Bartle Player Types: Introduction and Overview
Marco Louters
February 1, 2022 | 7 minute read
Marco Louters
February 1, 2022 | 7 minute read
The Bartle Player Types model is a populair guideline for thinking strategically about games and gamification. Not everyone wants the same thing. What do Achievers want to achieve? What are Explorers looking for? What do Socializers like to see? And what are those Killers doing there in the shadows?
“Recognise that people are wired very differently.” This is a fundamental thought that Ray Dalio puts forward in his work and communications.
The Bartle Player Types are a good example of this. In a game, not everyone finds the same elements interesting. In fact, different people play games for very different reasons.
Personally, I find this a very interesting subject.
How do different people view the world? Studies like this help us understand each other.
The same goes for personality types, leisure and hospitality lifestyles, and our own experience types (developed internally at Questlog, based on our own research). I would love to see if connections could eventually be made between these different studies.
But I digress…
In this article we will introduce four player types, to keep in mind when designing a gamification system, or Quest in Questlog.
What does each type like? What does not interest them at all?
We’ll start our exploration at the beginning; what is the origin of the types? We’ll then look at the underlying areas of interest, the types individually, and close off with some tips on how the types can best be used.
1. Origin of the Bartle Player Types
Who is Richard Bartle? 👤
Richard Bartle, born in 1960, is a British writer, game designer, professor at the University of Essex, and game researcher in the MMO gaming industry.
Ove the years, he has published some very interesting findings, including his research paper: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players who suit MUDs (1996), which we’ll discuss in this blogpost for the most part.
As a follow-up to the article above, he published the book Designing Virtual Worlds in 2003. We will also be discussing this in the future.
What heated discussions can lead to… 😅
For seven months, from November 1989 to May 1990, there was a heated discussion on the forums between very experienced players of a certain MUD.
Side note: MUD stands for multi-user dungeon and was a text-based online game. A MUD had no graphics. So, no pictures. It was not yet 2022.
The discussion revolved around the question: “What do people want from a MUD?“
Hundreds of lists were posted; about what players liked, what they didn’t like, why they played, and the changes they would like to see to ‘improve’ the game.
At the end of the discussion, when finally no new things were being said, it was Richard Bartle’s job, as senior administrator, to summarise it all…
He saw a pattern emerging.
People often liked the same kind of things. Opinions could be divided into four sub-groups, witch each group having its own general preference.
2. The four Player Types
Achievers ♦️ Explorers ♠️ Socializers ♥️ Killers ♣️
The Bartle Player Types can be best prepresented by the graph below. On it we find Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, and Killers.
The axes of the graph illustrate the source of interest.
Achievers want to do things in the game world; action from them to the world. Explorers find it interesting when the game surprises them; interaction with the world. Socializers are looking for interaction with other players. Finally, Killers are interested in action from them to other players.
Of course, the quadrants do blend into each other. Players will often move back and forth between all four, depending on their current mood and playstyle.
Yet, it seems that every player does have a primary style.
So: general preference, but with overlap.
Achievers 🏆
What is a game all about? Gaining points, rising in levels, collecting achievements, and completing a set. All bars filled. Everything at 100%. Having the best items.
Achievers want better and more. It’s about mastery and completeness. This is greater than exploring, socializing, and fighting. The overall numbers are the most important thing.
Achievers say things like:
“I’m busy.”
“Sure, I’ll help you. What do I get?”
“So how do you kill the dragon, then?”
“Only 4.211 points to go!”
Explorers 🤠
What is a game all about? Knowing all the ins and outs, making the unknown known, gaining achievements that others cannot, discovering hidden places, and finding bugs in the system.
Explorers enjoy having knowledge of the game that no one else has. They are the ultimate insiders and can wander around for hours looking for hidden mysteries.
Explorers say things like:
“Hmm…”
“You mean you don’t know the shortest route from [A] to [B]?”
“I haven’t tried that one, what’s it do?”
“Why is it that if you carry the uranium you get radiation sickness, and if you put it in a bag you still get it, but if you put it in a bag and drop it then wait 20 second and pick it up again, you don’t?”
Socializers 💬
What is a game all about? Connecting with other players, having a nice chat with each other and occasionally working together to complete a quest.
The game is just background.
Socializers mainly want to be in contact with other players, empathize with people, make jokes, listen, and help where possible. The interaction with the game content itself is less important.
Socializers say things like:
“Hi!”
“Yeah, well, I’m having trouble with my boyfriend.”
“What happened? I missed it, I was talking.”
“Really? Oh no! Gee, that’s terrible! Are you sure? Awful, just awful!”
Killers 💀
What is a game all about? Dominating. Creating chaos. Making other players cry. It’s not just about winning… It’s about winning so big that others are left completely destroyed.
Killers want to see the (gaming) world burn. They want to be powerful; so powerful that others don’t stand a chance. They will do whatever it takes to get there. If cheating is a way…
Killers say things like:
“Ha!”
“Coward!”
“Die!”
“Die! Die! Die!”
3. Application in Gamification
No rules, but guidelines 🚷
For years, the research above was the only one of its kind.
It is good to remember where the research came from; MUDs, the precursors to MMOs. The Player Types are specifically focused on these particulair games, not gamification.
And gamification is not the same as game design.
And yet, the Bartle Player Types are still often used in designing gamification systems, despite the many variations that have come out of follow-up research over the years, including Bartle himself with 8 new types.
The model is imply… simple, and easy to use. There is also definitely certain overlap between games and gamification. But model is not foolproof.
This is feedback from the market, but also from Richard Bartle himself.
In 2012, he gave a presentation in which he further addressed this. How can the types best be used? And how are they often misued? It is an interesting presentation. It might be fun to listen to while running or driving in traffic.
The player types are a reminder. You design for people.
The main value of this model is to raise awareness of the fact that different people like different things.
Almost all models that have come out in recent years are very similar in essence to the Bartle Player Types. So there is of course a great deal of truth in this.
But they are not rules; they are guidelines.
As Bartle says: “No model is the ultimate solution. Think of it as a useful starting point for thinking strategically about what motivates your players.“
Followed up with: “I don’t care what you think, as long as you think.“
You may also like…
Bartle Player Types: The 7 most common mistakes
The Bartle Player Types are sometimes misunderstood and used wrong. 😳 It is probably not even meant for your project.. 🥺 That doesn’t mean you couldn’t use the model. 🙃
Bartle Player Types: Killers
💀 Killers force themselves on others. They often attack other players, with the intention of killing their character. 🔪
Bartle Player Types: Socializers
💬 Socializers want to form beautiful, colourful, lasting relationships with other players. 🌸 The game itself is just background.
Bartle Player Types: Explorers
🤠 Explorers are vaults of knowledge about the game and what is possible. 🏕️ They see possibilities beyond your imagination. 🛤️
Bartle Player Types: The 7 most common mistakes
The Bartle Player Types are sometimes misunderstood and used wrong. 😳 It is probably not even meant for your project.. 🥺 That doesn’t mean you couldn’t use the model. 🙃
Bartle Player Types: Killers
💀 Killers force themselves on others. They often attack other players, with the intention of killing their character. 🔪
Bartle Player Types: Socializers
💬 Socializers want to form beautiful, colourful, lasting relationships with other players. 🌸 The game itself is just background.
Bartle Player Types: Explorers
🤠 Explorers are vaults of knowledge about the game and what is possible. 🏕️ They see possibilities beyond your imagination. 🛤️
Bartle Player Types: Achievers
🏆 Achievers can be real die-hards. In a game, it’s about constant progression and mastery. Completing lists. ✅