How would you define the term "gamer"?

A person who considers gamer to be part of his personality,obsessed with games,likes to read,talk,think,fantasize,and even dream of games.

And ofcourse playing them,all genres ofcourse.

I define it as one who enjoys playing games whether it's on a console, pc or handheld. I don't count smartphones as gaming material.

A person who plays many different types of games and keeps their finger on the pulse on the gaming world.

For instance i'll use my brothers as an example, they can only seem to enjoy Call of Duty and the sports franchises from EA. That it. seriously, nothing else. They can't sit down to more then 3 minutes of exposition before turning off the console.

Where as i got well over 100 games between primarily 3 platforms (PS3, PC, PSP), I hit on the game websites like Gamespot, Gametrailers, and IGN each day just to see if there is any new news going on in the world of gaming. I even sat down and listed off my profile with all the games within my current possession.

So yes, i would definently call myself a gamer, my brothers not so much.

On the flipside however, my brothers play Rugby and Soccer every other day, and they have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to the events in international soccer, they know whats going on in the NHL, NFL and in major league baseball. I do not, occasionally i'll play and watch a game, and i do root for certain teams, but that is the extent of my interest in the world of sports.

My brothers are sports nuts especially in Soccer, Hockey and Rugby. I only have some interest in soccer and hockey.

Now if we are talking about just a vague definition of gamer, then everyone is a gamer. Just as everyone is a movie fan. But i doubt the people who vote on who wins the Oscars thinks the same thing as the people in love with the Twilight film series.

Now i've heard people say "this is counter productive, why do gamers do this, of seperating who is 'real' and who is not" and my response is simple. Even in other mediums whether conciously or not. Be it sports, politics, religion, school, film, books, comics, etc.

We are all doing this.

On the positive note though, i think it's a testament of gaming culture, being so vocal within itself that people even complain about seperating "real gamer" and "not real gamer". I wouldn't think film critics or book reviewers would even think about that when thinking of their 'lesser' versions of themselves.

It's all been said for three pages, but yeah. A gamer is anyone who plays games, and is "into it". Amount of playing time has nothing do with it. The amount of different genres one is into has nothing do with it either. For example: Someone who plays a Facebook game for 10min a week to kill some time, not a gamer. Someone else who plays that same stupid Facebook game but get's really into it, can be considered a gamer...kinda. It has a lot to do with getting into the culture too.

Also, I thought it was kind of funny how a lot of people said playing several hours a day, everyday, makes a gamer. Then you look at the "How many hours do you play games" thread, and most of the responses say 1-2 hours a day, if any. XD