Gaming by introverts, for introverts
by Jennie Lees 
{ Sep 13th 2006 at 1:25PM }
An interesting tidbit dredged up from Raph Koster's presentation at the Austin Game Conference comes via Wonderland: most gamers are introverts. Pardon us while we gasp in disbelief for a few minutes. Koster claims that most gamers fall into the Myers-Briggs types INTJ, INTP, ISTJ and ISTP. With INTJ being a classic scientist, and INTP a classic programmer, it seems as if games really are designed by nerds, for nerds.As Alice points out, what would a game designed by an extrovert look like? How are those of us who have Myers-Briggs types beginning with E catered for by modern games? Perhaps we're more likely to head off to the pub and pay someone else to level our MMO characters -- perhaps we're more drawn to social or casual games -- or perhaps we just don't play at all.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Agent MOO @ Sep 13th 2006 1:34PM
I always think of pac man when I see a pie chart with a big section.
The link is image loading hell, even on a work t1. This thing is a mass of speculation + boring graphs, anyone getting anything out of it?
FSK405K @ Sep 13th 2006 1:44PM
....Guitar Hero, The Sims, You Don't Know Jack, Dance Dance Revolution, anything with Madden in the title.... Not all games are FEAR/Starcraft/Diablo, etc.
aZn_1080p @ Sep 13th 2006 1:59PM
I think PC games are almost exclusively by/for introverts (read: nerds). The offshoot of that is that since so many Xbox games are PC ports, it also applies to xbox. Sony and Nintendo are loaded with party games and other extrovert titles, which is why those consoles stay out at parties and when chicks are over, while the xbox gets put back in the cabinet.
Ben18 @ Sep 13th 2006 7:28PM
I am a pretty big introvert so even MMO's often aren't my thing. I really like to do things on my own and socialize only when I want or need to. So if I'm playing WoW I only play with my close friends in my guild, or I PvP so I don't have to talk much. I really prefer enjoy single player games like FF's and action/adventure games. So what I'm really saying is I don't doubt that video games are designed and mostly played by introverts.
LaughingTarget @ Sep 13th 2006 1:52PM
Interesting study, but it isn't presented well. Too much of that data is way too small to read.
Jeff @ Sep 13th 2006 1:52PM
Well, just for the record, I'm an INFP - I've taken these tests.
"How are those of us who have Myers-Briggs types beginning with E catered for by modern games? Perhaps we're more likely to head off to the pub and pay someone else to level our MMO characters -- perhaps we're more drawn to social or casual games -- or perhaps we just don't play at all."
Honestly, I think most MMO's and the like are designed for "I" types because it is a "safe" way to socialize - you can do it by yourself, without ever leaving your house. It's by nature an introverted activity, but it gives you the ability to socialize that *all* humans (whether "I" or "E") need. But it doesn't force you to learn real social skills, which most "I" types have to work on in order to function properly in the real world. (I think this is a big part of where that earlier article about games turning people into "wimps" was coming from.)
I think there are a lot of "E" type games, though, and also a lot of games that cross over. Sports games, for example, which simulate a real-world activity that a lot of people who play them actually participate in for real. A lot of people who play them also play them with friends, in person. So it's more of a real social activity.
I'm sure we'll get the usual lot of defensive responses here that say "these tests are bullshit" and whatnot, but this is not an IQ test - it simply determines personality type and is useful in helping you set your goals in life. I thought mine was pretty accurate, and there is a whole written report that goes along with it. It was definitely helpful to me at becoming successful in life, because it's more just about identifying your strengths and weaknesses and learning to build from them. I think it's interesting to see someone apply this to the market of video games, and I don't doubt the results.
fat boy @ Sep 13th 2006 1:54PM
Golden Tee.
FSK405K @ Sep 13th 2006 1:54PM
The article is mistitled....everyone should go read the full 67-slide pdf on that link...it's really good.
My favorite so far, consecutive slides showing 1982 game development team = 2 male restroom-figures, 2006 = 70 (or so) male restroom-figures.
