The FPS Gamer Styles

by Blake Synel, Apr 7, 2008

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

1. >

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: ----