Tag Archives: Game Design

OSO and Bartle's Taxonomy: why Yun shouldn't play like you

One of my biggest pet peeves on this site is how many Only Sense Online readers criticize Yun's actions because she doesn't play like they do. Sure, Yun is made to be a little too much of a doormat (the topic of whether doormat = feminine is an entirely different topic and will make its proponents sound stereotyped/chauvinistic regardless of realism). However, Yun's actions as a gamer does make sense, despite many complaints. And the fact many gamers sees Yun as "un-gamer-esque" is just another showing of how lopsided and poorly balanced many of our gaming environments are, and why many parts of the gaming community is struggling to pull in more players or even stay pertinent for more than a year or two.

Welcome to Bartle's Taxonomy, or the study of the four player types -- achievers, explorers, socializers, and killers -- and how they balance a proper, thriving, and long-term gaming ecosystem

Continue reading