Watching other players' behavior patterns has provided me with thousands of hours of pleasure. So here, Cricket-style, are my observations about various gaming personalities. They are in no particular order, since there is no importance attached to these observations, and with only one exception, there is no "right" or "wrong" type. Players have good and bad days and may incorporate different personality types into their game on any given day. So, without any further ado, here is my list of Gamer Personality Types:

What is your most dominant gaming personality type? Mother Hen The Princess The Class Clown The Yipper Hard-Core Player Sore Losers Rabble-Rousers Strong-Silent Type Cheaters [Results]

The Yipper

A "Yipper" is basically a yelper. This type tends to gloat when they score. There are serious Yippers, and then there are happy players who yip occasionally when successful.

Serious Yippers are a pain. We all like to win, but Yippers start before the game begins, in the lobby. Remarks like - "the best player is here - the rest of you are toast" or "this will be a short game". The best way to silence a serious Yipper is to beat them, which is difficult to do when your teeth are clenched and you want to say something nasty to them. During a game with a Yipper, it is difficult to keep my fingers off the keyboard when I read comments like "ready to quit?" or "hurry up" when they are a point or two ahead. Yippers don't keep it to game play, however. They love to announce that they just got a new car or anything else. Are they like that in RL to? Do they have to "keep up with the Jones?" Maybe they are insecure in RL, and online play empowers them when they boast.

Happy Yippers are kind of cute. They may be regulars who haven't won for a while or someone who is celebrating a success. You can tell by their tone that they are not rubbing it in. They may say something like "wow - we are hot today" to their partner in the lobby instead of in a private aside. If it only happens once in a while, and you know the individual, it is fun to celebrate with them.

The Class Clown

This type is my personal favorite. Out of the thousands of players I have observed, only two people truly fit this category. The room may be quite quiet until they arrive, dispersing their wonderful brand of humour, but this type quickly incorporates all the other players in their fun and is truly witty and funny. They are extroverted, charismatic and have a great joie de vive. Their repartee includes riotous one-liners, or they might lead the group in a mass sing-along or paint a picture of merriment that has people howling with laughter. They might turn the room into Las Vegas, with a lounge singer, gamblers, circus acts and various performers, and before long, many of the players are swept into the nonsense, and the evening is a huge success.

The Princess

The Princess knows everyone and their business. He or she, a Princess isn't always a she, breezes into the room with group hugs and dominates the chat with personal greetings as new players enter. Everyone is a friend. The Princess has all the latest gossip about the regular players and is a great source of information if you are wondering what player is linked to another player in the room, romantically I mean. Life to the Princess is a soap opera and everything very dramatic. Princesses have their serious side, however, and can be often helpful in a crisis, especially since they tend to know exactly what is going on with everyone.

Mother Hen

The Mother Hen nurtures everyone, and any newbie is putty in her hands. She is the unofficial assistant to the tournament host/director; offering advice and assistance if a player is having a problem and often beating the tournament host to the answer if someone has a question. A Mother Hen immediately comforts a hurt player who has been insulted, and people naturally tend to gravitate to her warmth and kindness. It must be stressful to be a Mother Hen as the list of friends she accumulates gets longer with time.

It is my nature to be a Mother Hen, and it can be hard work, taking the fun out of play. My advice to other Mother Hen's is this: if the site allows it, get a second name that you can hide under when you are tired and want to be left alone. I have a soft spot for hurt, troubled players and newbies, and tend to get a little stressed after a while, but with a little encouragement, newbies eventually find their own way, and players' hurt feelings mend with time.

Hard-Core Player

The Hard-core Player is single-minded and has one goal: game play. This makes them very impatient with delays, lags and chatty players. I often wonder what their rush is anyway. Most games have a time limit, but it is generous and allows for boots and delays. Why are they in such a hurry to lose? If they win, they are impatient with new opponents if they don't get into the room immediately. They generally have no sense of humour, and their remarks are terse and to the point. They are control freaks and want the entire room to run perfectly, on time and correctly. They usually announce the time before the tournament starts and continue watching the clock during play. They have memorized all the rules and are quite inflexible in their playing. Hard-core Players usually win.

Sore Losers

Sore Losers don't last long. They figure everyone is out to get them. They complain bitterly about every little thing and generally are the sourpusses in the room. They do not lose graciously, and their wins are celebrated by yipping. Unlike the Hard-core Player, they tend not to congratulate good hands or winners and leave the main lobby after a loss quickly and without so much as a "thank you" to the tournament host or a "goodbye" to their opps or other players. Sore Losers are quick to accuse others of cheating when things don't go their way. Are Sore Losers online poor sports in RL?

Rabble-Rousers

The Rabble-Rouser tends to be young, but not always mind you. They might start a discussion that borders on vulgar; they might swear or pick a fight with another player they may not know well. Most of the time, Rabble-rousers require the assistance of a sysops. And sometimes, the only solution is to boot them. Some quickly learn that no regular player will have anything to do with them, and I have seen a few straighten out.

I once watched a Rabble-rouser get put in his place by my partner, an incognito tournament host who is usually very, very quiet and gracious when out of uniform. This Rabble-rouser had whipped the lobby in attack mode with his innuendoes and remarks. Meanwhile, the frazzled host was very busy taking ins and ignored him, so other players rose to the occasion. The mood in the room was not pleasant. The Rabble-rouser and his embarrassed partner played us first. He kept up his nonsense in the room but didn't get far before my partner told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't straighten out, he would be booted and to keep the attitude at home. My quiet gentle partner had turned into a tiger, and my jaw dropped. Surprisingly, he immediately calmed down and as the game progressed, turned out to be a pleasant person and a good player. He apologized for his behaviour and congratulated us on our win.

Strong-Silent Type

This type takes the game seriously, but not so seriously as to not have fun. They tend not to be chatty, but are quick to praise a good hand and congratulate the winners. Most of this type that I know personally are men, but that doesn't mean that this is always the case. My husband fits this category; He enjoys the game, but says little.

Cheaters

I mentioned earlier that there is no wrong or right type except for one category. This would be it, and this is a real category, not a "Cricket-style" one. On most sites, accusing a player of cheating is considered harassment. Unfortunately there does seem to be one in every crowd. But what can one say about a cheater? What makes a person lie in order to win? A Sore-Loser once announced that I had cheated. I was devastated and crushed for a few minutes, but then I got angry. I emailed the tournament host, and the Sore Loser never accused me of cheating again.

My question is this: do Cheaters carry on their brand of deception in RL - in their jobs and relationships? Probably. They look for new and fast ways to be deceptive. It's too easy.