Your Gaming Style : Action-Oriented and Competitive

June 29, 2015 Izlain2 Comments

This is another post inspired by the Blogosphere, and with my lack of posts for a few days I figured I could cram a couple into one day. I first saw a link to the Quantic Foundry Gamer Motivation Profile survey over on Keen & Graev’s blog, but also saw a snippet about it on the latest Link Dead Radio post from Eri. The survey is comprised of some basic questions with the standard scale of “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” based on generalized statements. Like most personality tests, it doesn’t seem like what you’re answering will give you a very good idea of your gaming motivations, but I have to say the results page most definitely nailed it.

Survey says: I am Action-Oriented and Competitive, and I couldn’t agree more. My competitive nature has fueled many a rant on this blog, and has turned off some people from following my writing and/or social media presence. Competition has driven me to play titles that many of my blogging compatriots try to avoid, and keeps me playing PvP-oriented games.

As you can see, I scored highest in Action, Strategy and Social, though I would have thought Immersion (which is very important to me) would have beat out Social. However, as we delve deeper into the categories, you’ll see why.

The Action Components (78%)

Gamers with high Action scores are aggressive and like to jump in the fray and be surrounded by dramatic visuals and effects. Gamers with low Action scores prefer slower-paced games with calmer settings.

Destruction (81%): Gamers who score high on this component are agents of chaos and destruction. They love having many tools at their disposal to blow things up and cause relentless mayhem. They enjoy games with lots of guns and explosives. They gravitate towards titles like Call of Duty and Battlefield. And if they accidentally find themselves in games like The Sims, they are the ones who figure out innovative ways to get their Sims killed.

Excitement (68%): Gamers who score high on this component enjoy games that are fast-paced, intense, and provide a constant adrenaline rush. They want to be surprised. They want gameplay that is full of action and thrills, and rewards them for rapid reaction times. While this style of gameplay can be found in first-person shooters like Halo, it can also be found in games like Street Fighter and Injustice, as well as energetic platformers like BIT.TRIP RUNNER.

Yeah, I enjoy blowing shit up. I’m surprised when I looked at Eri’s results that she didn’t score higher in this category. This is where my love for first person shooters and fighting games comes into play, both of which fueled early PvP experiences. Destruction and Excitement fuel most of my gaming wants and needs.

The Strategy Components (49%)

Gamers with high Strategy scores like challenging gaming experiences with strategic depth and complexity. Gamers with low Strategy scores enjoy being spontaneous in games and prefer games that are accessible and forgiving when mistakes are made.

Mastery (58%): Gamers who score high on Mastery enjoy playing games that rely heavily on skill and ability. They take the time to practice and hone their gameplay so they can take on the most difficult challenges that the game can offer. These gamers play at the highest difficulty settings and don’t mind failing missions repeatedly in games like Dark Souls because they know it’s the only way they’ll master the game. They want gameplay that constantly challenges them.

Planning (40%): Gamers who score high on this component enjoy games that require careful decision-making and planning. They like to think through their options and likely outcomes. These may be decisions related to balancing resources and competing goals, managing foreign diplomacy, or finding optimal long-term strategies. They tend to enjoy both the tactical combat in games like XCOM or Fire Emblem, as well as seeing their carefully-devised plans come to fruition in games like Civilization,Cities: Skylines, orEuropa Universalis.

While I don’t necessarily agree with the initial statement, I do agree that I love needing skill and ability to be good at a game. Dark Souls is a good example, but so are MOBAs, as the toxicity that sprouts up around those communities comes from the split between players who have skill and those who lack it. I am less of a planner when it comes to games that are face paced, but turn-based strategy and 4x games come with enough down time to really figure out the best course of action, and I enjoy that just as well.

The Social Components (45%)

Gamers with high Social scores enjoy interacting with other players, often regardless of whether they are collaborating or competing with them. Gamers with low Social scores prefer solo gaming experiences where they can be independent.

Competition (83%): Gamers who score high on this component enjoy competing with other players, often in duels, matches, or team-vs-team scenarios. Competitive gameplay can be found in titles like Starcraft, League of Legends, or the PvP Battlegrounds in World of Warcraft. But competition isn’t always overtly combative; competitive players may care about being acknowledged as the best healer in a guild, or having a high ranking/level on a Facebook farming game relative to their friends.

Community (20%): Gamers who score high on Community enjoy socializing and collaborating with other people while gaming. They like chatting and grouping up with other players. This might be playing Portal 2 with a friend, playing Mario Kart at a party, or being part of a large guild/clan in an online game. They enjoy being of a team working towards a common goal. For them, games are an integral part of maintaining their social network.

