1996 paper by Richard Bartle focused on MMO players
quadrant model: x axis is interacting with world vs interacting with players, y axis is acting on things unilaterally vs interacting with things
- Achievers/Diamonds want to gain concrete measure of success: points, levels, equipment
- Explorers/Spades want to travel around, solve puzzles, find secrets, immerse themselves in the game world
- Socializers/Hearts want to socialize with other players
- Killers/Clubs want to get high scores, cause mayhem, best other players in friendly (or unfriendly) competition
sort of a typology; a single player can fit into multiple categories to varying degrees
good starting point, still frequently referenced, but focus on one type of game makes it quite incomplete
other big problem: Explorer type didn’t appear in later research, and suggested sub-factors of Explorer type (geographical exploration and analyzing game mechanics) were not correlated
Further Reading
The obligatory Wikipedia link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartle_taxonomy_of_player_types
Richard Bartle, 1996. “Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit Muds”. https://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm
Who plays, how much, and why? Debunking the stereotypical gamer profile (2008) https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/13/4/993/4583542?login=false