Three Game Mindsets

Fundamentally, there are three different paths that can be taken, in the area of romantic relationships. This is true of all people, whether simple or wise, brilliant or clueless, well-versed in Game Theory or utterly unaware, whether single or married, whether religious or agnostic and whether male or female. Each path offers various ways to reach each goal, although some are more effective and intentional than others. Game Theory, in so much as it offers truth about the male and female natures, the present sexual and relational markets, and practical strategies for both men and women to maximize their attractiveness, is valuable for all people to know and it is practically useful for people who seek relationships. Fundamentally, the three mindsets towards romantic relationships are: a long-term centric relational mindset, a short-term centric relational mindset and a romantic-avoidance mindset. I will briefly explain what each of these fundamental approaches is, what matters most to the sort of person in each group, and mention several well-known internet writers who operate according to such mindsets.

Long-Term Relationship Game
People in this category are seeking deep, rich, fulfilling lasting relationships with a person of the opposite sex. In their quest for love, they seek out a potential mate who is a high-quality person all-around, and not merely sexually attractive. The centrality of developing and enjoying a holistic relationship with a real person is at the forefront of an LTR-centric person. Such a person recognizes that communication, dedication, sacrifice and hard-work are needed to develop a rich and fulfilling relationship, and is willing to work towards that goal. While many men have varying success in long-term relationships and marriages, a man who effectively applies Game Theory in his relationship, by being a strong leader, embodying masculine character traits, and being in a relationship with a high-quality woman, will consistently reap the benefits of a strong and satisfying relationship.

There are a few prominent Gamers who focuses their energies on developing lasting relationships and benefitting others. Dave In Hawaii, Obsidian, Cless Alvein, and Alkibiades are fairly well-known ones who spring to mind.

Short-Term Relationship Game
People in this category are primarily seeking casual sexual relationships, either for just a single night, or for a period of several weeks, months or years. These sorts of people are looking for physical chemistry, sexual attraction, excitement, amazing sexual encounters and sometimes variety in partners. The character and personality of potential mates is not especially important to the Short-Term Gamer, since all relationships are intended to be fairly short, and all partners are completely fungible. Concerning self-development, men who seek short-term relationships work to maximize the effectiveness of their Game by practicing sparking attraction as quickly as possible. Women who seek short-term relationships try to maximize their raw sexual appeal and appear as physically attractive as possible. The Sexual Market, which consists of all people seeking casual sexual relationships, is an extremely competitive and cutthroat market, where generally the best men are extremely successful, and those with only moderate Game reap substantially less gratifying results. The objectifying nature of the worldview that necessarily comes with an emphasis on casual sex often leads such people to assign numerical values to the sexual attractiveness of a person. Here is Roissy's Sexual Market Value test for men and for women.

Of the three categories of Gamers, most of the best known and most popular ones are Short-Term Gamers, who seek casual sexual relationships and primarily pursue personal pleasure in relationships. Roissy, Roosh, Tyler Durden, Talleyrand and Krauser are prime examples of people with this mindset.

Romantic Relationship Avoidance
People in this category have decided that, either permanently or just for a period of time, they do not want to pursue any sort of romantic relationship. This does not include people who want to be in a relationship or desire sex but are unable to attract a suitable partner. Instead, this only includes people who voluntarily and intentionally have chosen not to pursue romantic relationships. There are many various motivations for such a lifestyle choice. For some, they choose not to pursue relationships because they value their freedom and independence too much to be willing include someone else in their world. For some, they renounce romantic relationships for the sake of a higher cause, frequently a religious one. For some, they are sufficiently dissatisfied with the present selection of people in the dating market (Relationship Market and/or Sexual Market), and therefore they have decided that pursuing relationships simply isn't a worthwhile use of time. Besides these three, I'm certain that there are many other motivations for adopting a relationship avoidance strategy.

While this is a relationship mindset, in one sense is an anti-mindset of sorts. The sorts of people who intentionally aren't pursuing romantic relationships also are the sort of people who either write about other things, or who don't state their relational stance publicly. As such, there is no one that I can conclusively link to as holding this mindset. I can however, link to some prominent people who write some excellent commentary on the current state of the dating realm. Novaseeker, Anakin Niceguy, and Snark are some who spring to mind as offering solid social commentary without strongly showing an inclination towards either Long-Term Game or Short-Term Game.