What makes gamers special?

[Ryme]

Frankly, I reckon a lot of it is to do with how frequently gamers will visit a forum compared to others. Echo chambers form, dissent is discouraged and bam you have your culture/counter-culture hate war.

[unbound]

What is it that makes people who plays lots of video games and then post about playing those games on various fora so intelligent/rational/logical/etc. compared to the rest of the world? For instance, whereas the mainstream media and government is completely silent on the on the topic of SJWs, BLM reverse-racism, and Feminazi Third Reich--err I mean Third Wave(), various gaming circles have risen up to protest against the regressive left by posting a ton of articles about them, talking about them endlessly to other occupants of such fora and finding that most people agree with each other, then posting talking about them more.

I don't envy the paranoid, twisted world you live in.

You might want to join reality. It is really cool with lots of shades of grey and even colors and textures. Much more fun than a black-and-white world filled with straw man demons.

[Faenskap]

It is a marketing term. I have always hated the label.

Gamers are people who buy games and who buy into the made-up lifestyle that adviertisers would like you to live.

To sell their product.

I have never called myself a "Gamer" since it feels insulting. I am someone who enjoys Video Games.

Yes, same. I play WoW and BF3, and I've played other games previously, but I don't really consider myself a gamer. I don't live and breathe games. Games are fun for entertainment, to relax, to kill time, but games don't define me. For instance, I don't have games on my phones and my world didn't end when I didn't get a ticket to the last Blizzcon.

- - - Updated - - -

But what is a "gamer"?

People that play the entire day?
People that play games professionally?
People that play games a couple of hours a week if they have time to spare?

Exactly. "Gamers" are too diverse and can't be lumped in to one category.

[Mars_Trueskills]

Nothing is special about gamers compared to other people, what makes you think there is?

[ItachiZaku]

I don't think those issues you mention are issues at all, just shit made up my internet scum since they usually can't speak intelligently on the real topics.

[Eazy]

Probably an extra chromosome

I lol'd.

Nothing is special about gamers compared to other people, what makes you think there is?

Science and studies:

http://www.sciencealert.com/the-brai...ly-study-finds

http://www.versiondaily.com/science-...an-non-gamers/

http://www.lifehack.org/355507/scien...re-intelligent

http://www.iflscience.com/brain/expe...r-counterparts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...on-t-play.html

Keep in mind - when you're playing you're using your brain MORE than people who are watching TV. Also there are plenty of examples where people learned a language through playing a game(not a hole language, but just to have a simple talk with someone).

Well, all what I'm saying is that your brain is functioning probably much better when you're playing than when you're sitting and watching TV. Gamers are usually people who spend much time on the computer and that gives their advantage... (better uderstanding how "Internet works", what to do on computers etc.)

[Raelbo]

What is it that makes people who plays lots of video games and then post about playing those games on various fora so intelligent/rational/logical/etc. compared to the rest of the world? For instance, whereas the mainstream media and government is completely silent on the on the topic of SJWs, BLM reverse-racism, and Feminazi Third Reich--err I mean Third Wave(), various gaming circles have risen up to protest against the regressive left by posting a ton of articles about them, talking about them endlessly to other occupants of such fora and finding that most people agree with each other, then posting talking about them more.

Gamers are more internet-literate than most other people, and they start out young. Thus what you have is a lot of young teens posting to the internet while they still know everything.

[Rudkobing]

Their ability to float?

[Danner]

What is it that makes people who plays lots of video games and then post about playing those games on various fora so intelligent/rational/logical/etc. compared to the rest of the world? For instance, whereas the mainstream media and government is completely silent on the on the topic of SJWs, BLM reverse-racism, and Feminazi Third Reich--err I mean Third Wave(), various gaming circles have risen up to protest against the regressive left by posting a ton of articles about them, talking about them endlessly to other occupants of such fora and finding that most people agree with each other, then posting talking about them more. What is it about holding a mouse in your hand and clicking to shoot a gun or cast a spell that allows one to transcend the common illiberal mindset?

You are mixing up a few unrelated issues here IMO.

Why are gamers more intelligent?
We are? I'm not sure. Maybe if you compare us with loonies on the internet, but I suspect most anyone comes out favourably there.
There is a large correlation between intelligence and the ability to focus exclusively on a topic for a prolonged length of time - call it the nerd gene if you like. And there is a large correlation between gamers and nerds. I'm not willing to outright claim a correlation between gaming and intelligence though. It's a matter of related fields of interest IMO.

Why are gamers more rational/logical?
I do not believe so. Maybe if you compare us to loonies on the internet, but again, most anyone comes out favourably there.

... compared to the rest of the world?
On average, everyone speaks chinese and lives in a rural countryside village with no plumbing, in deep part India. It's not that hard to get ahead of that average.
Obviously someone spending their day online will have a wider range of exposure than someone who doesn't. I'm not sure this is particularly useful an argument.

Media is silent on topics gamers are rising up against
While this is true to some aspect, this is not universally true. Today, there was an awesome letter to the editor, published on the front page on the online edition of a major norwegian newspaper, where a feminist were criticizing her fellow feminists for closing their eyes to real women problems like forced marriages and "honor killings" in favour of complacently focusing on first world problems like whether or not their letter to the editor had a polite comment field. Another newspaper is discussing on chief editor space whether or not the authoritarian left has pushed out the liberals on the feminist arena, with examples of this happening, and whether this means feminism is too close-minded to be useful anymore. The critique is there, and the debate is ongoing outside of gamer circles. You just won't find it in the Mary Sue.

