As a PhD candidate in experimental psychology, I can't help but analyze the mindsets of people. I want to offer half informative, half entertaining perspective of the many mindsets that exist in Hearthstone. I hope you enjoy :)
The staler: This is the person who stalls the game (e.g. not playing cards intentionally and letting the timer end) because they realize they are unable to win the game. These people often feel cheated because they think a) they played better and the RNG gods saved their opponent, or b) the deck their opponent is playing is bullshit. Thus, they stall, perhaps not because they hope the other player will get frustrated and concede, but because they feel the player needs to "earn" their cheap win by wasting their time. Some players will go to extreme lengths to stall, such as healing as much as they can and placing taunts. They know the game is over, but why not stall as long as possible? This type of player often has a narcissistic tendencies, as they want the player to win on their conditions as their time is more valuable then their opponents.
The emote spammer: This person is likely a child or someone trying to be intentionally annoying. This is likely not limited to online games, but more something on a personality trait level. This typically is resolved by simply squelching them.
The Jade Druid player: This is a person who loves easy wins without much effort. The broken cards enable the Jade Druid to set up an insane mid/late-game. (Yes, is it possible to counter it, so please don't reply "salty-player" responses). Even when new cards are introduced, the Jade Druid doesn't alter their play style because experimenting with a new style is "too much work" and "not an easy win". Players often have a false superiority complex because their inflated high win rates give them false sense of accomplishment.
The try-hard player in Casual mode: This is the player who net decks tier 1 decks in casual. The typical responses are 'I want to try a new deck", "I want to grind wins for gold", "I need to complete quests with classes I'm not great with" or "I don't want to lose my ladder ranking". The first one is understandable, as experimentation in a CCG is a wonderful way to grow as a player. The problems are with the other excuses. Similar to the Jade Druid player, a false sense of superiority is likely the mindset. Netdecking a tier 1 deck in Casual is laughable IF you claim to be trying it out. If you've established its tier 1, its a solid ladder deck, therefore play Ranked. Getting "easy gold" is also a subpar excuse. If you are indeed a "Legend Player" as so many people falsely claim, they why are you grinding for gold? Everyone needs some gold, but a true Legend Player can make due with just about any deck. Losing rank of the ladder is also a pathetic excuse. The reward differences are negligible, so that excuse doesn't hold up. Who cares if you lose rank? If you are truly the great player you think you are, then you can easily overcome a few losses.
Players of Control Decks: Type A personality. These players need to control the situation at all costs. They need things to be at a slower pace so they can methodically analyze the situation. These are likely great chess players. These players are more susceptible to frustration when the RNG gods smite them. It happens to the best of us, but it especially effects them.
Players of Aggro Decks: These players like reckless abandonment. Simply charge and face damage their opponent and victory will be yours! However, they are likely to have Type A personalities as well because of their need for fast wins and suffer from over-competitiveness. They mistake fast games for superior game playing.
The Meme-deck Players: These people have a much better time playing the game than players with Type A or superiority complex egos/personalities. If they win, great. If they lose, oh well. Since Type B personalities are keen on experimentation and reduced stress levels, they are better suited for CCGs, at least in terms of enjoyment and lower frustration levels. Meme decks are wonderful in Hearthstone as they don't focus on climbing the ladder so much as they inspire creativity. Ever notice how many Twitch streamers and legend players play meme decks? When asked why, they will inevitably say that those decks provide the most pleasure, especially those with crazy combos.
At the end of the day, Type B personalities are going to rise to the top eventually. Don't get me wrong, the level of control and attention to detail of Type As is formidable, and should never be underestimated. The problems lie with people with false senses of superiority. According to Hearthstone's own stats, Legend players make up < .5% of players. Therefore, when tons of players on forums claim Legend status, something is fishy.
