Anatomy Of A Gamer

Psychometric testing was once the preserve of the Californian psychoanalyst, delving into the brain to learn more about the human condition. But in the last two decades the psychological measurement of everything from intelligence to personality has broken free of the academic arena. In 2002, when Blockbuster began giving job applicants a personality test to see if they would be able to cope with the mental rigours of dispensing popcorn and movies, it sent a strong message to corporate America: recruiters can now predict how people will behave from a few short questions… at least, they think they can.

Now standard practice in the majority of big businesses across the pond, the fashion for psychometric and personality testing is becoming evermore popular in the UK. This is understandable given the length of time and legal wrangles involved with removing a staff member who isn’t pulling their weight, but it remains inherently offensive to the ears of people all over the Western world. In a capitalist society, people are conditioned to embrace individuality – if only through the products they buy – and the prospect of being silently slipped into a fixed category rubs against the grain. However, while few people relish being pigeonholed, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests we can be divided into distinct ‘types’. Indeed, psychologists have largely come to agree that there are five major sub-divisions of the human personality, referred to as the Big Five: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.

For employers looking for solid and loyal workers, personality tests can be gold dust. In 1991, the psychologists Barrick and Mount reviewed 117 studies containing 162 samples with 23,994 participants. They found that conscientiousness was consistently related to all performance criteria in every occupational group. Furthermore, extroversion was a valuable personal attribute for occupations involving social interaction, such as management and sales. Companies no longer had to make recruitment decisions based on scrupulously prepared interviews. With psychometric testing, you can give yourself away without even realising it.

Which brings us on to games. For years, psychologists have been studying the ways in which our true natures are revealed by the choices we make – the clothes we wear, the music we enjoy, the friends we keep, and so on. Given that videogames now account for more play activity than any other pastime among teenagers and young males, it seems strange that there has been so little focus on this very modern expression of our tastes. Indeed, when you take into account the interactive, wish-fulfillment aspect of the medium, the games we play could be argued as the most honest expression of our inner lives.

Eric Zimmerman, the author of Rules Of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, puts it this way: “Unlike a book, a film, and other forms of prescripted media, a game is more like a set of tools that the player uses to build his or her own experience. The games we choose to play, and the way we play them, reveal a tremendous amount about us – from our creative drives and ambitions to the dark corners of our desires.”

While much of this article is speculative, it’s both interesting and enormous fun to get the psychological community thinking about how videogames can reflect our personalities. In the ten categories we’ve listed below, you may recognise something in yourself: perhaps you’re the type who collects everything in sight, like Vanessa Feltz at a buffet, or maybe you just enjoy grinding opponents into the ground until they plead for submission.

Whatever the case, there are plenty of gamer types to go round…

The Berserker
As the name suggests, the Berserker feels compelled to throw themselves into every situation with a complete lack of tactical consideration. They’re unable or, more precisely, unwilling to try new strategies and would rather die countless times trying the direct approach. With linear shooters this isn’t such a problem, but they find the notion of emergent gameplay a bit frightening – it’s just a little too unpredictable. Ever re-spawned at the same checkpoint marker in Halo’s Library 20 times in a row and actually enjoyed the feeling of punishment? Welcome to the ranks of the Berserker. On the other hand, you abhor games like Medieval Total War because the direct approach rarely works.

What It Says About You
You tackle situations and problems with great energy and enthusiasm, but sometimes end up annoying people along the way due to your stubborn nature and headstrong opinions. Your mantra in life is modelled on the battle cry of the knights in Monty Python And The Holy Grail: “Charge!” Closely followed by, “Run away. Run away.”

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It can only be Gears Of War. Any franchise that mounts a chainsaw on the barrel of your machine gun has nothing but contempt for stealth.

The Explorer
Like William Wordsworth absorbing the poetry and beauty of the Lake District, the Explorer enjoys games for the sheer pleasure that comes from visiting new places. Games take a long time to complete because the Explorer is fascinated by the implied possibilities of an environment. They see a mountain in the distance in Far Cry and simply have to conquer it, irrespective of the bullets and explosions going on around them. Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Oblivion are manna from heaven as they offer rich environments full of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. Games like Panzer Dragoon Orta are anathema – after all, what’s the point in venturing down a preordained route?

