Different Types of Gamers: Which Are You?

Long, long ago, way back in the mid 1990's, when most games were pages of text scrolling past at a furious rate, The Bartle Test was released and distributed to BBS's and fledgling web sites around the world. This test proposed that most gamers fell into one of four categories: the achiever, the explorer, the socializer, and the killer.

Achievers are one of the more common types of player. They strive for high scores, experience points, equipment with great stats, and/or money. In short, they're the power-levelers of the gaming world and they're 'in it to win it'.

Explorers are just as common as the achiever if not more so. These are the people looking to see the next area. They may also know every aspect of the game -- how to complete quests, where to find certain pieces of equipment, etc. As graphics become more appealing, this path is gaining in popularity.

The socializer is mostly found in online games. They thrive on social interaction with other players. They're often guild leaders and prominent on the game's forums and in chat channels.

Killers also depend on the presence of other players but their purpose is the complete opposite. These are the PvPers of the world and their intent is to get as many kills as possible under their belt. On the surface, they may seem to be the 'bad' players but computer AI is repetitive and patterns can be easily learned. Defeating a human player is far more challenging.

The Bartle Test was primarily aimed at those who played MUDs but the four categories still apply and many game designers still keep them in mind when balancing their games. However, when The Sims became popular, a fifth category of player came into being. The builder or creator couldn't really survive in previous games except as a game designer or area builder. These days, players of The Sims, Second Life, There, and other games construct elaborate homes, furniture, neighborhoods, clothing, and more for the rest of the community.

Most people are a mix of these gameplay styles but there's almost always one or two dominant styles and it tends to affect the genres they play. Killers lean toward shooters like Quake or Counterstrike. Somebody who's a mix of achiever and socializer is perfect for a MMORPG where groups of players are needed to defeat dungeons and select enemies.

As games develop, will new categories of players emerge like the builder did? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.