Gameolosophy > Games

The FPS Gamer Styles

Ever wonder what type of gamer you were? Take a look at this list. Classify yourself and friends.

Below is the list of basic gamer playing styles. Where do you fit in?

  1. The Whiner

    We all know these players. They whine when they die whether they have 100 kills to 1 death or 5 kills to 5 deaths. They will always whine, but that's just how they play. These players are generally the BEST players in terms of skill level and physical reaction to gaming events. While they whine, they are also the most intensely occupied by the gaming environment and when they are alive and playing you know they'll be taking out the opposition. They play well with the team, even if they don't always appreciate the whole concept of being forced to go to a particular place.
    Number per Team: 1

    Work Best With: Leader, Veteran, and “Radio”

    Work Poorly With: Strategist, Baiter, and Guardian
  2. The Leader

    All teams obviously need a leader. This is the person in the team that demands the most respect or else they will be entirely in-effective. They are good basic players, but their strength is in holding the team together. They organize everything, set up the matches, and will be around nearly all the time to work with the entire team. The only major flaw of the Leader falls into their overwhelming responsibility. When they are dealing with all the other organization of the clan they fail to get the same amount of experience with the rest of their team members in preparation for matches.
    Number per Team: 1

    Work Best With: “For the Team” Guy, Strategist, and Radio

    Work Poorly With: Baiter, Lone Wolf, and Veteran
  3. The Veteran

    Of course, you know this player? This is the type of player that can be sitting in a situation where he is surrounded and is just sitting back, relaxing. These are the strongest players overall in the game. While they may not always be the best in terms of skill, they are the best in keeping the team together. They are like the Leader, but much more content to sit back and play with the team rather than monitor it. They can aid almost all the players on their team. The veteran has a flaw in his armor though. The common veteran player tends to have two major issues in his game play. First, they can think themselves better for having the longer term of experience. The secondary problem that may come with a veteran is an attempt to spread too much of his own knowledge. They can quickly get into a power struggle with a Leader and hurt a clan.
    Number per Team: 0-2

    Work Best With: The Whiner, Radio, and Basic

    Work Poorly With: Strategist, Leader, and Baiter
  4. The Strategist

    This is the team's go-to guy for strategy. He is the type of player who knows other teams as well as their styles, but also knows how to work out the trouble spots in a map. They are commonly very smart players, but not nearly the best. A Strategy player is commonly the one that won't play unless to call strats. While they commonly realize their strengths are in preparation and not actual participation, they are often the part of the group that can feel left out. Another key thing about the strategist is that the Leader can take this roll upon himself. While a very useful gamer, they are often the low self-esteemed part of the group that feels left out of the overall team.
    Number per Team: 0-1

    Work Best With: Filler, Prophet, and “For-the-Team” Guy

    Work Poorly With: Leader, Veteran, and Lone Wolf
  5. The Guardian

    That's the guy who won't fold under the pressure of a team onslaught. They are very strong positional players and rarely leave a position once they are imbedded into it. The Guardian has one of the best senses of position in the game as they can commonly be called “campers” for their skill in hiding. That doesn't mean they are entirely hiding types. They can easily change rolls to a rush-stopper because these players, while not the best, tend to have good shots and communication. The guardian's flaw is his inability to move later in the round. While they are terrific for holding a spot, they fold under pressure and tend to be poor on offense. In a clutch situation from 1v5 to 1v1, these aren't the people you look forward to being the last guy.

