Profile of a serious gamer

Timothy Lapointe
The Signal
Video gaming has become a far more respected hobby than it once was. Not too long ago, those who played video games were generally considered to be the kids with poor social skills and were ridiculed for their pastimes.

Now, as the hobby grows, so do the demographics of players who are taking part in this activity. Online gamers can now be classified into six prominent archetype categories. Determining which of these types of gamers are good assets to a team and which are not is often what determines the victory or defeat of a team game.

The Elitist: This gamer is an individual who believes that he is superior to other gamers and finds himself above the “lesser, average” players of the game. He believes his skill elevates him well above the common player and condescends to anyone else whom he does not believe is “on his level.” This gamer is useful when he can actually back up his talk, but more often than not the Elitist is only a legend within his own mind and can truly be a nuisance to his team by constantly insulting the other members.

The Rager: This gamer explodes the moment anything goes wrong in the game, whether it is because he dies, because someone else made what he sees as a mistake or even because of something as trivial as someone making one wrong movement. Once the rager has begun yelling and screaming, there is no silencing him, as he insists upon making it known to everyone that he is infuriated. He is a burden on his team and should usually be avoided. However, the Rager does provide a means of psychological warfare at times; his screaming at the enemy team can spur them into a similar state of rage. If the enemy is raging, they are more likely to make a mistake. It is a risky tactic but one that occasionally makes a difference.

The No-Life: This gamer is very quiet and prefers not to speak to other people. He tends to be socially inept and will generally have spent a gratuitous amount of time playing the game, so he can be counted upon to perform well. The No-Life player is a decent addition to the team due to his level of skill, but he may sometimes threaten the team’s cohesion due to his lack of communication abilities.

The Casual: This gamer does not play the game often and usually only plays it to goof around and have fun with less focus on winning. Light-hearted and friendly to his team (as well as the enemy team), the Casual player spends more time trying to make himself and others laugh than to actually try to win the game. The entertainment level he provides is high, but as he does not take the matches seriously he makes numerous mistakes, which is a surefire way to set off a hidden Rager on the team. A team that wants to win badly frowns upon these players.

The Pro: This is the player who is well-versed in the game and plays exceedingly well. While he likely plays as much as the No-Life player, this player is more proficient in social interaction and a natural leader. He is polite to his team and generally attempts to help others in order to better achieve a victory for the entire group. The Pro player is rare but, if found, is extremely valuable to the team composition.

The Troll: This player is toxic to both the team and its opponents. He purposely goes out of his way to make players upset on both sides. The Troll intentionally makes mistakes that helps the enemy team just to get a reaction from his own teammates. He insults his team and the enemy team alike with vulgar slurs intended to infuriate, then he’ll sit back and enjoy the ensuing havoc. The Troll exists solely to get a negative reaction out of anyone. He is a sadistic player and should be avoided at all costs. If forced to choose between the Rager and the Troll, choose the Rager. Trolls cannot be trusted.

While there are other archetypes, these players are the most prominent in the fields of the video gaming community. Many gamers fall into a hybrid of categories, including the Pro Troll, who is exceptionally skilled at the game but purposely acts the role of the Troll on rare occasions. Winning teams will generally consist of a balanced composition of Casuals, Pros and No-Life
players.