• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

What makes a good gamer?

kyrax12

Junior Member
How are some people are good at rpg games?

I been playing RPG games for a while, and I still sometimes rely on walkthroughs. Sometimes I would lose horribly to a boss.


I asked this question before and some people put down "Autistism" and how if an autistic kid is motivated enough, he/she would try to master a goal. (In this cased, gaming)
Meh..
There are some agreements and disagreements on that, but what do you guys think that would make a good gamer?

I personally think of time investment. If you invest a lot of time into a rpg game, you will get good at playing it.
 
How are some people are good at rpg games?

I personally think of time investment. If you invest a lot of time into a rpg game, you will get good at playing it.

I think you just answered your own question. The same could be said about anything honestly.
 
I personally think of time investment. If you invest a lot of time into a rpg game, you will get good at playing it.

I don't agree, I think it's more about paying attention and understanding the rules of the game, and using that knowledge as a tool to overcome whatever obstacle the game gives you. If you're fast at understanding game mechanics, that will help you a lot at being a "good gamer".

If a game is awful at teaching you its rules, then it's the fault of the game. Playing a lot can help, but playing a lot doesn't equal being great at video games.

It also depends of what game you're playing, some games do require time and lots of practice like with Fighting Games, but I see people that play them for years and still suck, so it's not just a time investment.
 
I dont know what you find hard about RPGs, but fighting gamers are so masterful at their craft. That genre seems to really require some practice.

Is there a harder genre than people who play 1v1 in games like Street Fighter?

I don't know if I have the capacity to think/input moves at that level
 
I think RPGs are a weird genre to associate skill with when there are more potentially appropriate ones to point out like fighting games or FPS games, but time investment is probably the predominant factor in becoming skilled at any given game. The time spent playing and studying a game will generally, naturally be proportional to one's skill at it.
 
Actually willing to read and pay attention to your surroundings.

In other instances, after you understand what you are doing, to become more efficient at it, you have practice.

Similar to people who think if they buy a fightstick they will suddenly be good at fighting games. You still have to practice playing the game.
 
Time and the willingness to learn the game inside out are the biggest factors. The rest depends on what game you are playing, some games require more reflexes and dexterity while others require more sheer thinking ability.

Also, the speed that you learn to adapt. Particularly in competitive games. If you can learn your opponent and adjust your play mid-match you are doing well.
 
The ability to adapt, and read game design. The quicker you can do those two things, the better at games you'll be. Once you introduce FPS mechanics then you can add twitchy reaction-time to that list as well.
 
This is something I wonder of MOBA. FPS and fighter gamers. I don't really have much interest in the genres though (Except for Mortal Kombat) so I just put it down to a love of the genre and constant playing. It's how I am so good at FIFA, etc
 
A good gamer is someone who can pick up on the mechanics of almost any type of game and quickly at that. I would imagine that most people could be good at something if they put enough time into it (there are exceptions, of course).
 
How are some people are good at rpg games?

I been playing RPG games for a while, and I still sometimes rely on walkthroughs. Sometimes I would lose horribly to a boss.


I asked this question before and some people put down "Autistism" and how if an autistic kid is motivated enough, he/she would try to master a goal. (In this cased, gaming)
Meh..
There are some agreements and disagreements on that, but what do you guys think that would make a good gamer?

I personally think of time investment. If you invest a lot of time into a rpg game, you will get good at playing it.
Kinda OT: In my case, schools have these programs where they bring kids off of Autism by using various video games with social aspects. And apparently, it's had a huge success and has helped young kids get out of some forms of autism before they even leave elementary school.

What makes people a "good gamer" is how much you invest yourself in a game without having to worry about whatever social stigmas are concerned with it.
 
Can we please stop using the G-word?

That's a really broad definition that doesn't necessarily suit the traits needed to be good at a specific genre or even a specific game. If you're good at RPGs, you might have an affinity towards math and stuff like min/maxing. If you're good at fighters, you have great hand eye coordination, the ability to read opponents, have memorized your and your opponent's moveset through practise, and so on. Someone who's good at visual novel type games is good at reading and pressing a single button a lot. If you're good at X game or Y genre, you probably have developed skills A B C and E F G. You can go on and on.

