This reminds me of the issue of the terms "comic books" vs. "graphic novels". Like with the term gamer, comic books seem to evoke the stereotype of nerdiness and adolescence, even when the medium has long since transcended those misconceptions (for comic books at least), the public perception hasn't followed suit. Therefore, some people have felt the need to shed the old label of "comic" to "graphic novel", a label that reflects the mediums maturity.

Naturally, some people have taken issue with this proposition. I among them, I think it cheapens the whole thing, to shed a large part of the medium's history seems nothing short of snooty. Take a copy of The Watchman and any comic off the $1 rack, both are still considered "comic books". Much like how Schindler's List and Meet the Spartans are both considered "movies". It's not the term that defines the quality, far from it.

Of course, this argument isn't directly applicable necessarily. Firstly, my argument references the medium itself, while this discussion seems relegated to the terminology of those who *consume* that said medium (and I'd like to point out, like how there's no "tuber" term, there's also no term for comic book reader). And secondly, modern gaming, sadly, hasn't transcended into something beyond, not in the way movies, comics, novels, or any other established artforms have. Though I think that's obviously a whole other discussion.

With all that said though, how do I feel about the term Gamer, surprisingly conflicted actually. I've come to embrace all things geeky, and I feel that "gaming" is a large part of my identity. However, I also feel that the term "gamer" is extraneous, and even alienating. The latter I sometimes prefer, given my elitism, but I know that the medium won't grow if the audience and pool of talent doesn't either.

With that in mind, I initially sided with Wilson's article, and felt it best if the term was abolished. But I realized that I just contradicted my "comic vs. graphic novel" argument. I've since had a change of heart, and I think it's best if we keep the term, and embrace it (more so?). That way, when Gamers *do* mature, and I hope they/we will, the public perception will change along with it.

Certainly no one still thinks D&D players are Satanists right?...

"Of course I play games in my spare time, but I also read books, read comics, skateboard, listen to music, watch movies, spend regular time at the gym. However, I wouldn't call myself a "book reader" or a "television watcher", though I wouldn't reject someone calling me a skater (though, I kind of suck at skating)."

Well I do consider myself a comic geek, a blog junkie, a book reader, a film buff and a gamer. No one descriptor defines me, of course, but they're all accurate labels that distinguish me from people to whom they do not apply.

"Given that more and more people are beginning to embrace games, it’s finally time to dump the anachronistic "gamer" label. We longtime players of games need not feel sad about this change. Opening games to, well, everybody can only result in a wider selection of genres and ideas."

This seems, as N'Gai says, to mistake the symptom for the disease (if you want to use that metaphor). Non-gamers aren't put off by the fact that there is a subculture of gamers. They're put off by the games that gamers usually play.  Wii Sports appeals to non-gamers because it's intuitive. Madden requires you to learn about 20 buttons and countless playbooks, so it only appeals to gamers. If you want to "open up games to, well, everybody", then make and market games for, well, everybody. Don't spend your time fretting about labels.

I think this is the right prescription for the wrong problem. I agree with the notion that it is absurd to blanket-label people who play video games like this just as it would be absurd to blanket-label people who watch TV, but adding some form of nuance to the labels isn't going to change the culture.

If you focus on the idea of just broadening the culture of video gaming, then I think we might be on to something here (and this seems to be the theme of the next Big Idea, of which I'm working through the blog posts at the moment). For most of my life, playing video games has been considered geeky, and to call someone a "gamer" has been more negative than positive in pop culture. Obviously that has been changing in the past several years, but I still get negative reactions from some people when I say that video gaming is one of my big hobbies.

But at the same time, just broadening the term won't broaden the culture. Things like Wii Sports are going to be doing that much more effectively. Once the medium broadens, it's more possible to drop the blanket term. Though isn't that what the idea of dropping the term was all about in the first place?

Yeah, I just got myself stuck.