I'm no psychologist but as someone with friends in pretty much all of these categories it's something I've thought about a bunch too. I don't know if this is the reason you brought this up, but I've noticed recently a gigantic inflation of hyper-competitive decks in Casual mode. In the last 3 or so days I haven't seen a single fun or experimental deck, only Dragon Priests, Aggrodins, Secret Mage, Jade Druid and the occasional Spell Hunter (which is not so bad).
Wild Casual is in a similar state for me, that's where the true scum of Hearthstone lurk, playing these top tier standard decks in what should be the least competitive space in the game.
This is true. The difference is when you make a huge tempo swinging play and they drag and make plays that only stall rather than attempt to overcome the tempo loss. Or they don’t play at all but shuffle through their hand so the timer doesn’t shift to offline mode (shorter fuse than normal). Nothing wrong with making good plays that are well thought out.
its possible to shift slightly. But typically people gravitate to one personality type over time. This is what I mean by trait-level. It means more or less consistent.
The try-hard player in Casual mode: This is the player who net decks tier 1 decks in casual. The typical responses are 'I want to try a new deck", "I want to grind wins for gold", "I need to complete quests with classes I'm not great with" or "I don't want to lose my ladder ranking". The first one is understandable, as experimentation in a CCG is a wonderful way to grow as a player. The problems are with the other excuses. Similar to the Jade Druid player, a false sense of superiority is likely the mindset. Netdecking a tier 1 deck in Casual is laughable IF you claim to be trying it out. If you've established its tier 1, its a solid ladder deck, therefore play Ranked. Getting "easy gold" is also a subpar excuse. If you are indeed a "Legend Player" as so many people falsely claim, they why are you grinding for gold? Everyone needs some gold, but a true Legend Player can make due with just about any deck. Losing rank of the ladder is also a pathetic excuse. The reward differences are negligible, so that excuse doesn't hold up. Who cares if you lose rank? If you are truly the great player you think you are, then you can easily overcome a few losses.
I really don't get your reasoning here. Surely, a player who feel the need to try out a tier 1 deck in casual suffers from a sense of inferiority rather than superiority? If someone is afraid to lose ladder ranking, it must be because they doubt their skill to climb back up again. I agree that farming gold in casual is bad manners, though,
Lol. And i also think hs is much more fertile for psychological surveys than generally thought.
That being said, i am in between of Aggro and Mill player personality. I don't really like Control, for i feel it inherently involves more turns, hence more rng that evade my control.
But sometimes i feel no other Aggro can work out of Wild Pirate Rogue (i basically dislike any other Aggro), i experiment with other stuff, and then often end up with Wild Milling. Because if i win by milling, i am badass, if i lose, not really my fault for i was in hardcore mode anyway. And then rinse & repeat - for i need at least r15 each season.
I can't really play meme decks. I feel the need to homebrew, but by definition of meme deck, i can't play them (unless it is Mill, but then it is not so meme...).
So, i guess i am a type A, quite safely.
PS: Jade Druid analysis is ludicrously correct, imho (any time i tried it, i was exactly in that mindset as you described).
Remember, this is not meant to be judgemental as much as informative and entertaining. A single game is not enough data to make sweeping claims. This is based on 3 years of gameplay, as well as reading these forums.
Also, if you fall under one of these categories, which is nearly inevitable, don’t be ashamed, just be aware. If you try hard in casual, be polite and play ranked if you really want an equal skill level. If steamrolling noobs is fun for you, no one can prevent you. To each his own for sure. However, do realize you are not superior in anyway, nor should those wins be considered triumphant.
I was going to add an analysis for stronger players who intentionally lose in casual to face less experienced players. These are indeed the worst players of all. The same applies as above for these people: they typically are only so-so good, and believe themselves better than they really are. That false sense of self worth is a bitch to deal with, so count yourself lucky to not be a part of that group.
I think you're putting way too much thought into things here. At the end of the day, most people play Hearthstone for fun/to unwind/etc. It's a game. You really can't tell much about your opponent based on how they play and any assumption you put out says more about your own psychology than your opponent's.
