# Poll:  What does "gaming" mean to you?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 28, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474 "2008-02-28T03:48:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474/41 "2008-03-03T19:08:17Z")

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[QUOTE=Gary T]  
In fact, the other meaning never occurred to me, and wouldn’t have without someone bringing it up.  
[/QUOTE]  
Actually, I guess you could say that this thread was inspired by the “Admit Your Gaming Mistakes” thread over in the new Game Room forum. I thought it would be anecdotes about people making errors in casinos, but no; that thread was all about the non-gambling meaning. It never occurred to me either, until I opened that thread.

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**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474/42 "2008-03-04T09:36:35Z")

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[QUOTE=Desert Nomad]  
I am from Nevada. Gaming is Gambling… see, the casino is not gambling… they are gaming. 😉  
[/QUOTE]

Exactly. The casino industry has worked hard to change the name from “gambling” to “gaming” . It sounds better to say you go to the casinos for gaming - then it is not a gamble with money, it is just a game for fun.

The difference is that losing games on PlayStation sucks, but losing a games on slot machines can cost you a mortgage payment…they just don’t like to mention that slight difference. It’s just a game - it’s fun!  
Some of you older folks might remember that in the old days, cars and planes had “safety belts”…then the auto and airline industry found out that the term " fasten your **safety belts**" scared people. Voila! “Please fasten your **seat belt** ,” suddenly became the new terminology.

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**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474/43 "2008-03-05T03:21:27Z")

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My order of interpretation:

1. Video games
2. D&D or similar

Distant third, only because of offices like the Gaming Commission, 3) gambling. To my mind, that’s why we’ve got the word “gambling;” it’s supposed to be used for this meaning.

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**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-does-gaming-mean-to-you/439474/44 "2008-03-05T03:24:55Z")

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I guess I’m showing my age when I say “gaming” means “gambling” to me and nothing else.

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