Rejecting Gamer Identity | Escaping the Hype Machine 

It's also interesting how the excitement for a game often cool down a bit after it's released and people actually can play it.

Ok but if I "reject gamer identitty", can I still keep the suspicious amount of half-naked cartoon ladies on my wall? They are very important to me.

24:40 That's a gamer cat. I can tell because of the games in the background

Some of the best stuff on RU-vid now.

What is a gamer? [flings their Monster Energy Drink aside] A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk!

Man, the older I get, the less I care about what's coming out in the future. There's so many games ALREADY made that I still want to play that I can entertain myself for the rest of time.

Interesting topic. As someone whose mostly stopped buying triple AAA-games, and haven't bought a console in 7-8 years (last one being the 3DS), I somehow feel like less of a gamer. It's also something that probably contributes to issues I have with multiplayer-games(which are boosted by social anxiety) what with me worrying that me playing poorly will destroy everyone else's enjoyment. Just a thought. Anyway, great video as always!

I imagine a lot of those "hardcore" "gamer" "influencers" are just angry that they're out of a job in this time of slow marketing and slow development, since caring about games doesn't earn them their youtube dollars, as much as rumors, trailers, and previews do (or used to). Edit: ..which was one of the points made in the video. Great essay, folks, thanks!

24:35 Reject Gamerity, embrace Jucika.

Nintendo's whole artificial scarcity thing drives me insane, and it's the reason I don't pay any attention to Nintendo anymore. I know I'm very susceptible to FOMO-based marketing, and as a result, I just avoid anyone who does it to help maintain my sanity in this late capitalist hellhole I'm stuck in called the US. And it sucks so much, because Nintendo's games are often a lot of fun. But between their marketing tactics around games, and their stupid little plastic toys with in-game functionality, I just can't deal with anything they put out. The Amiibo are a large part of why I will probably never buy a Switch, just because I know how much that kind of nonsense messes with my head.

Reeeealy liked this video, as a sociology student as well as a guy who called himself "big player" instead of gamer for years, just because of the reputation this term has with non gamers. When you talked about the industrial purpose of creating the "gamer community", it made me realise i started questioning the whole gamer identity thing when i questioned the commercial strings behind my tastes and expectations. Great work, love your angles and subjects ! Big love for you guys

lovely work as always! I think part of the issue here is that companies like - and especially - Nintendo get us when we're young. Instead of being into, say, Disney or Scooby Doo or whatever, a lot of us found Super Mario as kids and that was our chosen thing to obsess over. Nintendo absolutely knows it's got those of us in a certain age demographic by the proverbial balls, and sure enough, fans prove it to them again and again. Nostalgia/childhood memories are a difficult thing to overcome when it comes to critically examining our hobbies, especially if you were fortunate to have a happy childhood. (in my case, memories of playing/watching Mario were some of the small bright spots I had in an otherwise terrible upbringing.) Anything to recapture that feeling of joy, innocence, wonder etc as adults is hard to turn down. Then of course there's the other issues you brought up - the ongoing fight for cultural capital/ being relevant, buying into the hype/commercialism, not participating in conscious consumption, being giant pissbabies about "lack of games" , etc. On their own one or two things is just irresponsible, but combined makes for an entitled audience who needs their consumption otherwise Nintendo etc. will "pay the price". (i'm not putting myself above this btw, I'm just as guilty of this shit as anybody else) long essay aside i just absolutely love your viewpoints and takeaways. You bring a lot of critical, needed thought to the gaming community, such as it is. I always look forward to your vids, even if i don't comment on every one :)

I didn't realize there was lots of Nintendo fans this angry. So much yikes. This is amazing work you did for this video and made great points. I'm remember when I was a young gamer and got into the game hype and even though I bought a bunch of games the high went away after I played them a few times. And I ended up getting anxious having a bunch of games that I never finished. In the end I donated the ones that didn't give me joy to Child's Play. I sometimes feel that same urge when game trailers or Nintendo Direct pops out . It's weird and scary how my body just wants to feel a high from the hype. On the bright side I don't impulse but games anymore And question myself on what is a gamer, which helped a lot. Again amazing video! Looking forward to your next one

Ive kinda grown to dislike game announcements as a whole because of the chaos the internet becomes

How did I live before discovering this channel? You've put into words what I've been thinking for years. Thanks!

