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Gamification-specific player typology for non-game contexts

Core Idea: The Hexad User Types framework, developed by Andrzej Marczewski, identifies six distinct player types based on their motivations in gamified systems, expanding on Bartle's Player Types to better address non-game contexts and intrinsic/extrinsic motivational differences.

Key Elements

The Six User Types

Philanthropists

• Primary Motivation: Purpose and meaning
• Driven By: Altruism and giving to others without expectation of reward
• Core Need: Relatedness
• Design Elements: Knowledge sharing, gifting, meaningful tasks, administrative roles
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Epic Meaning & Calling

Socializers

• Primary Motivation: Relatedness and social connection
• Driven By: Social interactions and relationships with others
• Core Need: Relatedness
• Design Elements: Teams, social networks, social discovery, social pressure
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Social Influence & Relatedness

Free Spirits

• Primary Motivation: Autonomy and self-expression
• Driven By: Freedom to explore and create without external control
• Core Need: Autonomy
• Design Elements: Exploration, nonlinear gameplay, Easter eggs, creativity tools
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Empowerment of Creativity, Unpredictability & Curiosity

Achievers

• Primary Motivation: Competence and mastery
• Driven By: Self-improvement and skill development
• Core Need: Competence
• Design Elements: Challenges, certificates, learning new skills, quests
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Development & Accomplishment

Players

• Primary Motivation: Extrinsic rewards
• Driven By: Collection of rewards and system recognition
• Core Need: External validation and incentives
• Design Elements: Points, badges, leaderboards, prizes, rewards
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Ownership & Possession, Scarcity & Impatience

Disruptors

• Primary Motivation: Change and disruption
• Driven By: Triggering positive or negative change in the system
• Core Need: Autonomy or power
• Design Elements: Innovation platforms, voting mechanisms, development tools
• Related Core Drives of Gamification: Empowerment of Creativity (positive), Loss & Avoidance (negative)

Research Applications

• HEXAD Scale: Validated questionnaire to identify user type tendencies
• User Type Distribution: Most users exhibit multiple type characteristics
• Cultural Differences: Research shows variation in type distribution across cultures
• Personalization: Used to tailor gamified experiences to individual motivations

Implementation Strategy

1. Identify dominant user types in target audience through questionnaires
2. Design core features addressing primary user types' motivations
3. Include secondary features for additional user types
4. Create balanced systems with elements appealing to all user types
5. Monitor engagement patterns and refine for specific user segments

Additional Connections

• Broader Context: Motivation Theory (foundational principles)
• Applications: Personalized Gamification (practical implementation)
• See Also: Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation (complementary framework)

References

1. Marczewski, A. "Even Ninja Monkeys Like to Play: Gamification, Game Thinking & Motivational Design." Gamified UK, 2015.
2. Tondello, G.F., et al. "The Gamification User Types Hexad Scale." Proceedings of the 2016 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play, 2016.
3. Chou, Yu-kai. "Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards." Octalysis Media, 2015.

#gamification #user-types #motivation #personalization #game-design

Connections:

Sources:

• From: Chou-Actionable Gamification