GTgamer @ Sep 13th 2006 2:38PM
Borderline ISTP/ISTJ representing...w00t!
Yeah, that presentation is completely unreadable. I can't even question it because you can't even read most of it.
FSK405K @ Sep 13th 2006 2:05PM
A slide late in the presentation says, "consoles specialize or become more like PC's." Wasn't there some big news event in the last week where someone said that PC gaming is dieing? Seems like everyone is confusing the obvious PC/console divide?
IceTeeth @ Sep 13th 2006 2:06PM
So, does that mean that gaming is bad, or just that extroverts tend to have small brains?
JRM @ Sep 13th 2006 2:10PM
That's awesome! I'm an INTJ. I didn't know I was a classic scientist. I took that meyers/briggs test in university, and on some category I scored off the charts, it was weird. I forget what it was.
Raph Koster @ Sep 13th 2006 2:13PM
The Myers-Briggs data comes from a wonderful book called "21st Century Game Design" by Bateman & Boon. I recommend folks check it out. :)
Moogle @ Sep 13th 2006 2:12PM
In slashdot fashion, I'm not going to read the article, but complain loudly on a tangent.
Not to say that the article is implying any such thing, but I think introversion has always been given a bad wrap because the people who do such things as give 'wraps' tend to be extroverts.
In much the same way that people insinuate that lawyers create laws that require lawyers, thus insuring their employment, I have a silly theory that extroverts construct 'popular' society and cliques in order to create value for 'extroverted' personality traits. Introverts must play this silly social dance to have friends from the popular crowd or get a good job, when their energy would be better directed at their own interests. How many smart kids were miserable in school because of this tyranny of extroversion?!
Down with the tyranny I say! Someone should rise up and smash this yoke of opression! I'd do it, except it sounds kinda hard, and I'd have to deal with other people. I'm just gonna go play video games instead.
:)
LunarDuality @ Sep 13th 2006 3:29PM
The first problem with this whole article is that people still don't understand what "introversion" really means. Most people (read: extroverts) think that to be introverted means that you are a hermit that hates to be around people and/or that you fear social interaction and are socially inept.
None of those are truly connected to introversion. Introversion and extroversion are terms that really define where you collect and gain your energy. Extroverted people can be completely social inept but they happen to absorb energy from other people and therefore need to be around people to attain more energy. Being alone exhausts them.
On the other hand, introvert gain energy by being alone, and being around people requires an expenditure of energy.
This is the largest misconception and the reason why people are shocked that "gamers" (who are stereotypically introverted) are actually decent in social situations.
For the record, I'm INFJ which is the smallest subset of the population. I may be introverted but I can still talk to people at parties. But it does exhaust me.
Savok @ Sep 13th 2006 2:22PM
Nerds make things for other nerds because nerd stuff is superior to everything else, no other reason.
Seriously, we have better writing, better concepts, hell we have IDEAS, something no other caste seems capable of these days. I mean my god, look at TV, Fox cancels great shows because they make the rest look even more awful, there's something wrong when that happens.
Don't see nerds running around getting drunk and setting fire to cars either, we're at home on the Internet saying "Snakes on a motherfucking Plane" over and over, or yes swearing at each other over XBL, that's as far as it ever goes though.
We're capable of having events like PAX and having them WORK.
If we had things our way Joss Whedon would be King and Paris Hilton living in a caravan, you can't tell me that isn't the way things should be.
aitmanga @ Sep 13th 2006 2:28PM
If you're curious to see which category you fall in, you can take this online test:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
Seems I'm a Healer Idealist (iNFp)
billychaos @ Sep 13th 2006 2:29PM
Well I am a hardcore gamer (whatever that means anymore, but i do own over 200 current generation games) and an extreme Extrovert. I have taken the Myers-Briggs to support this. I can tell you is I do like Nintendo games the most. I must agree with aZn_1080p's post. Me and the one extrovert I know, both like party games, games where interaction with others is required. This is most likely why i've been more attracted to Nintendo systems over any other. I also extrememly enjoy MMOGs. Again, it's probably because of the interection with others.