In my opinion, "vote with your wallet" is a shallow non-solution that people say to shut up any who are complaining, so they don't have to question their own purchases. Admitting that a business is manipulating it's consumers after you've bought into the hype is indirectly admitting that you "fell for it" so to speak. In reality, the psychologically manipulative practices of big corporations (like artificial scarcity, misleading game advertisements, preorder bonuses, loot boxes/gambling, microtransactions etc.) need to be put into check by more of the world's bigger governments. Some smart countries in Europe are catching on, but the US has little interest in protecting its consu- I mean citizens. Participating in communities and discussing the latest news is very enjoyable, despite being a result of manipulative practices, which is why it is so hard to convince Gamers™ that something needs to be done about it. Tell a typical gamer that the government needs to come in and change their video games and of course they'll all recoil in horror at the idea, but the truth is that it needs to happen.

Good points but I really want to point out how good ya'lls comedy chops have gotten. There were a few times I had to rewind the video cause I was laughing to loudly to hear what you said

Can relate. I'm part of King of Fighters fandom. Almost hilarious that whole 2020, fandom has watched almost every game reveal stream in hopes of a seeing KOFXV trailer, since it was announced to be in development in 2019. Of course there are people who are "There wasn't anything on those streams!" when trailer hasn't showed up... But I guess people are realizing now that "Hey, maybe that COVID has something to do with it" Oh well, at least I've learned of so many interesting games thanks to those streams that I've watched 😄

As a dragon age fan, I actually got more content recently than I had imagined haha It's kind of sad how much consumerism is put as one of the highest ways to engage if games are your hobby... Replayability is wayy more valuable. I think it's important to acknowledge that it's possible lots of the people complaining also just have wayy more time on their hands than they're used to, and are super not used to having to have multiple hobbies. I am disabled and unable to work, and filling my time at first was difficult (in part bc of my disabilities). When my brother was unemployed for months, he really struggled with it. He was constantly bored, bc he was used to having his life consumed by work, and hobbies and other enjoyable things being stuff you have to squeeze in. I wonder how many of them are like him. Capitalism hasn't just fucked then up with consumerism but also with not knowing what to do when you're given more relaxation time

"So here's your problem. You're a gamer!" - LinusTechTips (2020)

Was revisiting this gem of a vid, just wanna say thanks for prompting me to think more critically about hype cycles, I disengaged a lot from being very emotionally invested in the regular cycles of content and I found that I have been able to appreciate the games I already have and look back more often at games that aren’t quite as new to appreciate and play them. An absolutely lovely video!

Wow, this is the content I wish I was smart enough to make. Good job, you earned a sub! I cringe whenever I get referred to as a “gamer,” but I’ve never been able to quite articulate why I felt that way. This video helped sort out a lot of those feelings - I don’t like my identity being so closely tied to what I consume, and I often find the rage and anger from the more “hardcore” crowd to just be silly. But, if you comb through my videos I’m sure I’m guilty of some of things you pointed out in this video. I think a lot of the gaming side of RU-vid is pretty close minded in what “gaming content” can be. I think there’s more interesting ways to cover and think critically about video games and video game culture without solely focusing on the actual consumption aspect. I hope content like this helps shift the discourse.

You definitely picked the best take for my lil cameo there. Slides into the rest of the thing like butter. Does butter slide? I am the butter. It is me. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this. u

amazing video as always! definitely made me re-examine a lot more on how i engage with video games. i could go on and on about how being brazilian has affected how i engage with mainstream video games vs indie games or game from lesser known companies, but for now i will just say im thankful i care more about watching games for their story and characters, and only ever playing if i really want to and have the resources to do so. i didnt know there was a new taiko coming out with actual english translations and now im so excited for it, but i know i must hold myself as getting a switch and a specific game in this country is no easy task, so ill just watch people play it when it comes out.

