"Gamer personalities" - Inspired by the Chicago Tribune

Seeing as I do more reading than posting here, feel free to mock and redirect if this is already discussed or not suited to Games.

story here

According to the above article, gamers fall into 5 main categories: Decompressor, Latent Sociopath, Alpha Dominator, Escapist, and Inner Child.

The Decompressor

He or she has a high-stress, manic-paced job -- cop, air-traffic controller, stock trader or kindergarten teacher. Since time on the job is so heart-attack inducing, gaming is usually a cathartic release. All those activities that are frowned upon in real life (murder, mayhem, mutilation, etc.) are not only OK in games, they are the foundations of many favorite titles.

"If it feels good, do it" is the mantra of The Decompressor. After six hours with small children or a double shift patrolling the mean streets, nothing short of some unbridled, heavy-caliber gunplay will soothe the nerves.

The Decompressor shares many favorite games with the Latent Sociopath (see below). "Halo 2," "SOCOM 2" and "GTA: San Andreas" all offer a full range of primal pleasures guaranteed to let some of that potentially lethal pressure off.

Without games, The Decompressor would pop a gasket.

The Latent Sociopath

Unlike The Decompressor, The Latent Sociopath can come from any walk of life. He or she may be the next-door neighbor, the pharmacist or the UPS guy.

We've all seen dumbstruck folks on the news saying things such as, "He seemed like a regular guy," or "Her kids were always well-dressed" when describing the perpetrator of a horrific crime. The same outwardly normal appearance is typical of the LS.

These are the gamers who come home, fire up the Xbox, and let their id reign supreme. The purpose of gaming is to provide fuel for the inner beast. The more mundane and uneventful real life is, the hungrier the beast becomes.

Fave games will be M-rated bloodbaths. "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay," "GTA: San Andreas," "Hitman: Contracts," and "Burnout 3" all feature protagonists free of societal constraints, indulging every psychotic whim.

The LS uses games to stay latent. Despite the proclamations of Congress and concerned parents everywhere, games such as "GTA: San Andreas" actually make the world a safer place.

The Alpha Dominator

The Alpha Dominator toils away at a thankless, perpetually promotion-free job. Temp agency regulars, data entry clerks and industrial custodians fit the AD profile.

What the AD longs for is superiority -- utter fear and awe from lesser beings. What may be professionally unattainable is only an Ethernet connection away in the game world. Online multiplayer games offer an even playing field that can be ruled by anyone with the requisite hand-eye coordination.

The AD lives for the thrill of bringing online opponents to their knees. Public recognition for his or her virtual feats is key to the AD's sense of self-worth. When Sony decided to reset the online rankings board for "SOCOM 2," the AD may well have sunk into depression.

Games of choice include online battlegrounds "Unreal Tournament 2004," "SOCOM 2," "ESPN NFL 2K5," and "Madden 2005." The AD isn't concerned with violence or a particular sporting event. Winning is everything.

The Escapist

Everyday life is a struggle for The Escapist. They come from all walks of life; their condition may result from an unfulfilling job but is just as likely to be independent of career events. Nothing seems as good as it could be to The Escapist.

TV and movies are effective ways to bring some joy to their bleak and dreary lives, but games are the only true remedy. Games can offer another, infinitely more stimulating existence. Why be a mere mortal when there are otherworldly empires to explore and ancient kingdoms to conquer? Regular life seems unbearably dull compared with the fantastic online exploits for The Escapist.

Like The AD, The Escapist inhabits the realm of online multiplayer games. But that's whe

 

I'm somewhere between Latent Sociopath and Decompressor.

I dunno if that's a good thing.

 

I detect a large amount of anti-Nintendo bias in the article. Dr. Alpha prescribes twenty viewings of the new Zelda trailer.

 

I'm a latent sociopath. Great. I just hope my parents never see this article...

 

I'm an escapist.

Please don't ask me about my freudian thoughts on escapism if you value my integrity.

 

Escapist for sure, with a dash of Inner Child mixed in for the fun of it.

Wookiee, you've always scared me, and now I know why.

 

Decompresser. Gotta love WWII games to vent.

 

I'm a bit of everything except the Alpha Dominator.
But mostly I'm an Inner Child with the games of the Decompressor. Just replace Halo2 with Half-Life2. No console

 

I'm a mix of the Decompresser and the Inner Child.

 

With only those choices

What other choices would you have provided?

 

I'm Escapist with a dash of Decompressor, served with a glass of obsessed fanboy.

 

I'm the same as Hawk. I'm an Escapist and a bit of a Decompressor. Except it's obsessed fangirl.

 

I suppose I'm an escapist, though, I don't consider my life to be a struggle by any means. *shrugs*

 

How about all of the above? I think I enjoy just about every single type of game out there. I play everything from shooters to RPGs to sports games.

I think all of the above would be called the latent-inner-alpha-escapist-sociopath.

 

A bit of a decompressor and an escapist. I like MMORPGs, but I also love a good FPS or something where I can blow up stuff and take lives.

 

Zelda, simple?
HEATHEN
/goes to inevtory, equips Master sword, fire arrows, Dins Fire, and bombs. Buts on green tunic.

Lets rock and roll ****** ******. HIIYAAAAAH!!!

 

Wookiee, you've always scared me, and now I know why.

 

You are a paragon of emotional stability Quest.

I don't think the article was supposed to be the Codex of the Psychologies of Gamers in the 21st century.

It would be cool if I was made of regenerating cheese.