The Games User Research literature has advanced considerably on understanding why people play games and what different types of games or mechanics they prefer. However, what has been less studied is how models of player preferences explain their game choices. In this study, we address this question by analyzing data about the games that participants enjoy, their player trait scores, and their preferred game elements and playing styles. The results provide evidence that these scores can significantly explain participants’ preferences for different games. Additionally, we provide information about the characteristics of players who enjoy each game. This work was presented at CHI PLAY 2019.

1. Player Characteristics
and Video Game
Preferences
Gustavo F. Tondello
Lennart E. Nacke
CHI PLAY 2019, 24 October 2019

2. Bartle’s Player Types (1996)
2Bartle, R.: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players who suit MUDs. Journal of MUD Research 1(1) (1996)
Image source: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/bartle-s-player-types-for-gamification

3. Seeker
Survivor Socialiser
Daredevil Conqueror
Mastermind Achiever
BrainHex (2014)
3Nacke, L.E., Bateman, C., Mandryk, R.L.: BrainHex: A Neurobiological Gamer Typology Survey. Entertainment Computing 5(1) (2014)
Image source: https://blog.brainhex.com/

4. Issues with Player Types
Players do not enjoy only one type of
experience
Lack of validated scale or unreliable scale
Solution
Player Traits recognize that people's
preferences are composed of a sum of
different characteristics
4

5. Player Traits Model
5Image source: http://hcigames.com/player-traits/
Copyright 2019 by the HCI Games Group (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) using icons from game-icons.net (CC BY 3.0).
“I don’t fit into a single type”:
A Trait Model and Scale of Game
Playing Preferences
Gustavo F. Tondello, Karina Arrambide,
Giovanni Ribeiro, Andrew Cen, Lennart E.
Nacke. Prooceedings of INTERACT 2019.
• Validated 25-item measurement scale
• Correlations of the player traits with
personality traits
• Presented correlations of the player
traits with game elements

6. Social Orientation
Players who score high prefer to
play together with others, enjoy
multiplayer games and
competitive gaming communities
Players who score low prefer to
play alone
6

7. Social Orientation
7All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

8. Aesthetic Orientation
Players who score high enjoy
aesthetic experiences in games:
exploring the world, enjoying the
scenery, appreciating the
graphics, sound, and art style, etc.
Players who score low focus
more on gameplay than the
aesthetics of the game
8

9. Aesthetic Orientation
9All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

10. Narrative Orientation
Players who score high enjoy
complex narratives and stories
within games
Players who score low prefer
games with less story and
might skip the story or
cutscenes when those get in
the way of gameplay
10

11. Narrative Orientation
11All game logos are property of their
respective owners and used for illustration only.

12. Challenge Orientation
Players who score high prefer
difficult games and hard
challenges
Players who score low prefer
easier or casual games
12

13. Challenge Orientation
13All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

14. Goal Orientation
Players who score high enjoy
completing game goals and like
to complete games 100%, explore
all the options, and complete all
the collections
Players who score low might
leave optional quests or
achievements unfinished
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15. Goal Orientation
15All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

16. Age
16All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

17. Gender
17
WOMEN
MEN
All game logos are property of their respective
owners and used for illustration only.

18. Takeaways
We introduced a new player traits model,
with a 25-item measurement scale, which
solves the issues identified in previous work
We showed that player traits and game
element preferences are related to game
preferences
We showed that gender and age are related
to game preferences
We mapped the characteristics of players
who enjoy each game in the study
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19. Applications
To select participants for game tests
To better understand game tests
according to participant’s gaming
preferences
To give designers and game studios
more accurate insights about their
audience
To target market campaigns to the
right audience
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20. Future Work
Continue validating the
scale with larger samples
Continue studying
correlations with other
models
Compare participants’ self-
reported preferences with
their actual behaviour in
games
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21. Thank you!
Player Characteristics and Video Game Preferences
http://hcigames.com/player-traits
CONTACT
Gustavo F. Tondello
gustavo@tondello.com
@GustavoTondello
Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the CNPq Brazil, SSHRC (IMMERSe),
NSERC Discovery, NSERC CREATE SWaGUR, and CFI, and presented at CHI PLAY 2019.
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