Call of Duty Players 'Aren't Hardcore Gamers' - Says Infinity Ward

[Ebonheart]

Was playing COD: Black Ops 2(yes I do play COD, but its probably once in a blue moon) and I came across this guy in my lobby who had over 1000+ hours spent in the game that came out like last November.

This is a nice article that I came across recently.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/10/2...-infinity-ward

This isn't to poke fun, or to call them out on it, its just a thing that I've always thought about since Modern Warfare 2 came out. I mean I can't really recall any other franchise that is so despised yet so popular among folks. Modern Warfare pretty much revolutioned a dead genre. All the recent FPS games that have come out since then have tried to either copy or take a bit from the game.

But that really does say a lot and is quite a bold statement to make. A "gamer" tag is like a badge of honour. Most gamers wear it proud. Others prefer to hide their hobby for fear of being ridiculed or look down on, but this statement does hold true.

I mean how many folks have probably never played any kind of video game but have played any one of the COD games. I am not afraid to admit, but Modern Warfare got me into "hardcore" gaming. Sure I played games before, but this was the series that really opened a whole culture for me.

But the person is right in saying it cause often times the only game most people play through out the year is a COD game.

[Mad_Murdock]

Well, it's a bit odd to say people who play Call of Duty aren't even gamers. I'm not sure what the measuring stick is, if that's the case. I semi went along with people who place Facebook games or SIMs as not being gamers, but not sure how they can scratch off CoD players.

[Shinzai]

I kind of understand what they're getting at, but it is a bit of a silly analogy that will just cause people to flip tables for no reason.

[Edge-]

Well, it's a bit odd to say people who play Call of Duty aren't even gamers. I'm not sure what the measuring stick is, if that's the case. I semi went along with people who place Facebook games or SIMs as not being gamers, but not sure how they can scratch off CoD players.

They're "not gamers" in the sense that all they play is CoD, or another "non-gamer" franchise like Halo or Madden. I'm not saying gamers don't also play these franchises, but they're also franchises that are home to people who have zero interest in gaming outside of their specific franchise. They're the frat bros who will sit down for a night of CoD and beer, but the next day make fun of the nerd who loads up Final Fantasy or Street Fighter. They have no appreciation of the broader gaming world and no desire to explore it or be a part of it.

[Zonas]

They're "not gamers" in the sense that all they play is CoD, or another "non-gamer" franchise like Halo or Madden. I'm not saying gamers don't also play these franchises, but they're also franchises that are home to people who have zero interest in gaming outside of their specific franchise. They're the frat bros who will sit down for a night of CoD and beer, but the next day make fun of the nerd who loads up Final Fantasy or Street Fighter. They have no appreciation of the broader gaming world and no desire to explore it or be a part of it.

Eh, I never liked the term "gamer" anyway. Just a pointless way of giving people a title to call themselves.

Sure, I play video games, on and offline, as well as look up the latest game/hardware that might interest me, but I don't think there needs to be a term for it.

You wouldn't call somone who likes sports a Sporter, (maybe a specific name for a certain team, but that's closer to a fandom)
And hell, the idea of a "gamer" is such a broad stroke, it's utterly nonsense to try to make sense of it. I think the term should have died off when the idea of playing video games left the picture of cliche nerd wearing pocket-protectors and glasses that are taped in the middle.

[Rixis]

A thousand hours in a year (oops, derped, typed month >.>) is less than 3 hours a day. If time played is what makes you hardcore, then that guy's got nothing

[Edge-]

Eh, I never liked the term "gamer" anyway. Just a pointless way of giving people a title to call themselves.

Sure, I play video games, on and offline, as well as look up the latest game/hardware that might interest me, but I don't think there needs to be a term for it.

You wouldn't call somone who likes sports a Sporter, (maybe a specific name for a certain team, but that's closer to a fandom)
And hell, the idea of a "gamer" is such a broad stroke, it's utterly nonsense to try to make sense of it. I think the term should have died off when the idea of playing video games left the picture of cliche nerd wearing pocket-protectors and glasses that are taped in the middle.

Gaming enthusiast. Hobbyist gamer. You can call it whatever you want, but there is absolutely a section of those who play video games that appreciate gaming as a whole, who care about the games they play and those that make them.

It's the same kind of difference between a cinema fan who will go watch all kinds of movies and has a true appreciation for them, and someone who occasionally goes and sees a few summer blockbusters a year.

[Rixis]

You wouldn't call somone who likes sports a Sporter

People that partake in sports quite often are referred to as being sporty.

[unholytestament]

Eh, I never liked the term "gamer" anyway. Just a pointless way of giving people a title to call themselves.

Sure, I play video games, on and offline, as well as look up the latest game/hardware that might interest me, but I don't think there needs to be a term for it.

You wouldn't call somone who likes sports a Sporter, (maybe a specific name for a certain team, but that's closer to a fandom)
And hell, the idea of a "gamer" is such a broad stroke, it's utterly nonsense to try to make sense of it. I think the term should have died off when the idea of playing video games left the picture of cliche nerd wearing pocket-protectors and glasses that are taped in the middle.

