The Relationship between the Five Factor Personality Model and Motivations for Play in MMORPGs

Computer and video games are reaching a wider audience than ever before, yet distributors are struggling to keep up with past growth. Demographic game design posits that in order to create more commercially successful games, designers must understand the player in order to anticipate their needs. The industry struggling as it is, this understanding has become even more important. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between player personality and motivations for game play in order to add to a base of publicly and academically available information on which designers can draw. The Neuroticism Extraversion Openness-Five Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and Nick Yee’s Motivations for Play in MMORPGs Assessment (2005) were administered to 51 Dakota State University students. Results demonstrated that even in a small group of “core gamers” there is a great deal of variety in play motivations. Furthermore, there were several significant correlations between personality factors and play motivations. Achievement motivations were positively correlated with Extraversion (p<.01) and Conscientiousness (p<.05). Social motivations were positively correlated with Extraversion (p<.001) and Agreeableness (p<.01). Immersion motivations were positively correlated with Neuroticism and Openness to Experience (p<.05). Other relationships and further opportunities for study and expansion of the motivations model are discussed.