Thursday, September 13, 2007

Are You A Gamer?

In the spirit of continuing the great conversation that we've been having in the comments on recent review posts (see Women, Gaming & the Guild Master Ceiling and my first review post) of Karl Kapp's Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning -- and in the spirit of experimenting with polling tools (thanks to Soha El-Borno of the Wild Apricot Blog, I thought I'd try a quick, down and dirty poll.

Obviously, this poll won't tell us that much. But perhaps leave a comment to explain your vote.

I used Poll Daddy to create this. It took about 2 seconds.


14 comments:

Unknown said...

Cousin,
I do consider myself to be a gamer and while my interests used to fall into the "Grand Theft Auto" category, over the past couple of years I have moved more to PC games and since I have limited time with two kids...online flash games (some with an educational tilt). I have become even more interested in educational gaming since I have been at Mind & Media since our instructional designers are constantly looking for ways to draw in our clients' audiences and get them interacting.

Clive Shepherd said...

I'm literally not a gamer. I find games as addictive as programming so I avoid both like the plague.

Tracy Parish said...

I'll put down yes as I can be a gamer. I've gotten sucked into many of them over the years, maybe not the big named ones. Last one that I was playing...took a break and am still playing is ...Dungeon Seige 2. I tend to be more of a pc gamer all though I can kick butt in Madden 07 and 08. I've stepped back from playing PC games for a while as my computer just doesn't have the graphic capabilities it needs for most of them. I'm not sure how I got into games...but I think it had something to do with PONG.

Karl Kapp said...

So, I put down that I am a gamer but I am not so sure. I play video games and enjoy them but I am more like a Gamer 2.0 person, I play more sophisticated games but I don't "get them" like my two gamers sons, they are really into it and comfortable with the controller, conventions and with figuring out the game...I am always asking them for help.

So, I am a gamer 2.0 yes. But not much higher.

Karl Kapp said...

Ok, so I have re-thought my answer a bit. I am really into Second Life and that is really a Gamer 4.0 activity and one that really has educational implications...so I guess you could say I cut across many game genres. So, I am definitely a Gamer 4.0 but not as much of a Gamer 4.0 as my two sons. So...I'm not sure that this all means except, that I would classify myself as a gamer...finding the exact level is a little more difficult.

Great poll!

Cammy Bean said...

I don't consider myself a gamer. I do play online Scrabble on what has become a daily basis. I own a Wii (although it's not currently hooked up and it's been months since it's been played). I have played Zelda and Vigilante. I've even ventured into Second Life -- more than once. But I'm so lost at sea for the most part in these environments. It's fun. But I'm no gamer.

Anonymous said...

I said yes too; I can get into the zone with a game and lose track of time quite easily. I discovered in college that it was waaay too easy for me to play for hours on a game like Civ where there's no major stopping points or levels. I've been playing Civ IV for several weeks, and I'll probably pull out my Sims 2 again when I want a break from Civ. I was really into a game called Oblivion for several months last year. I don't do the online social games, so I'm not a Gamer 4.0, but I'm definitely a gamer. Not as serious or addicted as some, but I think the label's still accurate.

Phil Charron said...

I've always enjoyed gaming - atom-based and bit-based... we played word game puzzles in the car when I was a kid (you have two coins that equal 30 cents, one isn't a nickel...)

I almost said "No" because I am nowhere near the gaming status of some of the kids or adults I know... but then again, I visit www.jayisgames.com regularly to peruse "casual games" and see how I can do.

Perhaps open another poll - What kind of gamer are you? Not at all, Casual, Serious, I spend more time in Second Life than First Life

Cammy Bean said...

Phil...Thanks for your thoughts. We all seem to have personal definitions of what being a "gamer" is. And I think that's a great poll idea. Now I'm feeling a full-blown survey coming on....

Anonymous said...

Cammy et al,

I sgtrongly encourage folks to check out Brent Schlenker's post at

http://www.elearningguild.net/research/?p=31

This is based on survey responses from more than 1,700 e-Learning professionals.

The eLearning Guild will be investimgating gender differences in learning in its upcoming State of the Industry report. There are some huge gaps, and not just in salaries (where the differences are glaring). In any case, I hope people will have a look as well as let us know what things they would like the Guild to investigate.

You can e-mail me at swexler@elearningguild.com

Steve

Cammy Bean said...

Thanks for the heads up, Steve! The survey responses Brent indicates are really interesting -- and confirm, for me what many of us have believed intuitively -- that women aren't gamers in the same numbers as men.

I'm glad the gender gap is on the eLearning Guild's radar.

Anonymous said...

Like Karl, I'm into Second Life and really use it like a game. I try to check out the educational stuff and the galleries and the museums, but I always get distracted for HOURS - building, riding jet skies, sailing, driving go-karts, and dancing. I do a LOT of dancing, I have to admit. It's ALL play. Before SL, I played Elite Force (Star Trek) or Quake online. I have come to realize that the main pull to those games for me was the graphics, creativity, and imaginations of the community to create such fabulous worlds. SL brings me that joy - times a thousand!

Cammy Bean said...

Angela...thanks for your comments. I'm interested to learn more about your experience in SL. Is this a social thing for you? That is, are you in-world with other people? Or are you mostly exploring SL on your own?

uu.. said...

i think i used to be the hardcore gamer,the rank in the game make me wanna beat em all..,,i used to be the top 50 player in the mmo,,playing up to 17++hours a days is normal to me,,i love to vbe in the world of game,,,we can meet ppl chat and most of all enjoy the game,,can be bit stressfull but i like the way,,,cos i dun really mic=x with real world,,game is my world