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Quote (sweetdude)

I don't think I did. Before, you effectively said that big-budget games will always be driven by profit and therefore only in independent companies can developers flex their most ingenious ideas, and I said that plenty of mainstream games have shown that new ideas can also be profitable. Of course companies are driven by profit, that's obvious, but it doesn't mean that good ideas always have to be squashed to make room for tried and tested methods.

Well, you have two effects working against each other:

* smaller companies have to survive, and thus have to focus more on turning a profit; larger companies can afford to invest more in innovative design that might not pay off.
* larger companies dominate the industry and find it easier to use tried-and-true methods, and have little incentive for innovation, while smaller companies have an incentive to "break into" the market using innovative design.

I don't know much about the dynamics of the game industry, but I would guess it depends on whether gamers tend toward becoming accustomed to things or bored with things. If they tend to get used to things and enjoy them a lot even without much change, you're likely to see the second point occur. If they get bored with things easily and are constantly looking for interesting new games, you're likely to see the first point occur.

And I think that casual gamers are more likely the sorts of players who will want their games to follow some sort of expectable formula--they're in it for some "throwaway" entertainment, and aren't particularly dedicated to the medium, so they might want to find "interesting" things in other media (e.g. TV, movies) rather than looking for interesting games themselves.

But with the rise of gaming as a major entertainment medium, and the increasing number of dedicated/"hardcore" gamers, you might see a mix between these two effects.

Another factor that might affect the balance between these two effects is how much monopoly power a company has over a type of game. This type of market control usually doesn't last very long, since it's quite easy to imitate parts of a game, but during periods of temporary dominance of one company or small number of companies, the amount of innovation I think you'll see in the sorts of games they monopolize depends strongly on that/those company's/ies' own desire to innovate.

Quote (sweetdude)

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey)

Which just means that a single event of player-game interaction has far more than one possible meaning to it.

What do you mean?

I mean that different players may do the same thing but for different reasons. For example, a player might choose to solve a puzzle rather than cheat through it because it's part of the game experience, but another player might solve a puzzle rather than cheat because it's a sense of accomplishment and ability for them.

Quote (sweetdude)

I doesn't even matter. I know what you're saying now. The point is that we need less emphasis on marketability, which I believe can be counter-productive, and more emphasis on new ideas.

Or on perfection of existing ideas. Note that perfection isn't a single peak--it has many possible peaks, possibly even an infinite number. Accordingly, genres that have been around for a while--for example, 2D platformer games--continue to see masterpieces being produced: Cave Story, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and La-Mulana are all recent examples.

In fact, I think that there might be some gamers who prefer new, innovative ideas, and others who prefer to find the pinnacles of achievement using existing ideas; I count myself as an example of the latter, though this distinction isn't white-and-black, as I am of course also open to the former.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Quote (sweetdude @ 10th May 2009 18:11)

Quote (BlitzSage @ 10th May 2009 15:38)

And I said that you could be a different type of gamer for different games. The axis is not supposed to be literal.

Different types for different games makes sense, and I agree with it to some extent, but it still doesn't explain people who play all games for both the experience and the performance aspects. I mentioned Pokemon before, that can be played for both, correct?

I'm making a habit of this now, but you did say that 'The whole axis is: [experiential and performance]'. Also, you did say that you are a 100% experiential player, which I'm arguing cannot be true. Did you mean you are a 100% experiential player on some games (you mentioned FFVI) and 100% performance on others? It seems to me that you did mean the axis as a literal divider. If you've changed your opinion now then we're in agreement.

I said performance and experience are both entertainment. I think you missed my point (kidding).

Yeah, I get both experience and performance aspects from many games, often at the same time. When I play Super Smash Bros., I try and beat my friends at it, but I am also creating storylines in my head.

I don't know, I guess that all gaming is both, since it is an interactive medium. If we make a distinction, then, it is only general and not complex.

Or maybe we should make a new axis and throw it out.

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey)

* smaller companies have to survive, and thus have to focus more on turning a profit; larger companies can afford to invest more in innovative design that might not pay off.
* larger companies dominate the industry and find it easier to use tried-and-true methods, and have little incentive for innovation, while smaller companies have an incentive to "break into" the market using innovative design.

