This scale goes in descending order from best to worst.
Regular
Subttypes: Any except Soul Crusher, Newbie, Gamer Girl, or Fanboy
Friends: Die-Hard, Casual, Comfort Zone
Foes: Special Gem, Joy Drainer, Wannabe Pro, Gatekeeper
Regulars enjoy discussing, watching, and playing games. While they have specific genres they prefer, they're more than willing to try different ones if a particular game catches their interest. For the most part, they play games for fun, and can get quite irritated with anyone who takes games or game-related topics too seriously.
Although they have their own opinions and preferences, Regulars don't get too involved with gaming wars. While they may debate on the issues of gender, console choices, game selections, or status, they don't view them as being the most important parts of gaming. In fact, they can get a bit angry with people who insist these things define how good and worthy a gamer is.
Die-Hard
Subtypes: Completionist, Strategist, Number Cruncher, Soloist, Grinder, Researcher
Friends: Regular, Competitor
Foes: Wannabe Pro, Joy Drainer, Poser
Also known as hardcore gamers, Die-Hards love a challenge or even digging into the depths of a game. They'll find all the secrets, defeat all the super bosses, and know about hidden stats and bonuses. Die-Hards will spend hundreds of hours playing games, sometimes staying up extra late to complete specific tasks.
They rarely play on easier difficulties, because these settings simply aren't challenging enough. If they've finished or gotten bored of an enjoyable game, Die-Hards may decide to install mods or impose special rules to make things more interesting. Although they enjoy a challenge, they hate artificial difficulty, such as terrible controls, bad design choices, or broken AI. Games that rely on such things to be challenging will be quickly abandoned by them.
Casual
Subtypes: Social, Gambler, Collector, Spender, Newbie
Friends: Regular, Poser, Comfort Zone
Foes: Tryhard, Joy Drainer, Wannabe Pro, Competitor
Casuals enjoy games, but don't put as much time into them as other gamers. They'll play for a few hours here and there, and often don't play games that take a long time to learn. Because of this, they can be easily bored or intimidated by games that require lots of strategizing, planning, or special knowledge to advance. More often than not, they prefer games that are easy to pick up and play and don't require too much effort to set up.
Contrary to popular belief, Casuals will play games from several different genres. While some prefer to play by themselves, others are quite happy with a multiplayer experience. Unlike some gamers, Casuals are not bothered by free-to-play games and are quite willing to invest in DLC or in-game currency if there's something of interest to them.
Competitor
Subtypes: Sportsman, Strategist, Number Cruncher, Grinder, Researcher
Friends: Die-Hard, Regular, Tryhard
Foes: Casual, Wannabe Pro, Poser, Special Gem
For Competitors, the best part of games is competition. They love to participate in tournaments and ranked battles, and are always trying to improve their skills. If they're not playing, they're reading about new combos, items, or strategies that they can try out. Competitors also don't mind teaching less experienced players, and are more than happy to help those who are willing to listen and learn.
Although they'd prefer to win, Competitors handle defeat gracefully. And no matter the situation, they're polite to both opponents and teammates. While they may get frustrated with people who can't play at their level, or those who roll their eyes at the the things they do, they don't get angry about it. Competitors don't talk down to new players, either; they know that they were also new at one point, and that there's always room to improve.
Note: Competitors may have trouble playing games "for fun," and can unintentionally cause grief for less skilled players.
Comfort Zone
Subtypes: Any except Soul Crusher or Mimic
Friends: Regular, Casual, Special Gem
Foes: Joy Drainer, Gatekeeper
While Comfort Zone types enjoy games, their tastes are extremely limited. They tend to like no more than five particular genres, and rarely venture outside of them. More often than not, they won't try new genres unless they're goaded into doing so, or if a game looks similar to what they like. If they do try something different, it's never long before they claim to be bored, confused, or annoyed.
These gamers are also very particular about how they play. They'll disable certain items, avoid some stages, or stick to certain game modes. If they're playing with friends, these limits may cause some heated disputes. With enough pushing and pleading, Comfort Zone gamers might change things up; however, these changes are usually short-lived, which causes people further aggravation and may result in rage-quitting.
Tryhard
Subtypes: Elitist, Strategist, Number Cruncher, Grinder, Mimic
Friends: Competitor, Wannabe Pro, Die-Hard
Foes: Casual, Poser, Special Gem
For Tryhards, winning is important and they'll go to great lengths to achieve victory. They'll read guides, test new strategies, and even copy what more skilled players do. However, because their desire to win is so strong, they can get rather snippy if things start to go downhill.
While they enjoy competition, they dislike playing with anyone who doesn't take the game as seriously as they do. Tryhards are rather quick to scold people who don't seem to be doing their best to win. Even the slightest mistakes can set them off, especially if it's something they view as "noobish." For the most part, though, they can keep their tempers in check, and will simply quit playing a game for a little while until they've calmed down.
Beware! Tryhards can get very testy over comments such as "we've already lost" and "it's just a game," especially if they're dealing with losing streaks, criticism of their abilities, or bad teammates.
Achievement Hoarder
Subtypes: Grinder, Braggart, Elitist, Collector, Soul Crusher, Spender, Gambler, Rule Breaker
Friends: Die-Hard, Joy Drainer, Poser
Foes: Regular, Competitor, Wannabe Pro
Games with trophies, achievements, badges, or similar things are the only ones Achievement Hoarders will play. And they won't stop playing a game until they obtain every single reward it offers. No matter how easy or difficult it is to get the rewards, Achievement Hoarders will do whatever it takes to have the complete set. Mindless grinding, repeated fetch quests, and ridiculous amounts of DLC will not stand in their way. Some will even cheat or exploit bugs to get what they want.
Many people wonder why Achievement Hoarders go to such great lengths to obtain these things. There's usually little fun involved, and getting achievements doesn't always result in anything special. Maybe a new weapon, or a special item for one's profile. Sometimes, Achievement Hoarders don't even care about those. All they really want is to be able to display what they've earned for bragging rights. And, if possible, to see where they rank among other players.
Poser
Subtypes: Whiner, Social, Gambler, Collector, Rule Breaker, Newbie, Spender, Gamer Girl, Braggart
Friends: Casual, Special Gem
Foes: Gatekeeper, Competitor, Tryhard, Wannabe Pro, Die-Hard
Posers believe they're real, proper gamers and want to make sure you know this. They'll go on and on about their love of games, high scores, or anything else that may "prove" their status. While they can be quite skilled at some games, there are times when they're simply lying about what and how they play. Some will even cheat or hack to look like amazing players.
Unlike most gamers, Posers will do some incredibly baffling things. They've been known to play games they absolutely hate or can't understand. Some have no interest in console gaming, but will buy a console simply to say they have one. They'll play a game for 10 minutes, then review the game as if they'd played it for hours or days. In the end, most Posers are just looking for attention.
Cash Cow
Subtypes: Spender, Gambler, Collector, Grinder, Social, Newbie, Ignorant
Friends: Poser, Special Gem, Achievement Hoarder, Comfort Zone
Foes: Regular, Die-Hard, Competitor, Gatekeeper, Casual
Cash Cows are one of few gamers that don't mind, or even like micro-transactions, DLC, and freemium content. Even the most underhanded cash grabs won't faze them, so long as they get something for their money. Cash Cows will pay any price to bypass timers, up their rank, get more lives, or renew their energy. Then they'll pay again, and again, and again, so long as the game stays interesting.
When questioned about this behavior, Cash Cows become very defensive. Usually, they say things like "The developers have to make money somehow!" or "You don't have to buy anything!" They can drive some gamers insane with their logic, as well. For instance, some Cash Cows claim to not have enough money to buy a $15 - $40 game, but will spend that much (sometimes more) on "free" games.
Special Gem
Subtypes: Gamer Girl, Fanboy, Elitist, Ignorant, Rule Breaker, Braggart
Friends: Poser, Comfort Zone, Wannabe Pro
Foes: Regular, Competitor, Tryhard, Gatekeeper
Believing themselves to be important, rare, or above the rules, Special Gems can make game time a hellish experience for others. They love to throw their "status" around in gaming forums, in-game chat, or streaming websites, thinking that their thoughts and opinions are above everyone else's. They may also cheat, abuse exploits, or even rage-quit if things aren't going their way. If they're called on their bad behavior, Special Gems tend to respond with insults or feigned terror. In extreme cases, they may abuse any popularity or administrative powers they have.
Of course, Special Gems can't keep this up forever. Eventually, people grow tired of their antics, and will retaliate. Special Gems may try to get out of punishments with excuses and lies such as "I was hacked!" or "I'm a big customer!" When these tactics don't work, Special Gems may throw some incredible tantrums, or simply pout in a corner and tell their friends about how unfair things are.
Wannabe Pro
Subtypes: Rager, Elitist, Whiner, Troll, Braggart, Mimic, Soul Crusher, Rule Breaker
Friends: Tryhard, Special Gem, Joy Drainer
Foes: Regular, Die-Hard, Competitor, Casual, Poser
Wannabe Pros desperately want to win, be amazing, and reach the top of the charts. Unfortunately, their dreams of being in the top 5% of players are constantly crushed by "worthless noobs and trolls." Every loss they suffer is like a knife to the gut, and they will rage, scream, and cry at anyone and anything that may be responsible for a loss. Wannabe Pros who lose "too many" games tend to resort to rage-quitting, cheating, or making selfish demands to try to turn their luck around.
Unlike Competitors, Wannabe Pros don't understand that becoming a top player takes a fair degree of knowledge and skill. They believe that copying a specific strategy or playstyle will help them win; however, they fail to realize that more skilled players will adapt these things to suit a particular situation. Instead of accepting this and learning from their mistakes, they blame everyone and everything but themselves, which leads to further losses.
WARNING: Pointing out the errors Wannabe Pros make or telling them "It's only a game" will drive them into a fiery rage.
Joy Drainer
Subtypes: Soul Crusher, Ignorant, Strategist, Number Cruncher, Researcher, Grinder
Friends: Wannabe Pro
Foes: Regular, Die-Hard, Casual, Comfort Zone
Joy Drainers think of themselves as true hardcore gamers. They want games to be incredibly difficult, complicated, and in some cases, just plain miserable. For them, a fun game involves oodles of losing, monotony, failure, or dying. Tedium, cheap shots, and terrible AI don't bother Joy Drainers, as they believe these things can be overcome with skill and planning. Or, they may believe such things add depth and complexity to the game.
Should people criticize a game for being too hard, boring, or artificially difficult, Joy Drainers tend to accuse them of not knowing how to play real games. And should game developers balance the game to make it just a tad more fair, Joy Drainers begin to complain about the "filthy casuals" ruining everything. Should a game become more difficult, Joy Drainers dive right in and praise the developers for not being pathetic wimps.
Gatekeeper
Subtypes: Any except Newbie or Gamer Girl
Friends: Themselves
Foes: Regular, Poser, Comfort Zone, Special Gem
Gatekeepers believe they know what a real gamer should do and should be. They consider themselves true gamers, and have
Reasoning with Gatekeepers is nearly impossible. They are all too eager to defend gaming from those who don't meet their expectations. Even civil discussion can draw snide remarks or vicious tantrums from them. Gatekeepers also like to wave around their gaming experience to "prove" their points. For instance, during a heated debate, a Gatekeeper might say "I've been playing games since the PlayStation was released, so I know what real gaming is. You don't know what you're talking about."
WARNING: Gatekeepers may become violent around freemium, smart phone and tablet games, and Apple products.
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