Understanding Games and Gamers

ISBN: 978-981-14-2908-8

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 Understanding Games and Gamers
ISBN: 978-981-14-2908-8

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior
written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and
certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
ISBN: 978-981-14-2908-8
Copyright © 2019 SOOS OIO LLP
https://soos-oio.com/

By Pauline Phoon and Ruth Lim

Book Design: JASONYOLT

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 Understanding Games and Gamers
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................... 3
Reviews ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Preface ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Understanding Games....................................................................................................................... 7
Video Game Platforms ..................................................................................................................... 7
Key Elements of a Game.................................................................................................................. 8
The Flow ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Game Genre ................................................................................................................................... 11
Understanding Gamers: Player Types Models............................................................................. 13
Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types .................................................................................................. 13
DGD1 Player Types ........................................................................................................................ 15
DGD1 Type 1: Conqueror ........................................................................................................... 16
DGD1 Type 2: Manager .............................................................................................................. 17
DGD1 TYPE 3: Wanderer ........................................................................................................... 18
TYPE 4: Participant ..................................................................................................................... 19
Game Addiction................................................................................................................................ 20
Pre-disposition to Addiction ............................................................................................................ 21
Introversion – A Common Trait Among Gamers ........................................................................ 21
High Engagement versus Addiction ............................................................................................... 22
Reaching Out to Gamers ................................................................................................................. 23
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 23
References ........................................................................................................................................ 24

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Reviews

This booklet is a good guide for anyone to understand why some games appeal to some gamers, more than
others. It can also inform us on what types of games, online or otherwise, can be suitably introduced to young
people. At the end of the day, games are meant to be fun. This guide can be useful for parents and adults who
wish to play a part in helping young people play safely and learn from games in the way they best learn.

Nicholas Gabriel Lim

Registered Psychologist

When I first heard Pauline Phoon give a presentation on a panel on gaming and gamers, and how she found
creative ways to engage with “lone gamers”, I determined to meet up with her to understand her drive and
passion for gamers and the impact of gaming on our children and youth! We struck off a friendship almost
immediately!

I have been involved in the field of addictions since the late 1970s and more intensely for 21 years as the
former Executive Director of Teen Challenge (Singapore), working with individuals recovering from various
substance addictions as well as behavioural addictions. While I have studied the psychological and global
impact of technology on the brain and behaviour and also worked with children and youth involved with heavy
internet and gaming engagement, I am not a gamer myself nor have I worked with or counselled an “addicted”
gamer. So, this booklet is an amazing resource for me in my practice.

This booklet will give a basis and framework of understanding to youth workers, religious leaders, teachers,
and parents who have struggled with the millennial generation and also young millennial parents who may be
struggling with Gen Z to have a working understanding of the psychology behind game creation and with the
accompanying Games and Gamer Chart – to understand the possible personality types that their children and
youth may be inclined towards! What stood out for me was the topic on introversion and how game designers
tend to target introverts as well as the differentiation between high engagement and addiction. It gives a simple
description but sufficient to put the reader in the correct direction for further exploration and research.

I highly recommend this unique and special booklet as an empowering tool for gamers themselves to be
“informed” users and as useful information for parents, teachers and professionals to have a basic introduction
about games and gamers!

Rev Sam Kuna

Dean, School of Counseling, TCA College
President, Singapore Association for Counselling
Board of Directors, Asia Pacific Certification Board (for Addiction Counselors)
Adviser, Association for Christian Counsellors (Singapore)

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Preface

The first video game I ever played was PacMan on my cousin’s Macintosh as a clueless small kid. My much
older cousin had to hold my tiny hands to help me with the control. That was fun and I played quite a number
of games until I was not as fun as playing it himself! As a teenager, I was an arcade games junkie but
interestingly I did not transit to other forms of gaming. Games have gone through much evolution. I personally
took quite a bit of time to understand video games again when esports became the up and coming thing. The
sheer quantity and variety of games available in the market is rather overwhelming for me being out of touch
for a while.

Instead of trying to make sense out of the sea of games available, understanding some basic principles and
theories of game design provided a framework for me. Through this, I have a macro view and structure to
navigate through games. Yet, I am fully aware that each game title, especially the established ones, has
created their own game world that has its unique culture within the gamers.

This booklet started out as my own personal notes in my research and reading. It eventually became a
reference point for some of our programme design for gamers. It took a while to make the decision to get this
organized, edited, designed and distributed. The objective of sharing this is in hope that it can help someone,
especially parents, teachers and adults who are dear to the gamers, to understand games and gamers a little
better. I consider this my first step into understanding games and gamers as I am still constantly learning new
things in my interaction with them. This process has been interesting and enriching for me and I hope it will be
the same for you.

In my wildest dreams I never expect to publish a booklet about games and gamers. All glory to Jesus Christ
my Lord!

Pauline Phoon

I am really passionate about video games and played my first video game Ladder Man on MS-DOS at the age
of three. With all the video game consoles available to me, I managed to complete at least three hundred game
titles up till now. My interest in games got me to try anything that relates to it, such as achieving a diploma in
game development, participating in focus-group game testing, playing competitively as a gamer and currently
coaching teams as an esports coach. With my experience in games and knowledge in game design, it is almost
second nature to understand how each game works and why it can be fun to various players.

After explaining to many non-gamers about games and how each gamer can be so different, I realised that I
could use my knowledge and experience in games to help non-gamers understand games and gamers better
by defining what a game is and its core components. This way, I can quickly identify the key characteristic of
each game.

