Traits of a Classic Gamer

[Flojomojo]

With only the faintest of apologies to Bartle's Taxonomy of Player Types, here are some traits or states of mind which I think are unique to people like us. Nobody is all one thing, and few people exhibit the same tendencies or behaviors forever, but we change and evolve and regress and mutate ourselves all the time. You could express someone's traits across at least 4 different axes using a radar chart. I'm thinking it could be fun to develop some questions to measure this (unscientific, mostly balderdash, but hopefully fun) way of looking at things.

 

Player-Gamers really like the feeling of pushing the joystick, spinning the dial, rolling the trackball, touching the screen, and watching what happens next. They get a visceral thrill from just being in the world and making things happen. They're into the joy of the hobby.

 

Explorer-Samplers seek out new stimulation, and have a bias in favor of new things. They rent games, they read reviews, they care about scores, they seek out opinions before buying. They're the most likely to start something new, and the least likely to finish it.

 

Hoarder-Collectors remember the thrill of the game, and they want more of it. They want it in their lives, as trophies, to play later, to show their tribal status, to complete the set. They seek out the unusual, the limited, the less popular, and the well made. They're the most likely to have a wall-o-games.

 

Pundit-Wankers have a lot to say about art, commerce, and tension between the two, and they're not afraid to tell you what they think. They've been at this for a long time, and they have a lot of experience. They're the most likely to host a recurring YouTube channel, teach a course in game design, or write a pompous theory of "traits of a classic gamer."

 

When I was a tween, it was all about the games for me. It was so awesome just to be pushing buttons and making things happen. Then came the crash, which enabled me to get a whole lot of stuff for not much money. The thrill of the hunt never really went away for me, especially when new systems like the NES arrived, and game rentals and ubiquitous reviews were available. I gathered up as much as I could afford and store, past any objective line of sanity, until something inside me said, "Basta!" I still sample a lot, but I don't buy things just to collect them. Nowadays, I still think about the hobby and the myriad forms of expression it can inhabit, and I write all manner of drivel online, mainly for my own amusement.

 

1979-1985: 70% Player-Gamer, 15% Hoarder-Collector, 10% Explorer-Sampler

1986-1993: 40% Explorer-Sampler, 30% Hoarder-Collector, 30% Player-Gamer

1994-2004: 30% Explorer-Sampler, 30% Pundit-Wanker, 40% Player-Gamer

2005-2018: 40% Pundit-Wanker, 40% Explorer-Sampler, 20% Player-Gamer

 

What's your type and number? What would you change?

[godslabrat]

Using your criteria, this is what I was like at the height of my collecting, age 22, which for me was around 2003:

 

5% Pundit-Wanker,

50%Explorer-Sampler,

40%Hoarder-collector,

5% Player-Gamer

 

Today, this is me:

 

5% Pundit-Wanker,

25%Explorer-Sampler,

10%Hoarder-collector,

60%Player-Gamer

 

I still have the fascination with the odd and obscure, but I no longer feel the need to put my own money and time into acquiring it. As long as someone else found it and put it on the internet, I'm good. And I just want to play the true gems with my family... sitting alone playing dogshit for the fun of it has lost its shine.

 

Odd that you would mention a YouTube channel. I've been giving that a LOT of thought lately.

[Flojomojo]

You're going to start a YouTube channel? Let us know when that happens!

[godslabrat]

I would really like to. Been trying to flesh out some format ideas.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

Really neat thread idea Flojo! I think your metric categories are all pretty accurate when it comes to the different aspects of retro gaming. If I had to analyze my own hobby tendencies I think they'd add up something like...

 

60% Explorer-Sampler

25% Player-Gamer

10% Hoarder-Collector

5% Pundit-Wanker

 

I'm definitely predominantly an Explorer-Sampler type. I'm one of those folks who always need to be trying out new systems and games to stay entertained. I get bored with systems easily and I'm always looking for something new to try, and I read/watch all the reviews I can find of everything I'm interested in before I buy it. Critical opinions matter a lot to me for sure.

 

I also spend a lot of time playing the systems and games I research and track down, 20 to 30 hours a week on average, so the Player-Gamer aspect is a pretty big part of my hobby too. For me playing video games is basically a part time job that I don't get paid for.

 

What I'm really not much of though is a Collector-Hoarder, because I tend to sell systems and games quite frequently after I've had my Explorer-Sampler fun hunting them down and trying them out. I get a lot of flak for this from the dedicated Collector-Hoarder types sometimes (I'm looking at you Kosmic_Stardust ) who think I should pick a couple systems and stick with them, but that's not what makes me happy. I like trying stuff out then passing them along to others who will have more fun with them once I get bored of them rather than stashing them away in a drawer or on a shelf forever and ever. That also conveniently provides me with more funds to put towards my Explorer-Sampler activities. I do have a modest collection of stuff I really like and don't currently have any plans to sell, but there's nothing I own that I can definitely say I'll always hold onto and never sell.

 

Lastly, I don't think I'm really much of a Pundit-Wanker aside from the occasional Atari Jaguar related quip. I don't dislike the Jaguar, in fact I'd really like to try one out someday, they've just gotten too expensive for an Explorer-Sampler to dabble in and it irks me that the Jag never got a Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter II game during the era when those franchises were king. If someone ever released a homebrew port of Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter II for the Jaguar I'd probably shut my mouth and cough up the cash for one.