When I was thinking of social components, I was figuring it had to do with grouping, chatting, and things of that ilk. It turns out that my competitiveness figures into the social nature of gaming motivations, and I guess that’s true. Can’t have opponents if there aren’t other players. It seems that I prefer killing other players to being cooperative though. However, if I was to take this survey during my time playing the Everquest franchises religiously, I’m sure it would have skewed back the other way. These types of surveys aren’t static, as we change and grow as individuals over time. I do think that games are an integral part of maintaining a social network, but I’m not super involved in playing games with many people. Just a select few.

That’s the top 3, and when delving into the other aspects, it turns out my achievement score is reflective of enjoying the gathering of loot, upgrading gear and having the best possible min/max setup when it comes to characters I play in a game. I have broken my need for earning fluff achievements that are mostly present on Steam/consoles and inside of some MMOs. My immersion components reflect my desire to play characters other than myself, and to be immersed in a fantastic story. Story is actually very important to me, so I’m surprised it didn’t rank higher. The last part of that category had to do with character customization, and I’m not really all that enthralled with fluff gear, fancy hats, or the need to sculpt a nose that’s simply perfect.

Overall, I think the survey ended up being very reflective of my personality when it comes to gaming, but as I said, these types of things change as we evolve over time. Perhaps I will revisit this again in the future to see what’s changed.

#survey #gamermotivations #community

The Steam Calculator: One Year Later

June 29, 2015 Izlain4 Comments

This post was inspired by Aywren’s look at her progress through the Steam Personal Challenge, which was going around the blogosphere around this time last year. I jumped on board with a post about the Steam Calculator, in which I took a look at various stats based on my Steam account. From that post, some stats for comparison:

This account is worth $607.64. If all games were bought on sale, it would be $276.54.

* *Games owned:* 55

* *Games not played:* 5 **(9%)**

* *Hours spent:* 304.5h

Keep in mind, at the time I had just gotten my hands on a computer that was capable of playing most games on the market, and at this point I actually have a far superior gaming PC, so those numbers were all fairly low, but I’m just using the facts for a comparison with this year’s results. It seems that some upgrades have been made to the Steam database page itself, as this year there is more information, or maybe I just left bits out last year. Either way, we’ll start with the side by side comparison. Extra facts to follow.

This account is worth $2054. If all games were bought on sale, it would be $562.

* **Games owned:** 168
* **Games not played:** 34 *(20%)*
* **Hours on record:** 660.0h

As you can see, there’s been a considerable jump between both stat sheets. I’ve tripled the amount of games owned, have a higher percentage of games not played, and have added 360 hours of gameplay. However, some of this information is still skewed, and the calculator developers have said that the Steam API is funky and they can’t explain it away. For instance, all of the Total War games were free to try this past weekend, and they are showing up in my library and are counted towards in that 20% not played. Take those away and the percentage should be something more like 15%, because I very rarely get a game and don’t immediately try it out. However, there are exceptions. Sequels to games I haven’t beaten (Like F.E.A.R.’s sequels that I got in a bundle) will sit unplayed. I picked up Borderlands: The PreSequel a couple of months ago but was already mid-playthrough of another game so it’s been sitting. I do know my backlog needs work but I do slowly but surely get through them as time allows. It doesn’t help that I spend a bunch of hours on MOBAs, MMOs, and console games. Netflix and the DVR eats a bunch of time too.

Anyway, there are some other stats that I found interesting as well, that are now included (or I missed in the past) on the profile.

* **Average price of games owned:** $12.22
* **Average price per hour:** $9.86
* **Average playtime:** 4.9h

I’m not sure how they calculate this average price, because there is a huge discrepancy between the $2k price tag and the $500 sale price. Because I’m relatively cheap there are few games that I picked up for full price, meaning my total cost overall is probably somewhere between the two figures, and I’d wager it’s probably around $6-700. The average price per hour is a breakdown of what the game actually costs based on how many hours you put into it. Looking at that price per hour, it feels like I’m getting ripped off, but there’s a number of titles I have that were gifts, I picked up for free, or were parts of bundles so I got them for pennies on the dollar. The game I have with the most hours put into it was Awesomenauts at 160, and that breaks down to $.06 per hour, which is definitely cost effective. I think more games end up being more cost effective like this, because as we’ve discussed, the stats are entirely accurate or specific. The worst example is RPG Maker VX Ace, in which it shows I have about an hour put into the software, and the price is $70. However, I picked it up in a Humble Bundle for $1. So yeah, you can see where this isn’t entirely reliable but it’s still interesting to look at.

