Identity and Online Advocacy

There is no such thing as a “gamer”

The aim of this paper is to examine the identity of the gamer and whether it is still a relevant moniker. Since the 1980s we as a society have operated under the guise of the gamer, when it is not a true reflection of people who are currently playing video games. Studying the statistics for people who are playing games, the kinds of gamers out there and how they have deviated from the idea of the gamer are important in determining whether we should still be using the name gamer. This paper also examines the GamerGate movement and how the actions through that have corrupted what it means to be a gamer and what that has done for the identifier.