[December 2024 Update] I’ve updated the HEXAD look and feed, improved some readability and moved everything about building for balance and evolution of types to a new article – https://www.gamified.uk/2024/12/02/creating-a-balanced-system-for-all-user-hexad-types-an-evolving-perspective/

[October 2018 Update] Another great study has come out from the HCI guys, it can be found here Empirical validation of the Gamification User Types Hexad scale in English and Spanish

Another very misunderstood yet overused metaphor from game design that we use in gamification is Bartle’s Player Types ^[1]. What follows is an attempt to create something similar to Richard Bartle’s player types, but for gamified systems.

How to Reference?

APA format citation:

Marczewski’s Player and User Types Hexad

In this model, there are six types of users described (at a basic level). There are four basic intrinsic types; Achiever, Socialiser, Philanthropist and Free Spirit. They are motivated by Relatedness, Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose ^[2][3][4] – RAMP. The other two types, whose motivations are a little less black and white are Disruptor and Player. The images below show the basics.

In brief

• 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.

Players are happy to “play” your game, where points and rewards are up for grabs. Disruptors want nothing to do with it and the others need a bit more to keep them interested. This looks a bit like this

The point of these types is to give gamification designers a simple framework to think about the types of people they may have using their system. It is essential to keep in mind that people can not be broken down into simple categories like this, they will likely display most if not all of these traits in varying degrees. You need to design to encourage the behaviours that will give your system the best outcome, whilst engaging users. These types can help with that.

Intrinsic User Types

• Socialisers (as in the original Player Type) are the ones who want to interact with others. They like to be connected to others. They are interested in parts of the system that help them do this. These are the ones will evangelise your internal social networks. Most motivated by the social connections aspects of relatedness.
• Free Spirits like to have agency. They have two basic subtypes, Creators and Explorers. Explorers don’t want to be restricted in how they go through their personal journey, to explore the system. They are also likely to find the most holes in a system. Creators want to build new things.They will have the fanciest avatars and create the most personal content. They seek self-expression and autonomy.
• Achievers are the ones who want to be the best at things or, at least, be achieving things within the system. They want to get 100% on the internal learning system. They do this for themselves and are probably not that bothered with then showing off to others about it. (This differs from the original definition, but I could not think of a better word!!). Will compete with others, but as a way to become better than others. The system provides the platform, other “players” are just things to be overcome and mastered. May also be motivated by status as a representation of their personal achievement They need a system that will enrich them and lead them towards mastery.
• Philanthropists want to feel that they are part of something bigger. They want to give to others but expect nothing in return. These are the ones who will answer endless questions on forums, just because they like to feel they are helping. They want a system that allows them to enrich others and feel a sense of altruism and purpose.

Player (Extrinsic) User Sub-Types

Essentially the Player is motivated by rewards, plain and simple. They will do similar things to the intrinsically motivated group, but only if there is a reward at the end of it!

• Self-Seeker: This group of users will act in a similar way to Philanthropists. They will answer people’s questions, share knowledge and be helpful – but for a cost. If there is no reward, don’t expect them to get involved! They can be useful, however, if they are being asked to get involved for rewards, expect quantity over quality!
• Consumer: Consumers will do what is needed to get rewards. If that requires them to learn new skills or take on challenges (like an Achiever), then they will do it. However, if they can get rewards for just doing what they were already doing – even better. Think of them as the ones who will enter competitions just for the prize or who shop at one store just for the loyalty programme.
• Networker: Where a Socialiser connects to others because they are looking for relatedness, Networkers are looking for useful contacts that they can gain from. They follow the big influencers on social networks, not because they are interested in them, but because they hope it will get them noticed, increase their influence and lead to a reward.
• Exploiter: Like Free Spirits, these guys are looking for the boundaries of the system, where they can go and what they can do. However, for them, it is a way to find new ways to rewards. If they find a loop-hole, don’t expect them to report it unless they feel others are earning more than them exploiting it! They are the most likely to exploit the system (you could say cheat!). They are also the people who will build things just to sell. Think of Second Life. Loads of people started to build things – some realised that as well as being fun, they could make some money from selling items. For a few this turned into a way of making a living. They stopped making things for fun and just made them for profit.

The Player User Type is important to recognise as most people coming into a gamified system are probably there initially due to rewards (points, prizes etc). The trick is to try and convert them from being reward oriented into intrinsically motivated users (Socialiser, Free Spirit, Achiever, Philanthropist). There is some evidence to show that the extrinsic types will convert to their analogous intrinsic types (so Networker -> Socialiser etc) but it is not a dead certainty in all cases. Design for the intrinsic user types that benefit your system, but include reward paths for the onboarding process for best effect and greatest coverage.

