Research for Another Article

[GrooveMan.exe]

There may be an entry for 'fat sweaty basement dweller gamer', if only to highlight that people like that exist and can be made fun of. But as that would be a separate distinction to the other types of gaming enthustasts out there, the problem about them being percieved as such should just up and vanish.

I should have enough data now; next time I'm online, I'll post a prototype article.

[PrettyNier]

okay cool. if me and slouch aren't in there at all its a bad article, fyi

[GrooveMan.exe]

No one will be in the article by name. :V

Also I lied. No prototype article today; although it's underway. Who knew dealing with a new house took up so much time? =|

[Helmo]

1) If you had to give your 'Gamer Species' a name, what would it be?
super nerd would like to battle

2) Give me a brief rundown of your taste in Fashion.
I wear cool hats and cool pants sometimes I even wear cool shirts.

3) If you had to pick 3 Gaming genres, what would they be?
Platformer, Puzzle, JRPG (and any mix of the three)

4) If you had to pick 3 games period, what would they be (this doesn't necessarily have to agree with question 3!)
StarFox, Sonic CD, We ♥ Katamari

5) What's your favourite school subject/what course are you doing?
I like science in most forms

6) In your free time, where do you hang out? With whom?
wherever and with my pals

7) What would someone say (gaming or nerd culture-related) that would have you like them?
I wouldn't really like someone just because they have similair tastes in games, but what would really get me talking is pretty much any games I like or play.

8) What would someone say (gaming or nerd culture-related) that would piss you off?
This game is horrible, how could any one play this? Look at these graphics! (when talking about a game from an older console)

9) Any other thoughts?
I wish that people would try more than just Halo, Call of Duty, and all the other overrated FPS games out there. All I seem to hear about is how realism and stunning graphics make the game, when top notch graphics become obsolete after a short time and realism is outside not in your 360, it's about the style and how it fits in with the game.

[PrettyNier]

No one will be in the article by name. :V

yeah i figured.
you have my express permission to reference me by my name "gnostic wetfart", though.

[GrooveMan.exe]

Ok, so like, this is what I've wrangled so far. I tried to work on it more today and came up with a total blank. I feel so uninspired; even with all your wonderful help. I think I need to sit down and read all the answers carefully again before I try writing more.

Also note that I asked people off this board the same questions; they have, uh, differing tastes to here.

[spoiler=7typesofgamer.txt]
7 Types of Gamer

"Retro Gamer"
Clinging on to the remnants of Gaming's past, Retro Gamers eschew the modern releases for the nostalgic games of their youth. Depending on how old the Retro Gamer is, what qualifies as old-school enough varies. As a rule of thumb, if you play it on a cartridge, you're in the right era.
Appearance:
Games of Choice: The classics of yesteryear (Mischief Makers [N64], Snatcher, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [PS1]), Indie Games (Cave Story [PC/WII], La Mulana [PC/WII], Braid [360/PS3/PC])
Where Found:
Do Say:
Don't Say: "Music in Videogames is just beeps and bloops"

"The Competitive"
These guys don't just play games for fun, they play to win. The best scores, the best Killeath ratio and of course the Best computer are all accolades to be reached - and then rubbed in the faces of those beneath them. Not bad people, just rather over-enthusiastic (and often 'sore winners').
Games of Choice: First Person Shooters (Team Fortress 2 [PC], Halo 3 [360]) Real-Time Strategy (Starcraft 2 [PC]) Fighting (Super Street Fighter 4 [360/PS3], King of Fighters XII [360/PS3], Blazblue [360/PS3])
Appearance:
Where Found: Competatives are more prevailant online than in real life, but we have our own group of them as Frag Soc.
Do Say: "What's your Gamerscore on Xbox Live?"
Don't Say: "Dude, it's just a game..."

Japanese Gamer
Overlapping with the other popular nerdy interest in watching Anime and reading Manga, the Japanese Gamer has a heavy interest in all things from the land of the Rising Sun. But sometimes they can take it to an extreme and be a bit incomprehensible to others. But don't fear! I'm sure they have the best intentions... most of the time.
Appearance: Females wear bright colours to attact mates. Males may lean towards the overly tight or overly elaborate. Large gatherings of Japanese Gamers result costmes reflecting widely worshipped figures in their society, including "Naruto", "Link", and "Solid Snake".
Games of Choice: Japanese RPGs (Final Fantasy IX [PS1], Persona 4 [PS2], Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep [PSP])
Where Found: If York had an Arcade, they'd be there. Otherwise found in Oriental restaurants. Weekly gatherings at the Anime & Manga Society.
Do Say: "Wow, that outfit is totally Kawaii!"
Don't Say: "C'mon, Pokémon is for little kids."

Casual Gamer
Will only play games from time to time, maybe even keeping the hobby a semi-secret. But when it comes to their game of choice, a whole different side is revealed; one that played Plants and Zombies for 15 hours straight one weekend... Male variant is actually somewhat less prevailant these days, and favours the latest FIFA or Call of Duty release to Wii Sports and Super Smash Bros.
Appearance: Masters of blending in, they look just like everyone else.
Games of Choice: Multiplayer/Party Games (Mario Kart Wii [WII], Rock Band 3 [To Be Released, PS3/360/WII]) Sports (FIFA 2011, NBA Jam, Madden 2011)
Where Found: Find any large group of people, and there'll be a Casual Gamer hid among them somewhere. Can be found playing a DS or PSP while on the bus or train, secretly hoping someone will ask them what game they're playing.
Do Say: "Wanna hang out and play Mario Kart?"
Don't Say: "You wouldn't be interested in this game; it's kind of obscure"

High Fantasy Gamer
*insert blurb here*
Appearance: Trenchcoats
Games of Choice: Western RPGs (Fallout 3, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins) Pen and Paper Games (Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering)
Where Found: Fairly shy towards those outside their Species, most are found in hobby shops (such as the Travelling Man), while a few select individuals may be found in open fields, hitting eachother with foam weapons. Approach these with light caution, lest you be mistaken for an Orc and (harmlessly) clubbed into submission.
Do Say:
Don't Say: "Sci-Fi and Fantasy are the same thing, right?"

