Etelmik recently posted a blog entry about why we shouldn't use the word "gamer" anymore, and while this isn't a counterpoint or rebuttal per se, I opted to share some thoughts about the power of words.

First off, if there's one thing that college has taught me about words, it's that words have power. With a single word, you can captivate an audience (the word "Penis."), negatively encapsulate an entire social stratum (the "poor"), or hurt someone emotionally (insert insult here).

That being said, we use words everyday to signify different things, and chances are, some of the words we use have preset value judgments created as a result of social, economic, and political factors. For instance, the word Mormon may have a negative connotation in America, depending on where you are, but in the Philippines, Mormon is just shorthand for "Person who is a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints," with no existing negative connotation.

The word "gamer" in itself, I will admit, has some mild negative connotations just on the basis of semantics. For one thing, there's the connotation of irresponsibility, as evidenced by the use of the term, "Responsible Gaming." Furthermore, the word "gamer" connotes particular images, mostly of frivolity resulting from the base verb usage, "to game."

There is the common misconception that, if a word is not used, it loses its power, its grip over the people it describes or envelops. We could all stop using the word "gamer," but the word, along with definition and associations will still exist. An apt, though potentially imprecise, analogy would be how we've outlawed the use of a word such as "Nigger" because of its meaning, but the word still exists and holds its power.

In the same way, the word "gamer," even if left unused, will still hold its power, will remain a defining term for the subset of people in the world who play games, and will still carry its own inborn connotations.

What can be done, however, is not to remove the word from our vocabulary, but to change its definition and connotations entirely through our actions.

In Japan, the word "otaku" is usually seen as a badge of shame by many, referring to people who have an unhealthy obsession with a particular hobby or pasttime. In America, the word is seen with more openness, usually referring to people who have a healthy pasttime related to anime.

It bears mentioning, however, that the word still carries some of the negative connotations associated with it, these are downplayed with some of the more positive aspects of the word, such as dedication and perseverance (I've never met a cosplaying otaku who doesn't have at least a tad bit of perserverance).

What does that have to with being a "gamer?" Well, If we as gamers, by our collective actions, exhibit more of the positive traits that come with being a gamer, then the definition and connotations of "gamer" might change. In that sense, "responsibility" and "gamer" might become somewhat synonymous, if the definition and connotations can be changed.

Of course, that isn't easy. You'd essentially need at least a countrywide action that makes each and every member of the gaming populace act like a superbly nice human being for an extended period of time. If you can act like a superbly nice, reponsible human being, however, then at the very least, you might be able to change the notion of what a gamer is in your home, and home's always a good place to start.

In any event, there's nothing to stop us from using a word like gamer, but there is something that stop us from being a irresponsible gamer. How we use the word, and how we empower the word are always good things to keep in mind.
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