Hears, Clubs, diamonds, Spades: Players who suit MUDS

Wow, blogger really messed up this post, please bear with it.

A few months back we were discussing an article which held my interest very strongly, this article was about MUDs, otherwise known as multi-user domains, and as an experienced participant in these domains and a recurring player in many MMO’s.

These are basically MMORPGs and the article is written by Richard A. Bartle and called “HEARTS, CLUBS, DIAMONDS, SPADES: PLAYERS WHO SUIT MUDS” and this is all about the different play styles that players might adapt in an MUD.

First of all Bartle goes on to split players up into four interest groups, Socialisers, Achievers, Killers and Explorers and explains each group in some detail separately.

He talks about Achievers first. Bartle says that Achievers are people who like to achieve well in the game in terms of points, this can include getting the best gear, being the highest level, having the most gold or whatever. Basically people that like to achieve things in a game, no matter how insignificant that achievement can be to real life.

He then speaks a little about Explorers. Explorers are people who are most interested in exploring the vast world created in the MUD, as according to Bartle, they only see socialising and killing as a sort of thing to help them get from one place to another.

Moving on to socialisers, he says that they are the kind of people who would rather meet people over a game and form relationships like friendship in the actual game, because it’s quite an easy thing to do in an MUD as there are millions of other players playing at the same time as you.

Lastly he talks about the killing oriented players. These players like to kill other players to prove how much stronger they are, or just for the thrill of it. They might be graduated Achievers who are not bored and just want to kill other players.

After reading this bit I sat there and thought for a second, eventually I nodded to myself and said “Explorer” in these MUDs that I play I’m usually more interested in exploring new places, no matter how hazardous my journeys might take me. Only I do it in a more nerdy way and start taking the whole exploring a new world thing too seriously (as I do with many things that aren’t really important) and make up a little story for my avatar and why he or she is exploring this new world.

Later Bartle shows a little graph that shows what kind of interest each type of player has in the game, this is simply split up into four other categories, it’d be easier to just show it, actually.

                                 ACTING

                  Killers            |                  Achievers

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

          PLAYERS -------------------+------------------- WORLD

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

                                     |

                  Socialisers        |                  Explorers

                                INTERACTING

This is the little chart that shows the interests that each type of player has in the game as according to Bartle. While looking at it I reflected on myself a little bit and how unsociable I am in MUDs, despite always wanting help with a dungeon I can’t clear or something. Whatever, I found that I’d fit in the world interest column as I am also part achiever in MUDs.

Basically what this chart does show is how some interests for each different type of player can be shared between each other, for example; a killer and a socialiser may both take interest in the players of the MUD however a socialiser and an explorer may enjoy interacting with the players to get things done in the game. Simple.

Since MUD’s were still young, or less popular at the time this article was made it was hard to judge how players may behave towards other types of players. Some of the points Bartle has made, however, are very good and still apply to the current age of MUD players.

He later goes on to talk about how each of these player types interact with each other and their thoughts on one and another. In my opinion I think Bartle did a very good job assigning these behaviours to the player types and the way the players act now still reflect in Bartles’ observation regarding the subject.

1. Richard Bartle, “Richard A. Bartle: Players Who Suit MUDs”, 1996, http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm.