extends this classification with Anticipation, Schadenfreude, Gift giving, Humour, Possibility, Pride, Purification, Surprise, Thrill, Perseverance and Wonder, and proposes a number of generalizations of differences between how males and females play.[46]

Avatar

Main article: Avatar (computing)
See also: Player character

Creating an avatar can be one of the first interaction that a potential player makes to identify themselves among the gaming community.[47] An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag, screen name, or handle is a name (usually a pseudonym) adopted by a video gamer, often used as a main preferred identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is often most prevalent in games with online multiplayer support, or at electronic sport conventions. While some well-known gamers only go by their online handle, a number have adopted to using their handle within their real name typically presented as a middle name, such as Tyler "Ninja" Blevins or Jay "sinatraa" Won.

Similarly, a clan tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a clan. Clans are generally a group of gamers who play together as a team against other clans. They are most commonly found in online multi-player games in which one team can face off against another. Clans can also be formed to create loosely based affiliations perhaps by all being fans of the same game or merely gamers who have close personal ties to each other. A team tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. Teams are generally sub-divisions within the same clan and are regarded within gaming circuits as being a purely competitive affiliation. These gamers are usually in an online league such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company the Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as teams and not clans.

Clans and guilds

A clan, squad or guild is a group of players that form, usually under an informal 'leader' or administrator. Clans are often formed by gamers with similar interests; many clans or guilds form to connect an 'offline' community that might otherwise be isolated due to geographic, cultural or physical barriers. Some clans are composed of professional gamers, who enter competitive tournaments for cash or other prizes; most, however, are simply groups of like-minded players that band together for a mutual purpose (for example, a gaming-related interest or social group).

Identity

The identity of being a gamer is partly self-determination and partly performativity of characteristics society expects a gamer to embody.[48] These expectations include not only a high level of dedication to playing games, but also preferences for certain types of games, as well as an interest in game-related paraphernalia like clothing and comic books.[48] According to Graeme Kirkpatrick, the "true gamer" is concerned first and foremost with gameplay.[49] The Escapist founder Alexander Macris says a gamer is an enthusiast with greater dedication to games than just playing them, similar in connotation to "cinemaphile".[50] People who play may not identify as gamers because they feel they do not play "enough" to qualify.[48] Social stigma against games has influenced some women and minorities to distance themselves from the term "gamer", even though they may play regularly.[48][51]

Demographics

Games are stereotypically associated with young males, but the diversity of the audience has been steadily increasing over time.[52] This stereotype exists even among a majority of women who play video games regularly.[53] Among players using the same category of device (e.g., console or phone), patterns of play are largely the same between men and women. Diversity is driven in part by new hardware platforms.[52] Expansion of the audience was catalyzed by Nintendo's efforts to reach new demographics.[24] Market penetration of smartphones with gaming capabilities further expanded the audience,[24] since in contrast to consoles or high-end PCs, mobile phone gaming requires only devices that non-gamers are likely to already own.[52]

While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6% identify as gamers, compared to 15% of men who identify as gamers.[54] This rises to 9% among women aged 18–29, compared to 33% of men in that age group. Half of female PC gamers in the U.S. consider themselves to be core or hardcore gamers.[55][56] Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused women to be less willing to adopt the label.[57]

Racial minorities responding to Pew Research were more likely to describe themselves as gamers, with 19% of Hispanics identifying as gamers, compared to 11% of African-Americans and 7% of whites.[54] The competitive fighting game scene is noted as particularly racially diverse and tolerant.[58] This is attributed to its origin in arcades, where competitors met face to face and the barrier to entry was merely a quarter.[58] Only 4% of those aged 50 and over identified as gamers.[54]

Casualization

Casualization is a trend in video games towards simpler games appealing to larger audiences, especially women or the elderly.[24] Some developers, hoping to attract a broader audience, simplify or remove aspects of gameplay in established genres and franchises.[59] Compared to seminal titles like DOOM, more recent mass-market action games like the Call of Duty series are less sensitive to player choice or skill, approaching the status of interactive movies.[60]

The trend towards casual games is decried by some self-identified gamers who emphasize gameplay, meaning the activities that one undertakes in a game.[49] According to Brendan Keogh, these are inherently masculine activities such as fighting and exerting dominance. He further says that games women prefer are more passive experiences, and male gamers deride the lack of interactivity in these games because of this association with femininity.[49] Belying these trends, games including The Sims or Minecraft have some of the largest audiences in the industry while also being very complex.[59] According to Joost van Dreunen of SuperData Research, girls who play Minecraft are "just as 'hardcore' as the next guy over who plays Counter-Strike".[61] Dreunen says being in control of a game's environment appeals equally to boys and girls.[61] Leigh Alexander argued that appealing to women does not necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.[62]

See also

References

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