Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The Four Types of Players
In 1997, MUD developer Richard Bartle wrote a seminal article called “Hearts,
Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs” for the first issue of the
Journal
of Virtual Environments
(Bartle, 1997). He proposed that MUD players fall into
four categories depending on whether they enjoy either
acting on
(manipulating,
exploiting, or controlling) or
interacting with
(learning about and communicating
with) either the world or the other players (see
Figure 21.1
). Those who enjoy act-
ing on other players he dubbed Killers, or clubs; those who enjoy interacting with
other players he called Socializers, or hearts. Those who enjoy acting on the world
he described as Achievers, or diamonds; those who enjoy interacting with the
world he referred to as Explorers, or spades.
ENJOY ACTING
FIGURE 21.1
Richard Bartle's four
types of players
Killers
Achievers
WORLD-
ORIENTED
PLAYER-
ORIENTED
Socializers
Explorers
ENJOY INTERACTING
Bartle went on to claim that a healthy MUD community required a certain propor-
tion of each of these types of players and that adjusting the game design to attract
or discourage any given type of player would tend to influence the numbers of oth-
ers as well. In effect, a persistent world is a sort of ecology in which the players'
styles of play influence the balance of the population. Bartle drew his data from
personal observation rather than rigorous statistical analysis, so his conclusions can
certainly be questioned. Nevertheless, his grouping of player types proved to be use-
ful not only in the design of MUDs, but in graphical persistent worlds as well.
Creating an Avatar
Playing in persistent worlds is more than merely a form of gameplay; it's also a
form of expression. The first thing a player does when she joins a persistent world
is to create an avatar, or character who represents her in the game, one of the most
expressive things she can do. Chapter 5, “Creative and Expressive Play,” discusses
avatar creation at greater length.