One example, in some games I could from my opponent's eyes fit as the "staller" you label, but from my end, a different picture emerges. In that scenario, when I'm not giving in, I know I have cards in my deck that can turn it around if I reach them in time, I am thinking how to survive the turn, etc. Several times I have held out for a few turns to my opponent's annoyance to draw the save or the swing card I was waiting for, sometimes I don't. I'm not trying to be rude to my opponent and in most of these instances I'm not even mad, just trying to play the game.
Even in other examples, there's a lot of projecting things onto players that may just not be there. I also agree that Sc0rPiO's link is far better if you want to start doing a psychological profile on card game players. There are a lot of other cool studies out there who have spawned from it if you want to start somewhere.
The try-hard player in Casual mode: This is the player who net decks tier 1 decks in casual. The typical responses are 'I want to try a new deck", "I want to grind wins for gold", "I need to complete quests with classes I'm not great with" or "I don't want to lose my ladder ranking". The first one is understandable, as experimentation in a CCG is a wonderful way to grow as a player. The problems are with the other excuses. Similar to the Jade Druid player, a false sense of superiority is likely the mindset. Netdecking a tier 1 deck in Casual is laughable IF you claim to be trying it out. If you've established its tier 1, its a solid ladder deck, therefore play Ranked. Getting "easy gold" is also a subpar excuse. If you are indeed a "Legend Player" as so many people falsely claim, they why are you grinding for gold? Everyone needs some gold, but a true Legend Player can make due with just about any deck. Losing rank of the ladder is also a pathetic excuse. The reward differences are negligible, so that excuse doesn't hold up. Who cares if you lose rank? If you are truly the great player you think you are, then you can easily overcome a few losses.
This whole paragraph is just your biased opinion. Who made you the ruler of who and how one can play in 'Casual'? Casual does not equal Clown Fiesta. If the gamemode said 'non-ladder' instead, would it be a bit clearer for you what the mode is meant for? Cause that's what it is.
If you truly want a casual game, whatever that is in your mind, try friendly battles. You and your friend can come up with whatever rules you want and duke it out. If you however play 'casual' for the gold, then expect competition. Whatever reason there is to play ladder vs non-ladder is up to everyone to figure out for themselves. Throwing everyone who play the mode with a good deck in one category is so narrow-minded.
Lol. The interpretation of this being a self righteous sly thread is too funny. It’s true that not everyone falls neatly into these arbitrary categories, not are these categories exhaustive.
The tryhards in Casual is actually the most objective. Fear of losing is absolutely a thing, but my point is that losing rank is a weak excuse. Therefore, I doubt it that that’s the case when people claim it. They simply want easy wins. The idea of winning without a competitive counterpart is live and kicking in HS, but that isnt the games fault. The sad part is when those tryhards feel superior, which consistent with ego centric personality.
im surprised a “world renowned psychologist” hasn’t posted on this thread claiming its utter non sense.
All the way to rank 5 im an aggro deck player. After that i become a meme deck deck player, untill Im ready to nake the grind to legend. Than, i become a type a competitive asshole who will stall every opponent that uses cheap aggro decks
I hope this isn't the kind of analysis done for your your thesis. It's childish, lacks depth and rigor, biased, and has no data behind it. Do you realize you can't say anything about the person on the other side without asking them and getting a good answer or knowing them? It looks like a copy and paste from what people say in the salt thread followed up by a bunch of pretentious nonsense.
I've been in a few of these classes in my day and, while interesting, the subject matter is definitely not intellectually rigorous. Not only that, basic questions like what happens when something falls outside of the generalizations people who study this stuff made for everyone is treated as a difficult question. It's really not. It just means you were incomplete in your analysis or your hypothesis was wrong. However, sweeping generalizations over facts are the signature of that field of study.
I didn’t intend to come off as accusing you of being self-righteous and I apologize if it came across that way. I meant that your analysis showed more about your thoughts on the game and players based on how hard it is to interpret what feedback you get from your opponent in game.
