Everyone has different tastes and preferences; some like guns, some like cars, some like sports. But what kind of gamer are you? If you are new to the gaming scene or just want to reinforce what kind of gamer you are, have a look at this guide.
Games fall into many categories; action, sports, horror, stealth, role playing, strategy, simulators…Each one will suit a different person’s tastes, and many will like several genres- but there are very few who enjoy all. And out of these various genres of games will arise a certain type of gamer…a certain…breed will emerge..
Hopefully this guide will tell you exactly what kind of gamer you are, as well as some recommendations of games that, in our opinion, have gone above and beyond the call of duty (pun not intended. Ed.).
Hardened Gamer
So you want a bit of gore right? None of those wussy stealth games for you. You want action! And lots of it. Don’t worry, you’re covered. You’re a Hardened Gamer.
How many of you, as a wee’ lad (or lass!) found yourselves wielding a stick pointing at your friends saying, “Bang!” while a disapproving parent looks on? Well if you are nodding your head sheepishly now, then a shooter or action-adventure is right up your street. It provides all the hard boiled action that you crave (or at least used to). Depending on whether you want something a little gritty (FPS) or something with a little more strategy required (action-adventure), the Hardened Gamer category has something for you.
Notable Names: Call of Duty, Half Life 2, Killzone 2, Gears of War, Uncharted 2, The Club, Grand Theft Auto, Team Fortress 2, Mercenaries, Halo.
Golden Oldies: Half Life, Counter Strike, House of the Dead, Time Crisis, Chronicles of Riddick, Unreal Tournament.
Sports Fanatic
Sport games make up a significant chunk of most console owner’s game libraries, and for good reason. The pick-up-and-play value of soccer games is virtually unsurpased by all others, while the tactical and bone crunching fun to be had in NFL games is incredible. If you happen to own sports games aplenty, and yearn constantly for just one more match, then you are a Sports fanatic.
Sports games will appeal to many people, simply because of their huge diversity. Of course, if you are a huge soccer fan then a game like Fifa is a no brainer. If you really like the brutality found in some action games, but want to try your hand at a sports game, try something with a little bloodlust like UFC.
Notable Names: Pro Evolution Soccer, Fifa, Madden, NFL Street, Fight Night, Shaun White Snowboarding, UFC
Golden Oldies: Fifa 99. Foul button. Nuff’ said.
Horror Hound
So you want to be scared huh? Well, you’re spoilt for choice. If you are someone who craves their next horror flick, then you will enjoy the selection of games on offer. If survival’s your thing, pick up a survival horror game. If you just want to scare yourself shitless, check out some Japanese horror games like Silent Hill. There are some people in this world who just get a kick out of being scared. Rollercoasters, scary movies, people jumping on them in the night (ok…maybe not that last one)- but if you are one of those people you are herbye dubbed a Horror Hound.
Notable Names: Resident Evil, Manhunt, Dead Space, Cryostasis, Siren, Condemned 2, Bioshock
Golden Oldies: DOOM, Silent Hill, FEAR, Fatal Frame, Penumbra, The Suffering
Dragon Slayer
We all played make-believe fantasy games as kids. Go on, admit it. You did. Luckily, nowadays imagination is no longer required! If you just loved swinging pretend swords, crawling through imaginary caves and thinking about what it would be like to be a real hero in a story, then you will find that you are a Dragon Slayer. You enjoy playing in fantasy worlds, and there are a ton of superb games that allow you to do just that.
Notable Names: Elder Scrolls Oblivion, Fallout 3, Dragon Age: Origins, Demon’s Souls, The Last Remenant, Mass Effect, Fable
Golden Oldies: Knights of the Old Republic, Diablo, Fallout, Final Fantasy, Vampire: The Masquerade- Redemption
Stealth Snake
You creep up the garden path. The gravel crunches beneath your feet. You reach for the door, and unlock it. You creep up the stairs and go to the bathroom. The gin makes you miss-badly. You climb into bed next to the missus after another hard night out on the town.