Initially, I was explaining each game title verbally and realised that it was not effective in sharing how games
worked. That was when the decision to have a booklet with consolidated information came about. With this
booklet, it acts as a cheat sheet for anyone who wishes to understand games and gamers. There are still many
games that I have not experienced, and I look forward to breaking them down. It has been fun and challenging
for me to encounter games and I hope that you would have the same experience.

Ruth Lim

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Introduction

Games have always been a part of life. Some of us grew up with five stones, hopscotch, and board games in
Singapore, and many other games have provided entertainment and fun for young and old. With the
advancement of technology, digital and more complex games have been created over time. We now have
thousands of games available to us through our electronic devices. Games are here to stay and will continue
to grow with cutting-edge technology.

While gamers are typically excited about new developments in gaming, there is often a gap between gamers
and non-gamers, including many parents. It is common to hear parents lament about why their child is
spending so much time gaming, and not focusing on other aspects of life. Many gamers who do not know how
to explain their passion for gaming to others become resigned to feeling like non-gamers would never
understand. In this little booklet, we hope to bridge this gap.

Firstly, this booklet seeks to explain why games are so attractive, which is inherent in their design. Just like
how the chemical makeup of heroin makes it a highly addictive drug, the makeup of a game is key to its draw.
Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is administered in the hospitals and yet patients do not become drug
addicts when discharged. Even though the chemical makeup of heroin is a cause, yet we understand that not
everyone has the same tolerance to the drug due to other psychosocial factors. This is the same for games
too. To understand gamers, we need to understand games.

Game design uses applied psychology – similarly used in the creation of many products and services, such
as fashion, advertising, and consumer goods – to create games for targeted audiences and to keep players
interested and engaged in those games. Through understanding the effect of game design on different
personality types, players can develop greater awareness and thus better control over their decisions and
actions during a game play.

For easy reference, a chart titled “Game Titles and Gamer Types” (in a separate PDF document) has been
put together to organize and summarize the discussion in this booklet to a cheat sheet according to the popular
game titles that are available in the market now. Due to the plethora of game titles available in the market,
along with the high frequency of new releases, we are only able to capture popular game titles in the chart.

Secondly, we will compare the commonly known personality types as put forth by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI) and Keirsey Temperaments1, with popular gamer types models Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types and
DGD1 Player Types, for a better understanding of gamers.

We hope that the information, theories and models presented in this booklet will provide a simple framework
to understand games and gamers.

1We will not go into details of these personality types in this booklet. You can read more about them at
https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/home.htm?bhcp=1 and https://www.keirsey.com.

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Understanding Games

Video Game Platforms

Video game platforms have evolved with technology over the years. The evolution first started with arcade
games, and then evolved into console, personal computer and mobile games. Three game platforms demand
our attention due to their current popularity. We have listed three game platforms in ranking order of popularity,
according to worldwide revenue in the first quarter of 2018 (refer to figure 1 and 2):

1. Mobile -- includes Smartphone Games and Tablet Games

2. Console -- Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo
3. Personal Computer (PC)

[Side note: console games are generally not as popular in Asia as compared to United States or Europe due
to reasons like higher cost and fewer variety of games compared to PC games. In Singapore, a majority of
gamers also play PC and mobile.]

Figure 1: Games Market Revenue

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Figure 2: 2018 Global Games Market

The PC is one of the main platforms used by Singaporean gamers for the following reasons:
1. Price - The prices of PC games are kept competitive because of digital distribution through platforms
like Steam and Origin. Steam, who is both a game publisher and developer, is popular with gamers.
Steam has a unique feature of trading in-game collectable items for games or credits. These credits
can be used to purchase games.
2. Selection – PC’s affordances to play graphics-intensive games and wide variety of controls enables
console games to be available on PC. PC-versions of mobile games and emulators allow mobile
games to be played on the PC and some games allow gamers to play across platforms. Other than
keyboard and mouse, gamers can connect game controllers such as the PlayStation or Xbox
controllers and even arcade joystick and buttons (coined as “fight stick”) to play their games on the
PC.

Mobile
The mobile penetration rate in Singapore as of May 2019 is 154.1%.2 This means than each Singaporean on
the average owns about 1.5 mobile phones. With such high penetration rate, mobile games are accessible to
almost every Singaporean. Mobile games generally have shorter game plays, which lower the barrier of entry
for most mobile users. Mobile games are popular for users to pass time while on the go. It is a common scene
to see both young and old playing mobile games to pass the time or while commuting in Singapore.

Key Elements of a Game

Every game consists of four key elements. The four key elements are: (i) Goal, (ii) Side Quests, (iii) Rules
and (iv) Resources.

2https://data.gov.sg/dataset/mobile-penetration-rateiI. Definition of mobile penetration rate from Wikipedia: Mobile phone

penetration rate, is often used to mean the number of active mobile phone users per 100 people within a specific
population, which is technically not a penetration rate as it does not account for users having multiple mobile phones and
hence can exceed 100% due to double counting.

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1. Goal refers to the main objective of the game. It could be the condition for victory or the “dream” in a game.
These goals provide intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to the players, such as knowledge and bragging rights, and
keeping the players motivated and “hooked” to the game. As complex as some games seem, they all have a
goal. Below is a table that shows how games in the same genre have similar goals.

Goal Genre Titles

SURVIVAL – Be the last player alive.
CAPTURE - Destroy the opponent’s
main structure
TERRITORIAL CONTROL – gain
control of specific areas
EXPLORE – explore game areas
and progress through the story
combined with completing a set of
tasks
Battle Royale
Multiplayer Online Battle Arena
(MOBA)
First Person Shooter (FPS)
Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO),
Action-Adventure
Fortnight, PlayerUnknown’s
Battlegrounds (PUBG), Rules of
Survival (ROS)
League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2,
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
(ML:BB), Arena of Valor (AOV)
Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global
Offensive (CS:GO)
World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Roblox,
Grand Theft Auto V

2. Side Quests are secondary goals that are optional and do not contribute to the achievement of the game
goal. Sometimes, these side quests are self-created by players in order to increase the challenge in the game,
or to differentiate themselves from the other players.