I think that if you want to profile players, an anonymous survey would bring you more success. Instead of asking how someone plays a game or even what deck they’re playing, asking why gives a lot more information.
Some examples off the top of my head:
A person that is roping could be thinking out their turn, distracted by work/a pet/a kid/etc, having connection issues, or trying to be a jerk. To the opponent, all these situations can look the same.
Someone could be playing a fast/aggro deck could have very little time to play so they want to play as many games as possible that don’t last super long, they could want fast wins, completing a quest with a class they don’t like to play much/lack experience in, or they could be trying to play the deck to learn how it plays and how to beat it. To the opponent, all these situations can look the same.
Someone who plays a control deck may like be a control freak irl, they could prefer slower games with a lot of different options and lines per turn, they could want to grind out and exhaust their opponent with their winstyle, or they could prefer taking the defender role in most matches since they don’t have good aggression intuition, etc. To the opponent, all these look the same.
There are probably a lot more but I think you get my point and I don’t want to be too repetitive. I’ve played the game for a long time but I haven’t interacted much on the community side until recently. I’ve played “meme deckers”/homebrew players who spam emotes and bm, I’ve played pirate warriors or other hated topdeck players who have been nothing but polite the entire game. I don’t personally like to judge people on what they play and while I’m somewhat curious on why people do things, I don’t personally go out of my way to seek out why or add people to ask them. That being said, if you do a survey or something, let me know. I’m really interested in how it would turn out.
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Hello everyone,
As a PhD candidate in experimental psychology, I can't help but analyze the mindsets of people. I want to offer half informative, half entertaining perspective of the many mindsets that exist in Hearthstone. I hope you enjoy :)
The staler: This is the person who stalls the game (e.g. not playing cards intentionally and letting the timer end) because they realize they are unable to win the game. These people often feel cheated because they think a) they played better and the RNG gods saved their opponent, or b) the deck their opponent is playing is bullshit. Thus, they stall, perhaps not because they hope the other player will get frustrated and concede, but because they feel the player needs to "earn" their cheap win by wasting their time. Some players will go to extreme lengths to stall, such as healing as much as they can and placing taunts. They know the game is over, but why not stall as long as possible? This type of player often has a narcissistic tendencies, as they want the player to win on their conditions as their time is more valuable then their opponents.
The emote spammer: This person is likely a child or someone trying to be intentionally annoying. This is likely not limited to online games, but more something on a personality trait level. This typically is resolved by simply squelching them.
The Jade Druid player: This is a person who loves easy wins without much effort. The broken cards enable the Jade Druid to set up an insane mid/late-game. (Yes, is it possible to counter it, so please don't reply "salty-player" responses). Even when new cards are introduced, the Jade Druid doesn't alter their play style because experimenting with a new style is "too much work" and "not an easy win". Players often have a false superiority complex because their inflated high win rates give them false sense of accomplishment.
The try-hard player in Casual mode: This is the player who net decks tier 1 decks in casual. The typical responses are 'I want to try a new deck", "I want to grind wins for gold", "I need to complete quests with classes I'm not great with" or "I don't want to lose my ladder ranking". The first one is understandable, as experimentation in a CCG is a wonderful way to grow as a player. The problems are with the other excuses. Similar to the Jade Druid player, a false sense of superiority is likely the mindset. Netdecking a tier 1 deck in Casual is laughable IF you claim to be trying it out. If you've established its tier 1, its a solid ladder deck, therefore play Ranked. Getting "easy gold" is also a subpar excuse. If you are indeed a "Legend Player" as so many people falsely claim, they why are you grinding for gold? Everyone needs some gold, but a true Legend Player can make due with just about any deck. Losing rank of the ladder is also a pathetic excuse. The reward differences are negligible, so that excuse doesn't hold up. Who cares if you lose rank? If you are truly the great player you think you are, then you can easily overcome a few losses.
Players of Control Decks: Type A personality. These players need to control the situation at all costs. They need things to be at a slower pace so they can methodically analyze the situation. These are likely great chess players. These players are more susceptible to frustration when the RNG gods smite them. It happens to the best of us, but it especially effects them.
