[tcpekin]

People who play games (I for one) like mechanical keyboards. I'd say the three main key switches provided by Cherry are the Cherry MX Blue, Brown, and Red, in that order from typing oriented to gaming oriented. The Blues are loud and have a clicky feel, while the Browns are quieter, but still have the clicky feel, and the Reds are simply linear switches without any sort of tactile click. I personally have browns and love them but reds are more gaming oriented, due to the lack of tactile feedback impeding the switch and the lightest force to actuate. There are several other types of Cherry switches, as well as high end options (Topre, etc. ). This was a long answer, but yes, mechanical keyboards are great for gaming as well as general use.

[1] http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/mechanical-keyboard-guide