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The Different Types of Gamers

Jake

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Jake Newbie

Jake

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Back in the days when gaming was niche, everyone was grouped into one category. If you played video games, you were a gamer. This situation worked fine for a while, but nowadays, nearly everyone plays video games. I would hardly call even half of these people gamers, and therefore I feel there needs to be some categorization. Here are the different types I’ve come up with...

The Casual Gamer

This person only plays a small handful of games, and he sees gaming as a social experience. Video games play a small role in his life, and he would almost never call himself a “gamer†in public. He usually plays party games on the Wii and cheerful titles that have little difficulty. He (or she) may also play more traditionally “hardcore†games, albeit with an unsusually limited time commitment.

How to Find One

Visit your grandparents house and see if they have a gaming console. The most “hardcore†game my grandpa owns is Endless Ocean. Gaming there sure was a joy.

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The Hardcore Gamer

This is the guy you think of when you think “gamer.†He plays many different types of games of many different genres. Gaming plays a very large role in his life, usually as his primary hobby. Gaming is his passion and obsession, and he is proud of it.

Many say being a hardcore gamer relies on skill, but I disagree. I say it relies on passion. Passion leads to sinking time into games. This will usually develop skill, but even if it doesn't, the person is still hardcore.

How to Find One

Go to the abandoned house down the street. You’ll find the door locked. Sneak inside into the basement. You may find that this house is not actually abandoned; there is likely a pale-skinned man with long hair and fingernails sitting in front of a screen with twitching eyes. Welcome to gaming, my friend.

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The Genre Gamer

This person only plays one type of genre. He loves the genre so much that he prefers to explore every inch of the library it offers, rather than branch off. He spends most of his time playing video games, and is very knowledgeable about his genre.

How to Find One

Find a way to access the Hardcore Gamer’s friends list. Scroll through until you find one of his (few) friends that looks like the following. One of them is bound to be a Genre Gamer.

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The Achievement Gamer

This guy only buys games for the achievements/trophies. He tosses the game to the side soon after. He doesn't care how bad the game is, as long as the achievements are easy. However, if someone goes for achievements but doesn't buy the games based on them, he fits into “hardcore†gamer.

How to Find One

You see that full grown man in GameStop buying Hannah Montana: The Movie, Terminator: Salvation, and Disney Pixar’s UP? Now you know why.

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The MMORPG Gamer

This guy spends his days playing an MMORPG like RuneScape or World of Warcraft. This is the only game he plays; after all, he’s paying for a subscription. While having a personality similar to a hardcore or “genre†gamer, he is often considered to be a bit lower on the food chain for not having as much knowledge of the industry. However, he has a lot of knowledge about his particular MMORPG.

How to Find One

Join an MMO, because you will never meet one of these gamers otherwise. They tend to be reclusive with those not of their own kind.

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The Wannabe Gamer

This guy only plays one game. This is not because he is paying for a subscription, but because he thinks his game is the best thing since sliced bread. He refuses to acknowledge any other game in the industry, but calls himself a gamer nonetheless. An example being any kid who plays Call of Duty all day. That is the only game he buys every year, yet he calls himself “hardcore.†These guys are often hated by the more hardcore community for being arrogant sheep. He will praise his game no matter how shallow it is.

How to Find One

Try a middle school, high school, or college. These guys are everywhere. They only play Call of Duty and Madden, and maybe some FIFA or Halo. Try suggesting any other game to them. If their first response is “*game* has terrible grafiks and Call o’ Doodie has da best graphics EVAR!!!†you've found your guy.

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The App Gamer

People who fit into this category often play games like Farmville and Angry Birds. Some of them consider themselves hardcore, because they wake up in the middle of the night to check their crops. Others wouldn't even call themselves gamers. Regardless, I believe they are all in this category, for the sole reason that they don’t seek more substantial experiences.

How to Find One

Create a Facebook and add some women onto it. They will soon spam your inbox with Farmville requests. Yep, that’s social networking for ya.

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The Online Gamer

This gamer’s primary way to play is through online shooters, racing games, action games, or pretty much any game with competitive multiplayer functionality He plays a variety and has a wide palette, but he can’t appreciate the artfulness of the single player experience. He sometimes enters tournaments, but he doesn't count on winning enough to make substantial earnings.

How to Find One

Drive to your nearest golf, skating, or go kart area. It doesn't matter really, it just needs laser tag. Sign up for a laser tag match. If no one stands out, sign up again. Eventually, there will be someone who dominates, whether through sniping, ganking, or just run n’ gunning. There’s your online gamer.

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The Professional Gamer

These are those Korean guys you see on TV battling in Starcraft or some other online game. They make their living playing in tournaments. They often specialize in just one game. Their excuse, of course, is that it’s their job. These guys are the cream of the crop; they are gaming’s elite. Their average income is only about 20k a year, however.

How to Find One

Go to your nearest arcade, or play a video game that has an arcade mode. Look at the high score table. See that high score? You can guess who set that record.

