Through the years, gaming has evolved into a popular media of entertainment, catering to both kids and adults alike. Simply put, there are enough genres and titles to tickle everyone’s fancy. Whether you’re into cooking, building, violent shooters, or even taking care of a virtual baby, you can be sure that there’s a title out there waiting for you. After browsing through a series of forums, social media discussions and various online groups, I’ve realized that today’s gamers rarely agree on what they really want in a game, which led me to make this list of gamer stereotypes that, hopefully, you’ll enjoy. Remember, this is all for fun, so let’s not be a bunch of babies about it. Well, let’s get started!
“If it’s not 1080p and runs at 60 fps, it’s garbage”
The graphics whore is perhaps the most famous among his/her fellow archetypes. These people rely solely on how beautiful a game looks regardless of gameplay. They tend to buy games with the best visuals day one, and sometimes bicker in the corner when it gets horrible reviews. The graphics whore (or GW, for short) is primarily a PC gamer, but also owns the most able console for that particular generation. They are normally seen hanging out in ‘Face-off’ or visual comparison articles, trolling the hell out of people for having a graphically inferior version of the game. If, however, their console of choice did not get the superior version, as expected, they will continue to plow the conversation with “PC MASTER RACE” comments. These are people who value the smallest details and exaggerate them just to prove that they possess the definitive version.
Sometimes, the GW may find himself tempted to purchase a graphically weaker console, but refuses to taint his streak of visually superior titles.
“Graphics don’t matter! It’s all about gameplay!”
Capt. Gameplay is probably every graphics whore’s worst nightmare, as they tend to defend their stand on the forums (often targeting the GW) that gameplay is always better than graphics. On some occasions, the specimen is someone who owns a graphically inferior console, but needs some ammo to fight back GWs. Although some of his games are not entirely impressive in terms of gameplay, the Captain will keep pushing down the forum lanes until he proves that his game is tons better than the ones with better visuals.
Much like the GW, the Captain also dreams of playing 1080p games at 60 fps, but often lacks the budget to get a top-of-the-line PC.
“LOL! Obviously overpowered… tweak this sh!t please!”
Unlike some of the archetypes, Champs are divided into genres where he/she is most proficient. Champs are players who disregard anything casual and immediately go for competitive games. They take good pride in their skill and will stop at nothing to be the best in their game of choice. These players are normally harder to please than most gamers, as they often have something to say about the game’s balance. Even with Captains and GWs duking it out on forum discussions, the Champ will inevitably change the discussion into something involving tweaks and various changes that will make the game more competitive.
Once a hard game has been announced, you can bet that these guys will be the first in line. They won’t hesitate to call you a ‘filthy casual’ if you don’t like their game of choice. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the Champ is their video game collection, which consists of hand-picked titles that are showcased for other Champs to marvel at.
“Clones… clones everywhere”
The forgotten are perhaps one of the rarest archetypes recorded, as these individuals refuses to go with the tides. Mind you, the forgotten are not hipsters, but a bunch of bitter individuals who hate the fact that their genre of choice has been forgotten through time. These individuals hate shooters, and would be the first ones to say “Not another battlefield/Call of Duty clone” on youtube trailers and other shooter discussions. They still believe that sidescrollers should not be a thing of the past, and that the present gaming world consists of nothing but clones. They still play new games from time to time, but once you get into a discussion with these individuals, you’d best be prepared for the hate barrage coming your way.
The Forgotten often shares the same sentiments with Capt. Gameplay regarding Gamerplay > Graphics, but are more open to graphically superior titles than the former.
“That looks fun! I’ll buy that!”
Casuals, as their name implies, are average players at best. They are not the best at what they do, but they do enjoy playing video games’. Unlike the other classes, these gamers just go with whatever looks fun, regardless of gameplay and graphics. They are not too keen on reviews and scores either, and would play titles that interest them at face value. These players are also unaffected by the intoxicating entry level of competitive MOBA games/MMO PVP, and would jump in despite being undergeared just to have fun (It’s just a game afterall). Casuals are also sometimes considered GWs because of their easily-influenced nature. Once a person recommends a certain platform, these guys will surely buy it.
Casuals fancy themselves as hardcore in an “I play video games, therefore I am” sense, which sometimes infuriates Champs due to their “You don’t know anything” nature. These players also say words that often come across as offensive to the other classes due to their lack of in-depth knowledge and them being oblivious to the fact that some players are offended by random claims against their platform/game of choice.
“That’s one off the list!”
The collector, as the name suggests, are gamers who buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff. They normally play a new game for an hour or two and move on to the next purchase. Unlike Casuals, some collectors are really good at playing games, but rarely sticks around to finish a game or play with other users. To them, the concept of a title being displayed on their shelves is the same as finishing a game with all the achievements/trophies unlocked. Unlike the other classes, collectors have a diverse set of titles on their shelves consisting of hand-picked games that allow their fellow gamers to see that he/she is impartial to graphics, gameplay, and competition. In a way, the collector has played more games that most of the classes mentioned, but have finished much lesser titles than everyone as well.
In some cases, these individuals also yearn for a title they can play for long periods of time, but are eventually drowned by the amount of games they can potentially buy to give a hoot
“Sup bruh!?”
Master Chiefs (or MC for short) are the jocks of the video game community. They play long hours of Halo, COD, Battlefield, Resistance, Killzone just to rank up. These players also enjoy sports games with a passion, and would instantly pop up FIFA or NBA on their platform of choice when people are around. MCs are not as picky as the rest when buying platforms. As long as it has decent shooters and a bunch of sports games, then it’s an easy purchase (which is by far all). Among the classes mentioned in this article, the MC is perhaps the most ‘Online dependent’, as most of their choices consist of gradual patches and online multiplayer.
“The only way you can really enjoy a game is to unlock all the Trophies/Achievements”
I admit, we all have an inner-trophy/achievement whore inside us, but these guys are totally different. Much like the collector, these gamers buy games for the same of increasing their Gamerscore, which for them mirrors their credibility and skill level as a gamer. If there’s a game that offers easy achievements (regardless of how bad it is), these guys will play it like hell. Yes, these guys bought Avatar: The Last Airbender for the Xbox 360 just cuz it ships with easy achievements. The trophy addict doesn’t really have any form of attachment to the games they play, and would normally sell/trade it on retail outlets just to get the next title on their list. In addition to that, these addicts hate platforms and games that don’t feature Gamerscore, as they are bothered by the fact that they cannot showcase their “Pro Meter”.
Trophy/Achievement addicts can be found lurking on Trophy/Achievement guide websites, constantly providing details to help fellow addicts and researching on titles they’ve yet to ‘Plat’.
“Mirror mirror on the wall, which game has the fairest characters of all?”
Ah yes, the Evil Queen. Perhaps one of the hardest to please among the group, the Evil Queen will only play a game as long as the characters (be it male or female) look handsome/beautiful. No, this class is not gender-locked; in fact, there are actually more male Queens than there are females. Those League of Angels banners currently flooding the net (yeah, the one with huge….yeah.) are heavily aimed that this particular demographic. Evil Queens won’t even look at a game if it isn’t the most beautiful thing out there. They also won’t hesitate to drop a game if something prettier comes along. They aren’t really the best players as they rarely stay in a game long enough to grasp it.
These are just a few of the types of players you’ll run into in your gaming life. Look at any MMO community and you’ll find each of them quite easily. Did we leave any out? We’ll add them to the next article on gamer classes.
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