6 Types Of Gamers

We are a strange race. Yes, I actually consider gamers to be their own race. We have evolved significantly from those huge spectacle wearing, side path hairdo stereotypes from the past. We developed certain traits and even our own culture when it comes to the gaming medium as a whole. We can be quite defensive about our passion because we quite frankly don’t want it to be belittled in any way, shape or form. Popular media and generally “normal” people see gaming as a stupid and childish past-time and we all know that’s not the case.

That being said, I’d like to highlight the diversity we have in our gaming world by identifying the gamers that populate it. It’s only a short six-piece list, as there are hordes of different types of gamers out there. See this as a celebration of sorts on how different and varied we actually are.

 

The Casual

This type of gamer is very focused on the more casual side of things. Whenever people think casual gamer, they think of someone’s mom playing Angry Birds on the loo, but I see it differently. Casual gamers can also be passionate about gaming, but seek the lighter side of it all and generally just want to have fun. We all dabble a bit into casual gaming. I recall playing Peggle for hours and playing Plants vs. Zombies almost religiously (Or rather it was installed on my computer class PC and fuck working in school because who needs a job?).

Gaming wouldn’t be the same without the little casual games keeping us entertained. Sometimes you just want to detach yourself from the endless sex-scenes and monster murdering and just play something for the hell of it. Gamers that play casual games exclusively are quite lucky that they don’t see the darker side of gaming. Nobody has ever been called a racist asshole or got their mother fornicated by twelve-year-old boys while playing Bejeweled, I can tell you that much.

 

The Extreme

I’m one of this sort. I play all genres or at least give them a shot. I do suck at some like fighting and sport games, but I tend to be quite decent at rhythm and RPG games. These types of gamers just do it all and don’t just play exclusive genres or refuse to play something different than what their used to. I cringe at the words “Hardcore Gamer”, but this is essentially it. These gamers play games every day, all day. To say that they have a passion for gaming is an understatement.

Nothing will stop them from enjoying their passion and they try their damn hardest to get everything they want. Wallets will be emptied continuously just to afford a game and some months might pass by where their only food intake will be 2-minute noodles and packs of nuts that they scrounged from the back of the kitchen cabinet. I commend these gamers and hope they keep on keeping on until their thumbs and trigger fingers fall off from old age.

 

The Exclusive

We all know these type of gamers. That guy that has clocked 700 hours in every Call of Duty ever made or the World of Warcraft player that played the game since it came out and is still going at it. I seriously applaud the determination and passion these gamers have for their game of choice. I’ll never be able to do such a thing mainly due to the fact that I have gaming A.D.D. and I sometimes wonder if they ever just get bored of it all and just stop, but that’s clearly not the case.

The skill and persistence these gamers have is amazing and they even go pro, sometimes. That’s a life I have always dreamed about. Just playing games for a living and getting that thrill and excitement if you win a competition. It must be glorious.

 

The Social

Also known as multiplayer exclusive gamers. Gaming is fun on its own, but like a good orgy, it’s better when there are more people. If you play a multiplayer game with a whole bunch of your gaming buddies then it can be the most fun you can ever have. The shit-talking and jokes made in party chats can be priceless. These types of gamers only play games that have a multiplayer component in them and I can really see why. Going into battle with your mates can be a rich and glorifying thing. You can make new friends and every game you play is different. Someone in your team can accidentally launch a rocket underneath them by accident and numerous homo-erotic comments can be made (I’d like to launch a rocket up your behind etc.).

Gaming is like sex. It’s fun alone, but better with a buddy. So grab a buddy by the head and drag him into a hole. I’m seriously sorry about the innuendos. Actually, I’m not.

 

The Compulsive

AKA Completionists. Oh the amount of time and determination these gamers have is phenomenal. To just sit there and finish every single thing in a game requires immense patience and persistence. My Mad Hat off to those crazy bastards that fully complete JRPG’s. Or any Japanese game for that matter. I don’t even know how difficult that would be to pull off. There is something seriously commendable about these gamers. They bought a game at full price and by hell will they get every cent’s worth out of it.

It frustrates me to no end when I see people play huge and excellent games, for maybe an hour, before throwing it to the side of a huge tower of unplayed games.

 

The Asshole

Oh come on you had to expect this. Time for pleasantries is over. These gamers are otherwise known as the cancer of gaming. Those that troll around on the internet thinking their vocabulary is as big as their penis and just rage at everything and everyone for no particular reason. They are so content on being unhappy that they don’t enjoy anything at all anymore. They see games as a chance to get attention rather than something to have fun with.

There are also the multiplayer gamers that do everything in their power to piss you off. They will maliciously cuss at you for everything you do, before they undergo the process of teamkilling and theft just to get you enraged. I truly have no idea why someone wants to do all these things. Lash out because their parent’s hate them? Try to make everyone as miserable as they are because they have an abnormally small penis? Get attention because they’re too fat too get off of the couch? These people should just fuck off and throw rocks at cop cars or something.

 

The Conclusion

Like I said, there are still hordes of other types of gamers out there, and we are certainly diverse. We have the good and the bad, but ultimately we are a culture on our own. Our mannerisms and ways of doing things are entirely different from other people and that’s what I love about being a gamer. Different than the norm. Call me a nerd or a deadbeat, I won’t care because I have a cave to spelunk.

Which gamer are you?