Are you considered a geek because you're a hardcore gamer?

[Rollo]

Are you considered a dork/geek/nerd because you love gaming so much and own a lot of stuff? No-one really thinks of me like that, mainly because most of my friends (even girls) come to mine on the weekend, and we just play multiplayer games like Mario Kart.

But I'm sure if I told my friends that I post on message boards and tell them I know how much each game sold, they would start calling me those names.

[Keith]

My girlfriend thinks so, but it's mainly the forum side of it (part of that being the whole "Yeah, I'm going on holiday with these people from this forum" thing)...now that I think about it, other people might think so too, but I don't care

The fact that I only got two Christmas cards this year, and they were both from fellow forumites has got me a bit concerned though

[Max M]

For some reason my sister seemed to think it was odd that I owned more than one current console and imported games from Japan, but then, she watches Robot Wars, so she's a fine one to talk.

[pohleonguk]

People here think ur a geek if you own more than 1 console I think they just tease but I dont think its really geeky at all, they probably wish they cud own all 3 major consoles :P. I have a friend who took a week off college when CS for xbox came out. We find that kinda geeky though, its like putting your life on hold for a game....thats going a bit far right? But playing games and buying from Japan and stuff aint geeky at all I think.

[Mayhem]

Yes. Not really even for being "hardcore". Just because I actually set aside time to play games, whereas a lot of people I know play games to kill time before doing something else...

[Solid_snake]

Nope nobody called me a nerd or something.
Most of my mates don't play games and so i don't talk much about them really.

If i want to talk about games, i will talk about it on forums, MSN, ICQ and other stuff!

[Corbo]

None of my friends are 'geeks' really and i don't think i'm considered one.They say i'm wierd for not owning a PS2...and not my people my age own a supergun and a MVS board either.And they wonder why i import JPN games as well..."you can't even read it".....

None of my friends really play games other than Fifa,MOH etc so i rarely talk about them tbh.

I'm just considered wierd

[Yakumo]

My wife says I'm a maniac or OTAKU in her words. OK, so I love games and own about 180 original Dreamcast titles as well as Saturn and Mega CD but I concider it a hobby. It's not like I don't go out or anything. She also thinks I love the PC (because I'm always on forums in my spare time) more than her Oh well...

Yakumo

[yashiro]

Yes, I'd say all members of this site are geeks by some definition.

If you're happy in what you do, who cares what others think?
Life's too short to worry about pointless labels.

[Sketcz]

Im a serious gamer and collector, and frankly I dont give a damn what people label me as. Hell, I revel in my geekness.

Gaming is what I do, I set aside time for it, I spend the majority of my time either playing, trading, discussing or thinking about games, Ive even taken days off school to purchase games on day of release and then play them. I took a day off work when my modded XBOX arrived in the post.

To be honest, if anyone mocks me about my gaming habits, I feel good, it reinforces my views.

If you like gaming, never allow anyone to destroy your love of something because they dont understand it. Be a serious-obsessive gamer, because if it gives YOU a buzz, thats all that really matters, life is tough enough as it is, without being ashamed of what you love. I say wear it on your sleeve with pride!

Do you think avante guarde french artists honestly give a damn when people mock them for loving art, and acting slightly poncy and camp? No, because they drink wine all day with their artist friends, are surounded by naked woman, and enjoy being totally eccentric and nuts revelling in their own little niche social group.

On a side note, no-one I knew where I lived was as serious a gamer as me, none of friends played, so I never really brought it up.
The only thing we had in common was the appreciation of cheap home made wines.

I make no bones about myself, I am teh ubber game-geek, and I love it.

"Now quick! Some one fetch me some boiled egg and a prune juice! Nnnher!"

[Brats]

I'm a geek and proud of it. You all remember what Jesus said:

"The Geeks shall inherit the Earth!"

[charlesr]

I regularly meetup with friends to play games and stuff. Probably more than loads of other people that sit at home every night watching eastenders. I see our hobby as being far more social than say going to the cinema where you just sit there in silence. You might as well be on your own. Yet film going is a national passtime. The fact that I have more than one console under my TV is probably what alerts people to the fact that I am a geek. I mean, it's not natural is it?

[Sketcz]

I thought it was

Blessed are the geek(s)

EDIT: regarding what charlesr said about the cinema, its not very sociable is it?
Like when you take a pretty girl to the cinema for the first time. Youve just started dating, so what do you do? Take her to a big room surrounded by people, and sit in the dark for 2 hours.

[Ish]

Yes, but there's more to it than the gaming:

1) I develop computer software for a living (and do tend to get quite excited about techie bits and bobs)
2) The gaming... on PC and console
3) When I'm not in the office or gaming I tend to be.... coding... on little projects of my own.

Of course I also visit the gym typically 4 days a week, rock climb and alpine climb when I can, and mountain bike at weekends every now and then. None of which I'd lump in as 'typical' geek activities... but that seems to get forgotten by people.

Oh well. I don't give a damn what people think to be honest .

[JU!]

I get called otaku by my mates at uni n they don't understand y i buy Japanese games.