Examples of such side quests are:

• Checkmating the opponent in the least number of moves in Chess
• Obtaining the Hearthsteed mount (a type of horse) in World of Warcraft
• Getting the highest number of kills in MOBA games like DOTA 2

3. Rules define the dos and don’ts in the game. They determine what actions are allowed or not allowed,
presents the challenges, and provide meaning to the activities and events in the game. For example, in the
popular game Pokémon Go, one of the rules is that a player cannot catch pokémons of other players. This
means that a player must find his/her own wild pokémons and train them making the game more challenging.

Familiarising oneself with the rules of the game helps the player gauge the difficulty of the game and identify
potential challenges. Some examples of game rules are:
• Pawns cannot move backwards in Chess
• Players take damage over time by staying outside the blue circle of the map in PUBG
• Outer structures have to be destroyed before destroying the main structure in MOBA

4. Resource is a priority that players seek to obtain in every game. Anything in a game that affects the
character’s attributes or its progression in the game is considered a resource. They can be items available in
the game that are made valuable due to their scarcity and utility, as they usually helps the player achieve their
goals. Examples of in-game items are first-aid kits, weapons, ammunition, and key items needed to access
certain restricted places in the game map. A resource can also be a place in the game, e.g. a fountain that
heals the players over a period of time.

For example, the first-aid kit in many games has a special significance to players due to its ability to provide
health. This rule makes the first-aid kit a resource to players. It is also not common to find first-aid kits in most
games with restrictions on the number of first-aid kits a player can carry. This further increases the value of
the first-aid kit as a resource.

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The Flow
Games are designed to bring players into the state of ‘flow’, or more commonly known as being ‘in the zone’.
Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi named the concept of ‘flow’ in 1975 although it is a concept that has
been known for thousands of years. 3 Psychology defines ‘flow’ as a person’s mental state when he or she is
fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in an activity. ‘Flow’ happens
when a person is completely engrossed in what he or she is doing, losing track of time and awareness of their
surroundings. ‘Flow’ does not apply only to gamers, but any person engaged in a task. Readers can be similarly
engrossed in their book that they get lost in time; parents are likewise familiar with scenarios where children
become lost in watching shows and do not respond to calls for dinner.

So how does games design draw gamers into the ‘flow’ when playing? It is a delicate balance between the
skill of the player and the challenge of the game. When the challenge of the game is beyond the skill of the
player, the player is not able to play the game well, inhibiting the process of getting into the ‘flow’. When the
challenge of the game is too simple for a skillful player, the player loses interest and ‘flow’ is lost. The level of
challenge of a game increases as the player gains more skill as well, and this keeps a player within the ‘flow’,
rendering it hard for a player to stop the game. To keep players in the game, most games are designed to offer
small rewards over small amount of time, and in high frequency, to keep the ‘flow’ going.

3 Read more: https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/

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Game Genre
There are many video games available in the market, whether on PC, console or mobile platforms. They are
classified into different game genres and sub-genres, presented in the table below. There are also instances
where different genres are combined. As new games develop, the lines between genres can be blurred as
game designers merge genres to increase games’ attractiveness to players. For a more complete list of game
titles and genre, please refer to the “Games and Gamers Chart”.

Game Genre Sub-Genre and Description

Action Player controls a character to overcome challenges such as races, puzzles,
collecting objects. Eg: Angry Birds, Super Mario
• Battle Royale - To be the last surviving player by shooting opponents and/or
hiding Eg: PUBG, Fortnite, Apex Legends
• Fighting - Defeat an opponent with close combat Eg: Mortal Kombat, Street
Fighter
• FPS (First-Person Shooter) - To shoot opponents and accomplish
objectives with the character’s point of view without dying Eg: Overwatch,
Counterstrike
• Physics Puzzler - Player controls a character/avatar to overcome puzzle
challenges Eg: Half Life 2, Portal 2
• Rhythm Action - Complete a sequence of actions (dance, press buttons)
according to the rhythm which scores points Eg: Dance Central, Taiko: Drum
Master
Adventure Player progresses through an interactive story by controlling the protagonist and
performing exploration/puzzle-solving Eg: Minecraft, Syberia
• Survival Horror - Hybrid of Action and Adventure with horror fiction Eg:
Outlast, Resident Evil
FPS-CRPG (hybrid) CRPG with a character’s point of view as the screen. Eg: Minecraft, Bioshock:
Infinite
• Flight Simulator - Player experience the perspective of the pilot and flies
the plane usually with realistic physics Simulation - Game imitates an
aspect of a real-life situation and the player takes up the role of “God” to
control the situation or control the object’s (e.g. pilot, goat, ant) actions via its
point of view. Eg: Falcon 4.0, Microsoft Flight Simulator
MMO Many players on a game server which allows the players to cooperate and
(Massively Multiplayer compete. Eg: Roblox, World of Warcraft
Online) • Music - Rhythm action games with high scores of all the players in the game
server. Eg: Audition Online, Guitar Hero
• Online Gambling - Gambling games (poker, sports betting) against other
players for points and achievements. Eg: Online Casino, Zynga Poker
• Social - A virtual game world where player can interact with other players
with minimal and/or simple objectives Eg: FarmVille, Mafia Wars
RPG Player grows character(s)’ power and abilities to solve puzzles, engage in
(Role-Playing Games) combat and explore the narrative game world Eg: Diablo series, Final Fantasy series
• CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Games) - RPG played on the computer Eg:
Diablo series, The Witcher series
• MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) - Hybrid
of MMO’s social interaction between players in a game world and RPG’s
game characteristics Eg: MapleStory, Final Fantasy XIV
• Open-world CRPG - Player can roam a game world and interact with
objects freely Eg: Fallout series, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Sports Emulation of traditional physical with additional elements of strategy (in-game
athlete’s: training, formation, stats, trade) Eg: FIFA 18, NBA 2K

