What does being a "gamer" really mean?

What does being a "gamer" really mean?

I was reading the latest issue of  my favorite game magazine and I came across  a mini article called "I will educate you". It was an article written by someone (I'll leave the name anonymous because I'm not trying to bash anyone) who is giving a definition to the term "gamer" so we can feel superior to those who fail to meet our criteria, and to sum it up this person basically says a gamer is not someone who plays social games, plays mainstream games, or reaches prestige five in call of duty. This person also mentions that real gamers don't play popular games but underground indie pc titles, bizarre imports from tiny European countries, and poorly localized RPG's with arcaic mechanics... basically playing games no one has heard of, and if you disagree then you are not a hardcore gamer.
I understand this person has an opinion but I feel the term "gamer" shouldn't be taken so seriously it just takes the fun out of everything. There are some people who spend 200+ hours on RPG's just so they accomplished everything in the game. There are some people who play a single game 3 or 4 times in a row just to obtain all the trophies, and reaching level five prestige in Call of Duty... I feel that is a big thing because that takes ALOT OF TIME (if your not cheating). I feel anyone who puts in a lot of hard work in every game they play (no matter what the game is) is a dedicated gamer, and not the type of gamer who just plays games just to beat them, but that is just MY opinion. I have compared my profile with others on my friends list and I am not on any of their levels. I've seen some of the things you have to do to get platinum trophies and if you have more than 5 platinum trophies then I truly applaud you on your dedication. For the people with 20+ trophies.... I am speechless... and they always say "pimpin' ain't easy".
I just feel the term "gamer" shouldn't be taken so seriously. Everyone has their own style of gaming and it should be respected, we shouldn't have live by someone's standards. We should discontinue the word gamer, everyone is a gamer in their own way.:)