Help me with my research paper: Survey #1

[Keith Robinson]

Geek, nerd, technophile.

This is what first comes to my mind as well

I'm not sure that asking gamers about gamers is the way to go. When I think of this, I do so with a smile. If you ask my wife, on the otherhand (who doesn't game), her view of gamers is far more critical - geeks and nerds who lack social and interpersonal skills who prefer playing with 'little men' (her phrase for the miniatures we use) over interacting with other human beings. For her, gaming is just a way of masking those deficienies.

And that is somebody who has a vague idea of what we do. Her mum thought we all sat around a table dressed as elves... :\

 

[boredgremlin]

Questions:

When you think of the word "gamer," what words/phrases/images come to mind?

Do you believe there is a stereotype (or multiple stereotypes) of gamers? If so, what is it/are they?

Have you seen evidence to support this stereotype?

Do you fall within this stereotype?

Do you admit that you game to non-gamers or strangers?

1# Roleplaying games, and umm, unusual folks. I have played in enough games to know that sadly some gamers ARE the anti social, cant get a date losers we can be portrayed as. Of course many of us are also succesful, dating or married and quite happy with our occasional escape from reality without letting it interfere with life when it becomes time to return to the real world.

2# sure theres a stereotype. Loser who cant get a date and lives with his mom in his 30's. Or computer geek.

3# some evidence, But at least as much against it, probably more.

4# nope.

5#. Yes i do. whenever people talk about hobbies i mention it. You can meet great newbies just waiting for a chance in the oddest places.

 

[librarius_arcana]

*coughcoughcoughwhobeatupsuperman?coughcoughcough*

No one man!, it's friggin Superman!

 

[lior_shapira]

When you think of the word "gamer," what words/phrases/images come to mind?
geek, sci-fi/fantasy fan, junk food, book readers, english (most roleplayers in Israel I met have better english than non roleplayers)

Do you believe there is a stereotype (or multiple stereotypes) of gamers? If so, what is it/are they?
The teenage geek with acne is the strongest stereotype

Have you seen evidence to support this stereotype?
Not really, I see lots of kids playing RPG's at my LGS and they seem perfectly normal to me, the difference between kids playing CCG's and RPG's are also quite small... I do know some real weirdos who play, but on the other hand quite a few who don't.

Do you fall within this stereotype?
I guess in highschool you could call me and my friends geeks. maybe. But I think we turned out ok, its just another hobby like sports, video games, reading, hiking... I don't think a hobby should and can really define a stereotype

Do you admit that you game to non-gamers or strangers?
Admit is a strong word, it doesn't come up often in conversation. People who know me though, all know that I play. I'm a pretty active player, its a big part of my life so its hard to miss the books in my library, the phone calls I get, the weird pics I have in my IM software

lior

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Questions:

When you think of the word "gamer," what words/phrases/images come to mind?

WarMachine minis, the cover of the IKCG, me and my friends sitting around in a cluttered room playing D&D.

Do you believe there is a stereotype (or multiple stereotypes) of gamers? If so, what is it/are they?

Yes. "Those weird kids," the fat, unwashed social reject, and the smart-but-nerdy gamer.

Have you seen evidence to support this stereotype?

Not really. There's too much variety in the world. Plus, I mostly game with people I introduced to gaming rather than people who were already gamers.

Do you fall within this stereotype?

I used to fall under 1 and 3, I believe. Not so much anymore.

Do you admit that you game to non-gamers or strangers?

Freely.

 

[Agent Oracle]

When you think of the word "gamer," what words/phrases/images come to mind?

First words? Smart, articulate, Geek, Introspective.
Phrases? "I attack the Darkness!" "Natural 20!" "Fireballs coming on-line!"
Images?: A little more embaressing: Reams of paper covered in tiny numbers, often erased.

Do you believe there is a stereotype (or multiple stereotypes) of gamers? If so, what is it/are they?