I associate simplify gamers as being mostly Introverts, but most Americans are Introverts! In the Corporate world this is obvious, most people in the US are introverts. I wouldnt say most gamers are introverts but people.
minimob @ Sep 13th 2006 2:34PM
Moogle, right on target :)
ROG27 @ Sep 13th 2006 2:39PM
Weird. Prior to seeing this headline on Joystiq, I was actually reading about my typology, INTP, on the web. INTPs are the rarest typology, and therefore, the least understood. INTPs are quoted as being, "the architects of systems," and I would have to agree with that assessment. The world may not understand us. We are loners many times. But we do shape and change the perceptions the world has of itself. INTPs, however few we are in numbers, are an important breed. Just browse the following list of INTPs, and this becomes readily apparent:
-Socrates
-Rene Descartes
-Blaise Pascal
-Sir Isaac Newton
-William Harvey
-C. G. Jung (the man)
-Albert Einstein (the man, part deux)
-etc.
It is no surprise, in my opinion, that INTPs (along with similar types) have both invented and pioneered the videogame industry. The ramifications of interactive simulation are far greater reaching than entertainment. They are the basis of the most cutting-edge cognitive psychological research into understanding the process of human learning and education. Experiential cognition (the gaining of usefully practiced skill-sets) studies are epitomised by the experience interactive simulation affords the user.
What I'm basically saying is that videogames are moving the world forward (regardless of whether or not certain people buy this idea or not). Learning in the future will be greatly enhanced through methodologies attributed first to videogames. And you can thank those seemingly unsociable introverted folks that sit in the corner for that!
:)
All Your Lost Socks @ Sep 13th 2006 2:42PM
Hear Hear, Moogle :) I shall heartily support the cause, by sitting in my car with a sandwich and playing Tetris DS on my lunch break.
And I'm an INFP (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving; 67, 25, 62, and 11 percent respectively.)
LaughingTarget @ Sep 13th 2006 2:44PM
Thanks for the link, aitmanga.
Looks like I fall under the FieldMarshal Rational ENTJ grouping. Used to be INTJ, but the whole 4 months where I hung up gaming turned the I into an E.
Jedimonkey27 @ Sep 13th 2006 3:28PM
INTJ FTW!!!!!!!
introverted INTJ @ Sep 13th 2006 8:53PM
Both LunarDuality (INFJ) and ROG27 (INTP) claim they are the rarest typology. I find this particularly interesting since I recall being told my classification (INTJ) was the rarest. Did "they" just think we'd never talk to each other and uncover their lies? Did they just want us to feel special?
Sounds like more injustice from the tyrrany. Fight on, Moogle!
Jim @ Sep 13th 2006 4:09PM
Anyone who classifies people with accronyms like "INTJ, INTP, ISTJ and ISTP" probably shouldn't judge other people.
Brian @ Sep 13th 2006 4:07PM
Interesting. I took the test a couple years ago and got ENTP, although I am a borderline extrovert. I agree with this because, with friends and likeminded people I'm very social, but in a room full of strangers I'm quiet. So really, I feel gifted in that I'm perfectly comfortable playing the role of both introvert and extrovert depending on the situation.
Gaming wise, I enjoy playing alone and with friends equally, and I really like WoW.
Brian @ Sep 13th 2006 4:16PM
Jim, Myers-Briggs types are highly accurate, and backed up by research by THE Carl Jung. Like it or not, they're highly helpful in the corperate world and finding out more about yourself.
Chris Taran @ Sep 13th 2006 4:16PM
Ooh, I'm an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging (INFJ). That's apparantly less than 2% of the population! Pretty cool. It's for the most part surprisingly accurate too.
http://keirsey.com/personality/nfij.html
Anyway, I never really had a problem with bein introverted. I've know for a long time that that's how I am and I've learned to deal with it in situations where I have to (at least act) extroverted.
Bloo @ Sep 13th 2006 4:34PM
Wow, Azn can turn any post, and does, into an xbox bashing post. For last gen, my GameCube was by far the most used for party gaming (not including my MAME machine), my Xbox was secong (mainly for DOA3 and Halo 1/2), and my PS2 was almost exclusively used for single player gaming (FFX, MGS2/3, Katamari, GoW, GTA4, etc)
Mat @ Sep 13th 2006 4:53PM
ENTP gamer chiming in to say "hello everyone! how are you?"
Gozzy @ Sep 13th 2006 5:34PM
I'm ENTJ all the way! I'm not at all interested in online games but get my friends round for a four-way session on Mario Kart and I'm like a pig in the proverbial. I also like games where I can step back, analyse the situation and direct the action - for example I've been playing a lot of GRAW lately. In multiplayer (local, natch) I'm always the guy directing the action and sitting back with a sniper rifle.
Oh yes, I'm an ex-professional programmer as well which proves that Myers-Briggs types are only a guide to core preference and can be overcome. And as for my geek credentials - don't get me started...
Seer S @ Sep 13th 2006 7:37PM
I got:
I N T P
67% 50% 1% 44%
Obviously, that 1% isn't very conclusive. Even after reading both descriptions, i cant decide which one I am... so, I guess that makes me
IN-P. The only 3 character MB type in existance hahahahahahaa :P
Windmill @ Sep 13th 2006 8:38PM
Thats awesome! I'm very much into MBTI personality types and consult my books weekly. I'm actually a really big INTJ (female, the rarest type to be a female INTJ), and a nintendo gamer at that, who likes video games not based on reality. Interesting! I find it interesting that most gamers are also IT's. The ISTJ's will be the perfectionists, the ISTP's... hm, they'll be into the more realistic shooting, sports games- as will the SJ's except ISTP's won't be perfectioniss. The INTJ's will probably be really into the MMORPG's and RPG's that are fantasy based and into the RPG's and the RTS games (even though I've never played them much, it'd make perfect sense) and the INTP's... hm... they'll definitely be the quirky gamers. The ones who play the odd games, probably, also will be into fantasy, probably into RPG's, especially open-ended ones.
FSK405K @ Sep 13th 2006 8:43PM
Video games as the greatest way to learn, as suggested by ROG27? Read the beeok "What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy" by James Paul Gee. Great read, especially for you Zelda and WoW types.
Windmill @ Sep 14th 2006 1:18AM
INFJ's are the rarest overall. INTP's are not the rarest by any stretch. Heres how it breaks down, INFJ's, when you put females and males together, they're the rarest overall. INFJ's are the rarest males too (makes sense) HOWEVER. The INTJ FEMALE is the RAREST type of them all. So, ultimately, if you look at gender specifics, you're least likely to be a female whos an INTJ, then a male whos an INFJ.
shivr @ Sep 14th 2006 5:28PM
im an INTJ female >_> where are you people getting this 'rartest type!" info anyway? Anyway.. I like 1-player games and dislike MMOS, but I love party games if I can actually get people to play them (though I hate parties ) Umm also, classic scientist? I'm a fine art and multimedia major... though I do like and respect the sciences.
Lynx @ Sep 24th 2006 7:13PM
I'm an INTJ female. We make up a whopping 0.08% of the population. I'm majoring in Electronic Engineering. I own a PS2, XB/XB 360, and a gaming PC. I play a wide array of games from MMO/RPGS, RTS, FPS (although rare. Headshots are only amusing for awhile), etc. I like to learn how to play almost every type of game, and excel at them. Although, for the most part, I play WoW. Been playing since beta, and I have to say that the fantasy-based games are definitely my first choice when I'm by myself (as opposed being @ a LAN) and I want to relax. Anyway, from what I've read so far about the INTJ personality type, I would have to agree that 99.9% of it is true. I get a lot of criticism for being autonomous and insensitive. Being female with a dominant masculine personality is, unnerving, to say the least.
Aegius @ Nov 19th 2006 5:51AM
Surprise surprise! I'm an ENFP all the way (for TJ types: 60% E while N, F and P at 90%) and guess what.. I love games (all kinds except multiplayer RGPs)! And a lot of my ESTP (jock) friends play games too, just mostly PS2/XBOX or CS type.