Gamers the Legacy Unfolds: The Second Coming

Throughout the history of mankind, humans have played a wide-range of games for the pure entertainment of the masses. As of recent years a new type of entertainment has run rampant becoming one of the most profitable businesses in the world: videogames. This era of videogames has sparked jest as much imagination and fanaticism as any movie. Perhaps its most impressive quality is the rapid growth of the community. Along with the new market of games came new breeds of gamers, ranging from very casual to extremely competitive and everything in between.

The Try-hard: “Gamers that have taken the game far too seriously and often ruin the game, by either being far too obsessive and skilled, or becoming very enraged.” If you have yet to guess why they are called try-hards it is as simple as “They harder than what it is worth.” Gamers like this are easily the worst class of gamers possible. These videogame fanatics always up the ante by using generally unknown functions within the game that takes acute timing and a ludicrous amount of practice; furthermore, these nerds often combine such maneuvers to create an even more ridiculous outcome, proving that they have spent a little bit more than a few hours inside this past week. You can imagine what the stereotypical Try Hard would look like: pale, over-weight, 30 years too old, and a voice that can only be described as stressed. Strangely as of recent years many have broken this stereotype becoming that scrawny kid who learned that he can’t be beat up from behind a television screen. Along with the obsession of videogames comes other emotions such as anger and embarrassment, but mostly anger. They feel as though they have been cheated after “training” so hard to “achieve” their level of skill only to lose. Even more shocking is the reaction produced by these pseudo cult members, when they lose or are nearly beaten. Hundreds of videos exist of these try-hard gamers breaking their T.V.’s and other electronics in a blind fury of rage. Unfortunately, this is what gamers have become known as in general. The brats who have a silver spoon in their mouth and aren’t getting what they want. . To take it a step further they are what fuel the next category of gamer like the little brother providing live entertainment with his reactions to childish pranks. Luckily with bad rep that has been formed by any overly aggressive gamer is so bad that many have gone into hiding, as it has become customary to boot said gamers from the match.

The Dirty Casual: “A gamer that simply plays a game for his own enjoyment, usually at the expense of others.” The term “Dirty Casual” is strictly used by the over competitive class of gamers; however, the casual comes with his own set of problems. These gamers care very little about winning, or even achieving any sort of real goal other than to have fun. At first this sounds like exactly what videogames are meant for, until you analyze just what their definition of fun is. These annoyances have become so content with not caring that they do everything in their power to prevent you from having fun. It is all too common to hear a snickering laugh over the mic as the narrator reads the word “Betrayed” aloud. It doesn’t end there unfortunately these headaches often times delete hours of progress just to be that little brother enters your room and breaks things. To emphasize their point they often have a list of witty comments ready to combat the onslaught of insults that are hurled at them from the seething gamers overflowing with rage, as ridiculous as it sounds this scene is all too common in the gaming world. There aren’t any sets of characteristics that accurately describe a casual gamer. These kinds of gamers don’t derive from any sort of physical characteristics, rather they stem from personality traits. These usually consist of an over confidence in their own intellectual ability, a very snarky and matter of fact tone of voice, and an unbelievably hypocritical closed mind. The moments that bring the most satisfaction is when they lose at their own game.

The Competitor: “A normal gamer who tries their best regardless of actual skill but is not angered or showy when they lose or win.” Gamers like this will play the game serious enough to never hold up progress, attempt to win, and will only show a slight disappointment when they lose. I fall under this category as a person who constantly understands that it is just a videogame nothing more and nothing less. We take it as a competition just like a park football game, it isn’t fun unless everyone runs when they go out to catch the ball; however, no one wants someone to show up wearing shoulder pads, cleats and everything else. Regrettably the exact equivalent of this has sprung up in world of entertainment. I wish I could say a majority of the gaming community lined up with this class, but then I would be lying. Initially Competitors were the only kind of gamers, composed of children that had adapted a competitive attitude from the sports that occupied their lives prior. These children were just happy to be playing the latest and greatest in entertainment. It was a time where everyone would go over to Johnny’s house because he passed the hardest level. These were the glory days as my brothers and I would crowd around the old tubed T.V. and watched my oldest brother control the little man in the red hat.

The gaming community has been growing ever larger as the games are improved and interactions with people around the world grow stronger. Never has there been such easy communication with a complete stranger half-way around the world, although the majority of the gaming population has chosen to ruin most gaming through excessive bickering and ridiculous obsessions. Hopefully one day the people will wake up and smell their own sweat and realize they are taking videogames far too seriously.