[MUD-Dev] Codename Blue & Facets - Nick Yee's new studies

[John Buehler]

Dave Rickey writes:

> If the discrepencies between the Bartle Test data and Yee's study
> is purely a result of a complete absence of Explorer opportunities
> in the games, and the major MMOG's are truly devoid of
> exploration, *why* does the Bartle Test not show the slightest
> hint of this?  It pegs all three pretty much in the centerline of
> the overall spectrum.

> The conflict cannot be reconciled by wishing it away.  This is
> like finding out that basketball players really don't like
> throwing a ball through a hoop.

Some of Yee's questions are general, but others use the phrase "in
the game".  Bartle's questions are completely general, referring to
"in a MUD".  To me, that distinction suggests that Bartle was
exploring an ideal game and what players would *want* to do, while
Yee was exploring the specific game that the player was playing and
what they *could* do.

I'm being a bit speculative because I do not know enough details
about how the two tests were made available to players.  In other
words, I don't know what expectations were set by the way the tests
were presented.  Looking at the questions themselves suggests that
there was a broad expectation set in the respondents.

So to look at the group of people playing EverQuest, Bartle's test
suggests that those players would enjoy an exploration experience if
it were available.  To look at the same group of players, Yee's test
suggests that they aren't getting any of the exploration that they'd
like to have.  Not that I'm sure that Yee's questions are very good
at discovering explorers:

  "3) Explore

    a. Mechanics

        i. I'm fascinated by the game mechanics, and love charts and
        tables.

        ii. I research everything about a class before starting the
        character.

        iii. Class-balancing or realm-balancing issues do not
        interest me.

        iv. This game is too complicated.

    b. Cartographer

        i. I like wandering and exploring the world.

        ii. I would make maps if they weren't available.

    c. Self

        i. I have learned things about myself from playing the game.

    d. Group

        i. I understand real-life group dynamics much more after
        playing the game."

Taken from http://www.nickyee.com/facets/method.html

I looked at the Bartle test and it is far more appropriate to
discovery of the exploration motivation, in my opinion.

JB

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