I'm so glad i was able to find this channel i love your videos so much

"Origami Trail" I AM DEAD

Ah! I had so much fun with this! The intro was lovely and the pacing felt natural-not jarring in any way

This video honestly makes a lot of sense looking at the corralation between me becoming more politically radical and having less and less interest in most video games. It's hard for me to enjoy games when so many are products of massive labor exploitation, capital accumulation, and resource extraction. Metroid is very good though...

Ooh, stuff like this has been on my mind for a while, and I can admit I'm guilty of the consumption. The wanting to prove my "gamerness", or a desperate hunt for something that was there. Now I just kinda feel tired of the cycle. Great video.

I..... I don't have Earthbound...

I mostly only have racing games in my shelves, that means Im no real gamer :((( But I have Bloodborne... that might save me.

Nintendo fans: where's our new proper direct??? Nintendo: we're living in a pandemic Nintendo fans: wow lazy much? gamers are so close to understanding the hellscape of capitalism but they're also so far away. (also i just gotta say i'm so glad to find a gaming channel not run by cishet men. cishet men are incapable of not yelling for like 2 minutes.

this channel is always so on point. thank you.

This is actually a pretty good explanation of why even though I do play games I don't consider myself a gamer. I play mostly indie or older games (there are exceptions of course) and have only a passing interest in the hype train so fall outside of the gamer culture in that way. Though on the other hand still interested in what goes on in the gaming world...

I love your videos. Have an algorithm comment

This video seems to have become even more relevant with the recent events around competitive Melee and Splatoon. Big N are using their larger-than-life legal resources to instate that the gamer identity these communities were built around is incorrect, harmful, and should cease to exist. They've got their foot on the pedal and aren't afraid to slam it down.

I'm glad that someone addresses this topic. To me this whole "Gaming" culture feels like some sort of indoctrinated cult nowadays. It should be very easy to escape this "Hype" machine if you realize two things: 1. there is pretty much no upside in getting over-hyped. You most likely will be disappointed, and even if not, what was the point? You forget about it in, lets say 2 weeks and get hyped for the next thing... I realized this when Ocarina of Time came out, magazines treated it as if it was the 2nd coming and I was severly disappointed by that game. Now for Metroid Dread for example, I didn't give a crap about anything before release, played it and finished it in one weekend, and think its awesome, BUT I could conclude this out of my own experience, not just regurgitating what the internet told me... how would that have been different to getting hyped beforehand? 2. a lot of these RU-vid "Review" channels and streamers and so on receive new games FOR FREE. This, imo, makes them biased from the get-go and it is, imo, not fair to not consider the price these games cost in their evaluation. There is a difference if you have to spend (a lot of) money to get something or you get it for free... and with all these stupid DLC-concepts and whatnot, games can get VERY expensive. Lets give an example, I would review Sims4 and say its great if you get all the DLC and omit the fact that including all DLC that game costs 400€, shouldnt that influence the grading?

Nothing of substance to add, so i'll just say this: A corny stock video of just 2 buds playing games together is apparently enough to make me emotional, gosh this year... Edit: it's at 19:48

Individual fanbases for Nintendo's IPs are just as bad, especially the ones for Zelda, Pokemon, and Smash Bros.

You know what is more painful? Being a f zero fan

You guys are really cool, been going through your videos and really enjoy the nuance you strive for in your writing. Can't wait to see you guys pop off, you definitely deserve it :)

Oh, here's my academic reference for those who'd like even more reading after this video: "From the society of the spectacle to the society of the machinery" by Jan Teurlings; about how it's not just pop cultural spectacle itself anymore that's tricking people into thinking and buying certain things. Since some 25 years the entire discourse around pop culture (all the online forums, helpdesks, enthusiast press, etc...) is a highly manipulated engine as well, designed to generate certain opinions and to spread and direct them in predetermined ways.

Why does that one guy even have several switch consoles? o.o; I don't understand.

Lots of Sonic and cats, very good

23:04 I love the Gay Bowser just hangin on the side

Love your channel, you always have interesting topics and angles in your video essays. Your production and editing is top notch too, you deserve more views and subscribers.