I also think the term "gamer" is just straight up corny.
 
Depends on the game. When I played Skyrim I had been playing ES games for years and had an easy time with it. Now when it came to Dark Souls and Dragons Dogma I had to slow down and figure things out or I would get smoked. I've generally thought a gamer is someone who follows the industry and has certain games that they can't wait to be released and looks forward to whatever time in the day when they get to sit down and spend time with their favorite hobby. Gaming is too massive to find one right or wrong answer to the question at hand.
 
A lot of that comes down to patience. Some people hit a puzzle or boss, can't solve/beat it after a few tries, and then they hit up a guide. Some people have more patience and are more willing to learn through trial and error and finding patterns in boss fights.
 
Can we please stop using the G-word?

That's a really broad definition that doesn't necessarily suit the traits needed to be good at a specific genre or even a specific game. If you're good at RPGs, you might have an affinity towards math and stuff like min/maxing. If you're good at fighters, you have great hand eye coordination, the ability to read opponents, have memorized your and your opponent's moveset through practise, and so on. Someone who's good at visual novel type games is good at reading and pressing a single button a lot. If you're good at X game or Y genre, you probably have developed skills A B C and E F G. You can go on and on.

I also think the term "gamer" is just straight up corny.

It's even worse when well-paid journalists are using it in well-respected publications. Ugh.

"Are you a gamer?"
 
I dont know what you find hard about RPGs, but fighting gamers are so masterful at their craft. That genre seems to really require some practice.

Is there a harder genre than people who play 1v1 in games like Street Fighter?

I don't know if I have the capacity to think/input moves at that level

I was thinking the same thing. Fighting games are definitey amongst the hardest genres just because of the 1vs1 component. I can't think of a more definitive clash of skills in videogames. Two men enter, the better man leaves.

As for RPG's, I usually don't find them to be hard. After all it's you against the CPU, whose behaviour will repeat eventually and be relatively easy to predict. In my opinion not even Dark Souls, which is considered to be one of the hardest RPG's, is hard. You just need to play with caution and use your head. It's fair.

But I'm saying this from a hardcore gamer's perspective, who is playing videogames for more than 15 years. If you were to put someone in front of DS who has never played an RPG before, he'd probably have a hard time.

Also, most RPG's do follow very similar patterns in terms of gameplay mechanics.
 
I was thinking the same thing. Fighting games are definitey amongst the hardest genres just because of the 1vs1 component. I can't think of a more definitive clash of skills in videogames. Two men enter, the better man leaves.

I personally prefer those conditions to anything that involves a team. It's most likely easier when you have other people backing you up, as you mention, but I find it more comforting to rely solely on my own abilities and to know that, if I lose, it was my own fault and no one else's. There's also the aspect of letting down a whole team if you don't perform well, which is something that is also pretty hard to keep in mind.
 
If you truly understand the game within the game, you'll have an upper hand on anyone who relies on pure practice alone.

Every game has an underlying set of rules that it can't stray from. Or quirks that can be exploited. People who can spot and develop strategies around these will appear, to others, to be damn good at the game. When all it really comes down to is understand how the game works.

Everyone does it to some degree.
 
As others have said patience and good observation skills and a full understanding of the game account for a lot.

PVP players also need good local competition to play against. From my own casual observation of the 1v1 Fighting Game scene it's something Europe is lacking compared to the US and JPN
 
A good gamer is someone who can pick up on the mechanics of almost any type of game and quickly at that. I would imagine that most people could be good at something if they put enough time into it (there are exceptions, of course).

Pretty much this. While you're usually better in a particular genre than another, I was always the best of my group of friend, be it in Super Smash, Project Gotham Racing, Megaman Battle Network, Fire Emblem, Stronghold, etc. The moment I picked up the controller on a game we just rented, I'd be beating them easily. If I played one of their games I hadn't played, I'd usually start beating them pretty quickly. I think it's a mix of quick reflexes, quick hands and various cognitive skills (being able to think ahead, being able to recognize patterns quickly, being able to analyze what works best in a particular map/game, etc.) and if you have those skills, you'll usually be able to adapt quickly to any given game.

