It’s not just about hardcore versus casual (and not to be confused about people getting hardcore about casual games). Researchers at Ghent University* responded to the latest generation of game technology (mmm, Nintendo Wii) by coming up with new labels for gamers based on player motivation. In the end, all of this research is to help game developers design games for different kinds of players.

Want to know what kind of gamer you are? Rate each of the following gaming motivations on a five-point scale (1 being low and 5 being high, obviously):

Enhance skills - “I play video games to enhance my skills.”

Pass-time – “Video games are mainly a pass-time for me.”

New worlds – “I play video games because they allow me to discover new unknown worlds.”

Arousal – “I play video games because of the arousal they bring.”

Indulge – “When I play video games, I can completely indulge myself.”

Competition – “When playing video games, I want to do better than the other players.”

Someone else – “I enjoy being someone else when playing video games.”

Social contact – “I play video games for the social contact with other players.”

Freedom – “I play video games because of the freedom they offer me.”

Challenge – “When gaming, I challenge myself to do better.”

Identity – “Gaming is a part of who I am.”

If you scored evenly in most categories with a high score in identity, then it’s time to admit that you’re a Fanboy. You play video games for a lot of reasons and aren’t afraid to wear your Metal Gear Solid t-shirt in public. In fact, you feel pretty darn spiffy since it’s a special edition shirt from last year’s E for All.

And guess what, you’re not alone. According to research based on a survey with 2,895 Flemish gamers, every one in three gamers is a Fanboy (or Fangirl). Of course, that’s out of those gamers who care enough about gaming to fill out a survey.

You own this chair.

If you scored highest in competition and challenge, followed evenly by indulge, arousal, and pass-time, you’re a Competer. You’re sitting on a beanbag chair right now yelling into your mic while playing Call of Duty 4 on Xbox Live. As you blast away, someone’s crying baby can be heard through their end, and after they razz you, you say, “Hey! Shut your baby up!”

“… Or get a bigger trailer.”

If you scored highest in freedom, someone else, and new worlds, then surprise, surprise! You’re an Escapist. Do you ever leave the World of Warcraft? Okay, okay, maybe you play Guild Wars or you’re desperate to try any new MMO even though you keep getting disappointed over and over again. Because as cool as it could’ve been to be a pirate and run your own ship, the game just didn’t match up with the potential of your imagination.

Note that, if you also had a high score in the social contact category, you probably spend a lot of time in WoW checking the Auction House as an excuse to hang out with your guild and use the game like a glorified chat box. That, or you’re often drunk while doing a run on a weekend night. I hope you’re not the healer.

Explore your way to a fun night.

And finally, if you had pretty mediocre scores overall but high in pass-time, you’re a Time-killer. Sure, video games are cool and all, but you’re more likely to play half-way through “Welcome Home” on Rock Band or turn on a game of NHL08 and drop it when something else comes up to do (like, say, go play a real game of hockey down at the community center). You’re not a “gamer,” gawd—at least not that you’ll admit to offline.

Okay, but maybe with clothes on.

So hey, what kind of gamer are YOU?

* Research is courtesy of Dimitri Schuurman, Katrien De Moor, Lieven De Marez, and Jan Van Looy in “Fanboys, Competers, Escapists and Time-killers: a Typology Based on Gamers’ Motivations for Playing Video Games.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 at 8:42 pm and is filed under Design, INSPIRATION. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.