(This post is the second in a two-part series that recaps our GDC 2020 talk.)
In the previous post, we presented a player segment model based on our entire data set of 500,000+ gamers who have taken the Gamer Motivation Profile. We explored both a 9-segment solution in depth and also surfaced what would happen if we pushed for more granularity in a 19-segment model.
While the 9-segment model provided a good high-level taxonomy of gamers, it struggled to capture nuances of gamers within specific genres, and while the 19-segment model provided better granularity, it came at the cost of a very unmanageable number of segments.
In practice, we’ve found that most of the game industry folks we work with tend to care most about the specific franchise or genre they are working on. And in these contexts, the best way to identify a manageable set of nuanced player segments is to conduct the segment analysis for that specific sample of players.
We’ll use Civilization VI as an example for this. Civ VI is an interesting case study because it’s a title in a widely-known franchise—most gamers are familiar with the core mechanics of the franchise. And even though it’s a AAA title, it’s accessible enough for new players to enjoy or to play in a more casual manner. I also happen to be a fan of the franchise.
The Gamer Motivation Profile
The Gamer Motivation Profile is a 5-minute survey that allows gamers to get a personalized report of their gaming motivations, and see how they compare with other gamers. Over 500,000 gamers worldwide have taken this survey. The 12 motivations that are measured in our model were identified via statistical analysis of how gaming motivations cluster together. You can get a more detailed description of our gamer sample here.
See how you compare with other gamers. Take a 5-minute survey and get your Gamer Motivation Profile
We’ll show lots of charts like this one in this post. These are the motivation profiles for the segments we’ll present. The black line down the middle is the 50th percentile, the perfect average in our full data set. So a 78%-tile in Destruction means the average gamer in this segment cares more about chaos, mayhem, guns, and explosions than 78% of the gamers in our full data set. They find chaos and guns more appealing than most gamers do.
Quickly interpret each chart by scanning in chunks. The motivations are grouped by the 3 clusters.
The top 4 are about immediate excitement. The middle 4 are about long-term progression. The bottom 4 are about expressive curiosity. Motivations in the same cluster are more likely to swing together. So in this example profile above, you can quickly grok that these players care more about immediate excitement, care less about storytelling and exploration, and have mixed feelings about progression.
The Civ VI Player Sample
This analysis is based on the 6,471 gamers who specifically mentioned Civilization VI as a game title they have enjoyed playing in the Gamer Motivation Profile.
The 5 Civ VI Player Segments
Our segment analysis of the Civ VI player sample revealed 5 distinct player types.
Mason: The Mason is a progression-oriented builder. The combination of Completion and Power is most typically seen in MMOs and Action RPGs like Diablo, where grinding leads to tangible rewards of power. Mixed with Strategy, it can lean towards optimization and min-maxing behavior. So the Mason enjoys planning long-term projects in a game world with an interesting setting and story. They lean heavily towards solo players. They dislike competition. They prefer games to be slow-paced and relaxing. And they also prefer games to be on the easier, more forgiving side of things. In this sense, Masons see the game as an elaborate construction set. Because of their high Completion score, they are probably more likely to want to keep playing after the victory condition is met so they don’t have to start from scratch again. Among other games they enjoy are Anno 1800 and Cities: Skylines.
Anarchist: The Anarchist is primarily looking for spontaneous, carefree chaos. They’re also solo gamers, and looking for very accessible, easy gameplay where they aren’t being challenged by skill gates or complex mechanics. They want fun, carefree, chaos at their own pace. At first, this segment may not seem to make sense in the context of Civ VI. But note that you need a city for a natural disaster to unleash chaos into. After all, if a massive flood occurs in an uninhabited floodplain, was there really a disaster? While the Masons are building tall, the Anarchists can be equally entertained when things fall apart. And you need some sort of initial order for chaos to become apparent. Anarchists likely find the recent Apocalypse game mode very appealing. Among other games they enjoy are Total War and Assassin’s Creed.
Grandmaster: The Grandmaster is a cool-headed and strategic-minded player. Their below-average scores in Completion and Power suggest that they are less attached to progression, accumulation, or to any particular game save. Every game is simply a new opportunity to learn, improve, and hone their gameplay. They see Civ VI as an elaborate chess game, and they care very little about the window dressing. They have very little interest in the stories and settings of Civ and the stories/design of the different leaders, and they care only about how the different abilities impact the strategic decisions they have to make. They are abstract decision-makers looking for the most elegant solution. Among other games they enjoy are Teamfight Tactics and Europa Universalis IV.
Emperor: The Emperor mixes Strategy with Immersion. They want to make interesting, impactful decisions in the context of a game world where they can take on a dramatic role and be part of a rich narrative. These gamers enjoy creating cohesive narratives about their empire’s growth over the centuries, the relationships they developed with their neighbors, and the historical decisions they made at key junctures. They revel in the unique personalities and emotional quirks (I’m looking at you Philip) of the other leaders. For them, every game weaves a tapestry: a rich, cast-driven story that they had a large part in creating. Among other games they enjoy are Divinity: Original Sin II, Crusader Kings II, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Military Strategist: And finally, the Military Strategist enjoys strategic competition. They want to take on and outwit other human players on this complex battlefield of long-term decision making. Unlike the other segments, Military Strategists are highly social, enjoy both teamwork and competition, and also prefer faster game pacing. These are players who are most likely to play Civ on multiplayer mode and try out the new Red Death Battle Royale mode. They aren’t happy beating the AI. They want to hone their skills and defeat other human players. Other games they enjoy are Mount & Blade: Bannerlord and Rainbow Six: Siege.
