The only thing less true than unicorns is the concept of a real gamer. There is just no such thing. No matter how people play, Solid Snake will not jump through the screen and declare whether you have passed the real gamer test or not.
Yet, there is perpetual nonsensical chat about just who qualifies as a 'real gamer'. There is the absurd war between console gamers and PC, the question of whether mods make one a purist gamer or a more committed gamer and now, whether easy modes are really for ‘weak’ gamers.
If you turn on a game, then you’re gaming and that can make you a gamer. 'Gamer' is not an oppressed identity. It is simply shorthand for those of us who like to play games. And there are absolutely no limitations, except for those built within each specific game’s mechanics.
Easy modes are great and help get more people involved in games. Not everyone plays for high combat thrills. Some people purely want to experience the story (which is why easier gameplay modes are so often called ‘story modes’). Everyone also has different skills. It’s absurd to suggest that only those who can perform at the highest difficulty settings count as people who really enjoy games and are the only ones who should play them. By that faulty logic, nobody should ever be allowed to play football unless they are trying to get signed by Paris Saint-Germain.
If you game at the easiest level, you’re a gamer. If you enjoy games but don’t actually get to play them all that often then you are still a gamer. Gaming experiences are all valid and it’s about time we stopped treating gaming in immature terms, particularly when most of us are in our twenties and thirties. Hell, plenty of people are trying to get their kids into gaming and they are being yelled at for trying easier levels. It’s not about the bullshit participation trophy argument. Games are made to be enjoyed – and explored. If someone is streaming while playing an easier level then cool. They’re showing us their way to play and their interpretations of it. A casual Commander Shepard isn’t any more badass than one playing on the hardest level. They are all Commander Shepard, and each of our playthroughs are valid (unless you let Miranda die).
Gamers who use easy mode are just as cool and just as good fans. But keep arguing like kids if you want. The rest of us have got some gaming to get on with.