This is really unrelated to gamers, really. The culture war between gamers and the activist media just happened to become a thing for many reasons, my personal feeling is that the biggest one being nerds having a bone-marrow reflex to defend each others against political factions seeking to capitalize on hating nerds. I also believe the entire culture war is about as ineffective as it could be in solving any problems, by both sides. It's mostly kept alive by people who relish in controversy at this point. Move on, find a gaming news outlet that doesn't openly despise your being, and let the world sort itself out that way. And if you ever figure out how to make hating nerds not something the cool kids do, I'm all ears.

What is it about holding a mouse in your hand and clicking to shoot a gun or cast a spell that allows one to transcend the common illiberal mindset?

Now this is the most interesting question - I think there is no real relation between the two. I do not believe there is a common illiberal mindset. I think it is a matter of perspective and experience - and usually, a lack of insight. Humans are conflicted animals; we like to be free of chains, but we also need others to survive. That's the framework that forms our authoritarian/liberal mindset. But, this is not really something most people really reflect much about, and notably, it has usually very little to do with changing the world. It's a reason why left/right is way more important in politics than liberal/authoritarian.

So....
Ask a politician today if they favour free speech. They will all enthusiastically agree, claiming it to be a pillar of democracy. It's a value worth fighting for. They will hail free speech. I do not doubt they all mean every single word of what they just said.

But if you instead ask the same politician if they want to silence online harassers, and almost all of them will enthusiastically agree this is a problem needing solving, and form suggestions on how to limit and restrict free speech, often in ways that go wide and beyond removing malicious intended messages.

Consistency is hard. And face it, most politicians really lack the self-insight to see the consequences of their suggestions. A former norwegian foreign minister once went onto Al-Jazeera and formally apologized to the middle east that everyone could say what they wanted in Norway, as if it was a bad thing. This was in relation to the carricature debacle, but he didn't understand what he was really saying. Now he's the opposition leader in Norway. I could never vote for him due to this critical lack of insight. But he is not alone. Just about anyone of our politicians could have done the same.

Why are gamers 'better' than politicians here? We're just people with a slightly different perspective, I think. I do not think our ideals are all that different from everyone else when it comes down to it. Maybe it's the lack of social accountability online that is allowing people to speak their real minds. You see this go both ways.

[docterfreeze]

It's cause we sit in front of the biggest source of information in the world every day, and we have time to alt tab, unlike a desk job.

In gaming specifically, I think most games we play take more cognitive power than most minimum wage jobs.

[Hawgwash]

I don't envy the paranoid, twisted world you live in.

You might want to join reality. It is really cool with lots of shades of grey and even colors and textures. Much more fun than a black-and-white world filled with straw man demons.

Would that it were true. As it stands, it's quite black and white. There is the side of science and facts and then there is the side of feelings and faith. I'd love a world where the discourse wasn't polluted by extremists. The full spectrum of common sense political views should be debated and discussed, from somewhat liberal atheism all the way to moderately conservative atheism. Sadly that is not currently possible with the authoritarian left in power.

[Vizardlorde]

I prefer to be called an escapist i only play Rpgs to escape from a life that I dread.

[Kaganfindel]

Believing that you're somehow better than those people over there because you like the acoustics in your echo chamber better than in theirs is dangerous folly.

[Girrag]

Nothing. I mean literally nothing.

[Malachi256]

Pretty sure the OP just demonstrates that many gamers are good at self-gratification...

[Gutler]

Hmmm what makes gamers S.P.E.C.I.A.L that would have to be Strength Perception Endurance Charisma Intelligence Agility and Luck

[Afrospinach]

Post your own theories, and most of all have fun.

My theory is there is absolutely nothing special about gamers at all.

Hmmm what makes gamers S.P.E.C.I.A.L that would have to be Strength Perception Endurance Charisma Intelligence Agility and Luck

I stand corrected.

[hrugner]

Supposedly, completing mental rotation, pattern recognition and rapid identification tasks all help increase intelligence. I'm not sure how well mental training is doing right now, I know many researchers thought it looked suspicious. But, assuming it works, gamers sit around training their brain to be good at a large chunk of the skills used in intelligence testing.

I looked around for awhile. I can find results with a small increase from brain training, a huge increase from brain training, and that's pretty much it. Apparently it's great therapy for old people and people with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Or we just all come to the same sites, see the same news and argue about the same stuff. It could go either way.

[Gib Lover]

Conversely, what makes "gamers" sperglords of the highest caliber? Like XangXu, I don't want to be called a gamer, and I don't relate to "gamer" culture even though I play probably 8-9 hours of games a day. I don't want to be a part of some douchey facebook group that talks about how EPIC, SIMPLY EPIC some shitty sweater is that says "I AM A GAMER, NOT BECAUSE I HAVE ONE LIFE BUT BECAUSE I CHOOSE TO HAVE MANY."
Doritos and mountain dew, cringy WoW sweaters that have stats printed on the front of them, I want no part of any of it.

More on topic, "gamers" spend more time on the internet, so they can actually do research about the topics you are bringing up and don't believe things at face value and sometimes actually look things up.

[Afrospinach]

Or we just all come to the same sites, see the same news and argue about the same stuff. It could go either way.

Circle jerking echo chamber phenomenon. Rest assured, this happens almost everywhere, especially where you have militant and insufferable know-it-alls who believe in their opinions absolutely, particularly if the topic is politics, what will happen is that group will drive everyone else away while sucking each other off vehemently. That about sum up the state of "liberal" mmo champion? I think so. It is also why I tend to stay out of the political discussion among other reasons.

Doesn't have to be politics though, go on evom forums as a "stance" fan and you will be laughed out the door, though they tend to be a little more metered than what I have seen here. Either way, unpopular opinions are tough in established communities so why would any of those people stick around exactly?

Again, NONE of this is special, it is just gamers and their peoples doing exactly what everyone else everywhere else is doing. Self describing as above average in intelligence is also par for the course, go figure.