You would call them sports fans. And there exist many sports fans who judge each other on the depths of their devotion and will get into physical altercations over devotion to different teams/athletes.

And it isn't exactly uncommon for it to border on religion for many sports fans...

[Rixis]

Is the pocket protector and taped glasses thing an American stereotype of gamers? I've been "inside" the circle of playing games since I was around 6, so I've never looked at it from the outside, but nobody I knew who played games fit any particular stereotype, nor did I know of anyone being mocked in a "specific" way. Hell, if you didn't tell people, they didn't know most of the time.

[Aleksej89]

A gamer is a person who's preferred method of entertainment is playing video games - perhaps even what he spends the majority of his free time on.

Playing a single video game once a week is NOT a gamer - just like playing a single match of tennis per week does NOT make you a sportsman.

I have played a lot of CoD titles but, compared to other FPS games, CoD is just way too unrealistic/absurd in terms of weapon handling/accuracy.

It is an "arcade" shooter, meaning it has really simplified rules and limitations so you can "hop in and shoot some fun" instead of actually having tactics and relying on your team and helping with teamwork and having deep knowledge of game mechanics...

That does not mean CoD is bad... but it is just very very simplified, to the point where it starts being extremely repetitive...

[Zonas]

Gaming enthusiast. Hobbyist gamer. You can call it whatever you want, but there is absolutely a section of those who play video games that appreciate gaming as a whole, who care about the games they play and those that make them.

It's the same kind of difference between a cinema fan who will go watch all kinds of movies and has a true appreciation for them, and someone who occasionally goes and sees a few summer blockbusters a year.

Then you'd just call that person someone who enjoys movies, much like you'd call a "gamer" someone who enjoys video games. I think there's a basic enough difference between someone who enjoys X game and someone who enjoys video games as a whole.

Iono, maybe it's just a personal problem with me, but it just sounds too pretentious.

[unholytestament]

Is the pocket protector and taped glasses thing an American stereotype of gamers? I've been "inside" the circle of playing games since I was around 6, so I've never looked at it from the outside, but nobody I knew who played games fit any particular stereotype, nor did I know of anyone being mocked in a "specific" way. Hell, if you didn't tell people, they didn't know most of the time.

It's an ancient stereotype that's older than I am and I thought had died out by the time Family Matters and Saved By The Bell stopped being a thing.

[Rixis]

Still, aside from a few American TV shows (saved by the bell, as referenced, possibly back to the future?), it's not something I've ever come across.

[Migey]

You can be a hardcore CoD player, but saying that someone who exclusively plays CoD (and other massive mainstream franchises) is a hardcore gamer is like saying that someone who eats out exclusively at MacDonalds and Burger King is a food connoisseur. I don't hate hardcore CoD gamers, but I dislike it when they claim to be hardcore gamers in general. Ultimately it's all lines in the sand though, and I don't think anyone really cares that much.

[Sj]

I don't watch soccer, hockey, or baseball. Does that mean I'm not a sports fan, even though I watch football (American) and basketball? That's what this article stinks of. Just because someone only plays a certain type of game doesn't mean they aren't a gamer.

[Rennadrel]

CoD fanboys have always been viewed by many other gamer's as being casuals. The reason being that they don't play a lot of other types of games or genres and tend to treat anything that isn't CoD like it's garbage. Not to mention the fact that CoD is about as average as far as shooters go and the idea of a competitive scene among the games players is a laughable idea considering how cheese some elements of the game are, it just can't be taken seriously. I mean, look at games like Counter Strike which are still going strong competitively despite being old, just goes to show you that graphics don't mean anything.

- - - Updated - - -

I don't watch soccer, hockey, or baseball. Does that mean I'm not a sports fan, even though I watch football (American) and basketball? That's what this article stinks of. Just because someone only plays a certain type of game doesn't mean they aren't a gamer.

The point of the article is that CoD fans aren't hardcore gamer's. Hardcore gamer's play and appreciate a multitude of genres and franchises, and they aren't blinded by stupid ignorance either. CoD fanboys are much like Halo fanboys, they are ignorant blind sheep who think that what they like is the cats ass and that everything else is pure garbage.

[rayden54]

People that partake in sports quite often are referred to as being sporty.

I thought "sporty" had more to do with appearance.

Frankly I tend to define "hardcore gamer" (at least in terms of computer games) as someone who's willing to drop a bunch of money on a "gaming" computer they don't need for anything else.

[skatblast]

This is pretty obvious.

[Mad_Murdock]

You can be a hardcore CoD player, but saying that someone who exclusively plays CoD (and other massive mainstream franchises) is a hardcore gamer is like saying that someone who eats out exclusively at MacDonalds and Burger King is a food connoisseur. .

I personally think that's nonsense. They only play 1 video game, they don't count as a gamer ?!? When did that new rule come out ? So what's the number of different games I'm required to play to be considered "a gamer" ? 5- 10- 20 a year? I consider that about the same as saying "he only players Professional basketball" so he's not an athlete

Guess I lost my Gamer title, since I've pretty much only play WoW, though my Wife is apparently now a hard core gamer, She played RIFT, WOW, Guild Wars and Skyrim in that time. Forgetting of course she's terrible at them and she plays 1/3 has much as I do.