pogo_loco Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 (edited) Firefox snooped my internet activity and led me to this 1996 paper: "HEARTS, CLUBS, DIAMONDS, SPADES: PLAYERS WHO SUIT MUDS", written by a creator of the original Multi User Dungeon. He concluded players favored one of four aspects of a game (this is cherry-picked, please quote the original article if you post outside of this thread): Diamonds - Achievement within the game context ... setting out to achieve game-related goals ... rising in levels as the main goal, and all is ultimately subservient to this Spades - Exploration of the game ... finding out as much as they can about the virtual world ... the real fun comes only from discovery Hearts - Socializing with others ... to converse/interact with their fellow players ... the game is merely a backdrop, a common ground where things happen to players Clubs - Imposition upon others ... to cause distress to (or, rarely, to help) other players ... they wish only to demonstrate their superiority over fellow humans You may recognize the four types in these very forums: the completionists who squeeze every trophy out of games they may not even enjoy, the dabblers who are unphased by their endless backlogs, the high-reputation PSNP users who actually post engaging commentary, and the elitists who gatekeep the definition of a 'worthy' profile. The author admits to "the fact that I am not a trained psychologist" so these may be more stereotypes than science, but I thought his observations were profound. He even predicted which groups could coexist and which would squabble. We all play for different reasons, and recognizing the differences is a step toward living with them. Edited February 11, 2021 by pogo_loco 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crispy_Oglop Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 This is really interesting, thanks for sharing! I think that I'd probably jump between Diamonds and Spades in what I want out of a game. But if the idea is that you can be only one of the four types, I'd probably be more Spades than anything else. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogo_loco Posted February 11, 2021 Author Share Posted February 11, 2021 It feels a bit short-sighted to pigeonhole players into a single category, but it's probably fair to say one of the options will resonate better than the others. @Crispy_Oglop, you've got a lot of diverse games and many completions, so Spade-leaning-towards-Diamond seems pretty self-aware! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaivRules Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 What is always more interesting to me in these type of over-generalized exercises isn’t the self-assessment, it would be the external assessments from others who have shared those experiences. People tend to fancy themselves one way or another, but the number of times that perspective conflicts with how others perceive them is riveting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreakon13 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Guess I'm somewhere between Diamond and Heart, because I basically either play games to finish them these days, or play online games with vague and ongoing goals mostly for the social element. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoesusHCrust Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 I was very much a 'spades' player in the past but much more 'diamond' nowadays! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoyingtiger888 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Hmm, I think Diamond and Spade fits me the most ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kindajustin Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Somewhere between Diamond and Hearts for me. Completing games is much more important to me recently and I don't play online games as much these days, but connecting with other players, enjoying games/talking together, and sharing what was loved/hated most about games will probably always be my main joy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogo_loco Posted February 11, 2021 Author Share Posted February 11, 2021 1 hour ago, DaivRules said: People tend to fancy themselves one way or another, but the number of times that perspective conflicts with how others perceive them is riveting. I almost made a poll to ask how others viewed themselves, but your point would be even more useful -- how are we viewed by others? @DaivRules strikes me as a Heart, with 10x more posts than trophies, and all of your posts seem thoughtfully crafted. Maybe the product of hard work, maybe a natural gift. I fear my own post history is tainted with the stench of Club. It's no secret I have become enthralled by rarity... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatritionsts Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 I think I may have to go with hearts on this one I am not the best at communicating with other players but I try my best to speak up as much as possible I accomplished a lot of great things alone by myself such as being one of the first few people to achieve a platinum called I hate running backwards probably my greatest accomplishment ever so far but I always had a weakness of communicating with other trophy hunters but someday I will overcome this weakness and turn it into a strength it's going to take sometime but I will overcome it and soon I'll be able to speak all the time and make my own boasting sessions and get along with other players just like everyone else!!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kindajustin Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 32 minutes ago, pogo_loco said: I almost made a poll to ask how others viewed themselves, but your point would be even more useful -- how are we viewed by others? @DaivRules strikes me as a Heart, with 10x more posts than trophies, and all of your posts seem thoughtfully crafted. Maybe the product of hard work, maybe a natural gift. I fear my own post history is tainted with the stench of Club. It's no secret I have become enthralled by rarity... I think the ability to admit that so openly shows, at the very least, a capacity to be much more than a Club if you wanted. You don't come off that way honestly. At any rate, the external assessment of a gamer's "type" is certainly interesting but could quickly become a destructive activity on a site like this. If I'm being honest, I think many of this site's biggest Clubs would strongly insist they are simply a passionate mix of Diamond and maybe Spade haha. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaAlLoAg Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Quick Note: This thread is very wholesome, I like it To me, I don't really know what "type" of gamer I am, but I suppose I'm somewhere between a Socialiser and a Explorer. I would like to be an Achiever, but I don't have enough time for that for the time being lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick6146 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 Diamonds for sure. To the point where I am not interested in those exploration oriented games.... What point does exploration have when there's no in game goal associated to it. ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalaceOfLove706 Posted February 11, 2021 Share Posted February 11, 2021 In my early teenage years, I was a club. First taste of online gaming was Yahoo Euchre, Checkers, and Chess. Use to “kibitz” other players so they couldn’t move and then I’d force a resignation after they idled for 180 seconds, win, and improve my rank, decrease theirs, and create community hysteria. Blizzard online used to be the wild west of online gaming. Remember playing the original Diablo and downloading “trainers”. Hit F7 and I could crash the game and make everyone restart. I’m here now, so I guess I grew up... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogo_loco Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, PalaceOfLove706 said: I’m here now, so I guess I grew up... Grow. Improve. Evolve. Contribute to the purpose of life. With a bit more rigor, the path from a juvenile Club to an enlightened Heart could be worth documenting. Edited February 12, 2021 by pogo_loco 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StraightVege Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Ah, I remember this! I certainly fall somewhere between Diamond and Spade (leaning towards the former). Definitely not a Heart. ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peffsi Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I would be a mixture of Diamond and Spade. My favourite thing to do in games is exploration and finding collectibles.. But, if there's no reward (trophy), I'm not going to bother doing it. I also really like seeing numbers get bigger, so RPG-like games where you level up and get better gear and do more damage are very appealing. I was a bit of a Heart for a few years when I played MMOs.. I would enjoy talking to guildmates while doing the mindless daily tasks.. but I quit that. I'm definitely 0% Club. I would rather help people than troll them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninjagirl657 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I don't know if I fit in one category, as I mostly play for fun and to test my skills. I do fit in the diamond & spade category, as I do like to explore the game fully and I like to achieve everything that's possible in the game, to get the full experience. I will say heart also, as I prefer to help other people, then being an toxic player who only cares about themselves or make degrading posts and put people down. I got social anxiety, so I find it hard to communicate in game's and with people in general. So I help by writing guides and offering advise on posts for certain trophies, if it helps another gamer, I'm happy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodytears1666 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Ain't no red color suits me... "wish only to demonstrate their superiority", kinda unfair definition of competitive gameplay. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I’ve never seen this before - I guess I’m about as diamond-shaped as a spade can get before it is completely unrecognisable, but still a spade deep down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber__Kate Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Such a neat find! I am a Diamond Club for sure. I love rising in levels and flexing on others. Call me a showboat if you want. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava_Yuki Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 I think I'd be mostly a Diamond in that I always follow walkthroughts to not miss anything, consult trophy guides to plan my playthrough and like completing all the side quests and extra stuff. I'm nothing like Heart or Club though, I'm a solo gamer and never game with others or do multiplayer, and also am not obsessed with a 100% completion profile, nor do I care about how other players are doing and how my profile compares. I just play my own games in the shadows lol. As for Spade, perhaps a little in that I have a backlog and like to discover and explore the games worlds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ_Radio Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 1996 was a long time ago. In a sense, this guy was ahead of his time, because back then gaming as a whole was still a niche hobby. Really it depends on the particular game. When I boosted Red Dead Redemption a few weeks ago, I would throw myself to what the paper considers the 'Hearts' category. I had to communicate with other players via PS App and Discord to get our respective trophies that we were boosting. Without these tools, I wouldn't of gotten Kingpin. For the most part, most single player games fall in the 'Diamonds' and 'Spades' categories. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt I would argue utilizes both perfectly. It has a big compelling world for you to explore and transverse, but at the same time you are focusing on gaining levels and using your hard earned skill points to enhance your potion and witcher skills. It focuses on both stereotypes for those players who fall under these stereotypes. 'Clubs' I would classify as a group for those who are griefers. Every online game has at least a few. I wouldn't call this particular gamer stereotype a good one. Playing a game to take advantage of others should be looked down upon, and I've had many occasions on MMOs I played where people just played to troll and exploit the game mechanics. Of course these are my opinions. This is just how I see them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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