On the first point, often it is true that money restrictions can prevent true creativity, but sometimes a lower budget can force a company to come up with innovative ways to make games. Look at Martin Scorsese's movie The Last Temptation of Christ (yeah, I know I always go back to movies). The end of that film fades to white, not out of artistic choice, but Scorsese literally ran out of film and couldn't pay for more. But it just somehow worked.

The second point, in my opinion, is the status quo of the industry. Most video game players can only accept "the formula." The formula is what we get game after game.

Art is made out of rebellion. If game designers are true arists, they must rebel against the norms of the industry. The thing about innovation is that we don't know what they're going to do, and we're not going to like what they create most of the time.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 10th May 2009 20:53)

Or on perfection of existing ideas.  Note that perfection isn't a single peak--it has many possible peaks, possibly even an infinite number.  Accordingly, genres that have been around for a while--for example, 2D platformer games--continue to see masterpieces being produced: Cave Story, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, and La-Mulana are all recent examples.

By 'ideas' I didn't only mean genre. I understand if a company wants to make another FPS but I don't like a company trying to make another Halo. I'm not necessarily asking for the next Grand Theft Auto here, although I'd welcome it, but I wish there more more interesting ideas used in existing games. Like I said before, I believe Halo 3 would not have lost any sales if it had a more rounded storyline or an interesting single-player. What you say is true, there are plenty of good games still to be made with old platforming or FPS formula, but what I'm explaining is that 'new ideas' don't have to carve their own genre or style; they can just make a good game better.

Maybe the developers are convinced that new ideas in a franchise will put the fans off. They're probably right to some extent. If Devil May Cry 4 was too different then I'm sure the fans would complain. They'd still buy it though, at the end of the day.

Quote (BlitzSage @ 11th May 2009 02:06)

Art is made out of rebellion. If game designers are true arists, they must rebel against the norms of the industry. The thing about innovation is that we don't know what they're going to do, and we're not going to like what they create most of the time.

I've never thought of game designers as artists. Maybe the graphic designers are, but everyone else is basically a computer programmer.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Quote (sweetdude @ 11th May 2009 11:44)

Quote (BlitzSage @ 11th May 2009 02:06)

Art is made out of rebellion. If game designers are true arists, they must rebel against the norms of the industry. The thing about innovation is that we don't know what they're going to do, and we're not going to like what they create most of the time.

I've never thought of game designers as artists. Maybe the graphic designers are, but everyone else is basically a computer programmer.

Any creator is an artist. Writers, filmmakers, and yes game designers are artists too. Not art in the classical sense of painting, but in the sense of creation.

Now, most people do not consider video games to be high art, on the level of other art forms. But that is just a majority opinion held by critics.

This post has been edited by BlitzSage on 12th May 2009 03:12

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 11th May 2009 23:11)

Any creator is an artist. Writers, filmmakers, and yes game designers are artists too. Not art in the classical sense of painting, but in the sense of creation.

Now, most people do not consider video games to be high art, on the level of other art forms. But that is just a majority opinion held by critics.

You know, I know a couple people who work as artists and art directors in the console and PC gaming fields (for pretty big names in the industry, really; maybe not Blizzard or EA, but up that direction at least). They're proud of the work they create, but I think if you asked them whether they were creating art as you describe it, even they would tell you no. Additionally, I have a sneaking suspicion that if you asked them whether they'd rather be rebellious artists blowing everyone's mind with their games or leave their most creative pursuits for other things and keep food on the table with their game-related art, you would not get many folks saying "yeah, fight the power!" - and that's coming from people who are actually inside the industry, not simply promoting a romanticized view of it from the outside. If you, as you imply from this post, feel that the majority's wrong in this case, by all means, have a go at going out there on your own and elevating the games you create to the level of "high" art. Just don't be surprised when the gamers don't necessarily flock to you and make you a star of the industry for bucking the system.

Additionally, it seems that posts that are solely about the commercial axis of gaming versus the artistic axis would probably be left for another (interesting, but not on the topic of types of gamers) thread.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 12th May 2009 10:14)

Quote (BlitzSage @ 11th May 2009 23:11)

Any creator is an artist. Writers, filmmakers, and yes game designers are artists too. Not art in the classical sense of painting, but in the sense of creation.