Here’s a summary overview of the 5 segments presented side by side:
Use Cases & Trade-Offs
What we’ve noticed from interacting with gamers and game developers is that there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all player segment model that works for every situation, and understanding the goals and trade-offs for the specific use case is very important.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all player segment model that works for every situation.
The overall 9-segment model is great for researchers who need a lens for gamers as a whole, game industry folks who work across and need to keep tabs on many genres, and also perhaps as part of a gamer-facing profiling app. But the more the use case targets a specific genre, the greater the risk of overlooking important nuanced differentiators within that genre.
The overall 19-segment model could work for a gamer-facing profiling app. After all, the 16 MBTI types (not a claim or endorsement of statistical validity of MBTI) seems to hit an interesting “unique tribe” feature—not so many types that you never meet someone like you, but not so few types that you don’t feel unique. But 19 is just too many for most business contexts.
And while the franchise/genre-specific models like the Civ VI model above is able to reveal a manageable number of nuanced player segments, it means having to conduct a separate analysis for each target audience of interest and not having the ability to speak the same taxonomy across genres.
What Civ VI Player Type Are You?
If you play Civ VI (and it would likely apply if you are a Civ gamer in general), which player type are you?
Which Approach Makes Sense For What You Are Working On?
If you’re in the game industry, which segment analysis approach makes the most sense for your current project? Are there other trade-offs we haven’t considered above?
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Mason described my play style and enjoyment almost *exactly*. :)
I’ve not played Civilization games but I expect I’d be mostly Mason with a bit of Emperor.
Me too, actually. Granted I play at least 2 games in each category except for strategist, I identify with the mason the most, but I also like the fantasy and story aspects.
Honestly, I think I’ve done all of the above. Sometimes I “change” roles for a particular map depending on my mood. I’m probably most often in the Grandmaster role, but I often need a break from that and intentionally do something different to explore a different aspect of a game I like.
Love this piece.
I’m a mix between Grandmaster and Empereor.
Personally I don’t find odd that I can be both strategist and a bard/story teller. I tend to start playing a game with an idea then I develop it. This needs both to work on a structure made of steps and to confront the extra effects of our actions. Moreover, no strategy game or RPG or even a story is valid if there’s only one player against him/her/itself…in a narrative sense.
The fun is to create a story where your actions merges with the others and you shape the environment cooperating with the other players both in satisfying your needs and maybe some of the others too.
I’m (more than cooperative) a “society” builder. I want to achieve but I like to achieve it in a steady way. and I can’t achieve steady stuff without considering things around me, can I? on the other hand, the more I consider things in the context, the more I stop being an idea and I become a story, id est inserted in the events.
Are you a wonder play, in Saladin’s clothes? Wonderful, since I’m being Catherine, I must face you. To me the Great Wall, to you the Forbidden place. And meanwhile, I’ll just farm lots of culture, maybe with the help of Cleopatra, with whom I’ll make am economic alliance, so I may “accidentally” buy some spies instead of choke my cities on building them. Oh, and let’s not forgot the dear Teddy who will gallantly offer me a research alliance. Of course I’ll keep my science production advanced so he wouldn’t be able to surpass me and win by science.
For do so I’d focus on my faith bonus, which increases my culture, science, production and gold for every converted city who has a nat wonder.
On a “narrative” side, this may portrait “my” Catherine a patron who created an hardwork religion. She doesn’t fiddle, she wants to play big. This makes easy-peasy for the commercial Cleo and the pacifist Teddy to please me. Just give me your resources and I’ll give you a faith. And poor Saladin won’t last longer, even with the most aggressive and cultural rooted religion.
Just an example of how I play.
Hi Nick,
Great work and I’m very interested in using this framework. Can we see the proportion of these various motivation segments?
I ask because sometimes it’s important to consider if the Mason segment makes up 90% of your sample, with the others fighting for the remainder.
Happy to look at the source sample myself if that’s available somewhere.
Great work!
I wonder if it would be possible to include (for they who played the previous game(s)) whether or not they found it a better game/worthy successor. I’ve played way too much civ 5 for example, but for some reason can’t seem to like civ 6.
If it seems that, say, the grandmaster type players over average enjoyed civ 5 more than civ 6, and the anarchist vice versa, it might show a fun correlation to how the gameplay features changed. Civ 5 didn’t have natural disasters for example.
And from these numbers you can also immediately notice whether or not civ6’s player base came from civ 5, or was new. Both interesting things to know for a game. (Many old ck2 players have been critical of ck3, and the majority is new players (I think))