An Empirical Model A Unique Data Set Actionable Insights

Our motivation model (next slide) Over 400,000 gamers worldwide Our data links game titles/franchises
was developed via established have participated in our Gamer with demographic and motivation
psychometric techniques, such as Motivation Profile, providing data variables, allowing us to analyze the
factor analysis—a statistical on their motivations, demographics, motivations of game audiences to
method that identifies how variables and their favorite games. produce data-driven insights.
cluster together.

Our Expertise in Gamer Motivation Research

For over a decade, Nick Yee and Nic Ducheneaut have been studying the motivations and behavior of gamers. They have over 40 peer-
reviewed papers on gaming and virtual worlds. Nick Yee’s paper on the motivations of online gamers has been cited over 1,400 times.

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 Action Social Mastery Achievement Immersion Creativity
“Boom!” “Let’s Play Together” “Let Me Think” “I Want More” “Once Upon a Time” “What If?”

Destruction Competition Challenge Completion Fantasy Design

Guns. Explosives. Duels. Matches. Practice. High Get All Collectibles. Being someone else, Expression.
Chaos. Mayhem. High on Ranking. Difficulty. Challenges. Complete All Missions. somewhere else. Customization.

Excitement Community Strategy Power Story Discovery

Fast-Paced. Action. Being on Team. Thinking Ahead. Powerful Character. Elaborate plots. Explore. Tinker.
Surprises. Thrills. Chatting. Interacting. Making Decisions. Powerful Equipment. Interesting characters. Experiment.

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 Action Social Mastery Achievement Immersion Creativity
“Boom!” “Let’s Play” “Let Me Think” “I Want More” “Once Upon a Time” “What If?”

Destruction Competition Challenge Completion Fantasy Design

Excitement Community Strategy Power Story Discovery

Action-Social is about immediacy and Mastery-Achievement is about cool- Immersion-Creativity is about play in the
adrenaline rushes. Gamers who score high headed, long-term gaming. It seeks out broadest sense of the world. It seeks out
on these motivations want to be excited, gradual and cumulative mechanics, expansive and expressive play styles. It is
whether by the game itself or by watching cities/farms grow over time. curious and always testing the boundaries
interacting with other players. of the game.
An apt adjective for this cluster might be
An apt adjective for this cluster might be “TALL”. An apt adjective for this cluster might be
“BRIGHT”. “WIDE”.
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The motivation factors in our model are spectrums. In
the same way that Introverts don’t have “less
personality” than Extraverts, scoring low on a
motivation doesn’t necessarily mean these gamers
don’t have equally strong preferences
The following charts provide additional details on each
motivation:
• What does scoring low on each motivation mean?
• What are the anchors on both ends of each
motivation spectrum?
• What are examples of games that have high and
low scores for each motivation?
 Low High

Games Game
Preferences
Examples Motivation Examples
Preferences

Independence Teamwork
Lego Harry Potter, Destiny, Battlefield,
Single-player.
Hatoful Boyfriend, Community Final Fantasy XIV,
Grouping up. Chatting.
Soloable quests. Shared Experience Social interaction.
Farm Heroes Saga Rainbow Six Siege,
Be in full control. Collaboration.

Non-Adversarial League of Legends, High Conflict

Myst, Gone Home,
Non-competitive.
Dragon Age II, Competition DotA 2, Adversarial.
No rankings/duels Social Comparison Call of Duty, Arenas. Duels. Matches.
Lego Dimensions
against human players. CS:GO Leaderboards. Rankings.

Calm Thrilling
Civilization, Myst, CS:GO,
Turn-based. Can be paused.
Master of Orion II, Excitement Call of Duty,
Fast-paced. Action-based.
Relaxed. Predictable. Novelty Surprising.
Europa Universalis Super Smash Bros. Melee
Low visual stimulation. Adrenaline rush.

Enduring Chaotic
Professor Layton, Myst, Halo,
Idyllic. Serene. Evergreen.
Animal Crossing, Destruction Call of Duty, Destiny 2,
Guns. Explosions. Mayhem.
No weapons/gore. Entropy Carnage. Gore.
Harvest Moon Battlefield
Typically G/PG content. Destructible environments.
 Low High
Games Game
Preferences
Examples Motivation Examples
Preferences

Self-Driven Task-Oriented
RimWorld, Victoria II, Dragon Nest, Aura Kingdom,
Decide what to do myself.
Kerbal Space Program, Completion Lego Dimensions,
Complete tasks/quests.
Sandbox/open gameplay. Source of Goals Collect stars/trophies and
Cities: Skylines Final Fantasy
Self-directed goals. collectibles.

Flat Progression Progression-Based

Night in the Woods, World of Warcraft,
Fully-developed characters
The Longest Journey, Ico, Power League of Legends, Diablo III,
Start weak and grind.
from the start. Growth Level up character/stats.
80 Days, Her Story Summoners War
Static. Level playing field. Upgrade weapons/spells.

Spontaneous Contemplative
The Sims, StarCraft II, Crusader Kings II,
Reactive gameplay.
Disney Emoji Blitz, Strategy Europa Universalis IV,
Think. Plan. Complex decisions.
Low cognitive load. Decision Complexity Long-term strategies.
Mario Kart Wii, Covet Fashion Stellaris, Eve Online
Short time horizons. Consider consequences.

Easy Fun Skill-Based

Oxenfree, Stardew Valley, Super Smash Bros. Melee,
Quick to learn. Low skill barrier.
The Longest Journey, Challenge DotA, osu!,
Steep learning curve.
Straightforward mechanics. Skill Improvement Complex moves/rules.
Animal Crossing Street Fighter V
No skill-based gates. Difficult missions, bosses.
 Low High
Games Game
Preferences
Examples Motivation Examples
Preferences

Generic/Abstract Deep Lore

Generic or abstract setting.
Counter-Strike, Street Fighter, Fantasy Mass Effect, Dragon Age,
Rich world lore/history.
Candy Crush Saga, Suspending Star Wars: KOTOR,
2D/retro graphics. Compelling alternate world.
World of Tanks Disbelief Fallout
Minimal world-building/lore. Visually immersive world.

Open-Ended Scripted Drama

No overarching narrative.
Factorio, SimCity, Story Mass Effect,
Elaborate narrative arc.
Transport Tycoon, Web of Dragon Age,
Basic/stock NPCs. Large cast of characters with
Quake III Arena Human Drama Life is Strange, Persona 4
Blank canvas to build on. motive/personality.

Practical Curious
FIFA, The Elder Scrolls, Riven,
Fully-exposed rulesets.
Call of Duty, Discovery Fallout,
Explore world. Find hidden
Minimal unknown variables and The Unknowns secrets/treasures. Experiment
Mahjong, Scrabble Legend of Zelda
possible interactions. with objects. Tinker.

Curated Customizable
Fixed, but often highly stylized
Braid, Spelunky, Design Guild Wars 2, The Sims,
Express individuality.
Super Meat Boy, Expressing The Elder Scrolls Online,
avatar. None or few Customize avatar/house.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Individuality Animal Crossing
customization opportunities. Lots of skins/accessories.