    Number per Team: 1-2

    Work Best With: Strategist, Leader, and Radio

    Work Poorly With: Veteran, Lone Wolf, and Whiner
  6. The Filler

    You know that guy who's just happy to get to play? That is the Filler. He can be anywhere from a decent player to a very good one. These guys are just the most versatile of all the groups. They are content to play any position and most commonly will get stuck with the position that no one feels is beneficial to them. They hold a team together due to their ability to change and they often have the most likable attitude of the gamer community. A tendency of the Filler is to not hold gaming in such high regard though. They enjoy gaming, but aren't around as much as the other hard-core gaming members of the team. They hold an apathy towards all situations making them sometimes annoying to other people who care about competition.
    Number per Team: 0-2

    Work Best With: Leader, Strategist, and Guardian

    Work Poorly With: Lone Wolf, Whiner, and Baiter
  7. The Prophet

    How did he know I was there?! Wasn't he on the other side of the map?!?! Those are the common things the other team will say when they are playing these types. The Prophet is the guy who can instinctively understand a situation and rotate to where he is most needed. They are the fastest players in the game in terms of tactical ability and know the positional breakdowns of the map. They are decent for clutch situations and are often some of the best shooters on a team. The major flaw of the prophet can be their instinct. If they feel something is happening, they move with it or they overanalyze the situation and get themselves killed for thinking too much. They can be the best or worst players on a team depending on a match to match situation. They are probably the least dependable gamers to consistently perform, but when they're gaming is hot, they can't be stopped.
    Number per Team: 0-3

    Work Best With: Radio, Leader, and Basic

    Work Poorly With: Lone Wolf, Baiter, and Guardian
  8. The Lone Wolf

    This is the class most gamers love to hate. They are decent to great gamers that have overall great skills on every area of the game. Their problem is their inefficiency in working WITH a team. They often have terrible communication skills and can be similar to the Whiner except they won't listen to the strategy as closely. A Lone Wolf is good for some teams, while others they can destroy. The Lone Wolf often also has a superiority complex and isn't afraid to show their ego.
    Number per Team: 0-1

    Work Best With: Radio, “For the Team” Guy

    Work Poorly With: ALL OTHERS
  9. >

    The “Radio”

    “He's on B plant, watch your 6 for the second guy”. This is your “radio”. They are often the players who will break the silence in a match and call out the enemy positions. They are very good team players and are happy to call out a position rather than get the kill if they see it beneficial to the team. All of their efforts go into the group and their individual skills aren't as honed as the other classes of gamers. However, like all gamers, they have a flaw. “Radio” gamers can be overly talkative and block up the team's communications. They may be giving out useful information, but that time spent blocking the sound of another player's headset can get him killed. A good “Radio” is precise and exact in his coordinates and can be valuable to any team.
    Number per Team: 1-2

    Work Best With: ALL

    Work Poorly With: ----
  10. The Basic

    Yep, the guy who knows he's not too good at anything, but tries. This is the type of gamer most clans are forced to settle with as a 4th or 5th slot filler. They can be decent, but that's the extent of these players. They have yet to choose a direction to hone their skills in as well as generally lack the experience of the gaming environment. Once they develop, they commonly become very decent all around players, but until they understand what's going on, they can be frustrating to the team. More than likely, this type of player won't last long in gaming unless they can find strength.
    Number per Team: 0-1

    Work Best With: Leader, Veteran, and Strategist

    Work Poorly With: Whiner, Lone Wolf, and Baiter
  11. The Baiter

    Oh boy, everybody loves this class of gamer! Of course, when you think about it, this type of gamer can be useful to the team. They have often developed into crack shots who quickly deal a fatal blow to the enemy upon the baiting of a team-mate. These types of players can save a team or destroy it, depending on their skill level. If a player is a baiter, they need to have terrific accuracy and speed to avenge the death of a teammate. The baiter can sometimes be a negative influence on the team's chemistry however and can quickly destroy a team if no one feels safe when this player is watching their back.
    Number per Team: 0-1

    Work Best With: ALL OTHERS ((Uses them))

    Work Poorly With: Lone Wolf
  12. The “For-the-Team” Guy

    “Yeah sure, I'll do it”. It's that guy. This is the guy who will bait himself for the team or run a suicide run down a street if he knows his death is going to save the team some trouble. They are often very likable people because they don't get many kills and they are very versatile. They can be decent players to very good ones and can honestly be from any of the other gamer styles, just very much a team player. The flaw is their clutch situation strength. When you're the guy who dies for the team and runs routes that you expect to die out quickly, you don't take the time to look into the positions and map breakdown. It's only a matter of time before this class of player gets bored with gaming though unless assigned other tasks.
    Number per Team: 0-1

