Phases of a Gamer

Taken from Dakka Dakka
http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Phases_of_a_Gamer

Originally published in 2005 by Russ Wakelin

We in the Dakka League in NH have discussed the phases of gaming for some time. Generally we?re starting to agree that each gamer goes through several distinct phases once he starts regular competitive play:

[Edit]Phase 1: The Happy Noob
In the early bliss of joining the hobby. The player knows he will probably lose many games because he is learning. Excited to see cool tactics and a variety of armies, the Noob loses game after game without care until at some point he reaches phase 2.

[Edit]Phase 2: The Determined Rookie
The continual losses are taking their toll, and the gamer now would like to win at least half his games. He starts to get tips from vet gamers on list tweaks, but most importantly really gets into the rule book and starts to know the rules cold. He also researches opponent?s army lists and their unit?s abilities. At this stage he really feels that he?s losing because he doesn?t know all the various subtle rules interpretations. His army case soon fills up with copies of every piece of source material he can get his hands on. He can reliably beat phase one players, and has good shots against phase 2 folks. But these successes don?t fully satisfy, so he is driven to the next phase.

[Edit]Phase 3: The Hungry Veteran
At this point the player is winning a reasonable number of games and knows the rules well. His success with phase 2 has made him believe he is now ready for a big win in a tourney or a league. He just won?t be satisfied until he gets that. It is the most dangerous phase, as ?the Hunger? for victory can taint their view of the hobby, their opponents, and has even been known to damage friendships. It is in this phase that players usually get into ?min/maxing? their lists, trying to eek out ever last ounce of power. Some players will even switch armies in an effort to find the ultimate power list.

All players feel ?the Hunger? and how well they can control, suppress, or satisfy this feeling, in addition to their gaming skill, will dictate which of the three phase 4 states they will end in.

[Edit]Phase 4a: Evil Warlord
The player has finally achieved his ultimate objective, the big win. However looking back he feels he had to bite, claw, and crush all those before him to do it, and no one lent him a hand. Therefore, now that he is on top, he will not help others either. He goes on to crush lower phase players with reckless abandon, with no regard for their feelings or care for the hobby. Although the player is very good, and plays strong lists, over time he has difficulty in finding opponents. He believes it is because players are scared to face him, but in reality he is just no fun to play against.

[Edit]Phase 4b: Gamer Burn Out
The player was never able to achieve his much loved win, and he?s starting to believe he never will. Because others in his gaming group are still hungry vets or warlords, he is lead to believe that the only true goal of the group is to achieve victory. Since he believes he can never be good enough, or he believes that it is no fun to constantly play the same kinds of lists, he gives up. A sad day for him and the hobby.

[Edit]Phase 4c: Gamer Utopia
[Inset angelic harp sounds here]

In the video game world it?s called ?The Glow?, the point where you are so into the game that you are one with the experience. This can happen in table top gaming too. It will come one day when you play a great, close game, have not a single rules argument, laugh, joke, and lose. And when you do lose, you still realize that that was a VERY enjoyable couple hours of gaming. Most players can not get to this state until they have a good sized tourney or league win under their belts. By achieving this victory, the hungry veteran reckons that he has proven himself, and can now pull back a little, experiment, and not worry about winning so much. He?s played enough games to know that he can still win even if his exact understanding of the rules are not followed. He also knows it can be fun to try out new units and list types, even if they are not considered the wisest choice. To watch two 4c gamers play is to watch a story unfold on the table top, and if don?t look carefully it will be hard to notice that rules are being followed at all. Phase 4c gamers are always fun to play against, and can usually be found offering friendly advice to their opponents during the game, and will intentionally try weaker, more experimental lists when playing rookie players.

It should be noted that while it is usual for Phase 4c to be achieved via a major victory, this is not always the case. Some players, while deep in Phase 3, will have a utopian game (usually against a Phase 4c player) and achieve ?The Glow? prior to ever gaining that ?big win.? In these cases players can sometimes progress right to phase 4c without a tourney/league win under their belt. In many ways this is a more admirable feat.

