Gaming Discourse Community

The gaming discourse community is a most interesting group of people. Its members come from all ages and walks of life who are drawn to this community for many reasons. Typically, these the members of this discourse community fall in the age range of early teens to late thirties. They come from unique backgrounds, experiences, and nationalities. This diversity brings a life and culture to this community that is unlike any other.
As diverse as the people who make up this community are, the reasons for joining this discourse community may be even more so. What outsiders perceive to be an outlet that is solely meant for entertainment is so much more than that. It is true that many join this community for entertainment. However, many join for other reasons that may or may not be additional to this particular reason. They join looking for challenges and competition. They seek exposure to strategy and tactics. So many of these people have brilliant minds for strategy and tactics but will never have the chance to develop or use these talents in the traditional ways.

The list of reasons why one might join this community is endless. Each individual of this community is unique and joins for their own set of reasons that is unlike that of any other.
My introduction to the gaming community was that of the stereotypical sense. It was solely for entertainment purposes and there was no depth or purpose behind it. I played only to have a good time. I spent countless hours with my friends staring at screens that seemed to hold no purpose. As time went my views fundamentally changed. I began to relish the coordination and control that it took to excel. I found myself enthralled by the challenges and competition that was placed in my path. And most of all I developed a deep bond with my friends through teamwork and communication that I otherwise may never have had.
This unique culture that thrives in this community is readily apparent in the methods of communication and the structure of the gaming language. This language is itself unique in the fact that it seems to follow no grammatical rules or styles. In fact, one might say that the rules of grammar are that there are no rules of grammar. The language is full of slang and acronyms that make little sense to those outside of the community. As an outsider you come across a plethora of unintelligible things that make absolutely no sense to anyone but gamers. Things like elites LOLing in an FPS as they troll and frag noobs that are camping while complaining about the lag, how bad the GUI is, and how often they get t-bagged. And then you have the hardcore MMORPG players that hate RNG and spam about the h4xxors or how they don’t have enough MP, HP, XP, and energy. This is further complicated by a supposedly crappy ISP or the terrible patch that keeps them from pwning in PVP and PVE. This type of communication can be just as unintelligible to gamers as it is to outsiders. It varies greatly from game to game and person to person. So, at its heart, this language is less about having structure and consistency and more about efficiently communicating information in an efficient and effective manner.
One of the major ways that gamers communicate is through messaging apps or chat rooms. This type of communication is typically focused towards gamers who use a computer or handheld device as their gaming outlet. It is often difficult to use other means of communication so they default to written language which appears similar to the previous example. However, even with all the modifications and attempts to make this method of communication effective it is the worst method available. Text is slow and cumbersome when engaged in games that move at a rapid pace. When you need to react to a situation within a time frame of just a few seconds typing takes up the majority of that time. Because of this reality, gamers often search for other methods that allow for vocal communication.
There are a multitude of programs that allow for vocalized methods of communication over long distances. While it is preferable to speak face to face it is often necessary to use these programs since the gaming community is one that spreads across the globe. Programs such as Teamspeak, Ventrilo, and Skype allow players to communicate by speaking over long distances. Some of these programs also provide video feed along with audio. With this type of communication players can effectively strategize and react to situations as they need to. It creates an atmosphere where it is easy to promote teamwork. For players who aren’t playing competitively this provides a great way to stay in touch with friends and to have fun.
Having this technological ability to communicate with other people across the world, through both video and audio, is amazing.

It has many applications beyond what gamers use it for. You can communicate with family and friends with little effort. You can take online courses and have face-to-face discussions with a professor across the country. It really is a technological wonder. Especially in these times when it is sometimes expensive and difficult to find yourself on a university campus. By participating in the gaming discourse community, you learn how to use these programs and can apply those skills to real world applications. It is definitely beneficial to be familiar and comfortable with the technology and skills you use during an academic career and the rest of your life. It provides an edge above others and allows you to feel comfortable even while you are pushing yourself outside of your comfort

zone.
Another way that this influences academic discourse is that you develop strong teamwork skills. You how to communicate with others effectively during difficult situations or while under pressure. One of the biggest differences that it makes is you learn to listen and trust your team members advice or instructions. And you feel comfortable speaking up when you see a solution that hasn’t been thought of before. Another difference that it can make to your team communication skills is that you learn to be terse with your language. The way gamers use language so effectively to say what they want to say is phenomenal. Being able to say what you need to in half as many words as everyone else is an important skills. Especially when you have deadlines to meet and only a limited amount of time to spend talking about a project.
Sometimes, being part of a group that the world sees as holding no value can be extremely enlightening and helpful. Being part of the gaming community is not just about wasting time on something that matters very little in real life. There is so much more that it is about and astounding amounts of knowledge that can be gained from it. You can learn good communication skills—sometimes you’re really just learning what not to do—that have value in the worlds of work and academia. You can learn strategy, tactics and critical thinking. You learn to react to situations and know how to find the best possible solutions in the shortest amount of time. Remember that there is something to be learned in everything that we do. Even in the places that we least expect it.