Gamers are people who enjoy playing interactive video games or other types of digital or tabletop role-playing games or skill-based card game. These gamers may spend large amounts of time on their hobby, and often have an interest in gaming culture and community, as well as a passion for competition and strategy. While many gamers are able to balance their gaming addiction with other activities, some are not. For those who become dependent on gaming, their physical and mental health can suffer.

Gaming can lead to a lack of sleep, unhealthy eating habits, poor fitness, social isolation, and even obesity. These negative consequences of gaming can affect a person’s ability to concentrate in school, work or other daily tasks. In addition, excessive gaming can cause a person to neglect other hobbies and interests, and eventually, he or she may lose friends.

There are many different categories of gamers, and most people can be placed into one of four groups based on their personality traits and gaming behavior. The most widely used gamer classification system is Bartle’s player type taxonomy, which divides gamers into the Escaper, Achiever, Enthusiast, and Backseat Gaming personas.

Escapers use gaming as a way to avoid their problems and are motivated by escapism, role-playing, and socializing. They are impulsive and may not be able to control their gaming behavior. They also have low self-esteem and may play to boost their egos by succeeding in the virtual world.

Achievers are highly competitive and focus primarily on winning games. They like to play competitive ranking games with other players and are often found in Esports. They usually start off in public games and then move to matchmaking, which can eventually lead to leagues or tournaments. Achievers tend to have high self-esteem and are willing to sacrifice other aspects of their lives for the game.

Enthusiasts are similar to the Ultimate Gamer, but they do not have quite as much disposable income to spend on gaming. They also lean more towards single-player games. They spend money on gaming hardware and consume content at a higher rate than the Escaper or Achiever personas, but they do not necessarily prioritize esports over other interests.

Backseat Gamers are former gamers who have stopped playing for various reasons, but they still watch gaming content and occasionally play when the urge hits them. They tend to have a lot of nostalgia for the games they played as teenagers and are likely to return to gaming in the future. However, they do not spend much money on games and rarely invest in hardware. They prefer free-to-play and subscription games with a more casual game experience. They do not care about the latest gaming tech and are more interested in socialization and community than the competition aspect of gaming.