It occurred to me while speaking with Regina last week that I’ve never discussed what type of gamer I am by her codification on this site. Regina and Rhonda have their views on what type of gamer I am, and you can find those on episode 5 of the Game On Girl podcast. I would like to take a stab at it now.
I’ll skip to the end right here. I believe I am all three in pretty equal measure. Here’s why:
As a Self Player I tend to create avatars that have long hair and some form of facial hair like I do. However, I usually don’t strive to create them as an idealized representation of my self. On the contrary, I try and make them ugly or non-human where ever the option presents itself. In World of Warcraft the first avatar I ever created was undead. My second was a dwarf. Neither would come close to hitting the top of the fantasy attractive race list. I also do not tend to refer to my avatar in the first person unless it’s for expediency’s sake. Example: “I’m in the room to the south of you being attacked.”
As a Role Player I do have an idea of who my avatar is. I believe their personalities take shape as I’m creating the avatar. Typically if you ask me a question about my avatar’s back story or his morality, I will have a quick answer. I also will indulge in making female avatars from time to time. However, I do not role play as a female avatar. In fact, I don’t tend to role play in game much at all. My character’s back ground and personality are as far as I go with role playing.
Finally, I am a Mastery Player too, but only in so far as it’s fun to do so. I’ve referred to myself on Game On Girl as a “Lazy Mastery” player. This is because I want to be as good at a game as I can be, but not to the point where it becomes a job; certainly not to the point where it takes over my life; never to the point that it stops being fun.
Well, that’s me. A self-role-mastery player!
What about you? Are you an amalgamation of the gamer types too? Please leave your comment in the comments below or @MarsUller or @game_on_girl on Twitter.
