Gaming Personality

First, a shout out to my friend Sue, who independently decided to take on the same challenge I have. Here's hoping we both see this through (weirdly, we also share the goal of writing a novel this year – but she's got more ability than I, and is more likely to succeed, I think).

A while back, I did one of those meme's that occasionally strike a social group. In this case, it was Bartle's Gaming Personality Quiz – basically a series of loaded questions designed to identify what kind of MMORPG gamer you might be. In my case, the results turned out very accurate:

AESK
AESK players are interested in the player-versus-environment aspect of the game more than anything else. They are often soloists who want to achieve and see what the world has to offer. Often, they find groups cumbersome and PVP to be more an annoyance than a feature.
Breakdown: Achiever 86.67%, Explorer 60.00%, Killer 26.67%, Socializer 26.67%

That's me to a T, really. I've often joked that there is a cruel irony in how I really love MMORPGs, but hate grouping and the people. Since one of the main draws for an on-line gaming experience is supposed to be the chance to team up and work with others, it does make people (and myself) wonder why I bother. I think the main reason is that I like to analyze and understand systems.

I'm not very big on "winning", really. I'm a realist and recognize that I won't always be the best at something, even if I do understand the methods and means to accomplish being the best. For example, I know the technical details of how to perform a layup in basketball, to hit a homerun in baseball, or ace a serve in tennis – I just don't have the physical ability to do those things at the level of a consistent winner. Similarly, when it comes to game systems, I can figure out how the system of resource trading and victory objectives interacts in Settlers of Cataan, but I know that doesn't mean I'm going to win every game.

My enjoyment is in playing the games and building a mental understanding of how they've decided to model their reality, which generally requires some isolation and reflection – things you generally don't find when you're grouped up or sitting around a crowded tabletop. Thus, my desire when playing most MMORPGs is to spend long periods performing solo missions, trying out different combinations of abilities, and avoiding having to prove myself or my worth to others. I most recently experienced this playing in the open beta for Pirates of the Burning Seas. To best grasp the nature of ship-to-ship combat, the swashbuckling fight system, and even the economy, I needed to isolate myself and explore things alone.

I suppose to some extent that is the role this blog is playing for me, as well. It's allowing me to explore and understand the method and means to accomplish a goal I've set for myself, and to do it in a way that feels a lot like a solo endeavor. Perhaps if I can figure out a way to turn the writing of words into a habit, I can understand what other steps I'll need to take shake free the ideas in my head that I've kept locked away for too long.