Players of Aggro Decks: These players like reckless abandonment. Simply charge and face damage their opponent and victory will be yours! However, they are likely to have Type A personalities as well because of their need for fast wins and suffer from over-competitiveness. They mistake fast games for superior game playing.
The Meme-deck Players: These people have a much better time playing the game than players with Type A or superiority complex egos/personalities. If they win, great. If they lose, oh well. Since Type B personalities are keen on experimentation and reduced stress levels, they are better suited for CCGs, at least in terms of enjoyment and lower frustration levels. Meme decks are wonderful in Hearthstone as they don't focus on climbing the ladder so much as they inspire creativity. Ever notice how many Twitch streamers and legend players play meme decks? When asked why, they will inevitably say that those decks provide the most pleasure, especially those with crazy combos.
At the end of the day, Type B personalities are going to rise to the top eventually. Don't get me wrong, the level of control and attention to detail of Type As is formidable, and should never be underestimated. The problems lie with people with false senses of superiority. According to Hearthstone's own stats, Legend players make up < .5% of players. Therefore, when tons of players on forums claim Legend status, something is fishy.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the read. Cheers!
What if you have been in all the categories - depending on your mood and how long you've been playing?
wait, the staller may be genuinely thinikign hsi turns and all the optons, if you ever watched lifecoach, massan or trump you'd be aware of that...
I'm no psychologist but as someone with friends in pretty much all of these categories it's something I've thought about a bunch too. I don't know if this is the reason you brought this up, but I've noticed recently a gigantic inflation of hyper-competitive decks in Casual mode. In the last 3 or so days I haven't seen a single fun or experimental deck, only Dragon Priests, Aggrodins, Secret Mage, Jade Druid and the occasional Spell Hunter (which is not so bad).
Wild Casual is in a similar state for me, that's where the true scum of Hearthstone lurk, playing these top tier standard decks in what should be the least competitive space in the game.
This is true. The difference is when you make a huge tempo swinging play and they drag and make plays that only stall rather than attempt to overcome the tempo loss. Or they don’t play at all but shuffle through their hand so the timer doesn’t shift to offline mode (shorter fuse than normal). Nothing wrong with making good plays that are well thought out.
its possible to shift slightly. But typically people gravitate to one personality type over time. This is what I mean by trait-level. It means more or less consistent.
They do this to compensate for something, either in the game or some other life factors. A sad but common occurrence unfortunately.
What about the arena player? I belong to the meme deckers xD
This is a terrible and extremely biased psychoanalysis. If you want to know about actual player types, then look at the Magic psychoanalysis that has been around for years: https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/making-magic/timmy-johnny-and-spike-2013-12-03
Lol. And i also think hs is much more fertile for psychological surveys than generally thought.
That being said, i am in between of Aggro and Mill player personality. I don't really like Control, for i feel it inherently involves more turns, hence more rng that evade my control.
But sometimes i feel no other Aggro can work out of Wild Pirate Rogue (i basically dislike any other Aggro), i experiment with other stuff, and then often end up with Wild Milling. Because if i win by milling, i am badass, if i lose, not really my fault for i was in hardcore mode anyway. And then rinse & repeat - for i need at least r15 each season.
I can't really play meme decks. I feel the need to homebrew, but by definition of meme deck, i can't play them (unless it is Mill, but then it is not so meme...).
So, i guess i am a type A, quite safely.
PS: Jade Druid analysis is ludicrously correct, imho (any time i tried it, i was exactly in that mindset as you described).
I would like to pull the trifecta of try-harding in casual while playing a T1 aggro deck and spamming emotes.
Free to try and find a game, dealing cards for sorrow, cards for pain.
Free to try and find a game, dealing cards for sorrow, cards for pain.
Remember, this is not meant to be judgemental as much as informative and entertaining. A single game is not enough data to make sweeping claims. This is based on 3 years of gameplay, as well as reading these forums.
