As I mentioned in my tale of my first MMO, I'm about as solitary gamer as one can be. I was interested in the last of a set of articles detailing the findings of the DGD2 gamer survey, this one on the major motivational differences between gamers who prefer multiplayer games versus those of us who cling to single player experiences:
Multiplayer gamers (statistically speaking) tend to be challenge-oriented, and willing to be aroused to anger as this enhances their eventual reward in fiero when they attain victory. They are not only enjoying fiero, though, they are also enjoying the social element of multiplayer games such as the sense of belonging to a team, feelings of envy and gratitude, and the feeling of naches – the satisfaction of seeing someone you taught to play perform well. Conversely, single player gamers (statistically speaking) are showing greater interest in having control over the space of their play. This is one way to interpret the lower interest in random elements – these add variety to play, but they also mean the player has less direct control over outcomes. The higher interest in sandbox play can also be interpreted as an increased interest in having complete control over the play space, although undoubtedly other interpretations are possible.
I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy certain types of 'multiplayer' experiences, but I'm certainly not a 'fiero' driven gamer. The rest of the article includes some other little tidbits; I'm curious to see the 'grander' essays on the findings promised. Playing Together [Only a Game]