The spheres of player motivation: Towards a new typology for player motivation in digital games

Abstract

Due to the subjective and complex nature of topics like fun and enjoyment, the motivations for players engaging with interactive games are particularly difficult to explore. However, understanding player motivation within games is indisputably valuable for those wishing to succeed in this highly competitive industry. While numerous models exist to quantify the motivations felt by players, the industry is ever evolving, and emerging sub industries have given rise to new reasons to play. In this work, though a meta-ethnography study clustering 284 motivation metaphors extracted from 30 included papers, the Spheres of Motivation is proposed; a new preliminary typology which synthesizes the last three decades of player motivation research.