We usually do Top 6’s about games, but today we wanted to focus on the gamer. Gamers come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. People are unique and are as diverse as the games they play. That being said, we’ve identified some basic types of gaming personalities that we see all the time. Will they make you go “That’s me,” or “I know that gamer”? Let’s take a look!
The Competitor
Competitors play games for the thrill of victory. They enjoy outwitting, outscoring, and outplaying their opponents. Unfortunately, they may lose interest in a game in which they have no chance of winning. For this reason, games they play must have some sort of catch-up mechanic, or at least give every player the feeling that they have a chance to win.
Best Experience: Playing to win; gets most pleasure from victory
Worst Experience: Losing with no chance to catch up
Games for Competitors: Power Grid, Formula D, Lords of Vegas
The Puzzler
Puzzlers enjoy games that they can figure out. Their preferred games may be more on the complex side, as they enjoy parsing out how the game works and using that understanding to maximize efficiency and come up with the ideal move. Unfortunately, this desire to figure out and “solve” the game means they will be less likely to enjoy games with elements of chaos and randomness.
Best Experience: Figuring out how the game works; feeling clever and efficient
Worst Experience: Games that they determine can’t be solved or are too random.
Games for Puzzlers: Blokus, Caverna, Five Tribes
The Social Gamer
Social Gamers enjoy board gaming for the social interaction that it provides. They may enjoy games that require players to interact. Social Gamers generally enjoy party games, and games that actively engage all the players. Unfortunately, this means they may have a bad experience if they play “multi-player solitaire” games, or when they can tell that people around them are having a miserable time. Social Gamers depend on others to have a good time.
Best Experience: The social interaction; being actively engaged with other players.
Worst Experience: Games with no player interaction; games where other people are clearly not enjoying themselves.
Games for Social Gamers: Spyfall, The Resistance, Ca$h ‘n Gun$
The Boss (A.K.A the “Alpha Gamer”)
Bosses like when they can be in control. They often know what the best move is for each player, and have no qualms telling players what their move should be. They generally enjoy playing games multiple times to discover the best moves possible. They also enjoy cooperative games where they can direct each player toward a common goal. Unfortunately, they can have a poor experience when other players either refuse or reject their suggestions. Additionally, other players can become annoyed when Bosses constantly tell them what to do.
Best Experience: Telling other people what to do; planning out every turn; enjoy cooperative games where they can be the leader and
control the game
Worst Experience: Games with elements of chaos and randomness, not capable of controlling.
Games for Bosses: Pandemic, Eldritch Horror, Robinson Crusoe
The Omni-Gamer
Omni-Gamers are the kind of gamers who enjoy a little bit of everything. They’ll rarely turn down a play and will generally try to have a good time with anything. The downside of an omni-gamer is that while they may exhibit all the positive traits of the other gamers, they may also have a bad experience for any of the above reasons.
Best Experience: A mix of all of the above, depending on the situation.
Worst Experience: A mix of all of the above, depending on the situation.
Games for Omni-Gamers: Just about anything.
The Indifferent Gamer
Indifferent Gamers may not even identify themselves as gamers. They rarely volunteer to play games, and they may take some convincing to even give a game a chance. Regardless, they still usually end up having a good time. Getting Indifferent Gamers to play new games may be difficult, as they may be resistant to try new things. For this reason, gateway games or games with interesting themes generally work best.
Best Experience: Nothing particularly stands out to them, even though they usually have fun.
Worst Experience: Nothing in particular. Will often refuse game plays, even though they generally have a good time.
Games for Indifferent Gamers: Ticket to Ride, King of Tokyo, Catan, No Thanks
What gamer type are you? Do you agree with these? Tell us in the comments below.
