Extraverts and Gaming

[prplchknz]

My brother who is without a doubt is an extravert loves smash bros. and mario kart and any other competive game he also use to play zelda when we were younger. Though he is more introverted then some other extraverts I know he also loves puzzles so I don't know if that has anything to do with the games he plays or not. The whole having to figure things out appeals to him in games and will play until he beats the level. On the other hand if I can't beat a level i get frustrated and I use to have him beat it for me or put a different game on. I love playing games but I'm more interested in what comes next and not so much the redundancy of killing things so if I get stuck it's frustrating. I'm playing final fantasy mystic quest right now, such a fun game. I was playing secret of mana before also another fun game. I like older games more then newer games. Though the newest game system I have is the Xbox followed by the game cube (which I don't have any games for but need some)

 

[TenebrousReflection]

I think SPs gravitate towards console gaming while NTs gravitate towards PC, simply because they are entirely different experiences. Console emphasizes hand-eye coordination and tactics while PC gaming is about precision and strategy. Not to mention PC gamers have a stronger reputation for being geeks, going back to that NT stereotype.

But as far as E vs. I, I would imagine that the main difference is degree of obsession. But in S vs. N, I would imagine motivation matters more (what they want their game experience to be like); for the S, it's probably more about the gameplay and being skilled. For the N, it's more about following the story and being immersed in a fantasy world which isolates them from reality.

As for the SJs and the NFs, they make up the anti-video game groups who force their significant others to put their gaming systems in the basement. (Yet they will spend hours playing Windows Solitaire for hours and not even know it...)

I would agree with most of those observations, but I do consider myself an NF and a lifelong gamer, and know others that I would suspect of being NFs that are also gamers. RPGs appeal to me for the storytelling and immersion in another world. Strategy and puzzle games appeal to me for the more thinking aspect (trying to out think the computer or another person). MMORPGS have some of the appeal of both RPGs and Strategy as well as the human element (I usually solo when I play MMORPGs, but I occasionally want to group or raid if/when I find others that I get along well with (I have been MMORPG free for over half a year now, but still get an occasional itch to go back to it for the human interaction element). FPS only appeal to me IF there is a good story line and atmosphere to go with it (Deus Ex, Bioshock etc). Sports games (and sports in general) bore me, but I'll play them if I have a human opponent. When I was younger, I did enjoy shooters and side scrollers, but nowadays I'd rather just watch someone else play those than play them myself. I don't care much about winning, but I do care about challenge, I want to face a challenging opponent/situation as well as be a worthy challenge to my opponents. The only time I even consider using the "easy" setting is for action games when I play them, for RPGs I usually choose normal, and for strategy, whatever the max setting for AI difficulty is that does'nt involve the AI cheating.

The friends I have that I would clearly say are E (which isn't many), seem to be MUCH more competitive and care more about winning/show of skill than playing to simply enjoy the game. One ESTP gamer that comes to mind was a fanatic about PC multi-player strategy games and single player console action and strategy games. A couple other ExTx gamers I used to know were really into Doom in its early days and often organized LAN parties (back in the days when it meant lugging your PC and CRT monitor to a friends house) as well as public gaming tournaments.

Of those I know that I suspect of being NFs that are also gamers, I seem to be alone in my like of strategy games, but they do enjoy RPGs, but overall would rather be playing pen and paper gaming to PC or console gaming.

 

[Noel]

I have a female friend who is an ENFP and she's all about Street Fighter II. haha

Street Fighter II pwns!

 

[TenebrousReflection]

Not sure. I tend to be a lone adventurer in games, often a mage/wizard. I'm usually either a mage/wizard or a fighter/paladin type (prefer the former). Occasionally maybe something like a Red Mage/Spellsword type. I don't really like to play with stealth/thief, healer classes, or rogue/bard types for some reason. I communicate well, and make sure to talk everyone I see, in every town (to gather information and potential sidequests), but I don't really form connections or try to play cooperatively, although I can if I need to (still, it's a bit distracting from getting through the game itself when I have to focus on that aspect of things, which is why I prefer to play alone.)

Interesting tangent. When I play single player RPGs, I usualy play either a wizard, rogue or a wizard/rogue multi class.

When I play MMORPGs, I play a conjuror/necromancer type for soloing, and a non-cleric healer (druid or shaman etc)when I want to group or raid. The conjuror/necromancer types soloing give me good opportunities to chalenge myself and come up with creative tactics in tough encounters. The support role of healer comes very naturally to me in MMORPGs and I used to get a lot of compliments in small groups about how good I was at keeping everyone alive and buffed, and a couple rare times enjoyed the ultimate compliment I think a shaman can get in EQ "We don't need a cleric, we've got Z______!" .I also enjoyed playing enchanters for both solo and grouping, but admitedly sucked at playing them compared to other classes.

