I wrote this story myself.
How It Feels to Be Gamer Me, by Benjamin Rush
I am a gamer, but I offer nothing to the world of gaming except for the money that I give to companies for games and the occasional clips of games that I record and share to my friends.
I remember the very day that I became a gamer. It was my 10th birthday and I got an Xbox 360. I was so excited, I had wanted one for a long time and couldn’t wait to set it up. Before the Xbox, I had a DS. I played Mario kart, Mario, and other games on it. The Xbox opened a whole new world for me, that I had previously not known. Games might seem like a mysterious world for some, but for me, it was a whole new intriguing world.
I am not an addicted gamer however. There is no real definite line between addiction obsession, and hobby, but I believe that it is just a hobby for me. Some might view it as an obsession, but I still make time for homework, studying, and time with my family and friends.
I am not the noob that I started off to be, but rather an intermediate video game player. Someone is always at my elbow, reminding me that I'm not the amazing gamer that I think I am, or want to be, the someone, or AI, that kills you as you are about to win, as you are about to get that illusive achievement, that you never saw coming, that makes you enraged to the point of wanting to throw your console off the top of a skyscraper. I know that nobody else in the world cares about that extra kill or achievement, but when you're in the middle of the game, captivated, motivated, confident, fearless, it means the world to you.
The position of my skilled opponent is much more difficult. No spectators join an average gamer's livestream. No skilled opponent wants to join an average gamers team, they want to join the team with people of the same, or better level. They want to keep their status as a skilled or pro gamer, and want the people watching them to know that they are good. They can't let an average or noob gamer beat them or let them ruin their game because they're on a team with unskilled gamers.
I do not always feel like a gamer. Even now, I often mess up in the middle of a game that leads to a loss, but I feel most like a gamer when I am surrounded by other gamers.
Those who watch videos of other gamers, and never play the games themselves, cannot call themselves gamers. You also cannot only play 1 or 2 games and call yourself a true gamer. It would be a hobby, not a love and fascination for games that all true gamers have.
The group of friends you have around you while play video games makes the biggest impact. If you surround yourself with other gamers, you have a lot more fun than you would by yourself. You learn tips and tricks that you wouldn’t have known before, and you tell others your tips and tricks. You become a better gamer yourself if you surround yourself with others. The people you surround yourself with also determine how you treat others. If they treat other gamers badly, you probably will too. If they are nice to others, you will probably be nice to others also. If you play games by yourself, you probably won't learn the game as fast, and won't be as good as you want to be, but if you're in a group, you'll have a lot more fun while doing it and learn a lot faster. The internet has progressed so much that it is so easy to make new friends online. You can join a game lobby with a mic and headset and can talk to people from around the world.
At certain times, I am not a gamer, I am myself. When I am in class, watching tv, and playing sports, I am not a gamer, I am a regular human. I don’t always have to be playing games and I don’t only have friends online. It is important to also talk to people in real life, not just over a mic.
Sometimes I feel stereotyped for being a gamer. I feel like some people think of gamers as people who spend all day doing nothing except looking at a screen, wasting their life away. Someone who has no life, no friends, and doesn’t like to talk to people. But that stereotype is wrong in so many ways. I have friends in real life, but also online, I have friends that are both in real life, and play games online. I do have a life, I play a sport, go to school, go out, and have fun. I don’t feel like gaming is a waste of your time. If you are playing games instead of studying or doing homework, then it is a waste of time, but if you do all your homework and get good grades and have a “life” outside of video games, then why not spend your free time playing games with friends? The stereotype of how gamers don’t like to talk to people is also wrong. I talk way more online in an hour then I talk in a typical hour of class. Those who view gamers badly should reconsider the way they look at gamers, and remember, it’s just a game.
