What sort of gamer are you?

Right this was my entry into the House of Paincakes Idol competition so I didn't really want to post it here for a while just in case I got through and stole their thunder. Luckily its up now so I'm posting it on my blog. I'll be returning to this theme over the next few weeks but I think its important not to take this all too seriously. Its just an exercise in getting you thinking about your hobby, as a psychologist I'm not dumb enough to think you can fit people into such nice neat compartments so its just an aid to some introspection.

I've often thought of myself in a certain 'type' of gamer. We all think of ourselves in a certain way... probably far nicer than what our opponents think of us!!! This is going to be a personal blog about you; I'm not going to be chatting about what sort of gamer I am. I'm giving you a matrix and I want you to be honest about it... and then hand them out to your opponents and see what they think!!! That's right, get them to rank you - you might be surprised to see what people think of you as a hobbyist.

 

Open and Print

Frontline Gamer Matrix explained

Painter or Gamer - This axis is about which part of the hobby you enjoy the most. There are those who only like the gaming, and just slop paint on their mini's and play lots of games. Then there are those of us for whom painting and modelling our forces the best we can is the main thing we like, and gaming is just an excuse to flaunt our undeniable painting talents to the world.


Competitor or Socialite - It should be self explanatory, do you play games to win, choosing the beardiest armies, bending the rules to their limits... hell maybe even breaking them!!! Or do you play to have a laugh with your mates, meet new people, socialise?

What does it all mean?

Well everything and nothing to be brutally honest. I wrote this article to get us all thinking about what we want out of wargaming. Our hobby is somewhat unique insofar that it takes two to tango (possibly more depending on the game) and because of this we not only have to make sure we're getting what we want out of it but the guy or gal across the table is too. Wargaming is strangely competitive and co-operative - maybe codependent - at the same time.  Knowing what you want  is important to your enjoyment, and sometimes I wander whether we really think about this enough.

Just as important is knowing what your opponent wants. If they're a competitive gamer who likes to be challenged they won't thank you for turning up with your quirky themed army that is as beautifully painted as it is ineffectual!!! Maybe you can get away with that occasionally, but you'll need to try and challenge them at some point - and all you seal clubbers out there, don't take the uber army and game face to every tabletop you place an army on!!! Sometimes your opponents are out for fun and don't want to take things too seriously. Mix things up a bit and try some different builds out, you'll learn just as much about effective tactics from an unoptimised list as you would your 'killa list'. I'm not saying compromise what you want from the hobby, but do a bit of giving rather than taking. I'm honestly not trying to make this sound homoerotic, its just coming out that way. oh there I go again!!! Peace out!