For the longest time I claimed that GU was "for gamers, by gamers". And where other places have claimed that tagline since, I honestly thought that was what I was doing with GU not just slapping it on my site in an effort to convince myself. Now I know I was wrong. Some of you are going to disagree with me here. Those of you that know the levels to which I am willing to go to make sure gamers are represented via this site will be key among that group. But, here's where I'm coming from:

Even though I've been trying to get myself back to doing in-game comics rather than washing you with gaming news, I still read a LOT of gaming news. But I can't read the comments left by people on gaming news sites anymore. If those are the voices of "gamers", I don't want to represent them. The more I read the more I realize they're attention whoring dumbasses being negative for the sake of being negative. It's almost like they revel in the stupidity they're able to conjure up.

So no. I don't represent gamers. I represent a very specific sub-sect of people that play games. I represent the ones that actually love games. Now I don't know what to call those folks. They ARE gamers. But to lump them into a group with the dumbasses, I think, would be a complete disservice to what exactly they are. Unfortunately "for aficionados, by aficionados" just doesn't say "gamer". And "for people who love games, by people who love games" is just too damn long.

So I'm stuck. What are we? Sure the GU forums frustrate me at times, but I would take the folks on the GU forums over the folks anywhere else, without hesitation, every time.

What are we? We're gamers, the rest are, as you said, attention whoring dumbasses. You represent us, not the AWDA community, and frankly they are an extremely vocal minority. I know many, many, many gamers, and the AWDA asshats are rare. For every one of them, there are at LEAST a hundred normal, levelheaded gamers who don't act like a complete microcephalic cretin the instant they have the anonymity of the internet to hide behind. WE are the majority, WE are the silent masses, WE are the ones whom you represent, and above all, WE are gamers.

The same can be said of religious types, politicians, and people in general. The vocal minority is what the rest of the world sees, hears, and considers to be representative. I'm perfectly content to let the "AWDA"s have the term gamer but only if we actively differentiate ourselves. And since we exist in the silent majority, letting the vocal minority "speak for us", I don't expect us to rally forth to reclaim the term.

Gamer Lite- all of the game enthusiasm, none of the asshattery

Originally Posted by Breandan:

Gamer Lite- all of the game enthusiasm, none of the asshattery

That is a good one!

I have no problem calling myself a gamer, I just make sure that my actions speak louder then my "label". What I am is a hard worker who enjoys games not to win but to relax.

I do not care if I have the Phatest loot or that I am Leet, what I care about is that I have fun and relax. If a game is not relaxing for me then I do not play it.

I have NEVER cared what others have thought about me or let it effect how or what I play. I also extend that courtesy to all those I encounter in EVE. And before that SWG.

I have found that the types of games and how I play them would be considered boring and time wasting, I find them relaxing ( of cource when the Devs say that the way I play their game is not "star warsy" does go a bit too far lol).

Woody, I don't think you should really worry about the AWDA sub-sect, because everyone can spot them from a mile away due to their monosyllabic responses to things...

As long as you continue to portray the more intelligent aspect of gaming, for gamers, by default you'll weed most of the AWDA out unless they have freon-powered beanies that prevent brain damage caused while trying to decipher satire.

The simplest way to explain yoiur reresented gamer base that I can think of is just simply "mature gamer".

We are gamers that play because we like to play, but we don't play like it is our job. We are Amateur Gamers.

They are what was call when RPG was mostly play with pen&paper Munchkins, when they would twist or abuse the rules so their character were the most powerful possible. Now they cry, rant or yell on the forums so the devs change the rules to make their character the most powerful possible.

They were probably as much disliked in pen&paper rpg that they are now in online gaming, but at least then you could throw them out of your house.