Imagine tying a commercial product so closely to your identity that you become lost when you're not advertised to... probably the only other medium I've seen this level of fanaticism in is with western comic books and Japanese anime and manga but those are still nowhere near the level of gamer fanaticism.

Alternative (or maybe, additional) theory: the people who are publicly self-identifying as gamers are actually content creators, and the "next big game" is representative of a need to know what the best clickbait will be to draw their audience. The gaming public is fine, but the gamer identifying content creators are suffering because they are part of the hype ecosystem, and see it faltering, and are completely rationally upset by this.

Just play Paper Mario: The Origami King, you stupid people! It's an actual existing really good game, instead of "just a logo". Great video as always, girls!

that Sonic and the Secret Rings bit was golden! 😂

gotta love the gamer cat

Was sent over by a KingK retweet. Love the video.

I have been interested in the psychology of video games and psychology in general as well as philosophy in recent years and I find your content to be hitting both of those interests. You probably already know of the channels (Daryl talks games) and (philosophy tube) both of which I have found to be very interesting but if you haven't you might enjoy them, thank you for your thought provoking work I appreciate it. 😊👍

Very interesting topic. I have in recent years reflected on my own consumption of games and the gamer identity. I usually tend to wait and refrain from buying a game day one in most cases, although I made the "mistake" once last year. Also interesting to hear that the "Gamer identity" is based so heavily on consumption of games, when obviously it can be much more than just the consumption.

The most recent video game I've played is Deltarune: Chapter 2. When I told this to a server dedicated to Undertale and Deltarune discussion, they unanimously responded with "What? Why!?". This video really helps me after experiencing this, because I now understand where this mentality comes from, that the only right way to game is the peddling garbage companies make, to create reactionary/shock advertising (usually in the form of " here is a minority character"), to make the world just a little bit worse.

You are so persistently kind and understanding of the Gamer Bro, in a way that I generally am not, so I want to thank you for reminding me of where the real problem is (it's capitalism, the real problem is always capitalism).

find your own meaning as a ''gamer''. And also don't poorshame the little folk

sorry, i need to take a small break from this video to make a clarification; pig hands are called 'trotters' bobby eats that cash with his nubbly little pig trotters.

I love the humor in this, great vid!

You must've loved that one bit from Devolver's E3 2021.

I feel like this video misses the mark just a bit but if I have to sum up my criticism on particular point, it would that the gamer identity is toxic as hell and should ride away from it. No longer however is it about one demographic but several different ones but each one is now exploitable. Much like sports fans and their favorite teams. With that shift, it dilutes our strength as consumers to break away as we all want different things. And because of this, we have seen the absolute worst of the community. From corporate shills to people getting mad over Lara Croft’s boobs being smaller, we can’t get to solutions as much as we desperately want to

Maybe I'm jumping the gun, I'm only 5 minutes into the video, but this video is mesmerizing holy shit. I feel like I haven't seen anything like it.

Don't mind me; I'm just here to feed the algorithm.

Did NOT wake up expecting a Plinkett reference.

BuT i MuSt HaVe My *TREATS*

The "gamer" as rehearsing the behaviors of a perfect consumer can be seen in the unusual role marketing plays. Usually, conceptually, a commercial strives to convince an audience (and also create one: it proposes a lifestyle, it is not content with simply advertising its features; it must also produce a "profile", etc. etc.), but in the case of gamers, they *ask* for commercials, they excitedly pursue more of them, in fact identifying the prosperity of the medium with the density of marketing efforts. A healthy medium is one saturated with announcements, reveals and releases. "Being on top of things" as socially-organizing-vector - prosperity in a gaming space (especially in the context of "becoming a youtuber") means becoming an extension of commercials, as you endlessly comment on the daily news drop. And if there is nothing to comment on, a rather histerical parallel industry takes shape: the rumor machine.

Anyone else here because of the Fire Emblem release window news?

The best video on this I've seen ❤️

08:43 jump scare

Algorithm and love

dont ask questions just consume product and then get excited for next products

Are we human? Or are we gamer?

