To: Rebecca Agosta

From: Gayth Munther

Date: October 3, 2014
Subject of Inquiry: Gamer as an affinity identity
Initial Inquiry Idea:
I plan to research gamer as an affinity identity. I find it very interesting, as I consider myself a
gamer who has just associate that identity with myself. I already know a lot about the subject; I
know that gamers are divided into two groups: a hardcore and a casual group. Each having very
different experiences associated with gaming in general. I know that there are many genres of
games that appeal to different kinds of people. Technology and its progression has significantly
impacted how games are perceived by our society. I also know that online gaming is beginning
to change the image of a gamer. Nevertheless I am new to the medium and so I want to look at
the history behind that identity. I wonder about how games were first developed and how first
people to identify with games felt. How did the public react to the new identity? What
stereotypes were associated with gamers? And why? I also want to investigate the demographics
of the people who purchased and played games on a regular basis in the past and compare that to
the demographics of today. Shared experiences are what gives affinity identities their power so I
want to research the shared experiences of gamers and how these experiences differ across time;
the games played today are very different than what the games were in the past. And finally I
wonder about the future of gaming and how that impacts the identity.
Methods:
I am going to look up reports of demographics from different time periods (1970s, 1980s)
and compare each time period to the others and see how that has affect the image of the identity.
I am going to see if there is any correlation between different ethnic groups, genders, ages and,
gamers. Researching forums and gaming communities is going to be another method to gain
more knowledge about the people who identify themselves as gamers. Reputable online sources
are also another way to acquire information and data such as articles, news reports and events.
Questions:
1. How did the image of a gamer changed over time as an identity?
a. What are the demographics of the people who played games?
b. What was the image of a gamer in the past? Now?
c. What are the stereotypes of gamers in the past? Now?
d. What changes in society led to these alterations?
e. What changes in technology led to these alterations?
2. What kind of practices and experiences make someone a gamer?
a. What were the practices in the past? Now?
b. What are the different subgroups of gamers?
c. How do the subgroups see other subgroups?
d. What do subgroups have in common?
e. How does online gaming affect how gamers see one another?