Mobile Gamers vs Traditional Gamer

   

   For many people phone games are not considered video games. I have come to know many people who don't call themselves Gamers but they do play games on their phones. I also know people who only play games on their phone and call themselves Gamers. So which is it are they Gamers or not? To try and answer this question we have to look at the word Gamer, and at the differences between Mobile games and Traditional games. 

  So first lets look at the word Gamer; what does it mean? Simply it is someone who plays games, specifically Video Games. There are many categories within the term, such as casual, hardcore, and professional Gamer. Like many terms they have their connotations and stereotypes. For Gamer the stereotypes are Kids, or adults with no social skills. When people call themselves a Gamer they are usually seen as immature; even people that work in a field related to video games are told to get a real job. With that alone you can see why people would not want to relate to the term. There could also be other reasons someone would not consider themselves a gamer. 

   Traditional Games are a lot longer and complicated, while phone games are meant to be played in short bursts. Phone games are relatively free so they tend to attract more people. If someone has some spare time they can easily take out their phone and play a game, which is very convenient since most people just carry around their phone anyway. To play a traditional game you need a lot more dedication. First you need to buy a console, or computer, or even Build your own computer. That will cost you about 300 USD or more depending on what you choose to buy. Then you actually have to buy a game, which is usually around 60 USD. These games however are a lot better than Mobile games, because they are in a way more artistic and complex. Arguable they are worth the amount you are paying. Since playing a traditional game requires more effort to play, the people who just play on their phone might not see themselves as a dedicated Gamer.

  However many people who play phone games actually spend a fair amount of money playing those games through micro-transactions. I know some who play those games for extensive periods of time. Sometimes over 100 hours. I believe that is enough time and dedication to be called a Gamer.