I'd like to start a thread about a type of player I know nothing about.  I call him "xXDEATHDEALERXx."  While I'm sure there is probably a guy named xXDEATHDEALERXx somewhere, this thread isn't about any specific player, but a type of player who plays MMOs.  We see him a lot in our games.  When I see this type of player, he doesn't roleplay or hang out chatting.  I see him doing quests and raids, enhancing his gear and so on, and in PvP sometimes.  He has no bio.  He doesn't look like he spends much time going over his appearance.  He doesn't type much on the forums, mostly just one liners or a few words.  If you say something IC to him, or make a joke, he just types "..."  Besides those observations, I don't know much about what makes this player "tick."

1)  What kind of guild is this type of player in?

2)  Why does he like MMOs?

3)  Who does he tend to hang with in the game?

4)  How many hours in a day does he typically play?

5)  Is he on Vent or TS?

6)  Does he spend any money in the cash store?  If so, on what?

7)  How old is he?

8)  How long does he typically stay in a game before he leaves?

9)  What other kinds of games are in his library?

10)  What percentage of players on your typical WoW-style MMO are xXDEATHDEALERxx types?

he is the majority of the playerbase......

rp servers where people are invested in all aspects of their character  don't really exist.

CoX had a pretty awesome RP community. Sadly it is no more.

Probably someone who plays various themepark WoW-clones, and hops from game to game so much that he/she isn't really interested in lasting relations.

Perhaps someone who champions Guild Wars 2, yet, mysteriously no longer plays the game.  Yet insists that every other game that ever gets release should be "Just like GW2".

Bout it, as there is not much to say about xXDEATHDEALERx.  His/her life is shrouded in mystery .. not by chance .. but by choice.

I have a Voodoo deck if someone else wants their life read to them.

Not sure I understand the point of this post, but I'll give it a try anyway.

1  A medium sized group of online acquaintances centered around 3 RL friends (named Bill, Erik, and Mike).  They are mostly casual.

2  He began playing them back when he was a sophomore at Virginia Tech, and loved them.

3  Mostly guildies

4  3...though on some Saturdays he goes 8 hours or so, depending on whether or not his roller hockey team is going to practice that day.

5  TS

6  Sometimes.  He bought some cosmetic gear last week

7  28

8  A year or so, except for a few games that he really liked...then 3 years or so

9  Mostly single player RPGs, with an occasional shooter

10  %59.37

Originally posted by Beatnik59

I'd like to start a thread about a type of player I know nothing about.  I call him "xXDEATHDEALERXx."  While I'm sure there is probably a guy named xXDEATHDEALERXx somewhere, this thread isn't about any specific player, but a type of player who plays MMOs.  We see him a lot in our games.  When I see this type of player, he doesn't roleplay or hang out chatting.  I see him doing quests and raids, enhancing his gear and so on, and in PvP sometimes.  He has no bio.  He doesn't look like he spends much time going over his appearance.  He doesn't type much on the forums, mostly just one liners or a few words.  If you say something IC to him, or make a joke, he just types "..."  Besides those observations, I don't know much about what makes this player "tick."

1)  What kind of guild is this type of player in?

2)  Why does he like MMOs?

3)  Who does he tend to hang with in the game?

4)  How many hours in a day does he typically play?

5)  Is he on Vent or TS?

6)  Does he spend any money in the cash store?  If so, on what?

7)  How old is he?

8)  How long does he typically stay in a game before he leaves?

9)  What other kinds of games are in his library?

10)  What percentage of players on your typical WoW-style MMO are xXDEATHDEALERxx types?

Okay, then. I'll take a shot at this from way back in the non-psychologist peanut gallery.

The player in question could be anywhere from a 14-year-old kid who only plays with other kids he knows to a 20-something meth-head living in his mom's basement to a 30-something person who's very frustrated with his life and wants to be successful and powerful in a virtual world. Or maybe their job or lifestyle or family situation requires them to be "nice," "friendly," or strictly "professional" all day and they need to blow off some repressed hostility in the virtual world. So --  not being a professional psychologist mind you -- it's hard for me to imagine a specific person (age, type, etc.) although I tend to think he would be a heterosexual or homophobic male who would not have a significant healthy relationship.

There are also, of course, xXDEATHDEALERXx types in RL who are incredibly successful in business, politics, and the military. They have, rather than focus on playing computer games, directed their drives into building careers, either law-abiding or bloody and tyrannical. They will be equally ruthless and brutal.

Joking-but-half-serious question: What do you think Kissinger would have accomplished if he had focused all of his attention on starting up a corp and playing EVE instead of whatever it is he does now? [EDIT: Just for laughs, imagine Kissinger with a neckbeard and giving directives on team speak.]

Originally posted by steamtank

he is the majority of the playerbase......

 

rp servers where people are invested in all aspects of their character  don't really exist.

 

CoX had a pretty awesome RP community. Sadly it is no more.

