I consider myself a gamer, though perhaps some out there would not. I have colleagues that pre-order, pick up the game upon release and have it mostly beaten by the weekend. I digest things a bit slower. I don’t usually get to a game until it’s been out for about a year–though being so far behind the gaming community, there’s always a steady stream of old content to wade through–then I grab a pre-owned copy and play it at my leisure. If I’m not enjoying a game then I stop playing it. If it’s a good game I probably play it over again and study it and obsess over it’s details, narrative, and production process.

As you can imagine, this methodology does hold me back somewhat in videogame conversations, specifically when talking to friends who write about the latest games for a living, but when we do talk about older games, I certainly know my shit.

Now where does this put me on the harcore gamer scale? I’m not sure, nor do I really care. In my self identification, I think I’m a “real” gamer and even aspire to be a videogame scholar (I know, Nerd Level: Expert). But people define this identifier in many ways. There are many who will judge you for your lack of FPS skills. Other’s won’t call you a “harcore” gamer if you don’t play RPGs. Then there’s the much belittled “casual gamer” label, which a significant bit of “serious” gamers reject all together.

The community has gone from this outcast group of close-knit kids, excitedly “in the know,” to a global society with a full blown system of hierarchy. The sense of elitism is strong among some. Perhaps it’s a reaction to the explosion of videogame popularity and accessibility, an attempt to maintain an underground feeling. Maybe people just want to feel special. Whatever the motives, such sentiments maintain this us vs them mentality which claims that there is a distinction between “real” games and inconsequential titles, and therefore that there are “real” gamers and the rest are just n00bs and posers.

This view stunts the potential of videogames. Moving beyond obscurity and being relegated to hobbyists, videogames have become a well established form of entertainment and the latest, new art platform since the invention of film around the start of the 20th century. And they have already followed a pattern similar to the first introduction of film, starting as a novelty and becoming commercially successful then a societal staple before being recognized as culturally enduring artifacts. New art mediums gradually become so prevalent throughout our culture that they stop being just for the elite and are produced for the masses in great variety and diversity. Just as there are good films, bad films, fluff films, and art films, there is a videogame for every audience.

It is strange that just when games are gaining legitimacy apart from being mere toys, gamers reject the world’s acceptance. The debate over whether casual gamers should be considered gamers seems a bit irrelevant today. It is no longer a matter of being a gamer or not being a gamer. We are now defined by the type of videogame player you are and which niche of gaming culture you follow. For how can one definition be used to describe such a diverse community?