Oxford Dictionary defines gamer as “A person who plays video games or participates in role-playing games.” Oxford also describes gamer as “A person consistently making a strong effort, especially in sport.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “A person who plays for the stake.” In other words a synonym for gambler. I think a gamer is a person who often plays video games, a title given to those who have played many games in their lives. “Gamer” has many meanings. Some may try and use gamer as a term to make fun of people. There have been times when people have called me that and tried to mean it in a derogatory way. Sometimes people call me a joke because I play games and only because they think that this means the same as gamer.  What they do not know is I love when I get called that. That title is a crown, and I wear it well. In my eyes calling someone a gamer is like calling them a king and giving them praise.

I grip my mouse tightly as I hear the awful sound, a sound I remember so well. The roar is so loud it could shake the roots of mountains. The flapping of leathery wings that can blow over the strongest of trees. Having my headset on I hear only this and it feels like it is flying over my head. My screen shakes while I hear a loud crushing sound. I turn and come face to face with a dragon. Not just any dragon, this is an Elder Dragon...the strongest of all the dragons. My fingers tremble as I decide to fight the scaly, colossal beast.

When gamer is used in a derogatory way I see it as judgement. I use games to escape from the real world and make my own. I use it to distract myself from my problems. It distracts me from the stress of taking college classes. It also helps me deal with how stressful my sports can be.

I gain great happiness from gaming. Starting the main story of a game and solving all of the puzzles without help makes me feel like I can accomplish great things. It shows me I do have the ability to solve other puzzles that I may come across in real life.  When I play games I am free to do whatever, be whoever, and have whatever I want. I have a second life to do anything I could ever dream of. Who else can say that they are able to live a whole other life where they can do whatever they want?

The dragon is gaining the upper hand on me. I struggle to keep up with its strength and speed. My character is losing health quickly. I have run out of health potions and cheese wheels, and the dragon is only at half health. I hope I just need to last a little bit longer. By then I should be ready to take him down. Every time the dragon shoots his fire at me I can feel the blaze, as it engulfs me in its cruel embrace. It feels like the heat is coming right through the screen.

To be a gamer does not always mean to be lazy. There is a portrayal of a man that is a gamer in the TV show South Park where he’s depicted as heavier set and still lives with his mother. He has glasses on and the area where he plays games is an utter mess. I know most people think of this as the typical gamer because I've asked them. Then I show them the picture and they say “Yes, that is exactly what I think a gamer would look like.”

I remember when I was with my older brother Reid in Washington DC. A man we sat next to on the plane started talking to us about video games. After he was done, he finished with “You guys probably have no idea what I am talking about anyway.” It was a strange feeling. The man took our appearance and decided we were athletes. We explained to him that we loved to game. I told him that I had over seven hundred hours combined in every game that is part of the Elder Scrolls Series.

The problem that comes with playing this many games is knowing too much. My love for the game extends beyond just playing it. I have spent countless hours reading up on lore. Lore is what the game creators use as a back story for the game. It gives the game a history. Most of which are the creation stories of the separate races and other theories of the universe. As the last good dragon in Skyrim, Paarthurnax says “The curse of much knowledge is often indecision.” I am often indecisive with things to talk about when I am talking about the games. I talk about them quite often because they are my favorite games and I am quite passionate about them. Of course I do not just bring it up to total strangers. I only talk about video games to people I am comfortable with. I don’t want to make others uncomfortable by talking to them about things they have no idea about.
Being passionate and really loving video games like I have for my entire life has helped me become proud of myself. Not only for having accomplished so much, but also to wear the word I picked with pride. I am a Gamer.

Works Cited
“Gamer - Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary”. Springfield, Mass: Merriam-Webster, 1994. Print.
"Gamer - Definition of Gamer in English | Oxford Dictionaries." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford Dictionaries. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.
Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. Todd Howard. Bethesda Softworks, 2011. Computer Software