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Game Genre Sub-Genre and Description

Strategy Usually in a war context, player manages resources (Gold, Manpower,
Structures) to defeat the opponent by destroying their main structure.
• Turn-based Strategy - Players take turns to perform actions (e.g. chess)
Eg: Civilisation series, XCOM series
• RTS (Real-time Strategy) - Players perform actions simultaneously Eg: Age
of Empires, StarCraft II
• MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) - Instead of controlling all units in
RTS, player controls a single character in a team against another team of
players. Eg: DOTA 2, League of Legends
• Auto Battlers/ Auto Chess – Players place characters on the chess-like
board and it will automatically fight opposing team’s characters. Eg: DOTA
Underlords, Teamfight Tactics, Auto Chess

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Understanding Gamers: Player Types Models

Player Type Models are used in the design of games to understand different targeted audiences for successful
game creation. The more players a game attracts and the longer hours and resources spent in a game, the
more successful a game is. It is therefore paramount for game developers to understand the psychology of
the different type of players. For those who wish to understand the world of gaming, an understanding of
different player types provides a glimpse into the effect of games on different players, and in turn, enables us
to promote the benefits of games while preventing or countering their negative effects.

The two established gamer type models used in game design are: Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types and
DGD1 Player Types. Bartle is the most established model, being the first and most frequently referred to as
a generic and basic framework for game design, even though Bartle acknowledged the limitations of his model
as based only on MUD 4 players. DGD1 Player Types is a more comprehensive and recent model. We will
briefly discuss Bartle’s four player types, while going in a little more in depth with DGD1 Player Types, as the
latter has more relevance to us for the increasing complexity and variety of game types today.

Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types

The Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types was published by Richard Bartle in “Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades:
Players who Suit MUDS” (Bartle, 1996), classifying game players into four categories: Socializers, Killers,
Explorers, and Achievers. Bart Stewart of Gamasutra related these four player types with The Four Keirsey
Temperaments. Linda Berens further developed Keirsey into her Temperament Theory, which further
describes the players. We have incorporated three of these into one table (Table 1) for easy reference
(Stewart, 2011).

4A MUD (/mʌd/; originally Multi-User Dungeon, with later variants Multi-User Dimension and Multi-User Domain) is a
multiplayer real-time virtual world, usually text-based. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash,
player versus player, interactive fiction, and onli ne chat. – Wikipedia

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Table 1: Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types with The Four Keirsey Temperaments and Linda Beren’s
Temperament Theory
SOCIALIZERS KILLERS
Socializers are more interested in other players than the Killers are aggressive players who enjoy provoking other
game itself. They relate and empathize with other players. players in the game. They enjoy hitting people with the
They like to be involved in community aspect of the game, “clubs”. They are very skillful and brutal opponents to
like managing communities online or role-play that help play with. The killer’s joy is increased with more high
them build relationships with other players through story levels of distress caused. Their adrenaline rush comes
telling. Inter-play relationships are deemed high in priority, when a player is affected by their “killing” and are unable
even observing other players is interesting to socializers. to retaliate. Trolls, hackers, cheaters, and attention
farmers belong to this category of players.
Keirsey Type: IDEALIST (Intuition+Feeling) Keirsey Type: ARTISAN (Sensing+Perceiving)
Characteristics: Imaginative, Diplomatic, Emotional Characteristics: Realistic, Tactical, Manipulative,
Pragmatic, Impulsive, Action-
focused, Sensation-Seeking
Beren Archetype: DIPLOMATIC Beren Archetype: TACTICAL
Drawn to: Harmonizing, Imagining, Co-operation Drawn to: Improvisation, Operation, Controlling,
Single Characters
Behavior: Empathy and Morality Behavior: Impulsiveness, Competence
Tolerence: Impressionism Tolerence: Risk, Speed, Variation

EXPLORERS ACHIEVERS
Explorers like to survey the game world’s layout and Achievers love challenges and are competitive. They
details. They enjoy seeking out information. They will look love treasure hunt. The more challenging the goal, the
out for obscure actions in tuck away spots, interesting more satisfaction they feel. Their main goals in game are
features and exposing the game’s internal setup. They gathering points and levelling up. Thus, they are
are the players who know the short-cuts, tricks and motivated by the accumulation of tokens or rewards in
glitches in their never-ending hunt to discover more. completing the challenges in the games.
Keirsey Type: RATIONAL (Intuition+Thinking) Keirsey Type: GUARDIAN (Sensing+Judging)
Characteristics: Innovative, Strategic, Logical, Characteristics: Practical, Logistical, Hierarchical,
Scientific/Technological, Future- Organized, Detailed-Oriented,
Oriented, Result-Focused, Possessive, Process-Focused,
Knowledge-Seeking Security-Seeking
Beren Archetype: STRATEGIC Beren Archetype: LOGISTICAL
Drawn to: Solving, Hypothesizing, Controlling, Multiple Drawn to: Optimization, Planning, Trading
Units, Thinking Ahead Behavior: Caution, Meticulousness
Behavior: Logic, Perfectionism Behavior: Impulsiveness, Competence
Tolerence: Complexity Tolerence: Repetition, Rules, Procedures