Now, most people do not consider video games to be high art, on the level of other art forms. But that is just a majority opinion held by critics.

You know, I know a couple people who work as artists and art directors in the console and PC gaming fields (for pretty big names in the industry, really; maybe not Blizzard or EA, but up that direction at least). They're proud of the work they create, but I think if you asked them whether they were creating art as you describe it, even they would tell you no. Additionally, I have a sneaking suspicion that if you asked them whether they'd rather be rebellious artists blowing everyone's mind with their games or leave their most creative pursuits for other things and keep food on the table with their game-related art, you would not get many folks saying "yeah, fight the power!" - and that's coming from people who are actually inside the industry, not simply promoting a romanticized view of it from the outside. If you, as you imply from this post, feel that the majority's wrong in this case, by all means, have a go at going out there on your own and elevating the games you create to the level of "high" art. Just don't be surprised when the gamers don't necessarily flock to you and make you a star of the industry for bucking the system.

Additionally, it seems that posts that are solely about the commercial axis of gaming versus the artistic axis would probably be left for another (interesting, but not on the topic of types of gamers) thread.

Every word you say is true (even though it makes me feel pessimistic about my dreams). In my opinion, anything created is art, and there isn't a high art bc that's subjective.

But you're right, you gotta live before you rebel, and you got to be practical (because not everyone can be like Bob Dylan, but even he had to make a living). I would just like to see a larger independent movement, but that is in the hands of the businessmen. Sorry for turning this into a debate on art or whatever it is (that's just what is always on my mind it seems. But I guess mainstream/subculture axis might not work, because how can you really tell?

We should stick to the competitive/non-competitive axis, because there isn't as much subjectivity.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Well, a mainstream/subculture axis also shifts over time.

I'd say, despite how much people like using Katamari Damacy as an example of a "widget series" (i.e. "WJT" or "weird Japanese thing"), I call KD mainstream now. It's sufficiently well-known.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 12th May 2009 22:02)

Well, a mainstream/subculture axis also shifts over time.

I'd say, despite how much people like using Katamari Damacy as an example of a "widget series" (i.e. "WJT" or "weird Japanese thing"), I call KD mainstream now. It's sufficiently well-known.

That's the point. It's all based on subjectivity, and it is bound to change over time. Popularity has a short lifespan.

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Praise Be To Helix!

For the purposes of real subjective grouping, I'm going to list some people I know and try and fit them into gamer categories without using any objective factors like money, time or weight. There are probably hundreds more, but some could overlap a bit. And I'm also going to make up names for them incase they read this. You know who you are...

Dr Xavier
Favourite Genre: JRPG, preferably the kind with the worst voice acting and the most fanservice.
Favourite Platform: DS (or PS3 I'm not sure)
Favourite Game: Pokemon Gold or Silver I don't know anything about them.
Experiential/performance: Leaning heavily towards experiential.
Verdict: Hopeless. I really don't understand these folks. He checks on Japanese release dates more than his mother's health.
Type of Gamer: Dr Japan

Materia Keeper
Favourite Genre: Third- or First-Person w/ Strategy. This fits Deus Ex, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Thief etc.
Favourite Platform: PS2
Favourite Game: Final Fantasy VII
Experiential/performance: Perfectly balanced.
Verdict: Now that we've come to it he sounds a lot like me. It's not actually. Still stuck a generation behind but quite open-minded about a lot of games.
Type of Gamer: Middle-Child

Serious Sam
Favourite Genre: FPS
Favourite Platform: PS3
Favourite Game: Call of Duty 4
Experiential/performance: Tries to out-perform everyone. Forgets who he's fighting or why they're fighting by week 2. It would be interesting to see what happens if we gradually switch the scenery and soldiers of CoD4 for oceans and fish; and little yellow submarines instead of aeroplanes.
Verdict: Straight and to the point. The sort of person who will flinch slightly if you suggest a two-player on FFIX. He and his friends seem to think they're in a gamer hierarchy of some kind.
Type of Gamer: Robocop

