Online Browser Games: Tell Me What You Play, And I Will Tell You Who You Are

Be it skill games or MMORPGs, different game players come together in different groups, united under a diversified gaming subculture.The most involved gamers tend to transfer big parts of their lives into virtual communities. They often speak a language incomprehensible to most people outside their group, and strongly identify themselves with the avatars they have created.

Joined by the common liking of gaming entertainment, the players could be probably classified as follows:

High performance oriented
They treat games as sport disciplines. If you want good results, high scores and next stages, you need to practice, practice and practice (systematically!).

Addicted
Poor things. Gaming is their only hobby, and probably their most important activity during the day (and night). They don’t really understand the concept of ‘enough’. Addicted players often organize themselves in virtual communities, write blogs about gaming, read books about games...basically, they are interested in everything that is any way connected to their passion. All game types can be addictive, although some kinds were designed to attract the player’s attention for a longer time span. This is probably why there are way more addicts among strategic or MMORPG gamers: such applications require many more hours of undivided attention and real involvement than simple online browser games, especially skill games about, e.g., shooting bubbles or racing cars.

Occasional
They treat game playing as an excuse to make short breaks during the day, and therefore usually prefer simple, quick and easily available browser games. Unlike many other gamers, they rarely form communities and do not identify themselves with the games they play. Keen users of social networking websites (and the applications available on them) also fall into this category.

Game console owners
What they have in common is that they never use computers, and totally do not (and probably do not want to) understand why other people do. This group really loves skill games. Console owners can have a surprisingly bustling social life. They usually have many friends (other console geeks, obviously) who every now and then join them for little ‘game nights’...

Traditionalists
A dying species. Not only do they excite over old games with terrible sound and graphics, but also tend to use extremely outdated equipment. Not interested in new technologies or applications. Most of them love tetris. The original version of course.

It is a common misbelief that a computer player must lead a boring life: it is not as monotonous as many people think. Stereotype render a typical gamer as a pale, fatty teenager, who spends hours alone in his room. Don’t be fooled easily! Research conducted by Ipsos Media in 2008 shows that computer games fans are generally more sociable than those who do not play games at all. They do all the regular stuff: hang out with friends, date girls, party, etc. Moreover, the statistical player is a man in his thirties, not teens. Not seldom does he have a wife and children. It is often the case that their second passion is sport. As one can see, the majority of gamers does not loose touch with reality - although obviously it is the extreme (and preferably negative) cases that always make the best press.