Videogames and Type

[Verfremdungseffekt]

Frankly, I think videogames belong in the art and entertainment section. Any expressive medium and all. Still, here we are.

There's a classification system called the Bartle Test; it serves to define what players look for in a videogame, and has been flipped around to describe what certain videogames have to offer (whether incidentally or by design). Considering this is essentially a measure of personal priorities, I'd not be too surprised to see a strong correlation with certain Bartle alignments and certain MBTI types (or at least temperaments).

Going by the theory, there are four essential types of gamers (which leads me to the temperament comparison):

Hearts - Socializers
Videogames are fundamentally an excuse or framework to spend time with people.
Potential archetypical game: Animal Crossing, Wii Sports

Diamonds - Achievers
Videogames are all about a feeling of accomplishment: beating that boss, building huge inventories, finishing every task, racking up tons of money or points.
Potential archetypical game: Gradius, Final Fantasy

Spades - Explorers
Videogames are all about visiting new places, trying out new theories, finding an alternate way of looking at life.
Potential archetypical game: Myst, Silent Hill II

Clubs - Killers
Videogames are all about showing how much more awesome you are than others.
Potential archetypical game: Street Fighter II, Halo

I'm being really sloppy and quick about this, but offhand I can see some possible correlation between Spades and NTs; Hearts and NFs; Diamonds and SPs; Clubs and SJs. Even if that's roughly true, of course, there's going to be a bunch of individual variation and nuance.

Significantly, this isn't so much about the particular games you like, but what you get out of the games you like. I am, for instance, a solid Spade -- yet I enjoy many fighting games to understand the theory behind them, and the at-times complex character interactions and storylines. The King of Fighters is excellent for this; it's the well that never runs dry. More hardcore players make fun of me because I can't stand to play fighting games competitively.

Likewise, I get a bunch of exploration out of scrolling shooters -- particularly horizontal ones like Gradius or R-Type, as they tend to present more of a journey than vertical ones.

So. To get to the point, it might be sort of interesting to state your type, give a brief list of your favorite games, and what you think your Bartle type tends toward. That is, what is it that you get out of these games? We'll see if any trends show up.

As for me:

I'm an INTP. My favorite games include Riven, the first two Zelda games, Simon's Quest, Silent Hill II, OutRun, Phantasy Star II, Shenmue, Metroid II, Half-Life 2, Asteroids, and recently Mirror's Edge.

My interest tends to lie in some study of cause and effect with the game's environment, and the way this plays on the player's psychology to create certain mental models of the world. Which, again, would place me pretty solidly in the Spade camp...

 

[527468]

Here are my results from a quiz I took at www.gamerdna.com (beware, the questions are page by page, and it loads rather slowly):

Not sure why socialization is so high up there. Perhaps it's because I think people are just entertaining in general.

 

[TenebrousReflection]

INFp

Results from Gamer DNA
E: 87%
S: 53%
A: 33%
K: 27%

Depending on my mood when I take the test, S and A can shift spots, but E is pretty much always the top result and K is at usually in the bottom 2.

My favorite type of games are turn based strategy and role playing games, and I prefer stuff that combines the two like suikoden, and final fantasy tactics. While not quite a hybrid RPG/Strategy game, the Heroes of Might and Magic and Disciples series are also among my favorite games because the combine story line and strategy very well.

One thing I really miss in modern RPGs is the lack of large complex dungeons - Phantasy Star 2 is a good example of that on the console side and Wizardry: Crusaders of the Dark Savant is an example of a truly great game on the PC side for dungeon design, and the Might and Magic series also had some pretty good dungeons. As great as Baldurs Gate and NWN are, their dungeon/exploration aspects are lacking in comparrison to the games of the 80s and early 90s.

The things that matter most to me are story line (Baldur's Gate), atmosphere (Deus Ex and BioShock), likable or at least interesting characters (Suikoden), depth of gameplay (Master of Magic and Master of Orion), large world to explore (Ultima and Wizardry), challenge (Heroes of Might and Magic III) and versatility of ways to approach the game (Most MMORPGs) (in roughly that order).

 

[527468]

So far, I'd guess there is a subtle MBTI correlation for "game type."

A=T
K=S
S=E
E=P

So my game type would be ESTJ.

It's fun, and somewhat pointless, to find out your game type.

 

[Jeremy]

I am a Socializer-Explorer (same percentages).

 

[DigitalMethod]

Explorer: 87%
Socializer: 53%
Achiever: 47%
Killer: 13%

I enjoy FPS, RPG, RTS, and MMORPG

Except I don't like any MMORPGs presently.
SWG was the best, until the NGE.

