What Type of Gamer Are You? - Jimmy_Fairplay's Blog

Jimmy_Fairplay's Blog

What Type of Gamer Are You?

Posted on July 3, 2009 at 09:26 AM.

(17)

Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to be more focused. Instead of buying practically every title out there, I always go into the fall release season determined to buy only one or two of the best titles from a few of my favorite sports and really concentrate on those.

My reasoning is pretty simple: in addition to being easier on my wallet, buying only a couple games each year would allow me to really delve into the games and get the full experience from them. There's nothing more frustrating to me than buying a game and wanting to play it, but just never having the time because I have a dozen other games competing for my attention (not to mention real commitments like family and work).

And yet every year I seem to end up buying nearly every game under the sun, only to have many of them sit on my shelf almost untouched, save for a few precious hours when I first bought them.

Take this past year for example. Around July of 2008, I told myself I was only going to buy NHL 09 and FIFA 09 (assuming they turned out all right, of course) and really play the crap out of them. This was based on how much I'd enjoyed NHL 08 and Euro 2008. I was determined. That was it. As much as I enjoyed other sports games, those were the two that were going to carry me through the year.

Flash forward to today and somehow, in addition to those two aforementioned games, my shelf also holds copies of Madden 09, NBA 2K9, NBA Live 09, Tiger Woods 09, MLB 09: The Show, UFC 2009: Undisputed and probably one or two more I'm forgetting right now.

And while all those games have their strong points (a couple are arguably among the best sports games available), none of them really got the playtime they deserve. Meanwhile, they all took time away from NHL and FIFA, the two games I went into the year determined to play the most.

One way or another, I can't seem to resist picking up the top games in each sport each year, despite my best intentions. I'm already wondering whether I should bother making a similar pact with myself this fall.

So what kind of gamer are you? Do you take a shotgun-style approach like me, buying many games but mastering none? Or are you the type of gamer who can focus his/her attention on a few key titles each year?

Let me know in the comments below.

(Oh, and if you're the focused type, feel free to leave tips on how you pull that off!)

Comments

# 1 rudyjuly2 @ Jul 3

I buy 3-5 games a year. I only get one football game so I can devote more time to it (usually NCAA). I also get the Show and a couple non sports games. I did get NBA Live for Christmas last year although it had been awhile.

# 2 kgbrolic @ Jul 3

Basically what BruinsHockey08 said but with GTA, NBA 2k, and Madden. Anything else isn't so appealing to me...or I wont play for that long.

# 3 njd.aitken @ Jul 3

I buy about 4-6 games a year. Madden is yearly, as are NHL, and NCAA. The Show is going to be added to this list now that I've got a PS3.

Aside from that I can see myself getting two non-sports games most years.

# 4 EtheRed @ Jul 3

To me video games are like reading books, you want to read as many as you can (from start to finish mind you) to get the best of what the industry has to offer. I play games of all types and I have no problem walking out of my local Gamestop with 2-3 or 4 games every month or so.

# 5 19 @ Jul 3

Whatever I feel like playing really. I mix it up. I still play NES, Sega, SNES (Mario Kart), PS1, PS2 and PS3 games. My attention span is to blame.

# 6 stlstudios189 @ Jul 4

I used to be the shotgunner who played a great deal of games now $$ is tight and time is tight so I am only going to buy Madden 10 and possibly Fight Night 4, I have purchased MLB 2k9 and UFC 09 this year and those will be plenty.

# 7 Mr. Fascinating @ Jul 4

Good blog.

# 8 cepwin @ Jul 4

Good points. I know where you're coming from. Too many good games (and all the games you bought were good if not excellent games) and not enough time or money. I bought Madden, FIFA, UFC and FNR4 and will be getting Madden 10, NCAA 10, FIFA 10 and Forza 3. And that doesn't include the non-sports games like Mass Effect 2, Assassins Creed 2, etc.

# 9 matt8204 @ Jul 4

Madden and NHL are must-buys for me every year as hockey and football are my favorite sports. Other than that, I may pick up a game like GTA or Call of Duty. I did enjoy Uncharted after buying it on a friend's recommendation and am interested in the 2nd version coming out later this year. I may pick up a game a month on average, but I try to never pay full price. I always trade a game or two in that I finished or lost interest in.

# 10 savoie2006 @ Jul 5

I buy alot of games, but NHL is a must. Madden use to be, but I'm losing intrest in football. Hockey has consumed me. I will still buy Madden 10 most likely, as it seems that it is gonna be the best yet. Besides sports games though, I love games like Call Of Duty:Modern Warfare, Oblivion, Fallout, and Resident Evil. However, I have yet to finish any of them. I'm just not that diehard. I'll take my sweet time. After all, I own it!

# 11 cloudedskate @ Jul 5

I usually buy 2-4 sports games per year. Last year I only bought NHL 09 after reading reviews for it. The year before I got Madden 08, NCAA Football 08, and NBA 2K8. NCAA is really addicting to me.

# 12 C the Lyte @ Jul 6

Nice blog btw. Me personally, when I had the cash, I would buy whatever. Now, with a house payment, I go NCAA Football, Madden, and NBA 2K. Everything else, such as the Wolverine game, I rent. For instant classics like GTA IV, I wait a few months and just buy a used game. Renting and used games just fit my budget better. Plus, with renting, it goes back within a week, so mentally I think I have to play this all week, other games I OWN can wait!!!

# 13 DJ @ Jul 6

Good blog. I've written about a similar experience myself. I turned into a serial buyer of games and as you said, a lot of the games I picked up would sit on the shelf and not get the time they deserved.

I'm trying to be more selective in my spending and limit myself to 2-4 games a year. Since I bought MLB The Show and plan on getting NHL 10, I've decided to not buy either Madden or NCAA this year and will stick with last year's versions (PS2) for both games.

# 14 canes2008 @ Jul 6

I usually get NCAA Madden fifa and nba 2k every year but i'm not going to get NCAA at release

# 15 HiTEqMETHOD @ Jul 6

The amount of games I buy per year is very sporadic,some years I'll only buy one and others I buy between 2 and 5. As for the genre of games I buy,I've bought NCAA Football every year since 2002 and get the new GTA when those come out but I'm not tied down to a certain genre. I play pretty much everything. From Final Fantasy to NBA2k and Street Fighter, plus everything in between. I got GameFly a long time ago,back when they didn't even have commercials. I think I saw an ad in GameInformer or some other magazine. So that allows me to play basically whatever I please without committing to a title I'm uncertain of buying. Then if I like it I pay the $45 to keep it. NCAA Football and HUGE titles like Halo,COD,R6V,Street Fighter are really the only type of stuff I pre order and pick up at Gamestop.