As you might have noticed by now I am always keen to know the reasons why people choose to game, especially in MMOs. The answer to this can reveal so much. So please, humour me for a second and answer me this:
Which of the following reasons describes your motivation for gaming most accurately?
- I like competition and enjoy pushing myself to be better.
- As well as meeting new interesting people, I play to spend time and maintain contact with the friends I have made in game.
- I log in order to sometimes get a break from RL by exploring virtual worlds, characters and story lines.
Of course we are most likely effected by more than one of these motivations but it is possible that one of them is more dominant than the rest. Are you an achievement, social or immersion focused gamer? What is interesting in thinking about this question is that it can effect how important your “Online Social Identity” is to you.
How we are seen by others is extremely important to us in real life but it clearly also transcends to online gaming. Let me explain myself.
