GamerTraits™

Us gamers, we’re a sort of subculture, are we not? Sure, we may not have a distinct style, but after a long day (or if you’re lucky, this is your long day) we all flock to our platform of choice, and that right there is what groups us together. So, as any good anthropologist would tell you, if we are in fact a subculture, well, we should probably be classified further. Please, dear reader, don’t be afraid, it’s going to be much less scientific than it sounds. Hit the jump and take a look at ‘GamerTraits™: A Gamer Classification System.’

The Hypocrite

A relatively uncommon gamer, the hypocrite is an interesting specimen. They talk about games, they get excited about games, they even buy games, but you just don’t see them playing all that often. Do they not have enough time? Are they more interested in the prospect of gaming then the actual process? Whatever their reasons, you won’t often see the hypocrite online.

The Gamer’s Gamer

The gamer’s gamer is a good role model for everyone, but is unfortunately quite rare. They’ll say ‘good game’ after a round, feed good information to their teammates while keeping their voice at a tolerable level, and never grief in any way. An inspiration to us all, the gamer’s gamer sees gaming how it should be seen – a good way to enjoy yourself, not an avenue to be an ass and make people angry.

The Anger Issues Gamer

Where there is good there will inevitably be bad, and unfortunately for us all, bad is much more common. The anger issues gamer seems to have only one goal: annoy their teammates. Whether they scream into their mic, teamkill you because you stole their favorite weapon, or find some other way to ruin the experience for everyone else, this is clearly not the ideal gamer.

The Issues with Commitment Gamer

We all know one of these. They pick up and play a lot of games, but they never finish any of them. Once they get past the halfway point, things start getting a little too comfortable. The controls make too much sense now, the plot is hitting a little too close to home, and  – god forbid – they might actually be enjoying themselves. That’s when the issues with commitment gamer bolts for the door.

The Single-Minded Gamer

The single-minded gamer is an interesting phenomenon. They have one game or maybe a series that they really enjoy and refuse to play anything else. This is seen a lot with first person shooters such as Halo and Call of Duty. They’ll play the current game in the series exclusively, even up to a few years after its release, and they’ll get really good at it. This is a key attribute of the single-minded gamer, and also what deters gamers that like a little more variety from going back to games a year or two after their launch.

The All-Around Gamer

The all-around gamer likes change. They don’t get hung up on one game or genre for too long, but always play their games thoroughly, although not as thoroughly as the completionist. They generally never stick around long enough to get amazingly good at a single game, but have enough skills to hold their own until they’re ready to move on. The all-around gamer has a massive game library, and has trouble letting go of a game even if they may never play it again.

The Completionist

Ah, the completionist. The best known gamer class, and the opposite of the issues with commitment gamer, the completionist plays and plays until the game disc is practically worn straight through. Maybe they need all the achievements or trophies in a game, maybe they can’t live without until they see ’100% complete’, or maybe they are just trying to get the most out of their money. Regardless of the reason, the completionist will go to amazing lengths, and sometimes submit themselves to torture to completely destroy every game in their collection.

The I Need it Now Gamer and the Economy Gamer

Although the ‘I need it now’ gamer and the economy gamer play games in very similar ways, they are in fact complete opposites, . What differentiates them is when they get their games. The ‘I need it now’ doesn’t wait to buy. No, even more, they can’t wait. They pre-order almost every upcoming release that interests them, and play through them as quickly as possible. The economy gamer, on the other hand, is on a budget. They are willing to wait  six months or even a year to play the games that interest them, and are always on the hunt for bargains.

So now that you’re familiar with the categories, which one/ones would you put yourself in?

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