The downside to being an Explorer is that you probably won’t get to sample the full diversity of what gaming has to offer. Once you get stuck into an exciting open world you’ll want to drink in everything it has to offer, no matter how many hours it takes.

What It Says About You
Explorers prefer their own company, enjoy making and reading maps and are very open and tolerant of different cultures, experiences and encounters. Explorers also have a folder on their desktop entitled: ‘In-Game Image Snaps’.

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In terms of offering experiential rewards for venturing off the beaten track, Bethesda Softworks’ Fallout 3 offers more to the Explorer than any other game. And thanks to downloadable content, it will continue to do so.

The Hoarder
Like a magpie, the Hoarder collects things for the sake of it. If you find yourself scanning every creature and item in Metroid Prime, you’ll fit snugly into this category. If you’ve opened every rusty box in Fallout 3 and found all the hidden orbs in Crackdown you, too, are a Hoarder. You’re neatly aligned with the Explorer but with one key difference: Hoarders don’t give a fig about how the environment looks or what it contains, they just crave the goodies. They even play and finish rubbish games just to chalk another title off their list. They’re the reason Vampire Rain sold more than four copies. The Hoarder also has a LOT of XBLA Achievement Points.

What It Says About You
Collecting everything obsessively can be a sign of a highly inquisitive interest in the world, or, as TV agony uncle Dr Phil McGraw puts it, “a coping mechanism for managing anxiety and fear of losing control.”

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Many games have collectables, but as Assassin’s Creed’s streets look so similar, collecting every hidden flag becomes a monumental task, even for Hoarders.

The Strategist
The polar opposite of the Berserker. Instead of plunging headlong into danger, the Strategist marshals every weapon, resource and piece of information to overcome any given situation. Like James T Kirk dealing with the Kobayashi Maru conundrum, if defeat seems inevitable, cheat. If you’ve ever found yourself writing down tabulated lists of car parts and upgrades in Gran Turismo, or fiddling about incessantly with mech-parts in an Armored Core game, then consider yourself a Strategist. What’s interesting about the psychology of the Strategist is that switching off the game doesn’t necessarily mean switching off the brain. They often derive more enjoyment from considering tactical variables than playing the game itself.

What It Says About You
The Strategist is inevitably a deep thinker, but unfortunately they tend to irritate others due to an inability to act on instinct. Sometimes the ’Blink’ approach to decision making elicits more respect from your peers, as well as direct results.

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Far Cry 2 confused gamers used to shooters that require no cunning. For Strategists, however, the combination of road blocks, disease, and broken cars and weapons demands careful planning.

The Camper
Cautious to the point of cowardly, the Camper will hide in any nook or cranny of a level just to get a vital kill and stay out of the fray. They’re completely uninterested in jumping into the thick of the action, and, curiously, get a huge adrenaline kick from skulking around avoiding danger. You know you’re a Camper if your first instinct when entering a new multiplayer arena is to search for the best sniper positions. The disadvantage is that you rarely win any games, but that doesn’t really matter – like a fisherman waiting hours for a bite, it’s the anticipation that counts. If you enjoyed playing hide-and-seek as a kid but caused your parents no end of worry by climbing into the oven, then you’re a Camper. Please note: Campers are universally disliked.

What It Says About You
A die-hard Camper is likely to carry across this behaviour into everyday life. Avoiding confrontation and responsibility is only a small part of the pathology; sleeping in cupboards and under desks is a much bigger worry.

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The landscape of the online shooter has changed since Bungie gave it a new lease of life, but Halo 2 will always be the spiritual home of the Camper.

The Dominator
The Dominator wants to conquer every game and every opponent they encounter. In multiplayer games you will gloat outrageously over the corpses of their fallen foes. The Dominator generally only likes playing sports games and multiplayer deathmatch modes, because there’s simply no fun in beating AI opponents. One unsavoury aspect of the Dominator’s pathology is that they consider smacktalk and teabagging mandatory, rather than optional. If strategy is required you will only enter into diplomacy so you can renege on deals and rub salt into the wounds at a later stage. To the outside world, Dominators can be pleasant folk, at least on the surface, but the inner megalomaniac is never too far away.