"The Neckbeard"
A thankfully minor Species, the The Neckbeard takes their Gaming hobby to the point of elitism.
Appearance: Poor amount of attention paid to appearance (and possibly hygeine); identifiable by a scraggly beard going beyond the chin and starting to take over the neck. It is unknown if this is the cause or the result of Neckbeard behaviour.
Games of Choice: Varies, but The Neckbeard will be guaranteed to say a harsh thing or two about the games you enjoy.
Where Found: Incredibly rare to find in the wild; will barely ever stray from their cave. However, they are incredibly prevailant on the Internet. Will either be extremely hostile or extremely shy if approached.
Do Say:
Don't Say:


Need a Seventh Gamer. Either a Collector or a 'Games-As-Art' type person/thingy/stuff.
[/spoiler]

TBH I kind of hate it. It's not as funny as I'd hoped, and doesn't sound enough like a guide/pokedex entry.

[Nindo]

I have a couple bones to pick with your Retro section.
Indie games should not be lumped in with retro games. Maybe I'm just a stickler, but indie games were not made in the same time period as retro games. While indie games do try to live up to what we all love about classic games, they also try to distinguish themselves in today's society. A game has to have been around a good amount of time for it to be retro. I know many people that like indie games because it is "the new thing", and they completely ignore the aspects of the game that try to seem retro. The fact of the matter is, retro things are supposed to have been culturally out-dated. The games of the past are just that, but indie games are the exact opposite becoming a cultural icon (see Scott Pilgrim). There is a very fine line between what is indie and what is retro, but there is one there, and I really think they should be separated in an article like this.

My second nitpick with it is that you have Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as one of the games of choice. Now, I know this is more of an opinion matter (as you said "Depending on how old the Retro Gamer is, what qualifies as old-school enough varies.") but also as you said

As a rule of thumb, if you play it on a cartridge, you're in the right era.

Then again this is all my opinion, and while I think retro gaming should be disconnected with indie gaming, I do like both retro games and indie games.

[Gors]

Maybe they're lumped together because indie games try to recover that 'oldschool' feeling found in old games. But I see what you mean, and I agree with you.

[a babyass man]

TBH I kind of hate it. It's not as funny as I'd hoped, and doesn't sound enough like a guide/pokedex entry.

you didn't use the word boner enough

[PrettyNier]

Need a Seventh Gamer. Either a Collector or a 'Games-As-Art' type person/thingy/stuff.

i'd say do "games as art" type of person
there haven't really been much in the way of "collectors" here, as far as I can tell
well i border on a collector, but only casually
im a casual video game collector a casual collector of video games not a collector of casual video games


also, i would recommend:

Games of Choice: The classics of yesteryear (Mischief Makers [N64], Snatcher, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night [PS1]), Indie Games (Cave Story [PC/WII], La Mulana [PC/WII], Braid [360/PS3/PC])

either switching out super metroid for symphony of the night, adding in super metroid, and/or changing the castlevania game to super castlevania IV or castlevania bloodlines or castlevania III, those are a lot more "classic" than symphony is. symphony was released in 1997 and is kind of responsible for the metroidvanias we've had, it feels too... recent~

[Nindo]

I'm in the process of collecting games, but as I don't have a sizeable collection just yet, I don't consider myself a collector. I agree with Gnostic here, to a "games as art" person. A game collector really isn't a type of gamer, but a type of person.

Another suggestion for swapping out that Castlevania game would be F-Zero.

Something else that has been bothering me, is the classification of Braid as a indie game. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think Braid belongs in the indie category. I know the game, and have played it all the way through and I see some of those "indie" aspects, but I can't ever call it a indie game. Something like Within a Deep Forest would be better suited in Braid's place.

[Gors]

TBH I kind of hate it. It's not as funny as I'd hoped, and doesn't sound enough like a guide/pokedex entry.

you didn't use the word boner enough

[Maxpphire]

I'm surprised you didn't use a "Female gamer" one. you know the type where they are like "I'M a GIRL and I PLAY VIDEO GAMES"

[PrettyNier]

Another suggestion for swapping out that Castlevania game would be F-Zero.

gonna disagree with this, because i mostly mentioned the other castlevania games or super metroid because there is an element of similarity or comparison. like swapping out one final fantasy for another. whereas in the case of F-zero, that isn't really there.

i also don't really see F-zero being talked about all that much, even in retro circles, so i dunno.

[Nindo]

Another suggestion for swapping out that Castlevania game would be F-Zero.

gonna disagree with this, because i mostly mentioned the other castlevania games or super metroid because there is an element of similarity or comparison. like swapping out one final fantasy for another. whereas in the case of F-zero, that isn't really there.

i also don't really see F-zero being talked about all that much, even in retro circles, so i dunno.

Well it is one of the best games for the Super Nintendo and it was a launch title, which says something for it. It was the first SNES game to use Mode 7, and I believe it was the first Nintendo title period to use Mode 7. It was also the purveyor of the racing genre as we now know it. I know it isn't related to Castlevania or Metroid, but it is a great suggestion for a retro game. It also had one of the best soundtracks of a game for the Super Nintendo, even though it was rather "basic" sounding.