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DGD1 Player Types

DGD is the acronym for Demographic Game Design, developed by Chris Bateman to explain various types of
gamers (Bateman, 2005). “This was not a true player typology but an adaptation of Myers-Briggs typology to
games, and thus an investigation of how the patterns within this inventory applied to playing games” (Bateman,
2011). This makes DGD1 an interesting model to examine since we are seeking to understand gamers. The
DGD1 Player Types similar to Bartle Player Types, also have four player types. They have some similarities
but we will not attempt to combine them.5

The DGD1 model has four player types namely, Conqueror, Manager, Wanderer and Participant. These
four types are further divided into two sets – Hardcore (subtypes H1, H2, H3 and H4) and Casual (subtypes
C1, C2, C3 and C4). The type determines the KIND of gameplay the gamer prefers while the subtype
describes HOW the gamer plays. Below is a diagram depicting the four player types and the eight subtypes.
The four play types are NOT mutually exclusive, i.e. an individual player can enjoy one or more play types.
The four types are to be seen as a continuum of play and not strict categorization.

H4

Diagram 1: DGD1 Player Types and Subtypes

5Bart Stewart of Gamasutra did a unification model of Bartle, DGD1, Kiersey and Berens. We find it too complex, with
many questions unanswered, to fully understand and apply and thus we did not adopt the unification model.

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DGD1 Type 1: Conqueror

(Myers-Briggs: Thinking and Judging)
Conquerors love challenges and the feeling of winning They are goal-oriented. The greater the challenge,
the greater the reward. The Conqueror loves the feeling of domination, or of knowledge, and enjoy giving
advise about games to others. Online comments and advice giving are common among Conquerors. For
game play, they tend to play with friends. These players like “Hard Fun”, gameplay related to meaningful
challenges, strategies and puzzles. Conquerors are described as “vocal hardcore”, as they enjoy arguing
with other players about games. Emotions usually associated with this style of play are anger, frustration
and boredom. Fiero is a key emotion, which describes the euphoria of personal triumph over adversity that
makes the player wants to raise the arms in the air. It is common for a Conqueror to curse and hate a game
during play that they later declare to have been a “great game”. Conquerors do not necessarily need to
experience anger prior to fiero, but they must have had worked hard and challenged.

Conquerors usually stop playing the game when they have beaten the game as there is no more challenge.
A game with constant improvement of core characters creating a feeling of rapid advancement will interest
them or get them hooked. Conquerors are willing to go through the grind for the win, exhibiting both patience
and perseverance. Conquerors aim to defeat the games and tend to finish the game they started and thus
goal-oriented.

Skills: Repeatedly go through the same challenge, known as logistical optimisation to increase proficiency
in the game. Strategic thinking is displayed too.

Jobs Recommendation based on Myers-Briggs: Engineering, computer programmer, scientist, consultant

Subtype: Conqueror Hardcore H1 (ISTJ, INTJ) Subtype: Conqueror Casual C1 (ISTJ)

Characteristics of H1:
• Thoroughly understand & complete the game
• Objective is not only to win, but to achieve their
self-imposed goal of conquering everything in
the game. Therefore will spend time to try
random combinations of game to find hidden
elements
• Interested in overcoming their own challenges
and beat their own scores. Thus, oblivious to
the degree of performance they are achieving
relative to other players.
• Have higher sensing tendencies than other
Hardcore subtypes. C1 might bleed into H1.
Game Genre Preference: Action games, RPGs
Possible Statements:
• “I won’t finish the game until I’ve seen
everything”
Characteristics of C1:
• Loves the fun in competition and winning in
multiplayer situations
• Winning is not fully satisfactory until opponents
are utterly defeated, humiliated and crushed
• Loves challenge and is easily annoyed when a
game does not meet their expectations
• Enjoys laughing at other gamers misfortunes
• Love the opportunity to create carnage
• More sensing that H1.
• Unique among the Casuals, C1 players tolerate
complex control systems.
Game Genre Preference: First-person shooters and
competitive racing games
Possible Statements:
• “I want a way to crush my opponents”
• “A skill level with no roof”

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DGD1 Type 2: Manager

(Myers-Briggs Thinking and Perceiving)
Managers can be described by two words, mastery and systems, revolving around strategic or tactical
play. Finishing the game is not their primary goal. They prioritize skills requisition as the main goal. They
want to master the methods of the game by exhausting all the possible options of the goal or particular
objectives. Thus winning is only meaningful if they have earned it through mastery of the game. They do not
always need to beat the game, but the game must rise to their level of challenge. They will quit the game if
the game is too challenging or not challenging enough. They want to feel that they are making steady
progress.

A Manager will continue playing the game for enjoyment even when the game is mastered or won. They
enjoy the experience of being the master of the game. They might also enjoy trying to beat the game again,
putting their mastery into practice to enjoy the process of play. This is different from Type 1 Conquerors as
they will likely stop playing a game after they beat the game as the initial challenge is absent. Managers
typically enjoy open games, i.e. games with no specific end-point, especially strategy and construction/
management games. Managers are good at handling multiple factors simultaneously, e.g. building an army
out of diverse unit types. Games that are attractive to Managers often have many different elements that
can be employed in different ways, which makes it more common in PC games than console games. Games
that have political and socio-political elements in their plot and setting interest Type 2 Managers.