If this is the kind of behaviour you regularly get up to, and you like gaming, you might just be a Stealth Snake. You love to creep around, craving the adrenaline rush as someone walks past your hiding place inches from your face. These kind of games require a bit of thought too; although they mostly involve some kind of weaponry, don’t expect to go in all guns blazing as you will probably get killed. You are a person who likes to take their time to think about your plan, and it has to be said- the feeling you get after succesfully pulling off a master plan, like knocking out two guards with gas and creeping past them is unsurpassed.
Notable Names: Splinter Cell, Hitman, Metal Gear Solid, Prince of Persia, Assasins Creed
Golden Oldies: Thief, N.O.L.F, Project IGI, Tomb Raider
Stimulated Simulator
Tired of your real life? How about living out a virtual reality where you can build houses on the fly, or piloting a commercial airliner with more bells and whistles than you can fit on your keyboard? If you find these ideas attractive then you are a gamer of the Stimulated Simulator variety. You crave excessive difficulty and ultimate control over you gaming experience. You demand the most realistic (or at least most semi-realistic) games. These games can certainly be an aquired taste; while games like The Sims are easy to jump right into, something like Flight Simulator requires thought, planning and a hell of a lot of practice. But simulators don’t just come in the form of lots of complicated dials. Oh no…Operation Flashpoint, anyone?
Notable Names: The Sims, Flight Simulator, IL-2, Silent Hunter, Falcon 4.0, Ship Simulator, Arma II
Golden Oldies: Sub command, Steel Beasts, B-17 Flying Fortress, Operation Flashpoint
Armchair General
Anyone who has seen Master and Commander, or Braveheart will at some point in the film wish that they were that character. None so much as the humble Armchair General, who commands his fleet at high seas and leads his armies in their thousands towards victory. This breed of gamer wishes command over his men and longs to see those epic battles- or small, personal skirmishes. These types of games are also tricky to pick up and play, as they require tactical and strategic planning on all scales in order to succeed. The feeling you get after seeing your flag flying over the enemy is sublime.
Notable Names: Total War series, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, Hearts of Iron, Men of War, Anno 1404, Sins of a Solar Empire
Golden Oldies: Command and Conquer, Commandos, Startcraft, Total Annihilation, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires
Speedy Gonzalez
You have the need- the need for speed! Ah, there’s something wonderful about being behind the wheel of a Ferrari Spider zooming along isn’t there? Anyone who gets a kick out of that exhilerating experience of speeding down the freeway, or being chased through dense urban enviroments is a Speedy Gonzalez!
Pedal to the metal, baby!
Notable Names: GRID, Forza Motorsport 3, Need For Speed series, DIRT, Motorstorm, Burnout, Grand Turismo
Golden Oldies: Driver, Midnight Club, Wipeout Fusion, Colin McRae’s Rally
Brain Trainer
Some people in this world like tests. Seems crazy doesn’t it? Well yes, there are people who enjoy playing games to test their knowledge, wisdom and cunning. Many games feature a little bit of thinking to mix it up, but a few focus entirely on the puzzle aspect. And the people who enjoy these are- Brain Trainers.
Notable Names: World of Goo, Plants vs Zombies, Puzzle Quest, Scribbelnaughts, Axel and Pixel, Puzzle Quest
Golden Oldies: Exit, Cube, Pipe Mania, Bomberman, PacMan, Ico
Lifetime Gamer
Well, there are some people who have been gaming for a long, long time. Or people who just have that gut feeling, that they will be gaming for the rest of their lives. These people are Lifetime Gamers. Your life has always involved gaming, and always will. You might have had the priceless experience of playing on the SNES all the way through to the PS3. Or maybe you will have the just as amazing experience of playing on the PS2 and going forward into the future to play on the Xbox 1080. You enjoy every genre (or at least most of them). Who knows, you might even live to see the day when gaming is officialy endorsed as a valid medium of entertainment.
Well that just about sums it up from me. I hope you have enjoyed reading about this worlds various ‘breeds’ of gamers, and I hope that you have left with some new games on your Holiday wish list!