 

[Atomic Fiend]

Explorer: 100%
Socializer: 47%
Killer: 40%
Achiever: 13%

"No stone unturned!" Description:

It's not so much the wandering around and poking about, but that euphoric eureka moment the Explorer strives for. The joys of discovery do not necessarily involve geography, real or virtual. They may derive from the mental road less traveled, the uncovering of esoteric or hidden knowledge and it's creative application. Explorers make great theory crafters. The most infinitesimal bit of newness can deliver the most delicious zing to an Explorer.
Secondary influences

* Explorer Killers enjoy seeing the world, meeting interesting people...and killing them. EKs love all discovery, but finding an edge over the competition is best. Always seeking new opportunity, an EK likely knows the ten best places to find certain types of opponents, as well as ten different ways for taking them down.
* Explorer Achievers have been there, done that and have the t-shirt...in fact they have a plethora of t-shirts, badges, trophies and other rewards. EAs are the completionists of the gamer world. They like to find new places, quests, easter eggs, unlocks, maps etc. and check them off as have, visited or beaten. Like real world travelers, EAs enjoy collecting memorabilia that helps them relive their experiences later.
* Explorer Socializers are the glue of the online world. Not only do they like to delve in to find all the cool stuff, but they also enjoy sharing that knowledge with others. Explorer socializers power the wikis, maps, forums and theory craft sites of the gamer world.

 

[Doppleganger]

Achiever: 67%
Explorer: 60%
Socializer: 53%
Killer: 20%

 

[Eagle]

Those are my results.. I honestly think that I am a Diamond>Heart>Club>Explorer overall.
My game play changes of course based on which type of game I'm playing and what my ultimate goal is in playing. Honestly well built and interactive RPGs are my favorite in a sense. I like interacting, but MMORPG I think might be my preference (even though I don't play that much) because it has real people to interact with. I don't care to much whether the RPG is FPS or not. RTS games are OK and interest me, but again, no social interaction.

 

[Moiety]

I think type correlation is tricky because games are all about fantasy fulfillment.

As for me:

I'm an INTP. My favorite games include Riven, the first two Zelda games, Simon's Quest, Silent Hill II, OutRun, Phantasy Star II, Shenmue, Metroid II, Half-Life 2, Asteroids, and recently Mirror's Edge.

I think I might like you. Huge Riven fan here.


Took the GamerDNA test :

E 87%
A 53%
S 40%
K 27%

The test was MMORPG biased, a genre I don't play (played WOW's trial and that's it) and don't usually like because it often feels too gimmicky and uninteresting.



Personally, what fascinates me about games first and foremost is the game world and story and mythos. That's why I tend to be drawn to games with extensive backstory and original aesthetics (real life settings don't usually interest me).





I'm an ENFP. Some of my favorite games : Panzer Dragoon series, Myst series, Legacy of Kain series, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Rez, Tomb Raider , Halo , KOTOR, NiGHTs Into Dreams etc etc

 

[Verfremdungseffekt]

Yeah, it's looking like type connections are pretty tenuous.

I wouldn't say videogames are entirely a fantasy thing, though that does enter into it. Individual appeal may just be too complex an issue to break down. You know, a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous.

 

[Athenian200]

I'm apparently an Explorer.

EASK

93-60-46-0

+Reward-Driven
+Thoughtful
+Exploratory
-Physical
-Competitive
-Friend-Oriented

 

[527468]

Everyone is an explorer? What is up with that? I'm definitely not the explorative. Maybe it's my imagination doing all the exploring.

 

[Verfremdungseffekt]

Maybe that says something about the people attracted to a forum like this.

 

[ed111]

Explorer Achievers have been there, done that and have the t-shirt...in fact they have a plethora of t-shirts, badges, trophies and other rewards. EAs are the completionists of the gamer world. They like to find new places, quests, easter eggs, unlocks, maps etc. and check them off as have, visited or beaten. Like real world travelers, EAs enjoy collecting memorabilia that helps them relive their experiences later.

 

[lane777]

Favourite games are Left 4 Dead, Age of Empires, Unreal Tournament and the Super Mario games. I've also played a lot of Halo, Thief, Balder's Gate and Rollercoaster Tycoon.

 

[Quinlan]

My favourite games are Spore and the Total War series, Spore satisfies my creative ISFPness and total war satisfies my power hungry ENTJ shadow.

 

[chris1207]

60 explorer, 60 socializer, 53 achiever, 27 killer

Sounds about right.

Zelda Majora's Mask, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, Resident Evil 4, Donkey Kong Country, Grand Theft Auto IV, Mario Kart DD/DS/Wii, Splinter Cell Series

The Explorer motto: "No stone unturned!" Description:

It's not so much the wandering around and poking about, but that euphoric eureka moment the Explorer strives for. The joys of discovery do not necessarily involve geography, real or virtual. They may derive from the mental road less traveled, the uncovering of esoteric or hidden knowledge and it's creative application. Explorers make great theory crafters. The most infinitesimal bit of newness can deliver the most delicious zing to an Explorer.

Explorer Socializers are the glue of the online world. Not only do they like to delve in to find all the cool stuff, but they also enjoy sharing that knowledge with others. Explorer socializers power the wikis, maps, forums and theory craft sites of the gamer world.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Maybe that says something about the people attracted to a forum like this.

One principal for human socialization is that likes attract. The reason why a lot of "explorer" types are here is because when the site started that fit the personality of a lot of the original members. "Explorer" is by far the most common classification of INTP's, and this site began with a very heavy influence from INTPc.

 

[swordpath]

I'd fall into the Club category.