Also, if you fall under one of these categories, which is nearly inevitable, don’t be ashamed, just be aware. If you try hard in casual, be polite and play ranked if you really want an equal skill level. If steamrolling noobs is fun for you, no one can prevent you. To each his own for sure. However, do realize you are not superior in anyway, nor should those wins be considered triumphant.
I was going to add an analysis for stronger players who intentionally lose in casual to face less experienced players. These are indeed the worst players of all. The same applies as above for these people: they typically are only so-so good, and believe themselves better than they really are. That false sense of self worth is a bitch to deal with, so count yourself lucky to not be a part of that group.
I think you're putting way too much thought into things here. At the end of the day, most people play Hearthstone for fun/to unwind/etc. It's a game. You really can't tell much about your opponent based on how they play and any assumption you put out says more about your own psychology than your opponent's.
One example, in some games I could from my opponent's eyes fit as the "staller" you label, but from my end, a different picture emerges. In that scenario, when I'm not giving in, I know I have cards in my deck that can turn it around if I reach them in time, I am thinking how to survive the turn, etc. Several times I have held out for a few turns to my opponent's annoyance to draw the save or the swing card I was waiting for, sometimes I don't. I'm not trying to be rude to my opponent and in most of these instances I'm not even mad, just trying to play the game.
Even in other examples, there's a lot of projecting things onto players that may just not be there. I also agree that Sc0rPiO's link is far better if you want to start doing a psychological profile on card game players. There are a lot of other cool studies out there who have spawned from it if you want to start somewhere.
Lol. The interpretation of this being a self righteous sly thread is too funny. It’s true that not everyone falls neatly into these arbitrary categories, not are these categories exhaustive.
The tryhards in Casual is actually the most objective. Fear of losing is absolutely a thing, but my point is that losing rank is a weak excuse. Therefore, I doubt it that that’s the case when people claim it. They simply want easy wins. The idea of winning without a competitive counterpart is live and kicking in HS, but that isnt the games fault. The sad part is when those tryhards feel superior, which consistent with ego centric personality.
im surprised a “world renowned psychologist” hasn’t posted on this thread claiming its utter non sense.
Enjoy the game.
All the way to rank 5 im an aggro deck player. After that i become a meme deck deck player, untill Im ready to nake the grind to legend. Than, i become a type a competitive asshole who will stall every opponent that uses cheap aggro decks
.
I hope this isn't the kind of analysis done for your your thesis. It's childish, lacks depth and rigor, biased, and has no data behind it. Do you realize you can't say anything about the person on the other side without asking them and getting a good answer or knowing them? It looks like a copy and paste from what people say in the salt thread followed up by a bunch of pretentious nonsense.
I've been in a few of these classes in my day and, while interesting, the subject matter is definitely not intellectually rigorous. Not only that, basic questions like what happens when something falls outside of the generalizations people who study this stuff made for everyone is treated as a difficult question. It's really not. It just means you were incomplete in your analysis or your hypothesis was wrong. However, sweeping generalizations over facts are the signature of that field of study.
I didn’t intend to come off as accusing you of being self-righteous and I apologize if it came across that way. I meant that your analysis showed more about your thoughts on the game and players based on how hard it is to interpret what feedback you get from your opponent in game.
I think that if you want to profile players, an anonymous survey would bring you more success. Instead of asking how someone plays a game or even what deck they’re playing, asking why gives a lot more information.
Some examples off the top of my head:
There are probably a lot more but I think you get my point and I don’t want to be too repetitive. I’ve played the game for a long time but I haven’t interacted much on the community side until recently. I’ve played “meme deckers”/homebrew players who spam emotes and bm, I’ve played pirate warriors or other hated topdeck players who have been nothing but polite the entire game. I don’t personally like to judge people on what they play and while I’m somewhat curious on why people do things, I don’t personally go out of my way to seek out why or add people to ask them. That being said, if you do a survey or something, let me know. I’m really interested in how it would turn out.