Friday, August 31, 2007

Dating in the Gaming World. WTF

It's a philosophy of mine that gamers should date other gamers, or at least some one involved in the industry. Not only for having commonalities, but for a level of understanding, too. I can't see a non-gamer understanding when I blow him off by not picking up the phone because I'm in a clan match, or not responding on MSN because I'm in the middle of an intense firefight. That being said, it should be pretty easy for a girl to find a gamer, right? Considering a large portion of the male population games. Wrong. Even though there's a much better ratio of guys for girls, it's hard to find a good one out of the bunch. All the different games have their stereotypes that go along with them, often rendering them undate-able. Lets take a look at these groups. [keep in mind this is from the perspective of one female, who is a hardcore console FPS competitor]

Casual Players - sure, he'll play Halo or Super Smash Bros with friends if they're bored and just sitting around, but he's not a hardcore gamer. He's gonna get jealous of your console/pc no matter what, and generally detract from your owning n00bs. Also, you'll most likely beat him when you're playing together, and that definitely won't help the situation.

RPGers - they're romantics, they love games like Final Fantasy and other popular Playstation titles, but they don't understand what drives you to want to annihilate others in the FPS world. He'll try to get you to play his type of game, take up all your time, and try and convince you that FPS games are just "point and shoot" and take no skill. WTF. He's smooth with words, says all the right things, but is very good at guilt tripping, too.

Sports Gamers - they go crazy when the new Madden comes out every year, and think the only games in the world are those you can also play IRL. Sports games. Bleck. They're partiers, drinkers, and will pay attention to you, but don't expect to have an in-depth conversation about video games with them - if it doesn't involve a ball of some sort, they don't care.

MMORPGers - mostly wow players, and they prefer the relationship to be "in-game". He'll e-mote his way into your heart, but it won't go much further than that. Whether he's into PvP, PvE, or raiding with his guild, you're gonna have a hard time getting him to pay attention to you IRL. Even those of us who prefer to sit in our rooms gaming most the time require a little quality time IRL. Also, beware, these guys are easily infatuated, and know how to say the right things, but they're all talk.

PC FPSers(1 v. 1) - They practice religiously, and a girl will never come first in their quest to conquer all. They tend to be a bit introverted, like many PC players, but can sometimes be coaxed to come out and have a good time. They're shy, and it takes a bit of effort to get them warmed up, and quite often they don't even realize when you're flirting with them. If you like a challenge, they're fun to take on.

PC FPSers(teambased) - They're the CS players, the COD players, etc. They're hardcore, talk shit, full of themselves, and general bad asses in that cocky-yet-alluring way. They'll pay attention to you, actually go out and party, though they will have to take the occasional night off to practice with their team. Beware, their teammates are pretty much their own flesh and blood, so and intimate details probably won't stay that way for long. Just beware, if they have a bad night practicing where they get destroyed, you're going to have to put up with a lot of bitching and cursing. Plan on spending the night soothing their ego.

Console FPSers - Being number 1 and all the fame and fortune that goes with it is their driving factor. If they're good, you're going to have to fight off tons of other chicks for them, but once you've hooked them, they're yours. These guys will keep you on your toes, and more importantly on your game. They're a lot like PC teambased FPSers, think they're the shit, but fun to be around and inexplicably alluring. They'll practice nonstop before a competition, but always make time for a few short, sweet texts to you, and won't annoy you when they know you're practicing, too. The only drawback is they often lay the blame on others, thinking the whole world is against them.

Game Designers - they make the games, and are surprised when you worship the ground they walk on for it. they're mature, sophisticated, though not often very experienced in the dating world. they don't exactly understand the concept of hard-core gaming, especially in competition, but are amused by the notion. They are quiet and observant, and will often surprise you with their thoughtfulness and quest to make you happy.

Media Gamers - these guys have taken their passion in gaming on the media route, whether they're shout casters, bloggers, community heads, or gamers turned celebrities. They're horridly flirtatious, fun to be around, but not often dating material. They're players and proud of it, and love having hordes of gaming chicks pursing them. They know how to smooth talk and make a girl swoon, but again have more than one girl at a time. They're also not always the best gamers, but still know what they're talking about, and fun to hang out with.

Gamers/Forum Mods/Etc - these are the sweetest guys you will ever meet, they will go to any length to make you happy, and are always there to help you with your tech problems. They're the shy guys who run forums, fix bugs, and are very supportive of women gaming. They often have trouble with girls because they're not assertive enough, or get burned by going after the wrong one. They will treat you like a princess, but are often walked all over, too, which can be a drawback.



If I've left out any crucial groups, I'm quite sorry, though these are the groups I run across most often! As for my preference - Console FPSers ftw! The only problem is long distance. = ( damn teh interwebs, huh?

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