    Work Best With: ALL

    Work Poorly With: ----
44
Liked It
I Like It!
Related Articles
Picking the Perfect Video-game Console  |  A True Gamer?
More Articles by Blake Synel
The WOW Gamer Styles  |  Competitive Gaming Cod4: Where?
Latest Articles in Games
Video Games  |  Left Four Dead Review
Comments (42)
#1 by Nice, Apr 7, 2008
Liked it. This is very well detailed. I now more about it. thanks keep up the work.
#2 by baysiDe, Apr 17, 2008
Yea definitely the filler pope, until i get more scrims i probably wont be getting anywhere
#3 by Scoron, Jun 17, 2008
This is a great article i just found out im a combo between The Strategist, The Prophet, and the Radio
#4 by Twinfun, Jun 17, 2008
strategist ftw =P
#5 by Stan, Jun 18, 2008
Definitely a guardian. A bit of the lone wolf as well. Depends on my mood.
#6 by Matt, Jun 18, 2008
Haha, the lone wolf. I never use strategy, but I'm nothing like the whiner. =O
#7 by Gary, Jun 19, 2008
Definitely the Prophet, especially in Gears of War. Some days I can be a teams worst nightmare or... my teams weakest link. I love it though lol =]
#8 by Kevin, Jun 19, 2008
Im definitely a whiner and prophet who always performs.
#9 by Benjo, Jun 20, 2008
Nice article! It looks like I'm a prophet. In one round, I would own everybody while maintaining perfect health, another round I would get killed 20 seconds after the match started.
#10 by Blake, Jun 20, 2008
Thank you all for reading the article and even more thanks to those who left comments! If you like this article you might enjoy some of the other miscellaneous articles I have.

http://www.triond.com/users/Blake+Synel

Thanks again and keep passing this around to your friends!
#11 by Hoopah!, Jun 20, 2008
I'm the guardian for sure. xD Sniper in TF2.
#12 by LordRoY, Jun 21, 2008
You forgot "Ace"

The Ace is the guy you KNOW will get that win, or help the comeback when he is outnumbered 1 to 5. He probably plays much like a loner, however he can take one for the team as well. He tends to ride the top of the scoreboard and his team usually wins. His main weakness is that when things start looking bad, he knows he cant win and starts to whine and blame others because they are noobs.
#13 by blarg, Jun 23, 2008
i was looking for something hilarious like the "pre-pubescent eardrum destroyer" lol
#14 by Cyrus, Jun 23, 2008
I'm definitely a prophet/radio/for-the-team guy. When I'm not doing great, I communicate a lot and try to take one for the team, but when I'm on fire, it's all silence on the other end.
#15 by Blake, Jun 25, 2008
My apologies for any errors. This is meant to be comical and relaxed, but that is an error. I respect your criticism and thank you for taking the time to post.

Thanks,
Blake
#16 by Gurtaton, Jun 25, 2008
I'm a strategist. :)
#17 by James, Jun 30, 2008
I'm probably a Prophet or Lone Wolf. Most of the time I don't really play in a team environment, or all-talk is on so you can't communicate effectively and exclusively with your team.
#18 by freedom, Jun 30, 2008
wow this thing can read me like a book
#19 by runequeen, Jun 30, 2008
i am sad to say it but i am a for-the-team girl. especially in halo. good guide, i liked it
#20 by Barnes, Jun 30, 2008
Haha, brilliant,very well detailed and amazingly accurate.

I definately fit the category of the veteran, perfectly.
#21 by Oolti5, Jul 3, 2008
nice article, im a guardian/radio/"for the team" guy. not bad.i like wat i am. cool ;)
#22 by Jonny, Jul 4, 2008
Such a good stumble / read

I am such a whiner. If I die once in a game I feel like the game has been lost ever though I have the most kills. The only thing that keeps me going is making sure that my kills are twice as much as my own deaths.
#23 by SimW, Jul 4, 2008
HA! FOR THE TEAM! i just run in to traffic hoping to get A kill.
I never should have stopped to play at that damned pub!
#24 by Nick, Jul 8, 2008
You forgot the charging bull type - the guy who runs straight into enemy territory which either ends in;

him making it halfway and getting gunned down

him making it all the way and managing to pull of loads of stealthy kills on the enemy who think he's infront of them.

I tend to do this XD

I guess you could call it a subset of the lone wolf.
#25 by tomb, Jul 9, 2008
This needs to be turned into one of those quizzes that you answer and submit then it tells you what you are similar too
#26 by Namagem, Jul 9, 2008
I'm likely a mix of filler, Defender, and strategist.
#27 by Lumpy Girth, Jul 11, 2008
I\'m definatly a veteran. I always chill when I play and never worry. I hate whiners though..I have a friend who whines non-stop no matter what. He gets almost to the point of crying. I just wanna smack him one!
#28 by Hwa, Jul 22, 2008
I'm not sure which one i am. I'm the one with the most kills and the most deaths. i think i'm half lone wolf and half whiner.
#29 by 3DG_PAIN, Jul 31, 2008
I think I'm a Guardian / Radio.

-->Team Fortress 2
#30 by SwampFox, Aug 2, 2008
This was great...I was able to label everyone I play with.

Myself
#31 by tonisan60, Aug 12, 2008
This is just great, I love videogames you know, specially play station and game cube, still not used to wii even if I have one, FFX is my favorite one, I played it for almost two years in a row, because I loved it a lot. I know you are talking about on-line games, my sons play them a lot, I don\'t because of the video card (in my PC it is integrated, I still have a celeron) and because of the keyboard, I can not get used to play with it.
But, this is a great article, so let me put this one to all over some of my places.
Claps for you kid, you are talented.
#32 by Natrius, Aug 21, 2008
This is a very good breakdown of gamer archetypes. Your types are very solid, as these also hold true for non-FPS guilds like raiding or arena guilds in WoW. Nice work! It is actually more useful to me than many marketing studies I have seen within the video game industry.
#33 by miragana, Sep 3, 2008
Good day!
It is very informative and has a very good quality in it.
I like it...

www.Squidoo.com/MPI
mliragana.blogspot.com

Thank you very much for your time.
#34 by Tech Cow, Sep 26, 2008
QUOTE: You forgot "Ace"

The Ace is the guy you KNOW will get that win, or help the comeback when he is outnumbered 1 to 5. He probably plays much like a loner, however he can take one for the team as well. He tends to ride the top of the scoreboard and his team usually wins. His main weakness is that when things start looking bad, he knows he cant win and starts to whine and blame others because they are noobs.




Thats spot on what im like LOL
#35 by Noodle, Oct 5, 2008
Sorry, but you have to rename Guardian to pussy. Thanks.
#36 by Rex, Oct 7, 2008
aha this blog makes me want to reinstall Halo PC..
#37 by EAGLEEE, Oct 8, 2008
im sure a lone wolf
thx for info
#38 by Patafix, Oct 10, 2008
Im a whiner :D maybe radio and maybe "for the team guy" or just evrything :D
#39 by Shinigami, Oct 13, 2008
Radio/Leader :D That's me :D
#40 by Miracle Worker, Oct 14, 2008
Ok i lied, my friend tells me im a lonewolf...i go rando commando on my teamates asses all the time apparently
#41 by naomi-chan, Nov 4, 2008
nice. im somewhere between veteran and lone wolf. i rock. lolz, jk ^_^
#42 by Filler, Nov 14, 2008
I'm the filler! :DD
Post Your Comment:
Name:  
Copy the code into this box:  
Post comment with your Triond credentials?
Inside Gameolosophy

Accessories

 /

Consoles

 /

Games


Popular Tags
Popular Writers
Powered by
Gameolosophy
About Us
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Services
Submit an Article
Advertise with Us
Contact

© 2007 Copyright Stanza Ltd. All Rights Reserved.