Yes, I am a Gamer

There has been some good amount of debate between me and my friends about whether or not I am a gamer. The fact is, I love games. I may not study each game I play down to its most microscopic minutia, and no I don't game for 10 hours a day as I am a working single mom and I have other things that, sadly, I must prioritize above gaming. However, I do collect games and I follow several different franchises. I do love to read gaming news and talk about the latest and greatest developments and plot twists. I do play about 2 hours a day, minimum, and more when I can sneak it in. I do love board games, RPGs, and all types of gaming.

But, apparently, I am not a true gamer because I rarely ever complete a game. And futhermore, you better believe I'm not going to play a game twice.

Now there are a rare few that I can claim a victorious defeat over. Dragon Age, Resident Evil, Bioshock, Streets of Rage and Ms. Pac Man. Each of those games tremble at my name, for I have completed them and felt glorious as I had done so. But honestly, I feel little satisfaction upon a game's completion. In fact, I moreoften feel let down. I mean, all that time and effort, the addiction to the story and characters and now it's gone? That's no fun. That's not a reward. Hell, the Bioshock ending wasn't even cool (none of them were, actually, as I went ahead and checked youtube for the alternate endings). I enjoy the games I play immensely. Then I get distracted, start another game, and go right back to the one again. At any given time I am most likely in the midst of no less than 10 games. Sure, there's one I'm playing more regularly (as listed in the Braaainn section of my blog here), but really I'm always halfway through several and bouncing around as the need and the situation arises.

Does this make me less of a gamer? What about the fact that I enjoy watching someone play a great story as much as I take pleasure in playing it myself? Many nights have been spent at my best friend's house, watching her play Bioshock, Resident Evil 4, or Dragon Age on her own. They are single player games, but I still feel like part of the action. The games engage me, and I have a spectacular time. And then we find ourselves at Starbucks on later days, talking about these games. Am I not a gamer if I talk about the games I play all the time?

You may mock me for finding Portal too challenging to complete. Doesn't bother me, I watched someone play it through to the end. You may tease me for failing at pretty much anything first person shooter. But the fact is I adore Zelda, Zombies, Alistair, and Sora - just to name a few - and call me what you will, but I truly believe I'm a gamer at heart.

Food for thought: How do you really feel after you beat a game?