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The PC Elitist

These guys are intent on barging into every conversation about consoles to insist that PCs are the best. Well, yeah, guy... We realize PCs are best, but most of us can’t afford them! These guys don’t care. They believe that if you can’t afford a gaming PC, you don’t have a right to game.

How to Find One

Type into Google “PS3 vs Xbox 360.†You’ll find the professionals siding with the PS3, the fan-boys siding with the 360, and a couple of PC elitists bashing them both. Are they right? Sure, PC is the best. That doesn't mean what they are saying is relevant to PS3 vs Xbox 360.

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What about You?

What category do you fit into? I became a casual gamer in 2003, and became a hardcore gamer in 2009. RPGs became my favorite genre in 2011, but I still play other games, and am therefore still classified as hardcore. Do you have any other categories to add? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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David Newbie

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A very well crafted article. I had quite a few laughs at the "how to find one" descriptions of each type.I don't really know what I'd call myself. I may have been hardcore at one point, but I've found myself slowly moving away from video games. I don't play them much anymore, though when I do I'm certainly not casual. If there was a Hardcore Lite, I'd probably award that to my former self.

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Unknown ProbLem Newbie

Unknown ProbLem

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From the descriptions you gave (and very good ones at that) I felt, that I would mostly be Hardcore, however I can be Genre, I'm mashed in with Online gamers and While being Hardcore, achievements always tend to make me feel a little better in my perfectionist vision of 100%ing a game to play it's fullest.

I don't play them much anymore, though when I do I'm certainly not casual. If there was a Hardcore Lite, I'd probably award that to my former self.

A joke for a later time my friend... lol
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Jake Newbie

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Pretty much nailed Wannabe Gamer on the head with that picture. Really nice article, Squishy.

The picture of the Online Gamer is what I originally had, because, ironically, I think he fits into there more than online gamer. However, I believe Trag's picture he put there instead works much better.
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RayJuice Newbie

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Not really sure what category I would label myself... possibly somewhere in the hardcore and casual area... I don't play a large variety of games, but I guess any game I can get my hands on that is worthy of being called a true game would be where I would go, possibly a Hardcore Lite like Traaginen! I more into the gaming for the experience, such as the story or possibly graphics and maybe it being rated some of the best games.

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David Newbie

David

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I've thought about it a bit, and I think I've come up with the "in-between casual and hardcore" category that a lot of people are talking about.I generally only buy/play the triple AAA titles; the biggest games of every year. With that in mind, I play all of the AAA titles across a wide range of genres: shooters, RPG's, Action/Adventure, etc. After those, I play maybe a few more "niche" games like NCAA Football that are specific to my interests.I don't know what I'd call that, but yeah.

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Blake Newbie

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I generally only buy/play the triple AAA titles; the biggest games of every year. With that in mind, I play all of the AAA titles across a wide range of genres: shooters, RPG's, Action/Adventure, etc. After those, I play maybe a few more "niche" games like NCAA Football that are specific to my interests.I don't know what I'd call that, but yeah.

Maybe just "Regular Gamer"? Not so sure about that as the term "regular" is relative to the people and crowd who say it.
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drake Newbie

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I think i would fit best in the "online gamer" category. I do appreciate storytelling and the campaign aspect of a game but love strategy, tactics and just overall analytics. Knowing what dpi/sens to use, how to position a team on a map and even your physical position relative to the screen and mouse to optimize gameplay, i find very interesting :)

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Soulfire78 Newbie

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Casual gamer here, I guess, with definite obsessive tendencies towards Skyrim and the Fallout series. I won't play for months and then I'll get sucked in all over again. Something about those wide-open range games that just pull me in. I used to play Farmville, but that was more out of a need for visual Xanax than anything else (No, I did not take an arrow to the knee, ending my farming career). Love Little Big Planet when playing with my son, and Infinity Blade II when I'm on the go. Halo and Black Ops are fun when I'm in a "if you can't beat'em, join'em" frame of mind.

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I was a hardcore gamer until 2001 when I became a mom. Then I was only hardcore anything after 8 pm when the kids went to bed. Then in 2006 I got married (yea I realize I may have done things in the wrong order) and realized that being married means you have to share the tv after 8pm. It was tragic but I became a casual gamer and learned to love boxing on the wii with my kids during the day.

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Jake Newbie

Jake

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This would make me an online/casual gamer. I enjoy single player games but mostly prepher online multi-player games, ex, mass effect, borderlands, call of duty, diablo, little big planet, dynasty warriors, infamous.

Mass Effect, Infamous, and arguably Dynasty Warriors and Diablo are single player games...Infamous doesn't even have multiplayer.
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Henry Newbie

Henry

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Heh, I must admitt I really enjoyed this thread the explanations and "How to find one" are the best part of it.If i were to categorize myself I'd also be somewhere between Casual and Hardcore and sadly with a little bit of MMORPG Gamer.I only add MMORPG in there because I know far too much about to the point where I'm actually saddened :( <-- Sad HenryFor instance think about this:If your brain were comparable to a hard drive, Imagine how much room Runescape knowledge is taking up currently.THINK OF ALL THE THINGS WE COULD HAVE FILLED OUR HEADS WITH INSTEAD.:3

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