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Player Archetypes: Difference between revisions
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Several different categorizations have been proposed. Most of them were made for the purposes of one specific game or genre, but can be applied more widely with a bit of tweaking.
* Timmy/Johnny/Spike. This one comes from the minds behind ''[[Magic:
** [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=9786 Timmy, Power Game] plays to experience something. He doesn't care if it's [[Cool but Inefficient]] as long as it's ''interesting'', because for Timmy, "fun" is more about the journey than the destination. Timmy puts the most emphasis on the game as a social experience. Timmy lives for [[So Cool Its Awesome]], and enjoys deploying the [[Infinity+1 Sword|Infinity-Plus-One Whatever]] that makes your eyes bug out.
** [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?popularpage=2&multiverseid=74271 Johnny, Combo Player] plays as a form of self-expression. The more customization there is in the game, the more room there is for Johnny, because Johnny thrives on taking the pieces the game gives them and making something uniquely his own. Johnny might spend more time designing his deck (army) (skill tree) (equipment set) (whatever) than playing it, and possibly enjoys it more. He lives for the ''strategy'' that makes your eyes bug out.
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* ''Magic'' also has another set of archetypes, Vorthos/Melvin. This is a separate axis; one's Vorthosity is unrelated to one's Timminess. Essentially, it's a matter of appreciation for form vs. appreciation for function: when evaluating cards, Vorthos likes them based upon how they make him feel, and Melvin likes them based on how they make him think. Original article: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/mr278 here] before we elaborate.
** Vorthos is primarily interested in fluff, setting, background, story, etc. A Vorthos-Johnny might build a deck with contraints of "Soldiers only. It doesn't matter the color, because soldiers are professionals, and know how to work together." Or, "I am going to buld a zombie deck, with a handful of necromancers and maybe a powerful demon. It fits storywise." Or (and this one's straight from the ''Magic'' website), "How about about a deck focused [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5824 solely] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5763 around] [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5770 clams], with a single [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=631 Mox Pearl] in the middle?"
** Melvins, at the opposite end of the spectrum, would see such constraints as pointless. They still care about what's written on the cards, but focus on mechanics rather than flavor. A Melvin might build a deck around a mechanic such as vampirism (dealing damage while gaining life) and completely ignore any flavor. A Melvin-Johnny might say "I am going to figure out how to use these oddly-worded cards that seem kinda counter-productive, figure out how they actually work, and then build a Goldbergian deck that I understand, but will leave my opponent hopelessly confused". Melvins LOVE the [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] CCG.
* Richard Bartle wrote an article back in 1996, "[http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs]", describing four different player archetypes. It's had quite a bit of influence on subsequent development on [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|massively multiplayer games]], and ''[[Kingdom of Loathing]]'' references it directly.
** Diamonds, AKA Achievers: These players go for the goals of the game themselves. Gaining [[Character Level|Character Levels]], getting a [[High Score]], slaying the [[Bonus Boss]], and so on. Also called power gamers or raiders. A subset of these are the kind who like collecting rare items.
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