The 5 Motivations

In no particular order:

Relationship: This factor measures the desire to develop meaningful relationships with other players in the game - usually in the form of a supportive friendship. Players who score high on this factor usually make good friends online, and tend to have meaningful conversations with their online friends, which usually involves talking about real-life personal issues. In times of need, these players can usually count on their online friends for emotional support. These players also tend to feel that they have learned things about themselves from playing the game, as well as gaining a better understanding of real-life group dynamics.

Immersion: This factor measures the desire to become immersed in a make-believe construct. Players who score high on this factor enjoy being immersed in a fantasy world they can wander and explore. They tend to role-play their characters, and use their characters to try out new personalities and roles. They enjoy being in the company of other role-players. They also appreciate the sense of being part of an ongoing story, and oftentimes will think up a personal history and story for their characters.

Grief: This factor measures the desire to objectify and use other players for one's own gains. Their means may be both outward or subtle. On the outward side, they may enjoy dominating other players by killing them on the battlefield, or by taunting and annoying them. On the more subtle side, they may enjoy manipulating other players for their own gains, such as deceiving other players through clever scams, or begging for money and items. In either case, the satisfaction comes from some form of manipulation of other players for personal gain.

Achievement: This factor measures the desire to become powerful within the construct of a game. Players who score high on this factor try to reach the goals as defined by the game. They try very hard to accumulate rewards. For example, they try to optimize their XP gain to reach the next level as quickly as possible. Or they may try to accumulate as much high-level gear as possible. Or they enjoy doing massive amounts of damage to mobs. The underlying theme is a desire to get bigger numbers. But the satisfaction comes from feeling powerful.

Leadership: This factor measures the gregariousness and assertiveness of the player. Players who score high on this factor prefer to group rather than solo. They are often assertive individuals and usually drift to leadership positions when in a group. Because a group led by an indecisive leader often gets fragmented, the assertiveness of these players probably allows them to be effective group leaders in the game.

 
Copyright, March 2002, by Nicholas Yee.

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