“Gamer”: The Very Embodiment of the Negative Video Game Player Stereotype

(Originally posted at The Voice of Heard on September 15, 2011)

Suppose one day you are watching a TV show, reading a book, a newspaper, or a magazine; skimming through the Internet, or strolling in a public place one day when you hear a story that features, discusses, or outright brands stereotypes on a group of people based on a simple yet specific list of traits. You realize that you have a few of those traits but you also know that you are not part of the stereotype described. How do you respond to it? Do you just criticize it in your mind or openly in the presence of your family, your friends, and peers? Would you take action against the portrayal of the stereotype as a means of debunking and dissolving it? Those are the questions you should take into consideration as I once again discuss the problem of the stereotyping of video game players.

In one of my earlier posts I have touched upon the gamer stereotype as depicted on television as well as provided links to a few archived entries discussing the issue. This week, I have watched a video review by Film Brain on a 2009 movie called Gamer. As he showed and discussed scenes from the film, my soul wretched when I saw what I can only describe as the very anti-thesis of what a video game player is in real life. In order to make clear what I am getting at, I will touch upon the key aspects that made Gamer live up to its title and insulted a good number of gamers.

Poster for the 2009 movie Gamer.

Written and directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, Gamer is set in the near future where a revolution has been made in the video game industry. That revolution is the ability for players to play games using live flesh and blood human beings as avatars from the comfort of their rooms. This is done by using a form of nanotechnology invented by the film’s antagonist, Ken Castle (played by Michael C. Hall), referred to as Nanex, which is injected directly in the brain, where it takes over the brain cells and replicates itself as a form of “installation.” With the “installed” Nanex, the host can then be logged into by another human, who then controls all of his or her motor, verbal, and behavioral functions. In short, it is a system of mind control mind control. This new (and technically implausible) form of gaming technology is fully utilized in two of Castle’s main games, ‘Slayer’ and ‘Society.’

A group of inmates prepared to do battle in 'Slayer' in Gamer. Kable, the main protagonist played by Gerard Butler, is second to the far right.

‘Slayer’ is a multiplayer shooter in which players control death row inmates in brutal gun battles, similar (supposedly) to other shooters like Gears of War, Counter-Strike, and Call of Duty. If the inmates survive 30 battles, they would be receiving a pardon. Regular inmates were also included as background props that mechanically wander, sit, and drive through the fire zones as an agreement that they would be released if they survive a single battle, which was mostly not the case.

Angie, played by Amber Valletta, walks through 'Society,' a twisted social simulation featured in Gamer.

‘Society’ is a “community” simulation (said to be a parody of the real-life social simulation game known as Second Life) in which players dress their “characters” in suggestive clothing and engage them in many random acts of immoral behavior. These include having sex with and raping random people, deliberately injuring each other, and licking their wounds in a sexual manner. Even worse, the “characters” themselves were apparently paid well to be what the players want them to be in a manner similar to prostitutes.

Now that I have briefly gone over the key aspects of Gamer, I will now discuss the portrayal of the gamers themselves, the very people who play ‘Slayer’ and ‘Society.’  One of the central gamers in the film is Simon, the star player of ‘Slayer’ in control of the main protagonist, Kable (played by Gerard Butler). Simon (played by Logan Lerman) is featured as an obnoxious teenager who views violence as nothing more than entertainment and refers to anything he dislikes as ‘gay.’ Another key gamer in the film is a very obese, sweaty shut-in who controls Kable’s wife, Angie (played by Amber Valletta), in ‘Society.’ He has a twisted craving for sex and violence. What these to gamers have in common here is that they are portrayed as morbid deviants who desire nothing more than an abundance of sex and violence and have little or no moral quality whatsoever.

Simon (played by Logan Lerman on the right) controlling his 'avatar' Kable during a 'Slayer' match in Gamer.

Given what I have just gone over above and based on my understanding of the gaming community in general, the gamers portrayed in the film Gamer are the very embodiment of the negative gamer stereotype. Now why would a video game player knowingly control the mind of another human being and exploit him/her for the sole purpose of indulging in extreme sex and violence? Speaking of which, why would anyone want to take part in “video games” that not made from the technology that we have in the real world and involve real people whose actions and lives are knowingly manipulated against their will as a form of public entertainment? The gamers depicted in the film, including Simon and the obese ‘Society’ player, are little more than cardboard cutouts that are insulting to gamers in real life, including myself. From what I can tell, there are a majority of real-life gamers in this country and around the world are not as socially obnoxious as Simon or as much of an amoral shut-in as the ‘Society’ player controlling Angie for his sadistic ends. Having been a gamer myself for more than 15 years, these portrayals are truly insulting to me on a personal level, both as a player and a human being. I am pretty sure that most of the video game players I know personally would agree with that. If you play video games, have a love for them, and find the portrayals in the film Gamer inaccurate, offensive, and insulting to you, feel free to say so in the comments below with all honesty (comments besides the “I like your blog” statements would greatly be appreciated). In the meantime, I’m just going to spend time in my room fighting through hordes of Locust in Gears of War, slaying some demons in Devil May Cry, and experiencing some plot twists in Beyond Good and Evil.