Both Swtor and TSW have some very solid RP guilds. It is the nature of the game and how solid it's theme is. TSW is shaping up very nicely for the RP community and Swtor is riding the coat tails of the Star Wars IP which everyone knows about but the game could use some serious improvements for RP. Seeing how many decent RP guilds are in it despite that I could see a mass growth of RP in the game if Bioware could just get their act together.

Originally posted by Beatnik59

I'd like to start a thread about a type of player I know nothing about.  I call him "xXDEATHDEALERXx."  While I'm sure there is probably a guy named xXDEATHDEALERXx somewhere, this thread isn't about any specific player, but a type of player who plays MMOs.  We see him a lot in our games.  When I see this type of player, he doesn't roleplay or hang out chatting.  I see him doing quests and raids, enhancing his gear and so on, and in PvP sometimes.  He has no bio.  He doesn't look like he spends much time going over his appearance.  He doesn't type much on the forums, mostly just one liners or a few words.  If you say something IC to him, or make a joke, he just types "..."  Besides those observations, I don't know much about what makes this player "tick."

Below are my assumptions.  If I see a name like this I try not to deal with people like that.  I have dealt with them in the past, but know they are best avoided.  All big generalizations of course.

1)  What kind of guild is this type of player in?

None, or a casual guild.

2)  Why does he like MMOs?

Probably doesn't.  Likely his first MMO.

3)  Who does he tend to hang with in the game?

He doesn't, he plays solo.

4)  How many hours in a day does he typically play?

I'm guessing around 2-4.

5)  Is he on Vent or TS?

No.

6)  Does he spend any money in the cash store?  If so, on what?

No, if you meet these type of people in cash shop games they typically are the completely free type of player.

7)  How old is he?

Less than 14 years of age.  10-13 years old.

8)  How long does he typically stay in a game before he leaves?

Varies I think.  Sometimes these types of players will stick with the game and mature and reroll an alt with a better name, join a guild and socialize better, and get better overall manners.

9)  What other kinds of games are in his library?

Popular Xbox 360 games like Halo and Call of Duty.  The MMO they are playing may be the first PC game in their library.

10)  What percentage of players on your typical WoW-style MMO are xXDEATHDEALERxx types?

As much as people on this site will tell you they are the majority or a decent precentage of the population, I'd wager these types of players are actually less than 5% of a typical "WoW" style MMO.  Free to Play will have an even higher precentage base and casual anime style games typically have a significantly larger population of these players than WoW style games do.  The more complex a game is and the higher it's learning curve the less you'll see of these types of players.

Originally posted by PWN_FACE

Originally posted by Beatnik59

Joking-but-half-serious question: What do you think Kissinger would have accomplished if he had focused all of his attention on starting up a corp and playing EVE instead of whatever it is he does now? [EDIT: Just for laughs, imagine Kissinger with a neckbeard and giving directions on team speak.]

Good call on the edit :-)  I was going to say something, which might have derailed the thread.

Of course, xXDEATHDEALERx might just feel uncomfortable talking with others.  This person might prefer WoW's auto-group feature / auto-raid feature.  I encourage WoW & GW2 fans to gather anti-social people into their games.  Those games are designed for people who hate interaction.  Just honesty, seriously.

Some people raid in WoW, sure.  But those who still raid in WoW is very low, from statistics I saw a few months ago.  It's a very differnt game.

GW2 has interaction but it's all random .. show up and get in a "dynamic event" (which isn't so dynamic).  Queue for PVP and get into a solo player game with no leader .. so "you" are in charge .. yay, finally, right?

Anyways, if I could give a good analysis, I'd be a doctor, which I'm not.  So take that (along with everyone elses recommendations) with a big chunk of salt.  Some like cruddy games, some don't.  Amen.

Originally posted by Beatnik59

I'd like to start a thread about a type of player I know nothing about.  I call him "xXDEATHDEALERXx."  While I'm sure there is probably a guy named xXDEATHDEALERXx somewhere, this thread isn't about any specific player, but a type of player who plays MMOs.  We see him a lot in our games.  When I see this type of player, he doesn't roleplay or hang out chatting.  I see him doing quests and raids, enhancing his gear and so on, and in PvP sometimes.  He has no bio.  He doesn't look like he spends much time going over his appearance.  He doesn't type much on the forums, mostly just one liners or a few words.  If you say something IC to him, or make a joke, he just types "..."  Besides those observations, I don't know much about what makes this player "tick."

Before looking at your questions, can you elaborate about this type of player you're observing and the environment you were observing them participate in? For example: you see him doing quests and raids. How are you seeing this? are you in these raids with him too? how did you both get in? were you both part of the same guild? was it a pick up raid?

When you make jokes, are they derogatory towards any particular groups of people?

It's hard not to generalize when you're talking about behavior as if it exists in a vacuum; there's context that we're not seeing from the example you've provided.

Sounds something like me haha. Althought I'll usually respond to a joke with a "lol" or a "haha" even if I don't think it's particulary funny because then I would feel bad. Like that person would have their feelings hurt from being ignored lol.

1. A guild that help me accomplish what I want to do in the game. Though, I like helping other players and sometimes bonds may form, I'm not there to develop relationships or participate in the social aspects of the game. I just like to play.