Bob Marley
Favourite Genre: Anything easy on easy, but it really can be anything.
Favourite Platform: DS
Favourite Game: Guitar Hero. Again I don't know anything about them.
Experiential/performance: A lot of both, but he probably is more influenced by performance. Experience is too committed.
Verdict: Cool guy. Can't really fault him, except a Robocop would probably call him a noob if they ever crossed paths on one sordid gaming service or another.
Type of Gamer: Spacial

Me
Favourite Genre: Strategy
Favourite Platform: PS2
Favourite Game: Final Fantasy XII Probably, for now, does anyone really care?
Experiential/performance: It really is a perfect balance of both.
Verdict: I play games in equal doses of single- and multi-player. 'Should really stop playing the same bloody games and branch out just a little bit towards the sunshine.
Type of Gamer: Middle-Child

Richard
Favourite Genre: FPS
Favourite Platform: Xbox 360
Favourite Game: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Las Vegas
Experiential/performance: Again, quite balanced here. Probably more experiential because he's not really into online play.
Verdict: Forget the secret identities for this one. Sort of like a Dr Japan, but Dr Microsoft. Salt of the earth, really nice type gamer, but needs to branch out a bit from the running and shooting arena.
Type of Gamer: Tom Clancy's Richard. Switch the name to be whoever it is.

Pablo
Favourite Genre: Point and click.
Favourite Platform: PC
Favourite Game: StarCraft
Experiential/performance: He's a lot more involved with the experience side. Unless you consider giving a hooker lots of money in Duke Nukem as performance.
Verdict: It's not because he's particularly stalwart in his old-fashioned ideas, and he does play the odd new release on PC, he just prefers the old stuff. Older stuff than most of us.
Type of Gamer: Berlin Wall

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Quote (sweetdude @ 14th May 2009 02:19)

For the purposes of real subjective grouping, I'm going to list some people I know and try and fit them into gamer categories without using any objective factors like money, time or weight. There are probably hundreds more, but some could overlap a bit. And I'm also going to make up names for them incase they read this. You know who you are...

Dr Xavier
Favourite Genre: JRPG, preferably the kind with the worst voice acting and the most fanservice.
Favourite Platform: DS (or PS3 I'm not sure)
Favourite Game: Pokemon Gold or Silver I don't know anything about them.
Experiential/performance: Leaning heavily towards experiential.
Verdict: Hopeless. I really don't understand these folks. He checks on Japanese release dates more than his mother's health.
Type of Gamer: Dr Japan

Materia Keeper
Favourite Genre: Third- or First-Person w/ Strategy. This fits Deus Ex, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Thief etc.
Favourite Platform: PS2
Favourite Game: Final Fantasy VII
Experiential/performance: Perfectly balanced.
Verdict: Now that we've come to it he sounds a lot like me. It's not actually.  Still stuck a generation behind but quite open-minded about a lot of games.
Type of Gamer: Middle-Child

Serious Sam
Favourite Genre: FPS
Favourite Platform: PS3
Favourite Game: Call of Duty 4
Experiential/performance: Tries to out-perform everyone. Forgets who he's fighting or why they're fighting by week 2. It would be interesting to see what happens if we gradually switch the scenery and soldiers of CoD4 for oceans and fish; and little yellow submarines instead of aeroplanes.
Verdict: Straight and to the point. The sort of person who will flinch slightly if you suggest a two-player on FFIX. He and his friends seem to think they're in a gamer hierarchy of some kind.
Type of Gamer: Robocop

Bob Marley
Favourite Genre: Anything easy on easy, but it really can be anything.
Favourite Platform: DS
Favourite Game: Guitar Hero. Again I don't know anything about them.
Experiential/performance: A lot of both, but he probably is more influenced by performance. Experience is too committed.
Verdict: Cool guy. Can't really fault him, except a Robocop would probably call him a noob if they ever crossed paths on one sordid gaming service or another.
Type of Gamer: Spacial

Me
Favourite Genre: Strategy
Favourite Platform: PS2
Favourite Game: Final Fantasy XII Probably, for now, does anyone really care?
Experiential/performance: It really is a perfect balance of both.
Verdict: I play games in equal doses of single- and multi-player. 'Should really stop playing the same bloody games and branch out just a little bit towards the sunshine.
Type of Gamer: Middle-Child

Richard
Favourite Genre: FPS
Favourite Platform: Xbox 360
Favourite Game: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Las Vegas
Experiential/performance: Again, quite balanced here. Probably more experiential because he's not really into online play.
Verdict: Forget the secret identities for this one. Sort of like a Dr Japan, but Dr Microsoft. Salt of the earth, really nice type gamer, but needs to branch out a bit from the running and shooting arena.
Type of Gamer: Tom Clancy's Richard. Switch the name to be whoever it is.

