Competitive Gaming vs Age

Hi there. A friend and I are conducting a study for our Biostatistics class and would greatly appreciate some input. We have a theory that whether a gamer goes competitive or not is directly associated with what age they are at when they pick up their first video game.

Here's what we need from you as gamers.

1. Are you a competitive gamer or a casual gamer?

What's competitive vs. casual.

The definition we will be going by in our study for a competitive gamer depends on the following.
-Skill is not a factor, you don't have to be good to be competitive
-Do you go to tournaments? Online, offline w/e
-Do associate with the community in search of new tactics/ strategies / ect. To better yourself at the game.
-Do you play for a consistent amount of hours per week?

In short, if you play the game to win and literally study and practice to better yourself so that you can win. If so, you are a competitive gamer.

If your style is more prone towards friendly matches, single player game play, you just play whenever you feel like it. Very lax...games are cool but it's nothing you take too seriously. Then you are a casual gamer!

Okay. Now that isn't really enough for our theory, we need the approximate age you were when you picked up your first video game and developed a love for gaming. You may surprise yourself, my parents have stories of me, 2 years old in a stroller playing Super Mario Brothers! Now obviously you won’t be competitive at that age. We believe though that the competitive gamers picked up video games at an earlier age.

The important thing is to keep things accurate. Don't guess, give us the earliest time you remember playing video games.


So in short, we'd appreciate this filled out.

1: Competitive or Casual?
2: Age when you first started playing video games?

Also, feel free to leave any feedback!

Important: I'm posting this on a few other gaming forums, as it pertains to competitive gaming as a whole, so if you see it elsewhere, please don't vote twice. Spread the word also, we need lots of input!

You'd be hard pressed to find a person that plays every game they play competitively.

I play a few games pretty competitively (smash and recently street fighter, mostly, but some fps's too) but I also play some games quite casually.

I guess I'm in the competitive side.

(I played my first game at 3 years old, I believe. It was Yoshi's Island. (Of course, all I mostly did was run along jumping whilst giggling)

I'm a bit of a mix. I play to win and all, but I also try to get the most fun out the game, (for me atleast) even if it brings luck in the game. (like the items in smash)

I began gaming at age 2/3 on the nes.

I play competitively, but I don't really take to competitive scenes all too much. So here is this scenario where a guy learns all the nooks and crannies about most games he plays, only to avoid tournaments and such. Brilliant

The only possible exception to this would be pokemon.

I was two or three year old when I first started playing.
Also, if this is worth anything: I stopped playing video games for a couple of years, twice, in my life.

I only play games for the fun of it. I'm not a competive person.

I was about 7 when I started playing Super Mario World.

I was around 3 years old when I began playing video games, but I don't really consider myself a competitive gamer - at least, outside Brawl. Even then I only play to have fun, mostly. So I guess I'm a... urr... casual gamer?

1: Competitive or Casual?
Defense of the Ancients - competitive. Brawl - practicing for competitive.
2: Age when you first started playing video games?
I don't know? Two? I played Windows 3.1 Breakout, I remember, before I learned to read. I learned to read at the age of two, so I suppose it was 2.

1) In short, I'm a competitive gamer. In the long, I don't (and can't) play all games competitively. I'm not the type to completely thrash an opponent if they are new. I throw matches all the time. When I am facing someone at or above my level, I am very competitive.

2) I got my first console when I was 8, however, and my first game was Killer Instinct (it came in a bundle).

1: Casual
2: Four

I play some games competitively, while others only casually. But I guess you could call me competitive mostly.

Started playing when I was 2 years old on the SNES.

1.

Pokemon RBY
Pokemon GSC
Pokemon ADV
Pokemon DPPt
Melee
Team Fortress 2

So yeah, competitive. There's probably others, but those are the main ones.

2. Age of six, started with a SNES.

1.) Generally competitive. Halo, CS, WC3 are the ones I actually play online tournaments and stuff for, though my attitude in pretty much every game I play is competitive.

2.) Around 5 or 6, with Street Fighter 2 and ALttP on the SNES.

I play numerous games competitively online and with friends, and have entered organised tournaments in both Guitar Hero and Halo 3 in my area.

I started playing somewhere between 4 and 6 (I can't quite remember) with games like Star Fox and Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, and Sonic and Altered Beast on the Genesis.

Very competitive and i started at 8 (could be 7)

I would say I am casual
I played my first game when I was 6

I used to play certain games competitively (in leagues, and went to LAN tournaments), but that all stopped once I entered the real world and started working full time. I no longer have time to take games that seriously, and while I am still a competitive person I am nothing more than an enthusiastic casual gamer now lol.

I was 4 years old when my brother and I got our NES in 1989. Beat Super Mario Bros in two weeks, and haven't looked back since.

. Are you a competitive gamer or a casual gamer?

Competetive, definitley. I can't be a true full competitor, as I can't play M rated games.
I only have a Wii, so I only really play online on Brawl. I play about five to seven hours a week.
I do go on forums to get new strategies for games.
I play games to win, but I also play for the fun of it. I mostly care about gameplay and storyline. I only care about graphics if the game has a good storyline and good gameplay.
I first played when I was about 4 maybe. I think it was some 2-player Toy Story game for the 64. I played ALttP on someone's snes when I was about 4, also. It might have belonged to one of my older cousins. It really started when I got a Game Boy SP and ALttP for it. I never made the connection that I'd played it before for a while.

I only play fighters competitively. I used to play Pokemon games and Mario Kart games competitively, but only fighters these days...

so....I'm not sure how to answer. For the most part, casual, but give me a good fighting game and I'll go crazy on it.

I'm not really into multiplayer games, but I do like keeping certain rules when playing. Slightly competitive, I guess.

I'm definitely a casual gamer rather than competitive. I've considered trying out a few competitive tactics for some games, but I've never been interested enough to actually do it. As for age...I know I was playing video games at age six (that's when we got our Master System), but I might have been using an Atari ST before that. I don't remember. We certainly had free reign with it when we got the Master System, though.