 

[TenebrousReflection]

A mage? Depends upon the type of mage. I know one mage played by an ENFJ, the famous Devlin Stormweaver of Baldur's Gate and Silverymoon, but that was an evoker. Myself I preferred transmutation. The INFP we have seems to like Enchantment and Illusion... I think it all depends upon what you think a mage should be.

Its been quite a while since I played pen and paper D&D, but I used to play illusionists and alterationists. Those appealed to me because especially in pen and paper you have a LOT of creative potential in how you use those types of spells. Psionicists were also appealing for similar reasons.

I don't know about playing the opposite of what I am, how I act depends a lot on how I see the character I'm playing when it comes to either pen and paper or MMORPGS. If I had to make a generalization, I'd say most of my role playing is either neutral good (which is what I think I'm closest to representing as far as alignments go) or lawful evil (not entirely evil (at least in the mind of the character), but methodical, calculating and devious).

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Odd. My ENTP mate won't play a rogue either. I'd have thought it was a perfect match. Perhaps that's why? Personally I never play straight wizards. Multi-class, fine but not straight.

I actually liked playing a Rogue. It seemed to suit me down t the ground.

I can't speak for all ENTP's but I'm not really much of a conniver, at least not in a rogue like manner. I think the traits that define me are confidence and imagination, so I tend to prefer warrior and mage types respectively. If I'm going to come up with some off the wall or clever plan it's going to be unusual enough that I need to be a mage to pull it off. However I tend to prefer warrior types a little more than mage types overall.

Why D&D of course

I tend to think of MMO's as a watered down version of D&D. I'd play D&D (or some other pen and paper RPG) all the time if I could. But a good game of D&D requires a lot of preparation by the DM, so it's just not possible to play it as often and easily as an MMO. To any N's that like MMO's though I highly recommend D&D if you haven't played it. The possibilities go far beyond what an MMO can do.

 

[Rohsiph]

Avid gamer here, though finding less and less time for the hobby these days . . .

I prefer single-player RPGs, buy enjoy fighters (Guilty Gear or Soul Calibur usually, though my best friend is unstoppable in Project Justice) and a few puzzle games (if gaming were like sports, I'd be in the professional league when it comes to Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo/X/HD).

When I can, I'll make time for any genre if the game comes with a trusted recommendation. As is, however, I've a stack of at least two dozen games I've purchased over the years that I haven't even been able to try yet . . . and I don't even have a job when doing the full-time-student thing.

I've noticed that extraverted friends play differently--when playing competitively (or even co-op), a certain extraverted friend will always SCREAM ("OOOOHHHH!!") whenever he does something better than me, aside from the constant torrent of shit-talk prattling . . . it gets on my nerves really quickly--so he can shout louder, wonderful; I still make sure to hand his ass to him 90% of the time. It's like he feels there's something he has to prove to me the 10% where he squeaks by. I'm sure he'd kick me out of his apartment if I treated him the same way he treats me every time I beat him.



One extraverted friend of mine seems to enjoy games the same way I do--taking in the aesthetic components along with the reward/progress psychology in the design--but he's an exception. Gaming seems to be an excuse for most of them to get some of the more introverted in our circle together.

 

[htb]

To any N's that like MMO's though I highly recommend D&D if you haven't played it. The possibilities go far beyond what an MMO can do.

Agreed, though the computer is welcome to take the burden of rolling and calculating. And, after two weeks of playing World of Warcraft for the first time, I confess to being surprised at how expansive and exciting it is to play with friends. Surprised and a little fearful for my time.

 

[FDG]

I like FPS. They're fast, exciting, and you can pwn other people real-time. I love beat 'em ups for the same reason, as well as super puzzle fighter!

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Agreed, though the computer is welcome to take the burden of rolling and calculating. And, after two weeks of playing World of Warcraft for the first time, I confess to being surprised at how expansive and exciting it is to play with friends. Surprised and a little fearful for my time.

True, the die rolling is one downside. When a friend of mine DM's he will roll a d20 about 100 times and record the numbers before the game starts. Then during the game any time a d20 roll is called for he just marks the next number off the list and that is the roll. He does this simply to speed the game along.

 

[Varelse]

Agreed, though the computer is welcome to take the burden of rolling and calculating. And, after two weeks of playing World of Warcraft for the first time, I confess to being surprised at how expansive and exciting it is to play with friends. Surprised and a little fearful for my time.

I need to play with you sometime. Bad Alliance person you.

It is great fun with a friend, though.