[Edit]Conclusion
The best way to prevent players from ending up in phase 4a or 4b is through help, encouragement, and understanding. Understanding is perhaps most important. One must understand that someone really can?t make themselves into a 4c player, even if they WANT to be. It?s a state of mind that can only be achieved via a journey of self discovery in the wonderful world of war gaming.

Happy gaming, no matter your phase,

Russ Wakelin

I'm in Gamer Utopia right now!



[Inset angelic harp sounds here]

This was an excellent article, and I agree with it totally. I was a " Hungry Veteran" and feel to had progressed to the "Gamer Utopia", 4c. But then have slipped back to, "Gamer Burn Out", 4b for a number of reasons and am trying to deal with it, to come back...

i really like the article it really makes sense........i think im still at phase 2 though.........but its a progression like you stated

i had seen this article a couple years ago and it really made me think. i'm still in phase 1 myself. when i get to play i don't care if i win or lose (mostly lose) and i'm still learning how armies interact with each other and how the rules work.

i thought you guys would appreciate it. glad you did.

Warhammer 40K = Phase 4b: Gamer Burn Out

FOW = Phase 2: The Determined Rookie

I think you all are scrubs. I'm playing to win. Now THAT was a good article!

its kool that we are all scrubs players need to start somewhere not all of us are a primarch like you maxx

Well it's not a bad metaphor for how a gamer thinks and feels as he gets better and more experienced in the game.

I think I have the glow, but maybe I'm just the 4A evil overlord deluding himself, that's the hard part at the end.

I seem to be in a phase that they did not include. I like to call it the Bucky phase.

It is the phase where you are so bored and burned out that you start selling everything you have.

So far all my Eldar are gone. Next are the High Elves and the VC army I have. Only due to my wife am I holding on to the World Eater army I have. I am also going to get rid of my Cygnar Warmachine army which I have sitting there and have not painted.

I plan to only have my Bretonnians, World Eaters, Russians, Finns, and Khador.

I guess a prereq for Bucky phase is owning a disproportionate number of armies haha

Do Joel know you sold all those armies? Did you give him his commission?

What you are selling your armies without informing Joel? You know when you pay for things in his store you do not own them. You have to get his permission, and give him his cut, to trade them.

WTF are you talking about.

If I had 75 armies Id sell them as well.

Well let me see. And mind you as Eric and Bill will attest to, when I buy an army I go all out. So they inlcuded a lot of models. The armies I had until recently are as follows:
Necrons
Space Wolves
Chaos Undivided
Chaos World Eaters
Eldar

For Fantasy I had:
Dark Elves
High Elves
Bretonnians
Empire
Vampire Counts

For Flames of War:
Finnish
Folgore
Russians

For Warmachine:
Cygnar
Khador

For Confrontation:
I have every army except the goblins.

I have wasted too much space, plus I have a new love. Click on the link below to see her.

http://www.ghost-bikes.com/2008/typ.php?bid=46

Only the best for Javy! That my friends is how you spend 3000 dollars for a new hobby!

Its not 3000. It is more like 5600 before import fees.

I wouldn't be caught dead on a 3000 dollar bike.

Why have any savings...piss it all away on a bicycle. A mountain bike at that, in Florida. Cause you know we have all of theses mountains here in Miami. You must be working alot of overtime.

I don't touch my savings its all over time. I am giving Eric a run for his money in overtime these days.

So far between last month and this month 7 over times, and 2 more later this month. And next month i have 3 more scheduled. Then I should be done.

God, I have been working more than 15 days a month these past 2 months. I don't know how the rest of the world does it.

you're right javy, i should have bought a bike instead of that stupid house!

My other hobby with 245hp: https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v424/ImAShakiraholic/Cars/015_17.jpg