[spacecadet]

At this point I'd say I'm 40% Pundit-Wanker, 20% Explorer-Sampler, 20% Hoarder-Collector, and 20% Player-Gamer. So obviously I feel like I have some of all those traits, but at the moment I'm definitely more Pundit-Wanker than the rest. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but it's the most fun I can have with the hobby right now.

[Tanooki]

I wouldn't know where to cut the difference, but the player-gamer and explorer-sampler is where I am now. The hunt whatever that may be is great, sampling, reading up, researching and finding a nice one to go for is excellent too as a hunt. But if I can find something I do like and it's well enough done, plus nothing distracts me including life or a mood shift I'll pull clean through a game and even still at times wish for more like with Zelda Breath of the Wild. I'm almost a game tinkerer more now though, I'll find something I enjoy, but only play it once a week or a couple times for a few hours like Pokemon Ultra Sun. I can't commit, but I can't not either, so it's at the ready.

[Flojomojo]

At this point I'd say I'm 40% Pundit-Wanker, 20% Explorer-Sampler, 20% Hoarder-Collector, and 20% Player-Gamer. So obviously I feel like I have some of all those traits, but at the moment I'm definitely more Pundit-Wanker than the rest. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but it's the most fun I can have with the hobby right now.

heheheh I would put you in that category as well, it's good to know thyself (I enjoy your posts, and I think you already know that)

It's just another mode in the great minigame of life. I'm the same way, there's no time for games, so I write lots of drivel, mainly for myself, but if it helps or amuses someone else along the way, hey, bonus coins!

 

[zzip]

 

Hmm, in my 2600 days, I'd say mostly "Player-gamer"

 

In my Atari 8-bit/ST/PC gaming days, I was more Explorer-Sampler. Looking for that really great "wow" experience that pushes the hardware. Started a lot of games, rarely finished them. But also a bit "hoarder-collector" as I started accumulating emulators as they became available so I could relive child experiences whenever I felt like it.

 

These days I'm mostly Player-gamer again, I still have explorer-sampler traits, difference is now I like to finish what I start. Also still collect emulators.

 

And there's probably more pundit-wanker in me than I'd care to admit.

[digdugnate]

what a neat topic! based on your criteria, i think i'm somewhere around these:

 

70% Player-Gamer

20% Explorer-Sampler
5% Hoarder-Collector
5% Pundit-Wanker

 

I'm really just in it these days for the experience of it and feeling the button clicking/drive loading/what have you. I'm just not super big anymore into collecting stuff and new stuff holds a minimal appeal to me.

 

That's not to say I don't enjoy popping into a certain year-long thread with like a billion replies tho.

[Austin]

Currently, I'd probably classify myself as:

40% Player-Gamer
15% Explorer-Sampler
5% Hoarder-Collector
40% Pundit (I'd like to have some sort of self respect and think I'm not too much of a wanker)

Player-Gamer and Pundit goes hand-in-hand with one-another, as I spend a lot of time playing games for my playthrough recordings and streams. Explorer-Sampler plays into that as well, but lately I have been trying to focus more on games I am already somewhat familiar with, so there's less experimentation occurring. For Hoarder-Collector, while I still buy games and keep a list of things I have for various reasons, priorities have changed and I don't buy nearly as much as I used to. I rely on other means for most of my actual game playing (backups, flash carts, etc), but I do still "collect" real hardware and like to have everything boxed. I haven't bought a new console in a while though as money has been tight.

Many years ago, pre-2012, Hoarder-Collector would have eaten up a greater percentage, probably up to 25% at a point. Going back further, in the early 2000's each category would have been even at 25%. I worked in videogame stores for several years, so in order to be good at what I did, it was necessary to be a pundit (also, videogame history interested me naturally back then which certainly helped play into that, but these days the drive isn't there). Working in a game store also helped with experimenting with new titles, and it also fueled the collector in me. I still played every day as well, particularly with new releases.

[BassGuitari]

I am all of those things in equal measure.

 

Well, I might be a little less of a pundit-wanker, but only because I lack the time, focus, and confidence to create videos for a YouTube channel or write op-ed pieces for my defuct blog. Mostly I just babble out overly verbose responses to threads about underrated 2600 games and brood over the reasons people don't appreciate or understand pre-Crash games and hardware anymore.

 

But make no mistake: I'm definitely a wanker.

[derFunkenstein]

I don't want a YouTube channel but I've been kicking around the idea of streaming on Twitch over my lunch breaks. I work from home and I'm playing games on old systems every day at that time anyway, so what could it hurt?

It'd be a modest investment to get an Elgato USB capture card, but that's it. I already have everything else I need (OSSC, systems/games, webcam, headset, Twitch account, and an iMac fast enough to run OBS) and it's all even in the same room. Maybe some better lighting in my office.

 

Anyway:

 

10% Pundit-wanker (and that might be conservative since I do enjoy posting/talking about old games)

40% Player-gamer (I really do enjoy playing these old games)

5% Hoarder (My Everdrive obsession helps with this but I LOVE original hardware)

45% Sampler (My Everdrive obsession hurts this one)

 

When I was a kid, those percentages were closer to 5, 60, 10, 25.

 

edit: my percentages added up to 105. Sigh.

Edited June 6, 2018 by derFunkenstein

[DJ Clae]

Most people don't want to admit they're a collector. It has been stigmatized. But I am definitely a collector. I get excited by old games and hardware, but I don't play nearly as often as I should.