By Julia Southwick and Joy Carandang
Unlike all of the previous personality articles, this one is just for fun- what is your gamer type? Many of us love to unwind with a good video game, but have you ever thought about what drives us to choose specific genres, storylines, or art styles? A large portion of the 9 Quantic Gamer Types is directly based on the responses of those who participated in the Gamer Motivation Profile tool. Through more than 500,000 respondents, each with their own unique backgrounds as well as video game preferences, the Quantic Foundry has since measured and established 12 types of motivations for 9 types of gamers. You can take their quantic gamer type quiz here.
The 9 types can be found on their site, but we’ve listed them below:
Acrobat: These solo gamers love to immerse themselves in games that are packed with challenges and missions. They will go to any length to perfect a mission or defeat the most difficult bosses, no matter how many attempts it may take them. World-building and window-dressing areis not the Acrobat’s forte, and they would much prefer titles that are moderately paced and easy to get started with. Some examples include Super Metroid, Tetris, and The Binding of Isaac.
Gardener: For the Gardener, video games that involve plenty of task completion are the perfect way to unwind. They appreciate having a distinctive set of rules alongside responsive gameplay from the get-go. They do not mind planning well in advance to unlock new items, achieve trophies, and advance onto the next level. You’re likely to find titles such as Candy Crush and Animal Crossing on their games list.
Slayer: Slayers revel in games that include linear storylines and expansive gameplay. To them, a video game is not just a way to pass time, but a truly immersive experience. They are the type to take their time exploring the world around them and finding as many easter eggs and cutscenes as possible. Their favorite types of games are those that are action-driven with no shortage of details.
Skirmisher: Skirmishers are action-seeking gamers who enjoy match-based, co-op modes. They prefer playing in team arenas that host exciting gameplay, where the stakes are low and scores are not cumulative to an overall ranking. You’ll find games like Call of Duty and Battlefield in their library. A small percentage of Skirmishers are women, however, those who identify with the type are typically younger in age.
Gladiator: Gladiators want games to engage them with a broad spectrum of features and are likely to identify as hardcore gamers. They love games that include team arenas, fast-paced explosive gameplay, power progression mechanics, and are an epic experience. Gladiators enjoy challenging game play, strategic thinking, rich settings, exploration and customization. Some examples of popular games for Gladiators include MMOs and shooters like Destiny, Gears of War, and Black Desert Online.
Ninja: Ninjas love taking on difficult challenges, strategic decision-making, fast-pacing, and competition. They love competing against other players to test their skills and wits. Ninjas low Completion score points to Ninjas preferring match-based gameplay where every match is a new start. Ninjas also are driven by skill-based mastery. Some examples of popular games for Ninjas are StarCraft and Street Fighter.
Bounty Hunter: Bounty Hunters want game worlds they can make their own through customization and exploration as they have above-average Discovery and Design scores. They also love power progression through leveling up and upgrades. In the context of the game world, they want to see their characters grow and become powerful. Some examples of popular games for Bounty Hunters are Saints Row, Far Cry, and Mass Effect.
Architect: Architects desire planning and decision-making that lead to progression and task completion in their games of choice. They also love games with interesting settings and stories that are slow-paced, relaxing, and serene. Architects want to have full control over the gameplay experience and therefore prefer solo gameplay without teamwork or competition. Like the name suggests, Architects want to plan and build something tall and enduring over time and not have it be destroyed. Some examples of popular games for Architects are Europa Universalis and Civilization.
Bard: Bards prefer games that focus on being social- they want to chat with other players and all of the NPCs to explore the lore, stories, discoveries, and customization of the game worlds. They are very community-oriented and want to be part of a community of players crafting and shaping the world and stories of the game. They prefer games that can equate to theatrical stages- they want to experience the game’s world organically and don’t care very much about power progression or task completion. Some examples of popular games for Bards are The Secret World and Final Fantasy XIV.
Now that you know all of the types, it might be helpful to see some examples of each. We’ve put together a Google Slides presentation with an example for each reader type which you can see here.
My result was dule Slayer/Gardener with a preference for Slayer. The quick description for each is “The Hero in a Cinematic Story.”/”Quiet, Relaxing Task Completion.” on Quantic Foundry’s site. My main games of choice are a good marriage of these types: Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda. In Pokemon, the player gets to defeat their opponents and be the hero of the story while also completing various tasks and collecting both Pokemon to complete the Pokedex and various items in the games. In The Legend Of Zelda, the player controls the main character, Link, who often uses a variety of weapons to save Princess Zelda and the land of Hyrule. To do so, Link must complete several tasks, like delivering goods to non-playable characters (NPCs) or beating the boss monster of dungeons. There are also different types of collectibles in Zelda- from potions and rupees to bugs and ship parts.
Other than Zelda and Pokemon, I do sometimes play other games. Those games include entries from the Mario and Xenoblade Chronicles series for the same reasons as my main games. I haven’t played many of either series, but have enjoyed Super Paper Mario, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 8 Delux, Super Mario Party, and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
A game that I’ve seen others play that might be the best example of the Slayer/Gardener is Earthbound. I’ve played some of it myself and look forward to completing it someday! This game features four friends out on a journey to save the world that rewards talking to every NPC you can find. Some of them are needed to help the protagonists complete the main story and others provide interesting, and often funny, dailog or optional quests. Throughout the game, the player can check in with NPCs to see what has changed in their life as the game progresses. At the end of the game, the protagonists are able to journey home together going their separate ways as they reach each person’s home. During this part of the game, the player can talk to the NPCs and see how much has changed from the beginning of the game.
All of the games I enjoy let me make a difference and easily see how much what I did in the game matters while giving me a slower paced, relaxing experience. My favorite games are a spontaneous mix of plot progression in main quests and getting stronger or taking breaks with side quests. I enjoy getting to choose what I do when- sometimes I want to just slow down and smell the roses and other times I just can’t wait to see where the main story goes next.
My Quantic Gamer Type is the Bard, whose motto is “playing a part in a grand story.” For as long as I can remember, I’ve always gravitated toward open-world games where I can fully immerse myself in and customize my experience through decision making. Some titles that I regularly play for the rich storyline and gameplay are Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Red Dead Redemption II, and the Harvest Moon series. I would describe my style of gameplay as a bit off the beaten path. I like to take my time completing missions and tasks in favor of exploring the world around me, finding the joy in doing mundane activities from farming, chatting with NPCs, and creating my own mini-adventures as I travel across maps. I get excited when stumbling upon well-made cutscenes and easter eggs that add depth to the lore of each game. On average, I play a mix of PC, console, and mobile games. Outside of adventure, I also enjoy simulation and co-op genres. Other titles that you can find in my library include The Sims, MarioKart, and Call of Duty Mobile.
…But What Does This Have To Do With Tech Comm?
A career in Technical Communication can translate into working in several ever-changing industries and fields for various causes that operate within different workflows. Taking Quantic Foundry’s test can help a budding technical writer, a current technical writer, or an established practitioner looking to find themselves in a new industry connect with their peers and coworkers. Additionally, understanding your results can be beneficial in deciding what to play next for fun or to further increase your tech comm knowledge.
Those interpersonal relationships drive our success on the job. Learning about our Gamer types provides a useful language for technical communicators to understand how we can connect with others over shared interests.
We Want to Hear from You
No test will ever present a complete portrait of who you are, but many people find them useful for self-reflection or as tools to engage with others. We would love to hear from you about your experience with personality tests. Each test you take will give you a different perspective. Let us know what results you have gotten and how you have found that information to be useful or not.