2. Well sometimes I like the competition that can occur and I like interacting with other players when I'm playing, more so through game mechanics like pvp or dungeons rather than through social interactions like rp "get togethers" or just idle chatting.

3. It depends on the game. Mostly I will stay quiet and play solo. I don't much care to stand around town dancing and chatting. I usually only play with others in pvp, raids and dungeons or if someone needs help with something in the game.

4. Somedays 0, somedays 1-2, or somedays even 8-12 if I'm going all out trying to reach a goal. It just depends lol. I guess anywhere from 0-12.

5. Not unless its required, like for a raid.

6. Usually nothing. Cosmetics aren't that important to me. I feel more satisfaction from earning an item in game than I do buying it in the store. Same for convience items like exp boosts. When I accomplish something on my own, even if it's in an inconvient way, it feels more satisfying to me. Not that I think I'm somehow better and do it to feed my ego. I just do it for personal satisfaction and  don't care if anyone realises whether or not I used those items. I'm not extremely wealthy in real life and I don't feel like those things are worth my money either.

7. Well, we could be any age I guess. Maybe mostly from midteens to mid twenties

8. I don't play every game that comes out. In fact I've only ever played 3 mmos. Two of those games I spent probably over 1500 hours each over several years and one which is more recent, GW2, I played on a semi regular basis until mid november. I don't necesarily quit games. I just may loose interest for a time and come back later. I think this is a normal attitude to have and it bothers me that people think mmos should become a replacement for a person's life or should be the only hobby a person has and if it doesn't hold onto that person for years then it was a bad game.

Like sometimes I'll play a sport or a game with some friends and we'll play on a semi regular basis for 2 or 3 months and then just drop it because we loose interest or get busy with something else. It's not that the sport or game was bad and we "quit it" for good, it's just that we want to do other things in our lives and maybe we will return to them later. 

9. I have fps like Call of Duty 2 and 4 (the last one I bought). I have strategy like Age of Empires, Company of Heroes, Warcraft 3 and Starcraft 2. I have rpgs like Morrowind and Skyrim. I have jrpgs like Final Fantasys. I have action like Metal Gear Solids. I have platformers like Rayman and Crash Bandicoot lol. I have fighting games like Tekken. I have sports games like NBA Street Vol. 2 (best game ever back in the day haha). And of course MMOs like GW2. Well, I don't necessarily have a lot of games, but I guess I do have a variety.

Originally posted by oakierush

Originally posted by Beatnik59

I'd like to start a thread about a type of player I know nothing about.  I call him "xXDEATHDEALERXx."  While I'm sure there is probably a guy named xXDEATHDEALERXx somewhere, this thread isn't about any specific player, but a type of player who plays MMOs.  We see him a lot in our games.  When I see this type of player, he doesn't roleplay or hang out chatting.  I see him doing quests and raids, enhancing his gear and so on, and in PvP sometimes.  He has no bio.  He doesn't look like he spends much time going over his appearance.  He doesn't type much on the forums, mostly just one liners or a few words.  If you say something IC to him, or make a joke, he just types "..."  Besides those observations, I don't know much about what makes this player "tick."

 

Before looking at your questions, can you elaborate about this type of player you're observing and the environment you were observing them participate in? For example: you see him doing quests and raids. How are you seeing this? are you in these raids with him too? how did you both get in? were you both part of the same guild? was it a pick up raid?

When you make jokes, are they derogatory towards any particular groups of people?

 

It's hard not to generalize when you're talking about behavior as if it exists in a vacuum; there's context that we're not seeing from the example you've provided.

It's not a thread for actually understanding anything about other players. It's a thread for generalizations, stereotypes and poking fun at "those" gamers.

Get with the program, sir.

Some of the generalizations in this thread are really shocking to me haha. 

Human beings are all different and have different ways of thinking and different styles of living. It's almost impossible to really understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes, or maybe marry them (haven't experienced this yet haha). To seperate people into groups in your own mind, only serves to make yourself close minded because you have lead your self to believe you know the truth about that "type" of person when in reality you don't know. And that conviction that you have, thinking you know the truth, serves as a barrier from you interacting with and learning more about that person and maybe realizing that you were wrong. We are all just human beings. That's it. It's so simple lol.

Originally posted by fayknaym

Some of the generalizations in this thread are really shocking to me haha. 

 

Human beings are all different and have different ways of thinking and different styles of living. It's almost impossible to really understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes, or maybe marry them (haven't experienced this yet haha). To seperate people into groups in your own mind, only serves to make yourself close minded because you have lead your self to believe you know the truth about that "type" of person when in reality you don't know. And that conviction that you have, thinking you know the truth, serves as a barrier from you interacting with and learning more about that person and maybe realizing that you were wrong. We are all just human beings. That's it. It's so simple lol.

Humans always evolve though ...

It's not like humans are "THIS" or "THAT"

Just mentioning, that it's important to mention the evolving aspect.  I don't really want to go through examples, because I feel you are educated enough, from your post (and I think you'll get my drift).