Competitor Type

Competitor: I’m gonna git you sucka!

Third and Five Games

Date: 3/9/2012, Competitor

This week we’ll be looking into the Competitor. They play for one reason and one reason only, hunt and overcome the most dangerous game; man. We’ve all played one of these gamers, and regardless of whether they are sporting or huge tools, they want to win. For whatever reason in their real life, they need to win at things is going unfulfilled, so they turn to video games and try to dominate as much as possible in whatever game they choose to play.

Within this type, there are a few vague categories and figuring these out is more or less common sense. Some competitors seek out a healthy challenge and search out gamers of comparable or more skill, looking to play such people as much as possible to increase their own skill. This type of gamer is one reason COD, Halo, Gears, and every other shooter and their brother has instituted leveling systems with better skills being available at higher tiers. Others just play to abuse people new to the game and really want no challenge at all, and very well may quit if presented with a foe of comparable skill. There are also those Competitors who play sportingly and respect the rules of engagement (whatever those may be), these could fall under either previously mentioned build; those who look for a challenge or those who simply want to dominate. There are also those who cheat and use every short cut they can, from setting their router to lag or drop out if they are losing, to searching the map for ‘impossible’ places to wait and camp, or otherwise find ways to play unfairly. We’ve all played at least one of these categoried players, and had appropriate reactions to each (from throwing things to cursing them out to submitting a player review or complaint).

These gamers try to be the best possible at one game, and only one game. They usually scoff when people choose the games they haven’t, even when they are equally good or better. Yes, I’m looking at you, Halo…and finding you lacking against Gears 3 or Mass Effect 3. I look forward to and expect your angry comments, Halo fans. They may talk about this game way too much, and respond with mockery or derision if you suggest trying their hand at a new game, one where they playing field may be a bit more level…or heaven forbid, you may have the edge.

After they finish neatly disemboweling you, most will take this opportunity to taunt you in some form. In their minds, they have earned the right to this taunt, after dedicating hours upon hours to pwning n00bs at this one game, much like the Explorer would pursuing the storyline of Skyrim or Mass Effect 3. They both put in the same hours, and either could argue to have the more monotonous task, that’s up for you to decide. None of you need me to go into an in depth list of games to suggest or recommend to fledgling Competitors; but I’m going to anyways. The best one of the market currently offers and engrossing single player game, as well as intense multiplayer fare, Mass Effect 3. They even give you the change to port one of your classes that you’ve tricked out as you please to your single player adventure, giving you a much longer affair with the one you so fondly decapitated your competition. The one catch is that you lose that build in multiplayer, giving you a change to make another one. The other games I’ll mention offer a single player that has a story, of course, but more functions as a tutorial to the multiplayer side of the game. There are Gears of War 3, Assassins Creed Brotherhood/ Revelations, and Halo 3/ODST/Reach, and I’m including the last begrudgingly.

While the competitor most commonly plays first person shooters, they can feel at home playing any game in which they can compete with a person, not a computer. I just found an iPhone game called Battle Nations that has a much more active PvP arena than I expected. These gamers dwell in multiplayer lobbies waiting to pick off unsuspecting n00bs as then enter, the poor bastards. With the new resurgence of 2D fighters, they have more opportunity to branch out and test their skill in a different arena. I would much more likely compete in a fighter than an FPS, and it would be just as likely I’d get spanked there as well.