In my previous post I explained what gamification is and what you need to keep in mind. The topic for today is going to be Richard Bartle’s Player Type model.
Bartle’s model
Richard Bartle (1999) classified players into 4 different categories, Killers, Achievers, Explorers and Socialites. Knowing which types of players you want to attract can help with the success of the gamification aspect.
Explorers
Explorers are players who do not care for the game on itself, but they prefer what they can do within the game. They prefer games where they can discover new things and learn about hidden elements. Explorers love to look around and find Easter eggs. These type of players pay attention to detail and are usually interested in background stories. When in a group, they profit off of others.
Achievers
Achievers are players who prefer scoring the most points, levels or other concrete things that will measure their success within the game. They prefer games where you can win, and will do their best to achieve 100%. Games where you can get extra’s by watching videos are much appreciated. Achievers like a chance to show off their skills and compete with others. Achievers love the so called leader boards and are focussed on winning special titles.
Multiplayer games are popular amongst achievers because that way they can learn from others and show off. When you can achieve something in a game, they will spend more time playing.
Keep in mind that a game where you can lose, is a game that achievers grow bored of very quickly. The tricky part of designing a game for achievers is to find a balance where players can both explore and win.
Socializers
Socializers play games to come into contact with others. They use their experience to talk with other players. Socializers love to play multiplayer games, which means that they love to play with people from all over the world. They play to create new relationships, whether this is friendship or an actual relationship does not matter. Usually multiplayers are prefered since the players love to work together with others.
Killers
Killers love to play competitive against other players. They rather play against real players than against a computer. Games with lots of blood, violence and destroying surroundings are a must. Killers love learning strategic moves of others and play with honour. However, some killers play to gain power by hurting others whilst other killers play for the social and economic side of the game.
Why use these player types?
Each player possesses the characteristics of multiple player types. After looking at which type of player the user belongs to, focus can be placed on the extensive motivation. Extensive motivation is people’s motivation for delivering a performance based on a promised reward.
In the next blog we will look at the final phase of designing a gamification method in which we will look at the gaming techniques.