Skills: Tactical competence, i.e. to think and adapt to situations with strategic thinking.
Jobs Recommendation based on Myers-Briggs: Broker, planner, lawyer, computer programmer, architect

Subtype: Manager Hardcore H2 (ISTP, INTP) Subtype: Manager Casual C2 (ISTP)

Characteristics of H2:
• Enjoys strategic gameplay, i.e. to master the
game by acquiring skills through a set of tools
and a series of challenges.
• Experiences the same satisfaction as Type 1
fiero but is not willing to put in as much to
overcome challenges.
• Do not need to finish or complete everything in
the game but attention is placed on the ability to
refine a technique.
• INTP and ISTP are common to programmers,
so many H2 might be programmers.
Game Genre Preference: Strategic and adventure
games
Possible Statements:
• “I’m looking for games that allow me to play for
hours without getting bored, to be challenging,
but not impossible, and to have a lot going on
without being overwhelming.”
Characteristics of C2:
• More comfortable with games that is similar to
the real world.
• C2 player when faced with a tough challenge
will stop playing to do something else and then
return to it.
• C2 wants to construct something tangible in
game, whereas H2 is comfortable with building
something more abstract like strategy or a
combination of strategic units.
• Lose interest in a game easily if the game
interferes with what the player is building e.g.
disasters or random events.
Game Genre Preference: Strategy and simulation
games e.g. SimCity. Overlaps with C1.
Possible Statements:
• “I want a feeling of steady progress, no matter
how crap I am at playing it”
• “I want the game to adjust to my level, give me
a sense of being challenged but not walked
over.”
• “I prefer strategy to arcade.”

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DGD1 TYPE 3: Wanderer

(Myers-Briggs Feeling and Perceiving)
Wanderers value enjoyment and experience in a game, looking out for unique and interesting experiences.
They take pleasure in an engaging story, an intricately designed game world, and even something new
and fresh within a game. Any challenge, like linear sequence of problems, is likely to turn a Type 3 player
away. They will not play a game they do not enjoy and will stop playing the moment it ceases to be fun.
They decide on their game preference within minutes of playing or even by observation. They might get the
help of Type 1 or 2 players when they meet with challenges in the game.

Type 3 players are also characterized as “Easy Fun”, which is associated with emotions of wonder, awe
and mystery. They enjoy imagination of being in another world or the experience of becoming one with an
abstract play. The sense that everything is falling into place appeals to the Wanderer, especially with their
contribution to the process. They are attracted to the altered state of perception, that is the imagination of
being in another world or being one with an abstract play experience, e.g. Tetris players have similar
experience after long plays. Mini-games and variety are attractive to Type 3.

Skills: No particular skill associated with a wanderer.

Jobs Recommendation based on Myers-Briggs: Social worker, artiste, therapist, teacher, musician

Subtype: Wanderer Hardcore H3 (INFP) Subtype: Wanderer Casual C3 (ENFP)

Characteristics of H3:
• Dreamers who want the game to dream with
them.
• Play a lot of games but often consider them too
difficult. Game does not need to provide new
challenges to engage them.
• Play many games at once. They will try a game
for a few hours and then move on to another
new game.
• Exceptionally skilled at a game they enjoy but
does not imply a high degree of challenge.
• Interest in finesse, i.e., completing the game or
a section of a game is not as important as
doing it right, that is, aesthetically or stylistically
pleasing.
• Emotionally invested in the character of a story
and is hooked on the progress of the story.
Game Genre Preference: No specific genre
Possible Statements:
• “After I grow tired of a game or get stuck, if
there is a story, I always cheat through the rest
of the game to find out what happens!”
Characteristics of C3:
• Similar interests to H3s but less game literate
and therefore find it harder to enjoy many
games. Thus games they play tend to be
extremely easy.
• They need to feel that they are accomplishing
something in the game world, i.e. want
progress.
• They do not want to have to struggle or
challenged to achieve the progress.
• Games are for their relaxation.
• Not many games in the market cater to C3s so
when they find a game they like, they might
play it for long duration.
Game Genre Preference: No specific genre
Possible Statements:
• “Games should be relaxing in every way while
still giving you the feeling of accomplishing
something.”

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TYPE 4: Participant
(Myers-Briggs Feeling and Judging Preferences)
Participants are driven by social and involvement in game play. They enjoy interaction with other
players and also role-play involving characters. Any game that engages the player emotionally attracts
the participant, like those that allow player to affect character like The Sims and multiplayer games. They
generally do not like direct competition.

Note: that there is not much data about this type of player as they are the smallest clutter in the survey. FJ
types of MBTI tend to do the right thing in the real world, so gaming might have lower priority in their lives
due to the stigma of gaming to many people. Therefore they are the least represented. From the findings,
it seems like H4 and C4 have completely different styles of play.

Skills: No particular skill associated with a Participant.

Game Genre & Examples: No particular game genre but probably RPGs or MMORPG.

Jobs Recommendation based on Myers-Briggs: Retail, marketing, teacher, counselor, journalist, librarian

Subtype: Participant Hardcore H4 Subtype: Participant Casual C4

(Probably ESFJ)
Characteristics of A Participant Hardcore (H4):
• Intuitive H4s play computer RPGs, perhaps
because these were the closest type of game
that allows them to participate in the
development of the story.
• Do not like competition.
• They show willingness to persevere with a
game.
Game Genre Preference: No particular game genre
(Probably ESFJ)
Characteristics of A Participant Casual (C4):
• Enjoy games as part of a group.
• They enjoy playing co-operative games. Note:
Online multiplayer does not appeal to them.
MMORPG survey data showed that Type 4
participants were the smallest minority.
• Social experience is key, “The People Factor”.
Prefer physical/offline social.
• Amusement and laughter are welcomed as a
form of social entertainment during play.

Possible Statements: Game Genre Preference: No particular game genre

• “I like games where collaboration is primary
and competition is only secondary”
Possible Statements:
• “I want either a strong multiplayer element (on
consoles, not online), or an interesting,
immersive storyline in single player.”

