Why I Identify As A Gamer

To paraphrase my favorite pirate movie: 

• Are you putting [writing] down that I'm a Gamer? Good! Because I am! I have sought pleasure and profit all my life in games without regard for any man's disapproval

I identify as a gamer because I've been playing games ever since I became aware of them. My gaming started with the Atari 2600. Frogger, PacMan, Space Invaders, Tank, Breakout. As I got older and bought my own consoles I was a Sega girl, but I did have a Game Boy for the times when I couldn't be near a TV set, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my game of Choice.

Then I got my first computer and I discovered Sid Meier. Pirates, Covert Action, Civilization. I lost whole weekends to these games. And then Warcraft: Orcs vs Humans. My love affair with Blizzard and Azaroth began.

So, yes, I'm a gamer because I love games. I love playing them. I love reading about them. I love talking about them. They are my hobby of choice and I'm proud to say I am a gamer.
I'd like to close with an update of a post I did in 2007 -

"Will You Regret Playing Games When You Are Old?"
What could I be doing instead of gaming? Let's see.... What did I do before?

I read. I painted. I designed quilts. I went out with friends. I watched television. I wrote poetry. I dabbled with computer games. I had a full life. 

Then, the person I considered to be my touch stone died and my life changed. 

On the days I worked I would wake up, force myself out of bed, take a shower, go to work, come home and collapse into bed until the next morning. 

On my days off I laid in bed and watched birds in the birdfeeders and birdbath all day, until the sun started to set and the fireflies came out. And then I would go to sleep. There were whole weekends where I didn't get out of bed. 

I went on anti-depressants. 

I went off anti-depressants.

I was a zombie.

This went on for months and months. 

Finally, one of my friends convinced me to try a new game called World of Warcraft. 

And... I started to wake up. I had something to look forward to every day. 

I started going out again with friends who also played WoW. I started taking classes and meeting people and having fun again. I started smiling more. I started being me again. 

So, no... I will never regret WoW. I will never regret The Sims. I will never regret Portal 2. They brought me back. I recognize myself again. 

What about you? Why do you identify as a gamer?