Richard Bartle, author of Designing Virtual Worlds classification of

the different types of players that can be found when playing any
activity or project.
The ambitious or killer: his main motivation is to win and get the first place in the
standings. The way to retain these participants in the game is through the use of ranking
lists in which they can see how they are progressing through the different levels and
how they are climbing positions.
The achiever is a type of adventurous player, whose main motivation is to continue
discovering new scenarios, platforms or levels and overcome the goals set in the game.
In this sense, their motivation is intrinsic and is more related to personal satisfaction or
the group good being.
The sociable or socializer: your motivation is social over the game strategy itself, share
with others or create a network of contacts or friends. They are retained in the game
through chats or lists of friends.
The explorer: is the player who likes to discover what is unknown to him. He is attracted
by the complex challenges through which he can overcome the different levels of the
game. His motivation is self-improvement.

Richard Bartle
Socializers and killers prefer action or interaction with players,
while at the other extreme explorers and achievers prefer
the relationship to the game system.
On the other hand, killers and achievers prefer to act on
specific elements of either another player or a mission of the game,
as opposed to socializers and explorers who prefer interaction with
different elements of the game or several players at once

Amy Jo Kim or
Competitors are motivated by testing their skills and seeing how they stack up. They
find external ranking systems and zero-sum game mechanics appealing because those
structures mirror their internal dialogue and POV. Competitors love to develop their
skills, showcase their prowess, and know where they stand within a group. They value
mastery, learning, and relationship-building via friendly competition.
Collaborators are motivated by working with others towards a greater goal. They love
to “win together” and measure success as collective impact. Collaborators enjoy
participating in groups and teams, forming partnerships, and playing coop games. They
value teamwork, shared learning, and relationship-building via shared tasks.
Expressers are motivated by opportunities for self-expression. They love tools and
systems that let them personalize their experience, make their mark, and express their
uniqueness. They’ll use any available tools to make things that others admire and
emulate. They value original thought, creativity, hard work, and personal style. They
enjoy customizing backgrounds, fonts, and avatars. They seek status, recognition, and
influence through creative skill
Explorers are motivated by gaining knowledge, exploring boundaries, finding loopholes,
and knowing the rules that govern a space. Explorers love to poke at systems and
discover their ins-and-outs. They enjoy accumulating and showing off
knowledge. Explorers value accurate info, clever design, and relationship-building via
knowledge exchange. They can enjoy exploring with others, but often it’s a satisfying
solitary endeavor.

Andrzej Marczewski ones.

 Socialisers are motivated by Relatedness. They want to interact with others and
create social connections.
 Free Spirits are motivated by Autonomy and self-expression. They want to create
and explore.
 Achievers are motivated by Mastery. They are looking to learn new things and
improve themselves. They want challenges to overcome.
 Philanthropists are motivated by Purpose and Meaning. This group are altruistic,
wanting to give to other people and enrich the lives of others in some way with no
expectation of reward.
 Players are motivated by Rewards. They will do what is needed of them to collect
rewards from a system. They are in it for themselves.
 Disruptors are motivated by Change. In general, they want to disrupt your system,
either directly or through other users to force positive or negative change.

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PLAYERS

c o m p e t i t i o n : Players try to get the most points, or the best ranking, or be the fastest,
or have more badges...
cooperation Two or more players help each other to achieve a common goal. Both
benefit from the relationship. A game can be exclusively cooperative (and it is a very
interesting option) or that the cooperation within each team has as objective the
competition or opposition with other teams.
opposition: Two players face each other to win points, or achieve an achievement,
dominate a territory... Unlike competition, in this case one wins and the other loses.
altruism In this case, one player gives something (badges, privileges, keys, knowledge of
the subject ...) to another. Unlike the previous one, here the player who gives something
does not get any benefit.