In conclusion, it seems that I’ve kept up pretty well with getting new games and actually playing them. I do know that most of those are still in need of completion though, despite being “played.” I have a good grasp on what my backlog entails and have a plan to keep playing MMOs, MOBAs, and other games that don’t necessarily have a win condition, along with playing through a single player game til completion before moving on to another. It’s been working, my last completed game being Shadow Warrior, and I’m currently working through Fallout: New Vegas.

How’s your account looking?

#steamcalculator #steampersonalchallenge #gaming #backlog

Couch Podtatoes Episode 51: E3 Insider

June 26, 2015August 11, 2018 Izlain

Yeah, we’ve been harping on the subject of E3 for the past couple of weeks, but for this show we wrangled up Yoshi from the Game Introspection blog as he was actually at this year’s E3 convention. Naturally, we poke and prod him for insider information about games and the show itself. We break the ice discussing what we’ve been playing and then go from there. Not much else to say about it, so have a listen and enjoy!

Couch Podtatoes Epsiode 51: E3 Insider (runtime: 1:20:13)

What are we playing? (starts at 1:14)
Discussion: E3 W/ Yoshi (starts at 21:01)

Host Contact information:

Izlain
Blog: Me vs. Myself and I
Twitter: @mevsmyselfandi

Eri
Blog: Healing the Masses
Twitter: @ausj3w3l

Guest Contact Information:

Yoshi
Blog: Game Introspection
Twitter: @GIntrospection

Music Credits:
“Level Up” by Cookie Monsta (from the Riot! EP)
“Game Over” by Flux Pavillion (from the album Plux Favillion)
“Enchanted Rose” by Bury Your Dead (from the album Beauty and the Breakdown)

Couch Podtatoes is a podcast about gaming, though we might stray into other forms of media. Sometimes we use strong language, but we try to keep that to a minimum. All opinions expressed by us or our guests are our own and are in no way to be interpreted as official commentary from any companies we discuss. You can visit our official podcast page at http://couchpodtatoes.libsyn.com/. Be sure to follow us on iTunes, and/or Stitcher Radio.

Questions, comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged!

#couchpodtatoes #podcast #gamesdiscussion #gaming

Catch A Ride

June 26, 2015 Izlain

Episode 3 of Tales From the Borderlands jumps around quite a bit. You still have the same cast of characters, Handsome Jack is still inside Rhys’ head, and the Loader Bot is still following you around. However, a bunch of new (and recurring) characters from the Borderlands universe show up, and you still have the flashback style of play, where the present time is actually where Rhys and Fiona are being led about the wastelands by a masked mercenary. The actually gameplay takes place during the flashbacks where Rhys and Fiona are telling their versions of how things got to this point. Confused? You won’t be if you actually play the game.

The biggest additions to the story are two of the vault hunters from the original Borderlands game (Mordecai and Brick) show up, and they’re actually trying to take you out. They’re working for a new villain named Vallory, whom appears to be one bad ass chick. Reminds me of Cruella DeVil. When we left off in the last episode, the gang were holed up inside of an Atlas facility, attempting to get a vault key, that turns out to be a sentient being called Gortys. I had just given Jack permission to use my Hyperion implants to his benefit, and he in turn hacked all of the Atlas sentry bots and we turned said bots against Hugo and August, who had our group trapped with a bunch of mercenary soldiers.

The bots made short work of the enemy, and as the group escaped from the facility, it was apparent that Jack was being a little homicidal, in that the bots actually shot at our friends as well. However, just outside of the Atlas fort, we ran into Vallory, who had us in a compromising position. Vasquez and August make their way outside, though Vasquez is now missing an arm. Vallory asks who is to blame for the debacle, and Fiona is given the choice to place blame. I picked Vasquez because he seems to be a bigger douche than August, and Vallory kills him off. Oh yeah, by the way, spoilers. My bad. The majority of players (59%) made the same decision.

During the same scene, Fiona had been laid out and Vallory offers to help her up. I declined, knowing that Vallory is the villain of this tale, and fuck it, I like to live on the edge. Apparently most people didn’t feel the same, as only 32% of players made the same choice. In an attempt to avoid further spoilers, we’ll just say that the group manages to get away from Vallory (for now) and also gets separated for a time. Gortys leads them to another Atlas facility in search of other parts needed to gain access to the vault. Athena, another vault hunter that was present in previous episodes (though we never had a chance to interact) shows up and helps Fiona. There comes a point where you interact with a man named Cassius, who is actually the last living Atlas employee, and Athena wants to kill him (I’ll leave the reasoning for you to find out). I allowed this to happen. Only 43% of players made the same choice.

