What Kind of MMORPG Player are YOU? The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology

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The Bartle Test classifies players of multiplayer online games into categories based on Bartle's taxonomy of player types. Each player type (Socialiser, Explorer, Achiever and Killer) is defined by the gaming elements which they find most enjoyable.

This is a Gamer Personality Test and it's really helpful for both players and developers to get a grasp on what they really value and enjoy in their MMORPG (and MUD) games.

This test is quite old and many of us have already taken it, however you're invited to revisit it or try it out for the first time.

Also, please share your results here as another icebreaker for the community and perhaps provide some valuable insight to the devs (@Chris @DarkStarr @Lord British @Sannio @Lord Subtleton ) on what makes us tick as gamers in their world.

For a super nerdy in-depth discussion about these theories, please check out Richard Bartle's own articles as well as Gamasutra.

Take the Test

Once taken, please answer the poll with your two highest-scoring percentage Bartle Types.
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explorer / achiever. the latter has always been in crafting for games where that is available.

but, i do dabble in the other areas as well.

 

You are 100% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.
You are also:

53% Achiever
27% Socialiser
20% Killer

 

You are 73% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.
You are also:

67% Socialiser
40% Achiever
20% Killer
This result may be abbreviated as ESAK

 

You are 73% Explorer

53% Socialiser
40% Achiever
33% Killer

 

he Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
You are 80% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

47% Socialiser


47% Achiever


27% Killer


This result may be abbreviated as ESAK

Background & Acknowledgements
The Bartle Test is based on the player types identified by the legendary Richard Bartle in his paper, Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs. It is strongly recommended that you read this paper if you wish to find out more about your player type, and what it all means. Bartle revisits and expands upon these ideas in his book, Designing Virtual Worlds, which is also recommended if you wish to delve a little deeper.

The original Bartle Test was created by Erwin S. Andreasen and Brandon Downey and this implementation is based on the question data which Andreasen has made available at http://www.andreasen.org/bartle/.

The impetus behind creating this version was the demise of the version hosted at GamerDNA, which I previously used when teaching.

 

The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
You are 60% Socialiser
What Bartle says:

♥ Socialisers are interested in people, and what they have to say. The game is merely a backdrop, a common ground where things happen to players. Inter-player relationships are important: empathising with people, sympathising, joking, entertaining, listening; even merely observing people play can be rewarding - seeing them grow as individuals, maturing over time. Some exploration may be necessary so as to understand what everyone else is talking about, and points-scoring could be required to gain access to neat communicative spells available only to higher levels (as well as to obtain a certain status in the community). Killing, however, is something only ever to be excused if it's a futile, impulsive act of revenge, perpetrated upon someone who has caused intolerable pain to a dear friend. The only ultimately fulfilling thing is not how to rise levels or kill hapless drips; it's getting to know people, to undertand them, and to form beautiful, lasting relationships.
You are also:

60% Achiever
53% Explorer
27% Killer
This result may be abbreviated as SAEK


I disagree. I am 100% chat

 

You are 80% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

67% Socialiser


47% Achiever


7% Killer

 

Just for the record....

You are 100% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

67% Achiever


33% Socialiser


0% Killer


This result may be abbreviated as EASK

 

The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
You are 87% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

47% Killer


40% Socialiser


27% Achiever

 

The same results I've always gotten, or as close as I recall... though I may have been EASK the first time I took it... A and S have always been close though,

This test has been around for decades now, and I still maintain it is lacking a letter...

B, for Builder

Given choice, I will always opt to Build... That is why the Player Owned Town roped me in so completely. I was one of the first 5 or 10 people to purchase a town. I've tried to get @Chris to look in the database and tell me what my ordinal number was, but I haven't been able to get an answer to date... I've spent many thousands of dollars on my town... an expenditure I do not and never have regretted... I look forward to the day I can share it with more people... The same urge grabbed me in Star Citizen when they introduced the Pioneer, a ship designed to build player outpost. I bought one as soon as it was available, one of the first hundred or so bought.

There should be a B in this test.

 

The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
You are 67% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

67% Socialiser


53% Achiever


13% Killer


This result may be abbreviated as ESAK

 

You are 73% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

60% Killer


47% Achiever


20% Socialiser

 

You are 73% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

53% Achiever


47% Killer


27% Socialiser

 

I just lost 5 minutes of my life that I will never get back

You are 87% Killer
What Bartle says:

♣ Killers get their kicks from imposing themselves on others. This may be "nice", ie. busybody do-gooding, but few people practice such an approach because the rewards (a warm, cosy inner glow, apparently) aren't very substantial. Much more commonly, people attack other players with a view to killing off their personae (hence the name for this style of play). The more massive the distress caused, the greater the killer's joy at having caused it. Normal points-scoring is usually required so as to become powerful enough to begin causing havoc in earnest, and exploration of a kind is necessary to discover new and ingenious ways to kill people. Even socialising is sometimes worthwhile beyond taunting a recent victim, for example in finding out someone's playing habits, or discussing tactics with fellow killers. They're all just means to an end, though; only in the knowledge that a real person, somewhere, is very upset by what you've just done, yet can themselves do nothing about it, is there any true adrenalin-shooting, juicy fun.


You are also:

67% Achiever


40% Explorer


7% Socialiser

 

The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology
You are 73% Explorer
What Bartle says:

♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.


You are also:

53% Achiever


40% Socialiser


33% Killer


This result may be abbreviated as EASK

*If there is nothing to kill in masses it is imho not worth exploring

 

You are 87% Explorer
47% Socialiser
47% Killer
20% Achiever

Chose Killer as my second, considering its my favorite of the two!

 

You are 80% Explorer

60% Socialiser
53% Achiever
7% Killer

This result may be abbreviated as ESAK