Abstract
Problem: Most Steam players buy games they never even install — is there really such a thing as a "typical gamer"?
Approach: Tim Cain reflects on his own gaming habits and catalogs the ways he differs from what's commonly assumed to be the average gamer.
Findings: Tim opens everything he buys, prioritizes mechanics over art, never pre-orders, relies on trusted reviewers, enjoys low-rated games, finishes most games he starts, and has abandoned multiplayer in favor of single-player. He concludes that the "typical gamer" is a myth — everyone deviates from the average.
Key insight: The "average gamer" doesn't exist. Everyone is atypical in some way, so players should play what they want and developers should make what they want.
Opening: Steam Players Don't Play Their Games
Tim was prompted by a news article revealing that the majority of Steam players buy games they never play — many don't even install them. This reminded him of collectors who keep figurines in original packaging, shrink-wrapped and untouched. Tim is the polar opposite: he opens everything immediately. Every item on his shelves has been unboxed and used.
He traces this habit to his mother, who would buy things and when asked "Can we open that?" would respond: "I didn't get that to look at." She always said yes to food too — Tim and his brother were skinny kids who didn't eat much growing up. The instinct to immediately use what you buy stuck with him.
Mechanics Over Art
Tim buys games primarily based on mechanics, not art or even storyline. Sometimes a setting catches his attention, but art is almost never the deciding factor. He clarifies that he loves art and recognizes it elevates a game — but art alone isn't the game.
He attributes this partly to his color blindness (he has a separate video demonstrating how he sees the world via desaturated fruit images), but mostly to growing up gaming in the 1970s and '80s. Back then, resolution was so low and color palettes so limited that art couldn't carry a game. An apple in your inventory was just a red square. Games had to be fun first and foremost — mechanics were everything. That mindset stuck:
- All the pretty art in the world won't make him like a bad game
- But great art will elevate a good game to a great one
Never Pre-Orders
Tim almost never pre-orders games. The only exception was a Bethesda Fallout game where he wanted the physical pack-in item and knew it would sell out. Otherwise, pre-ordering simply doesn't occur to him. He prefers to wait for reviews.
Trusted Reviewers and the Review Delta
Tim has identified specific reviewers over time who share his taste — they tend to like the games he likes and dislike the ones he dislikes. He specifically watches for these voices.
He pays particular attention to the delta between early-access reviews and post-launch reviews. If pre-release review copies get 85s and 90s but post-launch reviews land in the 70s, that gap is telling. He wishes more sites would explicitly separate and average pre-release vs. post-release reviews — he considers that far more useful than the standard professional vs. user review split.
Enjoys Low-Rated Games (and Hates Some Beloved Ones)
Tim plays and genuinely enjoys many games with low review scores — games that aren't well-liked on Steam or Metacritic. Conversely, he has detested some games that are well-rated, popular, and beloved by the community. He declines to name specific titles, as that's not the point.
The same applies to movies. His tastes simply don't align with the mainstream consensus, and he's comfortable with that.
Finishes His Games
Tim usually finishes games he plays past the first hour. He's consistently shocked by completion achievement statistics — playing popular, well-rated, beloved games and seeing "You finished the main story arc: 1.2% of players have this achievement."
He doesn't understand how people can claim to love a game but never finish it. His approach:
- If he likes a game past the first hour, he'll finish the main storyline
- He does not 100% games (that's "Mortem's thing over on Mortisal Games")
- He completes the main story arc and moves on
Abandoned Multiplayer
Tim rarely plays online anymore and doesn't even like multiplayer games at this point. His reasons:
- Pace control: He likes to stop, look at things, solve puzzles, and read NPC dialogue at his own pace. Other players find this annoying.
- Emotional extremes: His highest highs were in multiplayer (a memorable Thanksgiving break playing LittleBigPlanet couch co-op with friends, laughing and having fun together). But his lowest lows were also in multiplayer.
- The trade-off: He decided the highs weren't worth the lows. Single-player games deliver plenty of highs with far fewer lows.
The Myth of the Typical Gamer
Tim's core thesis: the typical gamer doesn't exist. Everyone varies from the average in some way. The "pure average gamer" is a myth — nobody perfectly represents the statistical middle across all preferences and habits.
His advice to both audiences:
- Players: Play what you want. Like what you want. Don't care what other people like.
- Developers: Make what you want. Don't try to hit some mythical average gamer who's waiting for a perfectly average game — that person doesn't exist.
Tim closes with: "I'm not typical, and I kind of like it."
References
- Tim Cain. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb7TICWD940