Disruptor User Type and Sub-Types

Disruptors disrupt a system in some way. This may be by acting on users or on the system itself. As with the Player type, the Disruptor type is a group rather than a single type. However, I don’t tend to go into the detail as the effect on your design is generally similar for all the variations of the type. Going into a deep dive, we get these 4 main types of disruptor:

• Griefer: This is our Killer (yep, finally I have an answer for those who kept asking where it was!). I have chosen to use Bartle’s description from his 8 types because this is the pure arsehole type. They want to negatively affect other users, just because they can. It may be to prove a point about the fact they don’t like the system, it may just be for fun. They have no place in most gamified systems, so you need to find ways to either change their minds – or get rid of them.
• Destroyer: This type of user wants to break the actual system directly. This may be by hacking or finding loopholes in the rules that allow them to ruin the experience for others. Their reasons again may be because they dislike the system or it may just be because they find it fun to hack and break things. If you can’t convince them to at least convert to an Improver, then you have to get rid of them.
• Influencer: These users will try to change the way a system works by exerting influence over other users. This is not to say they are a negative type, far from it. If they feel the system needs to change and you actually allow them a voice to help change it, they could become massive advocates. Make use of them or lose them – worse still the could end up switching to a Griefer!
• Improver: Improvers will interact with the system with the best intentions in mind. They may hack it or find loopholes, but their aim is to change the system for the better. They are similar to the Free Spirit type, in reality, they want to have the chance to explore the system, find problems and try to fix them. Take care of these users as they can help you massively. Mistreat them and they may well become Destroyers.

As you can see, the Disruptor can be a complex type and whilst they make up a very small percentage of the overall user group, they can be very powerful. Handled correctly they could help improve your system, handled badly and they may destroy it.

Summary of the User Types

Intrinsic Motivation Types

User
The individuals you are designing your gamified experience for. They are the central element of the process and the most important factor to consider.

Philanthropist
Motivated by Purpose. Philanthropists are altruistic, aiming to enrich the lives of others and make a meaningful impact. They are driven by the desire to give back.

Achiever
Motivated by Mastery. Achievers seek to learn new skills and continually improve themselves. They thrive on challenges and the satisfaction that comes from overcoming them.

Free Spirit
Motivated by Autonomy. Free Spirits desire the freedom to explore and create. Some are creators at heart, while others are explorers. All share a common need for independence.

Socialiser
Motivated by Relatedness. Socialisers enjoy interacting with others and building strong social connections. Their goal is to foster relationships and create a sense of community.

Player Motivation Types

Player
Motivated by Rewards. Players engage in the system primarily to earn rewards. This group includes Networkers, Exploiters, Consumers, and Self-Seekers, each with different approaches to achieving their goals.

Self-Seeker
Motivated by recognition or rewards, Self-Seekers may act in similar ways to Philanthropists, but their focus is on what they receive in return. They value quantity over quality unless quality is necessary for a reward.

Consumer
Motivated by rewards, Consumers will do whatever is required to earn them. This may involve taking on challenges, similar to Achievers, but their primary motivation is the end result.

Exploiter
Like Free Spirits, Exploiters are interested in pushing the boundaries of the system to discover what they can achieve. However, their primary focus is on finding new ways to maximize their rewards.

Networker
While Socialisers connect to others to build relationships, Networkers form connections for practical gain. They focus on creating useful contacts that can benefit them.

Disruptor Motivation Types

Disruptor
Motivated by Change. Disruptors aim to bring about change and can play both positive and negative roles in a system. They come in four distinct forms: Griefers, Destroyers, Influencers, and Improvers.

Griefer
Griefers aim to negatively affect other users or the system, often just for the sake of it. Their motivations may vary from disliking the system to simply wanting to create chaos for fun.

Destroyer
Destroyers want to break the system itself. They may do this by hacking or finding loopholes that allow them to disrupt the experience for others, often motivated by a desire to prove a point.

Influencer
Influencers aim to change the system by exerting their influence over others. Their motivation isn’t necessarily negative; they often seek to bring about change to improve the overall experience.

Improver
Improvers interact with the system to make it better. Though they might use similar tactics to Destroyers, such as finding loopholes, their aim is always to enhance the system for everyone’s benefit.

The Dodecad of User Types – I Don’t use this!

The Dodecad is a visual summary of the 12 user types. Some have found it very useful for understanding the full picture, so you may as well! If you look at the chart, closer to 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock are the Player user types. 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock are the disruptors and the rest are the intrinsic types.

Final Thoughts

A few final thoughts It is really important to keep in mind, this is all here to help clarify thinking. Real life is not as black and white, users will most likely display traits from multiple user types. But, they will usually have one that guides them more than the others. They are also likely to change user types as they get to know the system. In systems where rewards are used in the onboarding process but are phased out as the user becomes more capable, you will see them going from extrinsically “motivated” user types to intrinsically motivated types. This is when they realise that there is more to be gained from the system than just the points and badges. Finally, why not take the User Type Test and see which of the 6 types you may be?