Motivations for playing

In the blog Mission Groupware there was a blog post “What makes online games successful?” – why people play online games and what is the motivation.

I would like to present Nick Yee’s model of player motivations in online games. In his model there are three main factors which motivate players. These main components are still divided into 10 minor subcomponents. According Yee, it is common that many of these factors can be motivating the player at same time.

Achievement:

• Advancement: Gamers who enjoy gaining power, reaching goals, leveling quickly and gather in-game resources.
• Mechanics: Gamers have an interest in analyzing the underlying numerical mechanics of the system in order to optimize the game character performance.
• Competition: Gamers who like to challenge others and compete with others gamers.
  

Social:

• Socializing: Gamers who enjoy knowing other gamers, helping them and chatting with them.
• Relationship: Gamers who are interested to form longer, meaningful relationships with others.
• Teamwork: Gamers who get satisfaction from being part of a group and achieve goals together.
  

Immersion:

• Discovery: Gamers who like to explore game world or things what most other gamers may not know.
• Role-Playing: Gamers who enjoy creating a game character with a background story.
• Customization: Gamers who enjoy customizing the appearance of their characters.
• Escapism: Gamers who use the game world as a place to relax or escape from the real life.
  

References:
[Yee, 2007] Nick Yee, Motivations of Play in Online Games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9, 772-775.