Reactive and Proactive in Gaming

'Excellently' drawn Shield and Sword. Created in Paint

It's interesting to see a situation and wonder if I should be 'Reactive' or "Proactive'. Rushing in guns blazing before anybody gets settled is always a thrill but doesn't always work out, whereas I could wait for a target to present itself but waiting can be dull and if the objective or target shifts in the opposite direction it can be a slog trying to catch up. In the chaos of battle, anything can happen!

Being proactive, to me, means using quick reactions and pressing forward with a goal in mind (take out as many enemies as possible, contest the objective, staying alive) and are huge boons to a team rush into enemy territory.

Meanwhile being reactive, to me, means discerning what the enemy team is doing and attempting to thwart their plans as much as I can, (Stopping an advance, holding a location, staying alive) and can quite possibly save a game from instant defeat.

My friends are 'Proactive' players and when they want something they won't stop until they achieve their goal. They will take many hits along the way and many times require a revive or respawn but that drive is what winds up making huge plays in a match and shifting the balance in our favor.

I am a 'Reactive' player, I try and find a spot where I can defend the objective and make it as detrimental as I can for an enemy to advance, I wait for enemy players to approach my position instead of venturing out to find them and risk getting overrun, my goal is to give my team the time to make their move and win us the game.

I try emulating my friends approach, I would like to have an awesome moment too, but the many times I try and be 'Proactive', I fail. My mindset and approach is 'Reactive' and thus cautious, Whenever I am pressing forward I'll stop for half a second to check my surroundings and that is my downfall, I am an easy target and any player worth their grit will happily take a shot.

When I play Hell Let Loose and see the entire team pushed up but notice our objective is sorely lacking in defense I'll call notice to the fact and try to get some players to defend with me.

In War Thunder, every driver or pilot will rush into the battlefield, I'll check out the map and see where the most casualties are and keep an eye out around that area. I'll knock out a few players before succumbing to another player who somehow found his way around our lines and obliterates me.

Hunt: Showdown is a great example of choosing a reactive or proactive method of play! My friend and I will often debate about how to go about a situation, We could contest the banishing bounty token but risk falling into a trap or wait until the players come outside with it and take them out in the open but take the chance of getting into a shoot out with other players with the same idea.

When I think about key moments in a match I do wonder which mindset would have better fit the scenario best, instead of waiting for the enemy to crest the hill maybe we should've surprised them with a charge, switching reactively and proactively on the fly. Choosing the mindset differs from situation to situation though and once a method is chosen, I feel, it must be stuck with until the end, if deciding to switch from 'Proactive' to 'Reactive' or vice versa too much then catastrophe will happen shortly afterwards to both my team and I. I'll try to examine a situation as best I can before making a decision.

Are you a Proactive or a Reactive gamer? Or if you have any thoughts on the matter, please share in the comments!

Some Screenshots I wanted to use but couldn't find the correct place to convey their meaning