On to Rhys’ choices. After the debacle at the beginning of the episode, Rhys has words with Jack about shooting at his friends. Jack makes up some nonsense, and it would probably be wise to not trust him ever again, but I love the character so I gave him another chance. It appears most players are also partial to Jack (62%).

At the Atlas facility Gortys leads us to, there is a point where Rhys and Sasha go separately to turn off some security doodads. There’s a point where they find some weird indigenous life, and some flowers that look kinda pretty. Rhys picks a flower and is prompted to choose between giving it to Sasha or keeping it. Of course I give the pretty flower to a pretty good as did most players (78%) but that ends up backfiring, as the flower spits out some sort of pollen that attracts these weird flying creatures. That leads to more problems but I’ll leave it to you to see what’s what.

During the same scene, there comes a part where you have to jump a gap in a broken bridge, and Sasha goes first. She makes it just fine, but after Rhys makes the leap, the bridge continues to break, and they both fall over the edge. Rhys grabs hold of the pieces that are hanging and Sasha grabs his legs. She says she’s going to let go because their combined weight is too much and they’ll both fall anyway. I refused to let her do so, but then she does anyway. Turns out we’re only a few feet off of the ground at this point, but to be fair, Rhys is afraid of heights and Sasha had already told him “don’t look down.” It was pretty humorous.

At the end of this episode, I’m feeling like the story is coming together quite nicely, but these “choices” don’t seem like much. It’s not the typical TellTale really controversial choices. It’s just, kinda goofy and fun to play through, but nothing feels like it has consequence. I’ve already paid for the whole season in advance though, so it’s not as if I’m going to avoid playing through the rest. It’s just a little different than say the Game of Thrones season that is going on right now (though GoT is magnitudes more gritty and violent than BL is as far as IPs go anyway). Anyway, see you again in 6-8 weeks when the next episode comes out!

#talesfromtheborderlands #tftb #narrative #telltalegames #interactivestory

Fantasy Thursdays Week 4

June 25, 2015 Izlain

I really thought I was going to win last week, but still ended up losing. There was a rumor that Doublelift wouldn’t play, and then went on to make a shitload of points including a pentakill. Go figure. Had he dropped out of playing, I would have most definitely won the weekend, but it’s all good. I actually was on a trip out of town over the weekend so I didn’t actually watch any of the games, so I can’t say why exactly I lost otherwise, aside from the fact that two of the teams in my league have most of the good players, and though I wouldn’t say the players I have are bad, they just aren’t the best when it comes to fantasy points. Anyway, here’s the results for the last week:

I had a great showing from multiple players, but you can see where I fell a few points short here and there. You can also see how stacked the other team ended up being. It was still my highest point total for any week, and I was playing against the only team that hasn’t lost this split. I didn’t make many changes this week either:

I picked up Lustboy from TSM who was suddenly free, and swapping him into my current rotation gave me a small edge over this week’s opponent as far as projected points go. Will it end up working out that way? Time will tell. I think due to the schedules and the way it has worked out so far, I might actually get a win this week, but again, there’s no real way to predict these things. As long as Powerofevil doesn’t tank on me again, I should be fine. Here’s the matchup I’m going into:

I lost by a landslide last time I played against Teamsoapymid, but I did have a mid that produced 10 points in two games, and that really hurt. I think I might have a better chance this time around. I have a good feeling. Either way next week I’ll end up facing Nertle’s Turtles again, and that should at least be a win. Hopefully. Here’s the other matchups for the week:

Nertle is sticking with his whole team, and though it hasn’t done him justice, I was talking with him earlier and it seems like he feels confident in the matchup. He appears to be content to just leave it be for the rest of the split, whereas I can’t seem to stay away from making adjustments. I think I’ve made changes for the better, but you never know what’s going to happen in the LCS. I’m looking forward to fantasy leagues during Worlds (which I believe happens, but not sure). It will make a big difference having that many more skilled players to choose from. At this point, a couple people get the best players and the others get screwed. It’s not like fantasy football where you have hundreds of players to choose from. This format is a bit limited when it comes to that, particularly in these smaller leagues. If we have 6 teams the best players would be more evenly distributed. Doing an auto draft also didn’t help. But this was the first time around. We’ve learned from it and hopefully the next time it will be bigger and better. That’s all for this week. See you on the rift!

#fantasythursdays #nalcs #fantasylcs #leagueoflegends