7 Types of Gamer
"Retro Gamer"
Clinging on to the remnants of Gaming's past, Retro Gamers eschew the modern releases for the nostalgic games of their youth. Depending on how old the Retro Gamer is, what qualifies as old-school enough varies. As a rule of thumb, if you play it on a cartridge, you're in the right era.
Appearance:
Games of Choice: The classics of yesteryear (Mischief Makers [N64], Snatcher, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [PS1]), Indie Games (Cave Story [PC/WII], La Mulana [PC/WII], Braid [360/PS3/PC])
Where Found:
Do Say:
Don't Say: "Music in Videogames is just beeps and bloops"
"The Competitive"
These guys don't just play games for fun, they play to win. The best scores, the best Kill
eath ratio and of course the Best computer are all accolades to be reached - and then rubbed in the faces of those beneath them. Not bad people, just rather over-enthusiastic (and often 'sore winners').
Games of Choice: First Person Shooters (Team Fortress 2 [PC], Halo 3 [360]) Real-Time Strategy (Starcraft 2 [PC]) Fighting (Super Street Fighter 4 [360/PS3], King of Fighters XII [360/PS3], Blazblue [360/PS3])
Appearance:
Where Found: Competatives are more prevailant online than in real life, but we have our own group of them as Frag Soc.
Do Say: "What's your Gamerscore on Xbox Live?"
Don't Say: "Dude, it's just a game..."
Japanese Gamer
Overlapping with the other popular nerdy interest in watching Anime and reading Manga, the Japanese Gamer has a heavy interest in all things from the land of the Rising Sun. But sometimes they can take it to an extreme and be a bit incomprehensible to others. But don't fear! I'm sure they have the best intentions... most of the time.
Appearance: Females wear bright colours to attact mates. Males may lean towards the overly tight or overly elaborate. Large gatherings of Japanese Gamers result costmes reflecting widely worshipped figures in their society, including "Naruto", "Link", and "Solid Snake".
Games of Choice: Japanese RPGs (Final Fantasy IX [PS1], Persona 4 [PS2], Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep [PSP])
Where Found: If York had an Arcade, they'd be there. Otherwise found in Oriental restaurants. Weekly gatherings at the Anime & Manga Society.
Do Say: "Wow, that outfit is totally Kawaii!"
Don't Say: "C'mon, Pokémon is for little kids."
Casual Gamer
Will only play games from time to time, maybe even keeping the hobby a semi-secret. But when it comes to their game of choice, a whole different side is revealed; one that played Plants and Zombies for 15 hours straight one weekend... Male variant is actually somewhat less prevailant these days, and favours the latest FIFA or Call of Duty release to Wii Sports and Super Smash Bros.
Appearance: Masters of blending in, they look just like everyone else.
Games of Choice: Multiplayer/Party Games (Mario Kart Wii [WII], Rock Band 3 [To Be Released, PS3/360/WII]) Sports (FIFA 2011, NBA Jam, Madden 2011)
Where Found: Find any large group of people, and there'll be a Casual Gamer hid among them somewhere. Can be found playing a DS or PSP while on the bus or train, secretly hoping someone will ask them what game they're playing.
Do Say: "Wanna hang out and play Mario Kart?"
Don't Say: "You wouldn't be interested in this game; it's kind of obscure"
High Fantasy Gamer
*insert blurb here*
Appearance: Trenchcoats
Games of Choice: Western RPGs (Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins) Pen and Paper Games (Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering)
Where Found: Fairly shy towards those outside their Species, most are found in hobby shops (such as the Travelling Man), while a few select individuals may be found in open fields, hitting eachother with foam weapons. Approach these with light caution, lest you be mistaken for an Orc and (harmlessly) clubbed into submission.
Do Say:
Don't Say: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy are the same thing, right?"
"The Neckbeard"
A thankfully minor Species, the The Neckbeard takes their Gaming hobby to the point of elitism.
Appearance: Poor amount of attention paid to appearance (and possibly hygeine); identifiable by a scraggly beard going beyond the chin and starting to take over the neck. It is unknown if this is the cause or the result of Neckbeard behaviour.
Games of Choice: Varies, but The Neckbeard will be guaranteed to say a harsh thing or two about the games you enjoy.
Where Found: Incredibly rare to find in the wild; will barely ever stray from their cave. However, they are incredibly prevailant on the Internet. Will either be extremely hostile or extremely shy if approached.
Do Say:
Don't Say:
Need a Seventh Gamer. Either a Collector or a 'Games-As-Art' type person/thingy/stuff.