Pablo
Favourite Genre: Point and click.
Favourite Platform: PC
Favourite Game: StarCraft
Experiential/performance: He's a lot more involved with the experience side. Unless you consider giving a hooker lots of money in Duke Nukem as performance.
Verdict: It's not because he's particularly stalwart in his old-fashioned ideas, and he does play the odd new release on PC, he just prefers the old stuff. Older stuff than most of us.
Type of Gamer: Berlin Wall

First of all, that's a lot of gamers.

Secondly, I just read that you made up names (was wondering why Bob Marley would come back just to play games).

Third, that just shows how difficult it is to make a gamer spectrum. Everyone is unique in some ways.

But I like your listed system, I think we should use that, and make it sort of a checklist that everyone can do on this site. We could also expand it.

This post has been edited by BlitzSage on 14th May 2009 03:11

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Praise Be To Helix!

Perhaps, if a series of overlapping bubbles were used, you could create his list in a 3D format. Each bubble is a descriptor. For example, using Dr. Xavier from Sweetdudes list, we would start with "JRPG" as one bubble. Continue this for each gaming trait. Then, we adjust these around a center point. In this case, the gamer himself. What you get is a unique shape made of these bubbles that becomes the gamer.

What makes this unique is the depth in which each bubble surrounds a particular gamer. Some people might only be 30% "JRPG", whereas another gamer might be 70%. This would be shown when "Gamer Shapes" are compared side by side.

Fun topic, btw. Regretting being so busy >.<

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think you're a true rp dork - try it live action shifted lands

Quote (r_c_cola2001 @ 22nd May 2009 20:43)

Perhaps, if a series of overlapping bubbles were used, you could create his list in a 3D format. Each bubble is a descriptor. For example, using Dr. Xavier from Sweetdudes list, we would start with "JRPG" as one bubble. Continue this for each gaming trait. Then, we adjust these around a center point. In this case, the gamer himself. What you get is a unique shape made of these bubbles that becomes the gamer.

What makes this unique is the depth in which each bubble surrounds a particular gamer. Some people might only be 30% "JRPG", whereas another gamer might be 70%. This would be shown when "Gamer Shapes" are compared side by side.

Fun topic, btw. Regretting being so busy >.<

Interesting, I like that. Plus, bubbles=awesome.

I think we should do this:

• Your Name
• Favorite games you play
• Reason (competition/story/etc.)
• Favorite genre of games
• Reason you like that genre
• Anything else you want to put

We could all post it on this topic. We can add info to it, or other spaces. Whadda u think?


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Praise Be To Helix!

* Your Name: My name is James
* Favorite games you play: almost all of the Final Fantasy except 12, 11, and 10, Soul Blazer, Contra, Secret of Mana, Terranigma, and the list goes on.
* Reason (competition/story/etc.): fun, challenging, and many other reasons that would take me forever to explain.
* Favorite genre of games: I would say RPG's
* Reason you like that genre: it offers many things.
* Anything else you want to put: I prefer older RPG's because I like playing the classics. Its almost impossible for me to try and finish an RPG that came out in the past 10 years, which makes me sound like I'm all about the classics, but its more than that. I do enjoy playing newer games, but I havent really gone any further than the PS2. I would love to have a DS so that I can at least talk to my friends about some new games that Ive tried, that they may have or not have tried. with this said, I don't think I'll be getting a PS3, 360, or a Wii, because I find that these games do not appeal to my generation of gaming. maybe someday, but at the moment I'm content with my PS2, Nintendo, SNES, and also purchasing a Nintendo DS, once I have money to spend again.

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You Can't Escape...
Nowhere to run...
Nowhere to hide...