Application Point – In Game versus Real Life

It might be interesting to observe if there is any discrepancy in the gamer’s in-game personality and real life
personality. For example if a boy’s in-game type is Conqueror, but in real life he shows no interest in seeking
improvement to overcome life challenges. Judging-preference gamers, Type 1 Conquerors and Type 4
Participant, are goal orientated and tend to overachieve. Based on the goal-oriented preference, they should
do well in academic structure that is goal-orientated where exams are the primary method of assessment. It
might be interesting to find out why is he not displaying the same determination in real life. The gamer might
not be aware of such discrepancy.

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Game Addiction

There is no proven antidote to game addiction. Nevertheless, we hope to provide some insights on what might
be the causes of game addiction among the Singapore gamers. These are followed by some practical
suggestions for reaching out to gamers.

It is tempting to attribute the cause of addiction to games themselves. However, research has shown that the
cause of addition is more complex than just the ‘drug’ involved, or in this instance, games. Games are indeed
designed intentionally to attract and hook its target audience, and most gamers do indeed acknowledge the
addictive nature of games. Yet, it is also apparent some gamers become addicted, and a vast majority do not.
While research about the causes of problematic gaming is not conclusive, research does suggest that games
themselves are not the sole determinant of addiction, with “no innate features in modern video games that
cause problematic play.” (Wood et al, 2004). Some researches argue that “problematic gaming is a symptom
rather than a genuine addiction” (Wood, 2004).

The psychologist Bruce Alexander 6 provided an additional dimension of viewing the issue of addiction
(Alexander, 2010). Alexander concludes that the cause of addiction is attributed instead to the increasing
dislocation of individuals caused by the fragmentation of society. Fragmentation is a sociological term that
“refers to the absence or the underdevelopment of connections between the society and the groupings of some
members of that society on the lines of a common culture, nationality, race, language, occupation, religion,
income level, or other common interests.” 7

“Dislocation is the condition of great number of human beings who have been shorn from
their cultures and individual identities by the globalisation of the “free-market society” in
which the needs of the people are subordinated to the imperatives of markets and the
economy. Dislocation afflicts both people who have been physically displaced, such as
economic immigrants and refugees, and people who have remained in place while their
cultures disintegrated around them. Dislocation occurs during boom times as well as
recessions, among the rich as well as the poor, along capitalists as well as workers.
Today, dislocation threatens to become universal, as global free-market society
undermines ever more aspects of social and cultural life everywhere.” - Bruce K.
Alexander from his book “The Globalization of Addiction”

Rapid advancements in technology, along with the various societal, economic and cultural disruptions caused
by that, are a few of the causes of dislocation. Examples include the restructuring of professions and job types
due to the ever-changing affordances of technology, as well as how public discourse and socialisation is being
changed with the prevalence of social media and algorithms that tailor our feeds according to our preferences,
thereby also creating echo chambers and decreasing users’ exposure to diversity. These all contribute to the
deepening fragmentation of society along the lines of different demographics and psycho-social attributes.

It is important to note that social fragmentation and dislocation increases the susceptibility of an individual
towards harmful addiction due to the increase sense of isolation, hopelessness and purposeless.
Fragmentation and dislocation are larger issues beyond what we can address in this booklet. Yet, loneliness
and social isolation can be addressed both on a community or individual level.

6 Here is an animation about Addiction based on Bruce Alexander’s research that summarizes his conclusion about the
cause of addiction https://youtu.be/C8AHODc6phg.
7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragmentation_(sociology)

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Pre-disposition to Addiction
The dislocation that Alexander refers to has been described using a list of words and phrases below that are
associated with many youths in urbanized cities, such as Singapore:

1. Detach 6. Depress
2. Do not Belong 7. Anxious
3. No Identity 8. Pointless
4. No Meaning 9. Misunderstood
5. No Purpose 10. Lonely
Table 2: Words Describing Dislocation

According to Alexander, dislocation forms a pre-disposition for addiction. In other words, youths who
experience dislocation are more susceptible to addiction. Addiction does not only apply to gaming, but it can
be any activity and/or substance. This is in line with Nick Yee’s research finding that “Pre-existing depression
or mood disorders are common among users who develop problematic usage with online games” (Nick Yee,
2006). There are hidden gamers in Singapore who do not leave their rooms unless necessary. 8 There are no
statistics for actual figures but them being no strangers to the gaming communities suggests they are common
enough to not be a misnomer.

“Problem gamers had elevated scores on measures of anxiety and depression and lower scores on satisfaction
with life” (Mentzoni et al., 2011). The game world as an escape from the real world is similar to how avid
readers love escaping into the world of books. The game world fills up the vacuum they have within due to
dislocation. Without offering a solution to the dislocation they are experiencing, it is almost cruel to take their
“panacea” away. It is no wonder research concluded, “A lack of capacity and/or motivation to inhibit excessive
behavior could be a characteristic shared between behavioral addictions and substance dependence” (Daria
Kuss et al., 2012).

Setting boundaries for a child in gaming is needed and must be done. The solution to problematic gaming
goes beyond this and requires deeper understanding of the child. Deeper psychosocial needs of a child needs
to be addressed to help a child gain strength to be on top of the games they play rather than being controlled
by the games.

TeleTrip 9 is an offline gaming event that addresses the dislocation many gamers experience. It sounds
counter-intuitive to gather gamers to play games for a whole day, or even days (if it is an overseas trip), as a
possible solution. However, we have witnessed detached gamers find positive attachment to TeleTrip and
friends involved in the experience, as well as develop a sense of belonging, community, and happy smiles at
the end of it. Even so, we recognize that communities can only do so much in bridging the gap of dislocation.
Other social and community groups in family, school, and peer contexts, as well as other societal factors, play
an important role in minimizing the effects of dislocation.

