Serial monogamist or compulsive polygamist? Completionist? The Indecisive? We all game differently, though at certain times, most of us switch and change. Gaming is our hobby, our passion and our entertainment, but just “How” do you do it?
The Serial Monogamist
I personally envy gamers who can religiously play one game, day in day out. For some it’s the competitive challenge of the multiplayer that draws them, for others it’s the simple escapism and comfort of a long single player story. Some games just don’t end either, such as Minecraft for example. These type of gamers choose to live, breath and exclusively devote all their time to putting their gaming energy into one thing and one thing alone.
If you have not seen or heard about it, the queen of this type of gamer and the inspiration to this article is an 87 year old granny who has clocked up a whopping 3,580 hours on Animal Crossing: New Leaf, on her Nintendo DS.
I envy these people: One, because of their utter devotion and loyalty to a single product, and their ability to get so much joy out of any such product for so long – Two, it’s a lot easier on the wallet! I wish I could get that amount of pleasure from one game alone!
This category of gamer is what I’d class as the “serial monogamist”.
The Compulsive Polygamist
The polar opposite to the serial monogamist, the compulsive polygamist flits between games constantly and keeps searching for that fix, that thrill and excitement of something new. Once tasted, they move on to something else. I have to admit, it is like a drug, and a very real draw. The starting up of a new game, new screens, new music and new visuals can really get the pulse going. You’ve seen the trailer, you’ve bought into the hype, and you now have the game in your eager little palms, oh blessed joy!
You get your few hours fix, hopefully enjoy what the game had to offer, and move on to the next. You are the James Bond of the gaming world, moving from one game to the next with an insatiable lust for new conquests!
You also presumably have VERY deep wallets, as this approach to gaming will set you back a tidy sum, but you don’t care, you’ve played the next big thing and it was thrilling.
The Completionist
The third type of gamer is “the completionist”. Maybe they are also like the serial monogamist, but only because they can’t afford to be anything else. They have enough money to get the games they want but not all of them. They like to get their money’s worth out of the one game they are playing before moving on to the next. Some completionists even judge the games they play by its £ per hour score. If the game cost £40 then they need to get 40 hours of gaming for it to be “worthwhile” – i.e. hit the £1 per hour watershed mark.
They do enjoy their games, don’t get me wrong, but focus on one game at a time, finishing it to the max. Then, and only then, do they allow themselves to move on. These types of people are the ones who are most likely to go for the platinum, or complete the gamer scores for each game. They buy guide books and/or watch YouTube channel guides.
The Indecisive
The last type of gamer is the one that has no clue as to what type of gamer they are. The indecisive. Generally speaking, most types of gamers can fit into these four categories, and at times, change between how they game, depending on how invested they are in the game that they just bought.
Those that don’t, don’t really know what they truly like. These gamers are casual, take it or leave it types. That said, when something that they like comes along, they sit on it a lot.
There is no wrong or right way to game. Gaming is an individual, but collective phenomenon that doesn’t care about race, colour, creed, sexuality, nationality or religious persuasion. It encomposses us all with open arms, however we want to approach it. It brings joy to millions, and is fantastic escapism from the drudgery and monotony of what the world can and does throw at us. It serves to lift our spirits, even if for just a while.
Long live gaming, however you choose to do it!
So how do you game? Do you fall into one of the categories above, or are you something else? Let us know in the comment section below.