Of course, with online, it's easier to see what genres you're better at. And if you keep playing a game, you're right, you get better. I've often been very high in the leaderboards in games I played non-stop for a week like Resogun, THPS HD (yes I know I'm a bad person), or on-and-off for a long period of time like Halo 3, NHL and more. If you focus on a particular game, it's obvious it helps.
 
Yep, main component is time. That said, it isn't the only thing. You can still be more talented at certain games than others. Otherwise speedruns, E-sports and leaderboards would be purely a matter of who put in the most time. Every game requires people to be good at certain skills, whether that is reflexes, strategy, micromanaging etc etc. Some are naturally better at that than others.
 
As far as technical skill? Practice. Just like anything else.

As far as being the type of person who can just pick up a game and play through it.

If I would have to boil it down to one thing, I would say it's the willingness to invest. Anyone willing to invest their time and attention is a good "gamer". If the game tells you something, pay attention to it. If the game is showing you something unique, pay attention to it. Don't be passive. And if you run into something you can't handle. Keep trying, then put the game away and give yourself time to think about it. You'll probably figure out the solution when you pick the game up again.

Willingness to invest in the game/experience will give you the patience you need to play "properly".
 
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
I see what you did there!

I personally prefer those conditions to anything that involves a team. It's most likely easier when you have other people backing you up, as you mention, but I find it more comforting to rely solely on my own abilities and to know that, if I lose, it was my own fault and no one else's. There's also the aspect of letting down a whole team if you don't perform well, which is something that is also pretty hard to keep in mind.

Yes, this is one of the main reasons why I temporarily quit competitive first person shooter's and started out with fighting games. It's exactly like you said.
 
I think you just answered your own question. The same could be said about anything honestly.
Yes and no. I've put a lot of time into strategy games in the past few years and I still suck at them. I just don't have the mind for it I guess. But they're still fun to play.
 
I don't agree, I think it's more about paying attention and understanding the rules of the game, and using that knowledge as a tool to overcome whatever obstacle the game gives you. If you're fast at understanding game mechanics, that will help you a lot at being a "good gamer".

If a game is awful at teaching you its rules, then it's the fault of the game. Playing a lot can help, but playing a lot doesn't equal being great at video games.

It also depends of what game you're playing, some games do require time and lots of practice like with Fighting Games, but I see people that play them for years and still suck, so it's not just a time investment.

This. I find that gamers are especially astute when it comes to 'rules', and that's a skill that can be transferable to real life. I generally can tell the difference between my friends who have grown up on games and those who have not. As soon as they pick up a controller, 'good gamers' should be able to figure out what to do within seconds.
 
Yes and no. I've put a lot of time into strategy games in the past few years and I still suck at them. I just don't have the mind for it I guess. But they're still fun to play.

You can build this mind very fast by learning from people, who master your games. One of the greatest things about the internet is the gigantic pool of information.

This. I find that gamers are especially astute when it comes to 'rules', and that's a skill that can be transferable to real life. I generally can tell the difference between my friends who have grown up on games and those who have not. As soon as they pick up a controller, 'good gamers' should be able to figure out what to do within seconds.

I've noticed something really strange and maybe it is just me. But when having a non-videogame related conversation with people who are actually good at videogames, we tend to understand each other much quicker, even at more complex topics of which one of us may not be familiar with. And I'm not talking about friends here. Whereas with many people who don't or even casually play videogames, conversations usually take longer and much more explanation.
This looks to me like the overall comprehension and mental adaption of a skilled gamer probably tends to be higher than the average. And when I'm talking about a skilled gamer, I don't mean gamers who can finish a game without trouble, but actually pro gamer, like top 30 in EU at LoL or global top 100 at Counter Strike... or global top 10 at Trials.
 
Top Bottom