Sociable

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I am not an in-game socializer. In fact, according to Richard Bartle's questionnaire I am put together in the following manner:

"Based on your answers, you are AKSE.

Breakdown: Achiever 73.33%, Explorer 33.33%, Killer 60.00%, Socializer 33.33%

AKSE players like to be the best-of-the-best at everything the game has to offer. They like to be high on the ladders of whatever metrics the game uses, including PVP. They like the best gear, the most power, and they love being the 'first' at something. Their prowess in PVP is generally supported by a large degree of understanding and posession of the best equipment and skills."

In other words, you won't find me roleplaying a woman in a tavern to make a gold coin. The breakdown above is pretty much how I would have guessed it would come out. I may have marked Socializer and Explorer even lower.

Brian "Psychochild" Green has unearthed one of his old papers on Socializers that I found quite informative. I've never quite wrapped my head around the atrraction of online socializing, though I have good friends who are part of many social communities online. Here is a snippet from Brian's paper:

"So, why do socializers like our games? Why do not they stick to the chat rooms where they belong? Because the game provides an instant form of "common ground" to allow people to start conversations. There are a plethora of chat programs that allow me to keep in contact with my friends, but a mud allows me to meet people with a common interest in gaming, a certain genre, etc and play a game with them. This is one reason why I think the watering down of games to make them more "mass-market" friendly is problematic. Without a solid, defining characteristic, it makes it harder for people to find others of similar interests, the "common ground" I spoke of above."

As I stated, I'm not a Socializer, but I do enjoy reading their continuous diatribes in the general chat channel. They entertain me and let's face it, we pay our $15 a month to be entertained. I don't want to partake in their type of fun, but I do agree that without them MMO games would be bland experiences. That and they are so busy chatting that I can level faster than them and get better loot, giving my Achiever personality a boost. A big round of clap for Socializers.

Are you a Socializer? Talk to me...

[Vote, rank, share, comment!]
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