Your Name - Rich
Favorite games you play - Any older FF (Tactics/6 and earlier). Suikoden series. World of Warcraft(hiatus). Tecmo Super Bowl. Star Ocean II, Most older RPG's
Reason (competition/story/etc.) - Story. Boring story = Broken Game
Favorite genre of games - RPG
Reason you like that genre - Compelling stories. To me, running around randomly shooting things is only entertaining when I'm smashed with friends.
Anything else you want to put - For statistics sake, my fiance asked me to add that the only reason she plays video games is so we have something to talk about. Theres a new one for ya.


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think you're a true rp dork - try it live action shifted lands

Your Name: Jennifer
Favourite Games: FFVIII & Spyro the Dragon
Reason: relaxation/completion
Favourite Genre: RPG
Reason: I think it is fun to collect things and power up the characters.
Anything Else: I'm the type of person who avoids challenges and likes overpowering characters early on. That's probably why VIII is my favourite FF game since it it easy to power up the characters right at the beginning using the card game. The main reason I play games is to relax.

This post has been edited by ILoveMoombas! on 26th May 2009 18:47

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FF games completed: I (psp), II (psp), III (DS), IV (psp), V (GBA), VI (GBA), VII, VIII, IX, X, XI: Nations-Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, XII, XIII, XIV, XV.
Spin-offs: FFIV: Interlude & The After Years, Crisis Core: FFVII, X-2, XIII-2, Lightning Returns, Type-0 HD, Dissidia, Dissidia 012, and Tactics (original & WotL).
Enjoyed them all.

* Your Name: Benjamin
* Favorite games you play: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy (4, 6, 7, & 10), Shining Force (1 & 2), Bubble Bobble, Capcom vs. SNK, some side-scrollers and beat 'em ups.
* Reason (competition/story/etc.): typically for storyline, but the latter due to multiplayer capabilities
* Favorite genre of games: Tactical RPGs (like Tactics, Shining Force, Fire Emblem, etc.)
* Reason you like that genre: I get to be a tactical wizard and a perfectionist
* Anything else you want to put: I tend to stick to games where my horrible reaction time isn't as much of a factor (TRPGs move at my pace and the other games I listed are more for when I'm with friends, where it's just for fun).

Your Name: Michael/Mike/Anus/Worst Tank Ever
Favourite games you play: Left 4 Dead, Unreal Tournament 2004, Serious Sam, Final Fantasy, Prince of Persia (Sands of Time), Metal Gear Solid, The World Ends With You, mairocrat, the classic Sonic series (pre-Dreamcast). Oh, and Ragnarok.
Reason: Shenanigans/Victory/Destruction/Glitching. If a game I play is multiplayer, it is inevitable that I will piss someone off.
Favourite genre of games: I like everything.
Reason you like that genre: Because it's difficult to find one genre that amuses me so much I wouldn't play anything else. RPGs are great for story, RTSs are great for strategy (obviously), FPSs are great for shenanigans with CoN, and miscellaneous are fun for being different.
Anything else you want to put: DM-DesertIsle was safe and sound until I got my hands on it. Also, teams, ping, lag, geometry, hugs plz. Olly go green. bing bing choi :).

Classify me. I dare you.

Quote (footbigmike @ 26th May 2009 23:29)

Classify me. I dare you.

Well, honestly, if I was going to psychoanalyze you using that statement, I would say you're more of a competitive gamer or person. Especially since other quotes within your post to support my hypothesis.

But I am not conducting any Freudian experiments. To reiterate what was stated earlier in this topic, you can't classify anyone completely, for that is a logical fallacy. I think the fun of it is to really classify yourself. The question really is: "What kind of gamer do you think you are?"

Edit

I'm still thinking of mine, and I'm trying to think if there's something else that should be on the list.

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Praise Be To Helix!

* Your Name: Piotr (I dare all you natives of English to pronounce that ;)
* Favorite games you play: Monkey Island series (and generally LucasArts adventure games), Final Fantasy 4, 5, 6 and 9, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, UFO: Enemy Unknown.
* Reason (competition/story/etc.): Story, that's the most important factor. I also play some games (like Plants versus Zombies recently) because the story itself is funny and not necessarily important (and it's a puzzle/strategy game, so there's some thinking involved).
* Favorite genre of games: Adventure games, RPGs, turn-based tactics.
* Reason you like that genre: Story, humor, suspense, challenge.
* Anything else you want to put: I also consider music a very important aspect of the game. Chrono Trigger/Cross, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango all have great music and are all among my favorites. As for multiplayer gaming, I enjoy fighting games (I usually hate to play them solo), and, while gameplay in those is much more important than the story, I still try to get a grip of the plot (if there is any).

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You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one...

Your Name: The Sage.

Favorite games you play: FFVI, Super Smash Bros. (64), Fallout 3, Donkey Kong Country (1 & 2).

Reason (competition/story/etc.): Story, Competition, Exploration.

Favorite genre of games: RPG, Adventure.

Reason you like that genre: I play games to be immersed, to explore, and just to watch the story play out.

Anything else you want to put: I guess I play for the experience, because, to tell the truth, I normally watch people play games rather than actually play. I like to watch, and then make up my own storylines and characters. I do that with the games that my cousin plays and the 007 games with my brother. The only game I'm competitive with is Super Smash Bros. cause I'm actually good at that one (the others I lower the difficulty and use cheats).

This post has been edited by BlitzSage on 29th May 2009 16:54

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Praise Be To Helix!

Categorize THIS

Given name: Mike

Favorite game series: Mega Man, Castlevania, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, 2D Mario games, Mario RPGs, Ratchet & Clank, Guitar Hero, Tales Of, Devil May Cry, any grinding RPG that begins with D and ends in -iablo -isgaea or -ragon Quest. Also, DuckTales.

Reason: completion, strategizing, and challenge, but most important of all is base gameplay mechanics

Favorite genre: RPG, platform, adventure, fighting

Reason you play: I like making visually unrealistic onscreen avatars do cool things; also, causing very large numbers to go across the screen

Whatever else: Del tha Funkee Homosapien

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
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My name: Patrick/PJ

Favorite games: Battletoads series, The 7th Saga, and anything developed by Quintet.

Reason: Competition and unprecedented challenge. I am a multiple world record holder for a few SNES titles, and the number is always increasing. I get bored of easy games, although I do like to play some now and then just to take a break from masochism.

Genre: Platformers! SNES platformers are absolutely incredible. I like RPGs, shmups, adventure, and strategy games a lot, but platformers are by far my best and most enjoyable.

Reason for liking the genre: Platformers are generally a reasonable length for both speed running and point pressing, which are the only competitive means of tracking these titles. RPGs can be speed run, but it is far less fun.

Whatever else: The 7th Saga is by far my favorite RPG of all times. The producers of that game (a company called, believe it or not, Produce!) had the guts to develop a game with such absurd difficulty that I can't help but appreciate it. It is also the only RPG that I know of besides FFT that actually gets harder as you level grind.

This post has been edited by Caesar on 28th May 2009 04:26

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Is PJ

Quote (laszlow @ 28th May 2009 03:45)

Categorize THIS

I think the idea is that you categorise yourself.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Quote

Whatever else: The 7th Saga is by far my favorite RPG of all times. The producers of that game (a company called, believe it or not, Produce!) had the guts to develop a game with such absurd difficulty that I can't help but appreciate it. It is also the only RPG that I know of besides FFT that actually gets harder as you level grind.

I love that game. My cousin picked up a copy from a yard sale a month ago, and I still cant get it from him. Hes not lying, btw, its stupid hard, but definitely worth playing.

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think you're a true rp dork - try it live action shifted lands

Name: no, I'm not giving it over the internet. good try. (Though a few of you CoN people know my real name.)

Favorite games: Cave Story, Super Mario RPG, Nethack, La-Mulana, Chrono Trigger, and some Castlevania, Metroid, Mega Man, Final Fantasy titles (such as Symphony, Dawn, Fusion, Zero Mission, ZX, V, VI...)...and it seems to be all over the place.

Reason: I love atmosphere and immersion. Alternatively, I also love a great story with an interesting cast of characters that let me get really emotionally involved in the plot. And sometimes, I care about neither of those things, but just want a fun game to chew on.

