Player Profile Models A Research in the Phenomena Player Types AAU-CPH Jonatan Rueløkke 27/05/2014 Table of Contents 1 Motivation ............................................................................................................................... 7 2 Introduction............................................................................................................................. 8 3 Pre-analysis .......................................................................................................................... 10 3.1 Research Approach ....................................................................................................... 10 3.2 Player Types .................................................................................................................. 11 3.2.1 Richard A. Bartle ...................................................................................................... 11 3.2.2 Andrzej Marczewski ................................................................................................. 13 3.2.3 Nick Yee .................................................................................................................. 14 3.2.4 Jesse Shell and Christopher G. Klug ....................................................................... 15 3.2.5 Summary ................................................................................................................. 16 3.3 Continuation Desire........................................................................................................ 16 3.3.1 Flow ......................................................................................................................... 16 3.3.2 Continuation Desire ................................................................................................. 17 3.4 Summary........................................................................................................................ 19 4 Final Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 19 5 Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 20 5.1 Model Parameters .......................................................................................................... 20 5.1.1 Finding the Categories - Researchers and Own Additions ....................................... 21 5.1.2 Finding the Categories - Focus Groups ................................................................... 23 5.1.3 Description of parameters ........................................................................................ 25 5.2 Model Chart ................................................................................................................... 30 5.2.1 Bar Chart ................................................................................................................. 31 5.2.2 Circle Chart .............................................................................................................. 31 5.2.3 Radar Chart ............................................................................................................. 31 5.3 Adding values ................................................................................................................ 32 5.4 Design of the experiment ............................................................................................... 34 5.5 Product Requirements ................................................................................................... 35 6 Method ................................................................................................................................. 36 7 Design .................................................................................................................................. 37 7.1 General Design Choices ................................................................................................ 37 7.1.1 Game Genre ............................................................................................................ 37 7.1.2 Audiovisual Strategy ................................................................................................ 39 Page 2 of 75 7.1.3 Parameter assigning strategy .................................................................................. 39 7.1.4 Design of games ...................................................................................................... 40 7.1.5 Summary ................................................................................................................. 43 7.2 Technical System Design ............................................................................................... 44 7.2.1 Instantiation ............................................................................................................. 44 7.2.2 Player Control .......................................................................................................... 45 7.2.3 Mob Behavior .......................................................................................................... 46 7.2.4 Day and Night Cycle (Extra Feature) ....................................................................... 47 7.2.5 Individual Game Class ............................................................................................. 48 7.2.6 Technical System Design Summary ........................................................................ 48 8 Implementation ..................................................................................................................... 49 8.1 Game Master ................................................................................................................. 50 8.2 Player Character and Vital Bars ..................................................................................... 51 8.3 Player Input .................................................................................................................... 53 8.4 Movement, FSM ............................................................................................................. 53 8.5 Mob AI ........................................................................................................................... 55 8.6 Summary........................................................................................................................ 55 9 Test ...................................................................................................................................... 55 9.1 Method ........................................................................................................................... 56 9.2 Procedure ...................................................................................................................... 57 9.3 Results ........................................................................................................................... 61 9.3.1 Preliminary Test ....................................................................................................... 61 9.3.2 Final Test ................................................................................................................. 63 9.4 Summary........................................................................................................................ 64 10 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 64 11 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 67 12 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 68 13 Appendix ............................................................................................................................ 70 13.1 Table Summarizing Player Types ................................................................................ 70 13.2 Focus Group Notes ...................................................................................................... 71 13.4 Explaining The Player Profile Model Parameters ......................................................... 74 Page 3 of 75 Illustrations Illustration 1: Bartle's Player Type Model ................................................................................. 11 Illustration 2: Bartle's Advanced Player Type Model ................................................................ 12 Illustration 3: Marczewski's Player Type Model ....................................................................... 13 Illustration 4: Mental State in terms of challenge level and skill level ....................................... 16 Illustration 5: The OA3 framework ........................................................................................... 17 Illustration 6: Bostan’s Motivational Study Comparison ........................................................... 22 Illustration 7: Prototype Model without Role Playing parameter ............................................... 23 Illustration 8: Finished Player Profile Model ............................................................................. 25 Illustration 9: Bar Chart Example ............................................................................................. 31 Illustration 10: Circle Chart Example ......................................................................................