What It Says About You
There’s a school of thought that says bullies have low self-esteem and insecurity issues, and that’s probably not too far away from the truth. The Dominator generally craves power and influence, but due to poor interpersonal skills rarely achieves it.

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There’s nothing like a bit of one-on-one for a Dominator, particularly when it involves brutal violence. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion: UFC 2009 Undisputed.

The Masochist
To the Masochist, games are like mighty stallions that need to be broken. If you actually derived pleasure from playing Ninja Gaiden Black, look no further for your gamer type. The Masochist plays games on the highest difficulty setting on a self-centred mission to prove they have what it takes to be the best. The problem with the Masochist is that they only drink from a shallow pool of games as they spend most of their time repeating sections and levels ad infinitum until they perfect everything. Like Arnie in The Terminator, the Masochist can’t be bargained with. He can’t be reasoned with. He doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop, ever, until the game is completed. If you’ve sailed through Dragon Force on Expert in Guitar Hero then the chances are you’re a Masochist and you can’t hide it.

What It Says About You
You see frustration and pain as a natural, even pleasurable part of gaming. And we don’t want to get too Freudian, but some psychologists have even suggested that masochistic behaviour occurs because childhood fantasies have been suppressed. Games, of course, are a great outlet for such pent-up emotions.

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The beat-’em-up has long been the domain of the Masochist, and Capcom is their publisher of choice.

The Fumbler
Let’s not be too harsh on the Fumbler, a gamer who always tries really hard but forever ends up coming last with a minus kill score. The Fumbler loves games, plays them frequently and can communicate their passion for the form as good as any. Yet their performance is generally appalling and never quite breaks that skill boundary most of us take for granted. They’re the kid at school who knows every stat about football but can’t hit a barn door with a ball. If you’ve ever wondered what the end credits of a game look like or always get a sinking feeling whenever anyone challenges you to a game of Street Fighter then you’re probably a Fumbler. Don’t even try to play Guitar Hero, because you won’t even get through the first three bars. And as for bullet-dodging two-dimensional shooters like DoDonPachi? That’s just something other people do.

What It Says About You
If you are a Fumbler, you generally make up for your crapness at games with witty repartee and an ability to get on with everyone. You’re well loved down at the local arcade and like a punch-drunk sparring partner can always find someone to go a few rounds with you.

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With survival of every team member vital to making progress, Valve’s brilliant Left 4 Dead has been a godsend for Fumblers all over the world.

The Monogamer
You probably know someone who rarely plays anything other than Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing. These are your classic Monogamers. From time to time they dabble beyond their remit, but find anything other than their beloved genre unsatisfying. If attempting something new they are crushingly embarrassing, like a politician trying to dance. Whether it’s rhythm-action, first-person shooter or real-time strategy, Monogamers always stick to what they know and will be aloof and indifferent at parties if offered something out of their comfort zone. Give them a shot at something from their beloved field of excellence, however, and they’ll jump to it quicker than Jordan at a Nuts photoshoot.

What It Says About You
Conservative with a lower-case ’c’, the Monogamer probably picks at their food with the same kind of revulsion as someone on Freaky Eaters. It’s also likely their inability to try other things extends to other mediums like books and movies.

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Judging from the sales figures, the Call Of Duty series – whether Modern Warfare or World At War – entertains more gamers who never play anything else than any other product.

The Grazer
The Grazer is the polar opposite of the Monogamer, experiencing each title for a couple of hours so they can get a taste of what it has to offer but without settling on anything. On the plus side their gaming palate is refined and they are supremely knowledgeable about the medium at surface level. Ask them something specific about a bonus section or end-of-level boss, however, and they’ll be completely stumped. The Grazer genuinely loves games, but unlike the Masochist or Dominator doesn’t feel the need to boast about their achievements. The downside is that getting them to commit to a multiplayer game of anything is extraordinarily difficult, as they’ve moved on just as you’ve become adept. The Grazer probably plays more games than anyone in their circle of friends but has rarely completed anything, making them well liked down at the local Blockbuster.

What It Says About You
In all likelihood the Grazer is well-travelled and well-read but finds commitment a problem. Find yourself in and out of relationships? Just as you move from console to console you change partners like Britney Spears in Vegas.

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Xbox Live Arcade, Virtual Console and the PlayStation Network are the perfect playground for Grazers. So many games, and each one with a free demo.