What Is YOUR Gaming Philosophy?

Curious about how people regard the games on this site, I wandered over to the Games Neoboard and asked everyone to contribute their opinions!

It turns out that there are five main categories of gamers, all who differ wildly in their personal assessment of games:

1. There are people who play games every single day to earn the max 3000 Neopoints you get for each game. They don't play other games because unless they're an expert at them, they consider it a waste of time. The money is where it's at! Playing for Neopoints was the predominant opinion on my thread, with most people admitting that they only play games for the quick cash. The great thing about this philosophy is that since most games only take a few seconds to beat, you can accumulate a lot of money in ten minutes flat!

2. There are also people who play games in hopes of reaching a top score that will end up on the games' top score table and earn them a trophy. These are the people I tend to admire most. Being only medium or poor at games, I literally salivate over peoples' accounts where the trophy count is 50 or more. Maybe someday I'll achieve the same greatness? One can only hope! The great thing about this philosophy is that the trophies make your account look insanely cool. If you really want to impress people, then earning trophies is the way to go!

3. There are people who play games in hopes of beating a personal high, which means that although they might not earn trophies, they're satisfied with having done their personal best. I admire their hard work. I also hope that they get avatars for their efforts, even if they don't get trophies, because avatars are tangible proof that they succeeded at some truly difficult games! My favorite game avatar that I ever earned is "Chia - Florg" because it took me a whole two months to become expert at it! The great thing about this philosophy is that there's less pressure to beat someone else's score, and more enjoyment in beating a personal best.

4. Some people play games just because they happen to be bored. I have to admit that I do the same! My favorite game to play when I'm bored is Eye Of The Storm. I don't even submit score! I just play the game until it's finished, restart the game, and play again. Considering each session takes just a couple of seconds to complete, I was surprised one day to realize I was playing for a whole hour. Talk about your gaming addictions! The great thing about this philosophy is that there's very little stress involved. You're not competing with anyone, and you're free to smile and enjoy yourself while playing.

5. And finally, there are those people who don't play games unless there's a chance of earning a cool new avatar from it. I most definitely fall into this category! I refuse to play difficult games unless there's a chance of earning a shiny new avatar from it. My current To-Do List consists of Extreme Herder, Freaky Factory, Ice Cream Machine, Juice Break, TNT Smasher, Volcano Run II, and Assignment 53. Whew! Wish me luck! The great thing about this philosophy is that you're not constantly stressing and playing games for hours and hours every day, trying to earn trophies. With avatar games, you only focus on a single game at a time and work at it until you beat the avatar score.

There were plenty of grey areas, though. One person claimed, "However good I may be at a game I do not like, I will never attempt the effort for a trophy." I found that to be quite interesting! Most people usually put up with easy games if they have a high chance of earning a sparkling trophy or avatar. Yet this user decided that if a game is plain and boring, she refuses to play altogether.

Another person claimed that she only plays games when it's part of the Better Than You competition. I had to nod and agree! I love trying for the Better Than You gold trophy, even though I already have a bronze trophy and the "Better Than You" avatar. When the featured game is something I consider easy, I definitely give it the old college try!

One user admitted, "I used to play mainly for avatars but then I started to play for trophies and it was more challenging and fun. Now I pick a game, check a guide and try for the trophy when I can." Like I said, grey areas abound!

Which category do you fall under? Are you in it for the glory, earning avatars and trophies? Are you in it for the fun, beating personal best scores or combatting boredom? No matter your personal philosophy, I hope you enjoy playing the games on this site! There are hundreds and hundreds of games on Neopets, so you're bound to find games that you love, no matter whether they're puzzles, action, or something in between!

The coolest aspect of my thread was that people posted avatars that they want TNT to create! Bouncy Supreme was a popular game, for instance, with people saying that they actually wrote in to the Editorial asking TNT to create a Bouncy Supreme avatar. I love that game, it's super easy, and I really do hope TNT creates an avatar for it someday!

Thanks for reading this article! And thanks to the Games Neoboard for posting their opinions on my thread! Chatting with my fellow Neopians is always the highlight of my day, and being able to write about them for the Neopian Times is a blessing that I always find entertaining and inspiring!

Enjoy the games on this website, my friends, and may you always strive for the things that make you happiest!