Examples of atmosphere/immersion: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Metroid Prime. The former has a gorgeous soundtrack for an equally gorgeous and detailed play environment. The latter has an immersive 3D first-person perspective, as well as TONS of Chozo Lore logs to help one appreciate the background info.

Examples of compelling story/characters: Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger. I don't think I have to explain any of these, apart from possibly FFV, which I thought had a very intense and engaging story.

Examples of just plain fun: Super Mario RPG, Nethack, Gunstar Heroes. These I don't care much for the other two factors--they can have crappy music or nonsensical environments, for all I care--but they're just really fun to play.

Favorite genres: castletroids and "J"RPGs.

Reasons I like those genres: well, I love castletroids for their atmosphere and for my getting to explore a virtual world. I love exploring things. RPGs for the plot; I don't really care for interesting gameplay features of RPGs that much (e.g. Golden Sun's puzzles or FFVII's minigames), but I care a lot about the plot making sense and being engaging.

Anything else: I don't know how to categorize myself.

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 29th May 2009 16:43)

Name: no, I'm not giving it over the internet. good try. (Though a few of you CoN people know my real name.)

Wow, didn't think of that, I have to go change my post.

btw, is it Glenn?

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 29th May 2009 11:56)

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 29th May 2009 16:43)

Name: no, I'm not giving it over the internet.  good try.  (Though a few of you CoN people know my real name.)

Wow, didn't think of that, I have to go change my post.

btw, is it Glenn?

GMH is kind of like Candle Jack. If you say his real name you

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
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Quote (BlitzSage @ 29th May 2009 12:56)

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 29th May 2009 16:43)

Name: no, I'm not giving it over the internet.  good try.  (Though a few of you CoN people know my real name.)

Wow, didn't think of that, I have to go change my post.

btw, is it Glenn?

No, it's not. It would be pretty damn awesome if it were.

laszlow: *facepalm at that meme again*

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Your Name - John Rufus Foster

Favorite games you play - FF7, FF12, Red Orchestra (an FPS), a couple of games from the Command and Conquer series.

Reason (competition/story/etc.) - To occupy time. I simply play games whenever I need to pass the time quickly. However, to be a game I will play (without being bored to tears) it needs at least one of the three qualities: great story line, amazing realism, or massive amounts of money, troops, and vehicles waging an epic war of total annihilation in a small and relatively confined area.

Favorite genre of games - RTS

Reason you like that genre - A mini apocalypse simulator + massive armies subjugated to my eminent will = FUN

Anything else you want to put - Yes, I am named after a Final Fantasy 7 character.

I suppose I did already set out what kind of gamer I am, but not with this format.

Your Name

Favorite games you play
FFVI, FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFXII, StarCraft, WarCraft III, Deus Ex, Resident Evil 4, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Condemned, Left 4 Dead, The Orange Box. Those are the games I've probably played the most.

Reason (competition/story/etc.)
I like good characters and a half-decent plot. I can't play a game if the characterisation is poor, I need that motivation and purpose in my gaming. Riddick is still probably the most playable character in any game. If you put a good main character in front of me and awful gameplay, I'll still like it because I actually want to find out what happens. Syphon Filter is a good example.

Favorite genre of games
Strategy. Like I wrote before, this covers just about all the games above and, arguably, every game in existence. I specifically mean games were strategy is crucial and there is little or no emphasis on reflex. So a turn-based RPG is my kind of strategy but having a strategic game-plan on Counter-Strike isn't.

Reason you like that genre
It's more rewarding and there is more room for customisation. This is going to sound quite sad, but I was playing Blood & Iron - a brilliant custom multiplayer map on StarCraft based on Europe in the 19th century - and, as Britain, I laid out an elaborate attack plan against France in North Africa, the sea trade, Normandy and in Spain. When I declared war I got such a buzz from seeing the plan unravel and ultimately fail. I've never had such an adrenaline rush since my rugby days at school.

Anything else you want to put
The game-type I like the most is very simple: it must have a good set of characters and good strategy-based gameplay. If the game excels in either of those areas then I'll probably like it anyway.

Now that a few of us have laid all this out, can we see any patterns or grouping of any sort? The groups I used in my post at the top could apply to most of us here, based on what's written.

This post has been edited by sweetdude on 30th November 2010 15:48

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.