Classification in taxonomies

A number of taxonomies have been proposed which classify gamer types and the aspects they value in games.[49]
The Bartle taxonomy of player types classifies gamers according to their preferred activities within the game:

 Achievers, who like to gain points and overall succeed within the game parameters, collecting all rewards
and game badges.
 Explorers, who like to discover all areas within the game, including hidden areas and glitches, and expose all
game mechanics.
 Socializers, who prefer to play games for the social aspect, rather than the actual game itself.
 Beaters, who thrive on competition with other players.
 Completionists, who are combinations of the Achiever and Explorer types. They complete every aspect of the
game (main story, side quests, achievements) while finding every secret within it.
The MDA framework describes various aspects of the game regarding the basic rules and actions (Mechanics), how
they build up during game to develop the gameplay (Dynamics), and what emotional response they convey to the
player (Aesthetics). The described esthetics are further classified as Sensation, Fantasy, Narrative, Challenge,
Fellowship, Discovery, Expression and Submission. Jesse Schell extends this classification with
Anticipation, Schadenfreude, Gift giving, Humour, Possibility, Pride, Purification, Surprise, Thrill, Perseverance and
Wonder, and proposes a number of generalizations of differences between how males and females play. [50]

Avatar
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Main article: Avatar (computing)
See also: Player character
Creating an avatar sets the stage of a player becoming an avatar; it is the first interaction that a potential player must
make to identify themselves among the gaming community.[51] An avatar, username, game name, alias, gamer tag,
screen name, or handle is a name (usually a pseudonym) adopted by a video gamer, used as a main preferred
identification to the gaming community. Usage of user names is often most prevalent in games with online
multiplayer support, or at electronic sport conventions. While some well-known gamers only go by their online handle,
a number have adopted to using their handle within their real name typically presented as a middle name, such
as Tyler "Ninja" Blevins or Jay "sinatraa" Won.
Similarly, a clan tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a clan. Clans are generally a
group of gamers who play together as a team against other clans. They are most commonly found in online multi-
player games in which one team can face off against another. Clans can also be formed to create loosely based
affiliations perhaps by all being fans of the same game or merely gamers who have close personal ties to each other.
A team tag is a prefix or suffix added to a name to identify that the gamer is in a team. Teams are generally sub-
divisions within the same clan and are regarded within gaming circuits as being a purely competitive affiliation. These
gamers are usually in an online league such as the Cyberathlete Amateur League (C.A.L.) and their parent company
the Cyberathlete Professional League (C.P.L.) where all grouped players were labeled as teams and not clans.

Clans and guilds

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A clan, squad or guild is a group of players that form, usually under an informal 'leader' or administrator. Clans are
often formed by gamers with similar interests; many clans or guilds form to connect an 'offline' community that might
otherwise be isolated due to geographic, cultural or physical barriers. Some clans are composed of professional
gamers, who enter competitive tournaments for cash or other prizes; most, however, are simply groups of like-
minded players that band together for a mutual purpose (for example, a gaming-related interest or social group).

Identity
The identity of being a gamer is partly self-determination and partly performativity of characteristics society expects a
gamer to embody.[52] These expectations include not only a high level of dedication to playing games, but also
preferences for certain types of games, as well as an interest in game-related paraphernalia like clothing and comic
books.[52] According to Graeme Kirkpatrick, the "true gamer" is concerned first and foremost with gameplay.[53] The
Escapist founder Alexander Macris says a gamer is an enthusiast with greater dedication to games than just playing
them, similar in connotation to "cinemaphile".[54] People who play may not identify as gamers because they feel they
don't play "enough" to qualify.[52] Social stigma against games has influenced some women and minorities to
distance themselves from the term "gamer", even though they may play regularly. [52][55]

Demographics
Games are stereotypically associated with young males, but the diversity of the audience has been steadily
increasing over time.[56] This stereotype exists even among a majority of women who play video games regularly.
[57] Among players using the same category of device (e.g., console or phone), patterns of play are largely the same
between men and women. Diversity is driven in part by new hardware platforms. [56] Expansion of the audience was
catalyzed by Nintendo's efforts to reach new demographics.[31] Market penetration of smartphones with gaming
capabilities further expanded the audience,[31] since in contrast to consoles or high-end PCs, mobile phone gaming
requires only devices that non-gamers are likely to already own.[56]
While 48% of women in the United States report having played a video game, only 6% identify as gamers, compared
to 15% of men who identify as gamers.[58] This rises to 9% among women aged 18–29, compared to 33% of men in
that age group. Half of female PC gamers in the U.S. consider themselves to be core or hardcore gamers.[59]
[60] Connotations of "gamer" with sexism on the fringe of gaming culture has caused women to be less willing to
adopt the label.[61]
Racial minorities responding to Pew Research were more likely to describe themselves as gamers, with 19%
of Hispanics identifying as gamers, compared to 11% of African-Americans and 7% of whites.[58] The
competitive fighting game scene is noted as particularly racially diverse and tolerant. [62] This is attributed to its origin
in arcades, where competitors met face to face and the barrier to entry was merely a quarter.[62] Only 4% of those
aged 50 and over identified as gamers.[58]

Casualization
Casualization is a trend in video games towards simpler games appealing to larger audiences, especially women or
the elderly.[31] Some developers, hoping to attract a broader audience, simplify or remove aspects of gameplay in
established genres and franchises. [63] Compared to seminal titles like DOOM, more recent mass-market action
games like the Call of Duty series are less sensitive to player choice or skill, approaching the status of interactive
movies.[64]
The trend towards casual games is decried by some self-identified gamers who emphasize gameplay, meaning the
activities that one undertakes in a game. [53] According to Brendan Keogh, these are inherently masculine activities
such as fighting and exerting dominance. He further says that games women prefer are more passive experiences,
and male gamers deride the lack of interactivity in these games because of this association with femininity.
[53] Belying these trends, games including The Sims or Minecraft have some of the largest audiences in the industry
while also being very complex.[63] According to Joost van Dreunen of SuperData Research, girls who play Minecraft
are "just as 'hardcore' as the next guy over who plays Counter-Strike".[65] Dreunen says being in control of a game's
environment appeals equally to boys and girls.[65] Leigh Alexander argued that appealing to women does not
necessarily entail reduced difficulty or complexity.[66]