Introversion – A Common Trait Among Gamers

One common trait of many gamers is introversion (Bateman, 2005). An introvert can spend long hours engaged
in activities without social contact, and this includes playing games. There are extroverts who play games too,
but with different motivations. Extroverts play games due to boredom and can easily stop the game when more
interesting social activities come along. Whereas for introverts, gaming is a willing preference and they are not
waiting for the next better activity.

Introverts, being the majority of gamers, are often the primary target audience of game design. This means
that most games are designed to allow gamers to spend long hours playing on their own. These are not limited
to single player games as most games, even team-based games, allow players to join as individuals to either

8 This physical isolation is a reflection of deeper issues than just gaming, which perhaps have some similarities to the
shut-ins in Japan - hikikomori. Perhaps more research can be done for this.
9 More info: http://soos-oio.com/teletrip/

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play with AI (the computer) or be grouped with other players online. Notwithstanding the grouping of gamers
online, introverts can still choose to play with minimal engagement of other players.

From a non-gamer’s point of view, playing games in isolation for days seems akin to being ‘caged’ in. However,
to an introvert gamer who does not have a more engaging alternative in passing the time, games are their
‘happy pill’. If games are their only interest, the only way for them to connect with others is through games.
Further, although introverted gamers enjoy playing solo, there are moments when they need social
connectedness too. However, many gamers are socially awkward, perhaps due to infrequent social contact,
and this can cause a downward spiral where they retreat into their comfortable and solo world of games. It is
important to consider these factors when trying to reach out to an introverted gamer.

High Engagement versus Addiction

There is a need to distinguish between high engagement in, and addiction to, gaming. The measurement
indicators of high engagement is tolerance, euphoria and cognitive salience (Skoric et al., 2009). The
measurement indicators of addiction is behavioral salience, conflict (both internal and external), relapse and
reinstatement, and withdrawal. The study by Marko Skoric found that “video gaming addiction showed a
consistent negative association with academic performance” and “video gaming engagement showed no
significant association with academic performance in elementary school children”. “While addiction can pose
significant problems to children’s lives by affecting their academic performance, children who are simply highly
engaged with video games are unlikely to develop negative consequences” (Skoric et al, 2009). Marko
indicates that more studies need to be done to confirm the findings.

The results of this study confirms our philosophy - “Games is not a neutral tool because the use of it needs to
be intentional and managed. Otherwise, it becomes the master.” High engagement is a form of intentional and
managed use of games. This philosophy is what we go by in the designing of our gamers activities.

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Reaching Out to Gamers

Gamers need social connectedness, just like anyone else. To connect with a person, a common ground needs
to be established with genuine love and concern without judgment. The same applies with gamers.

Change Mindsets About Games as Negative

Gamers, especially those who isolate themselves, are sensitive to human interactions. They read both verbal
and non-verbal cues and come to their own conclusions quickly. If you approach them with an intention to take
games away from them, they will naturally put defenses up, and not want to connect with you. They generally
do not expect non-gamers to play games, but a genuine interest in what they love is a form of showing care.
A genuine interest can be in the form of trying out the game, or researching to find out a little more about the
game. Taking a genuine interest in their likes often helps to break the ice.

Meaningful Events or Activities

It is a challenge to engage gamers apart from using games. Conventional events that draw youths and young
people are usually not an attraction. As introverts, attending large-scale events with crowds and without a clear
personal purpose is almost torturous. However, events revolving around the games they love might be able to
draw them out, which is why we started Facebook Groups and TeleTrips. It is also important to connect with
them one on one, to find out what will interest them.

Conclusion

Video games have inextricably woven themselves into the urban experience of many youths, and cannot be
ignored or eliminated. Games are a channel of entertainment and education, and with intentional safeguards,
can provide extensive fun, engagement, and meaningful learning.

Through the broad discussion of games, various models of player types, and addiction in this booklet, we hope
that you have gained a better understanding of games and gamers. These concepts have also guided the
design process of SOOS OIO programmes for gamers. For gamers, this booklet can be useful in providing
points of reflection on their in-game behavior, player type, and in general, information to understand oneself
better. In so doing, gamers can play on their strengths and improve on their weaknesses, not just in games –
but also in life.

There is always more to learn and understand about games, gamers and game addiction. However, we have
found that it is always best to learn directly the world of gaming from interacting with gamers themselves.

Let’s take control over the use of video games and make the best use out of them!

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References

Alexander, Bruce. (2010). Research Article on the Rat Park. http://www.brucekalexander.com/articles-

speeches/rat-park/148-addiction-the-view-from-rat-park. (accessed Aug. 17, 2019).

Bartle, Richard. (1996). Hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades: Players who suit MUDs.
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Bateman, Chris and Boon, Richard. (2005). 21st Century Game Design. Rockland, MA: Charles River
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Bateman, Chris. (2011). Player Typology in Theory and Practice. http://www.digra.org/wp-

content/uploads/digital-library/11307.50587.pdf (accessed Aug. 17, 2019).

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Kuss, Daria & Louws, Jorik & Wiers, Reinout. (2012). Online Gaming Addiction? Motives Predict Addictive
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Mentzoni, Rune Aune, Geir Scott, Helge Molde, Helga Myrseth, Knut Joachim Mar Skouveroe, Jorn Hetland
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Skoric, Marko & Lay Ching Teo, Linda & Neo, Rachel. (2009). Children and Video Games: Addiction,
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Stewart, Bart. (2011). Personality And Play Styles: A Unified Model.

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T.A. Wood, Richard & Griffiths, Mark & Chappell, Darren & Davies, Mark. (2004). The Structural
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Yee, Nick. (2007). Motivations for Play in Online Games. Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the
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