Great visuals lmao

this is why the last aaa game i bought with my own money is hitman 2. indie games rock & whenever i gain a good amount of money, ijust go throught itch & gamejolt to see what cool indie develepor i can give 3-5 dollars to

This video that I already loved is even more relevant now thanks to Nintendo announcing localization of a 30 year old Fire emblem game but again it's only limited... makes me not want any of these old games at all :(

Heaping praise and money onto a company when it pleases them; outrage and insults instead when displeased. You’d think that these “true” gamers were Star Wars fans or sports spectators or celebrity worshippers, etc. All the same kind of behavior, from expecting perfect deities but instead witnessing mere mortals.

amazing video

Thank god for Kiki and Alicia!

This is not a helpful/insightful observation. However, everytime I see these gaming news channels I am astounded by how lame their backgrounds or sets are. Flat Cap's wall might as well have been my dad's garage locker filled up with clips from porn mags.

KIKI AND ALICIA FACE [screaming]

sup gamers?

Listen ladies. I don't know where you get off with leaving out so much important information. Pigs have HOOVES! Just like cows. They do not in fact have arms. Omg. #canceltransparency

I demand of every gamer to built one of it's own.

I agree with pretty much everything, except for the blame on the system or the design. I personally dont believe that "the capital" or "the industry" is to blame at all... Its like you said, they only exploit if you let them, the games industry is a somewhat free market, you can still buy something you actually like or not, or buying a game that you dont like, but you feel the need to since you feel the need to part of the mass. I think the problem is in the lack of self-awareness of the individual, over the mass thought. Capitalism it is still today, the model that best represent humans relations of trade and control, the point is, and lets be honest, people are flawed, and some are so easily manipulated than others, the only good thing is that we can still diverge in this system, by simply not participating in these communities, on the contrary to "other models". My point is better explained by a saying we have in my country: "Every day, an idiot and a smart person wake up, and inevitably, they will cross paths and the smart one will always take advantage over the idiot." People are dumb, we are very dumb people in general, and in some point of our life, we are going the be subject to be taken advantage by someone smarter than us. My personal experience with the gaming community: Played every trendy game, forced myself to like games that i dont really enjoy, and hype for things that i would forget months later (Basic r/gaming experience). Then, i least i think i did get over it, became more aware of where i was in the industry, and started to not care at all... Not caring for new releases, not caring for new trailers, not joining in conversations about "how games were better before", "EA Bad", "Woke is destroying games". And just that was enough to clear my mind of the mass tought that permeates in this media. I learned that i simply dont need to be part of it, i dont need to care what others people play, i dont need to care what others people think of the games i play. Loved the video since its the only i found talking about this.

6:22 what's that music?

❤️

Was that a Red Letter Media reference?! =)

Yes, all of this is true.

This is a narrow and incomplete criticism. I agree that buying the Mario collection gives nintentive incentive to continue charging full price for rereleases of old games and driving artificial scarcity and manufacturing + exploiting gamer identity. But the solution is emphatically not a non-actionable platitude about reflecting or being self critical. The solution is to learn how to use pirate bay. But I'm guessing you can't really say that in a youtube video essay without being demonetised or taken down by youtube? So here we can see a direct correlation between games and games journalism in the manufacturing and exploitation of the gamer identity. People who make games and people who write about games might have their own beliefs and politics but ultimately have to tow corporate lines. Making themselves and their ideas smaller and safer and sanitised in service of the suits who own the company behind the platform that you're working on. And if you know where to look, it's very easy to find guides and advice on how to pirate. But if you don't know where to look, then you probly just form your opinions from youtube essays that ultimately amount to nothing more than reminding yourself 'there's no ethical consumption in capitalism' and then just buying stuff anyway.

Always called myself a gamer and was proud to say it as loudly as possible! Then the gamer gating incel chuddy creeps started to get out of control around the time that gaming started getting super corporate for releasing unfinished, online only, micro transaction infested trash. This happened big time slightly after 2010ish... And ever since? Eeeeeyeah........ I'd like to distance myself from this bowlshat thank you very much lol. Now I just sort of like gaming a lil haha. Classics... The indie dev scene... And the rare triple A title that doesn't suck like breath of the wild or something...