Oh come on, it only takes a precursory glance to see all the steriotypes of gamers, hell, we self-perpetuate our own steriotypes of certain kinds of gamers within the gaming community! I don't think that Jocks have anywhere NEAR as many levels of heirarchy as we gamers do! (Don't talk to him! Total soccer player, he'll start on Beckham and you'll never get away...) Okay, ther's the larper, the casual gamer, the grognard, the MMORPGer, the Munchkin, the Roleplayer, the Loons...

Oh, wiat, you mean from the outside looking in? yeah, they have steriotypes of us too.

Have you seen evidence to support this stereotype?

Hmm, you know, When I thought i would never meet the geek who filled all of the steriotypes of gamer-kind, I met phil. Phil relates his day-to day activities from a perspective of d20. "Where are my glasses? Whoops, failed that spot check." etc.

In normal society, gamers are very specialists. we are pale,

Do you fall within this stereotype?

Ahh, I'm an Overt geek / covert roleplayer. I'm tall, relatively handsom, within an acceptable weight and muscle tone standard, and socialy compitent. People don't know I play D&D until I say so, which is good since, once I mention D&D, people begin asking what the hell you do and how you win and whatnot.

Do you admit that you game to non-gamers or strangers?

Yes.. I've done it a few times. Started on this answer a bit early I fear... The result is allways the same. Outsiders seem to have no perspective of how a "game" can have no board, and no defined ending point, no way to win. What i've started doing is explaining that D&D is as much a tool for storytellers as it is a game for other's enjoyment.

 

[Kanegrundar]

When you think of the word "gamer," what words/phrases/images come to mind?

RPG's, Video games, and board games

Do you believe there is a stereotype (or multiple stereotypes) of gamers? If so, what is it/are they?

The social outcast instantly pops into mind. Those that have a hard time relating to people that aren't interested in games, fantasy, comics, or sci-fi. Nerds and geeks also some to mind as well. The lonely, fat guy that reeks of cat-piss with greasy hair and the leering eyes that appear whenever a female walks past them is another stereotype.

Have you seen evidence to support this stereotype?

Oh Lord yes. There are many that frequent each of the LGS's that I frequent in this area. Most of them are your typical geek. They enjoy gaming and talking about gaming, many are insterested in sci-fi, comics, or fantasy, and are ususally intelligent. However, a few are the sort of social train-wrecks that litter horror-story threads on gaming sites all over the net. They don't bathe regularly, are rude to anyone that doesn't share their view-point, are either rude or just plain creepy to women, and are usually overwieght. All they care about is their interests and have a hard time relating to anyone any other level. Like I said, these types are rare, but they are out there.

Do you fall within this stereotype?

Likely yes, as far as the geek stereotype goes. I have no problems in socializing with others that aren't interested in gaming, however, as most of my friends aren't insterested in such things. If anything, I have a harder time fitting in with other gamers, as gaming isn't my sole interest and I don't really like to talk about it all the time. Aside from message boards and the occasional conversation at an LGS, I don't really talk about gaming with others most of the time. They aren't interested, and there are plenty of other things to talk about.

Do you admit that you game to non-gamers or strangers?

Yep. I don't care what pre-conceived notions they put on me. If they have questions, I'll answer them. If they want to try out a game, I'll happily set one up for them. Beyond that, it usually a mention that I play, if it comes up in the normal flow of conversation. I'm not going out of my way to tell everyone I meet that I game. That would just be silly.

 

[freebfrost]

Xath - are you going to publish your results here once you're done?




librarius, please see "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns."

 

[librarius_arcana]

Xath - are you going to publish your results here once you're done?

I would be interested in seeing this also,

 

[Xath]

*bump*

Sure. I'll post my final paper once I turn it in. But I won't be quite sure what the thesis of my paper is until I get some more results. I don't really want to put out my ideas yet, as I don't want to influence the results of the polls. But after it's over, I"ll be happy to share my research.