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9 common player personas by motivation
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Do you sometimes wish you could meet the people who play your game personally? Well, you can get a step closer to that by identifying your most common player personas.
Player personas are profiles that represent different types of players who engage with your mobile games, and they’re used by game developers and marketers to understand their target audience better and create tailored experiences. Personas are built from a variety of factors such as demographic information, interests, motivations, in-game behaviors, and even spending habits.
In this article, we’ll give example personas based on one critical factor that drives a mobile gamer – personas based on the motivation to play.
👀 Related reading: Mobile user acquisition: The modern developer's guide
People play games for different reasons. Every time a player launches a mobile game, they do so because they are motivated to fulfil a specific need or desire. Sometimes, they want to unwind and kill time. Other times, they take games more seriously and regularly play to achieve certain goals, upskill, and progress.
As a game publisher, you need to understand what drives different people to spend time (and even money) in your game so you can continue to evolve the experience to better serve them and foster long-term loyalty. To help, we’ve built the nine most common player personas, their favorite mobile game genres, and in-game features.
The Achiever persona is primarily focused on skill development and mastery, always trying to find ways to hone their skills and push their limits. These players are extremely goal-oriented and progression-motivated.
Their key motivation is to reach certain levels or complete challenges and gain achievements. They are aware that this requires ongoing time and dedication, so they typically play games for longer periods of time and tend to stay more loyal to specific games rather than have a whole roster.
Finally, since they take so much pride in their accomplishments and abilities, they crave recognition and validation, not only from the game itself but also from their fellow players.
Favorite genres: RPG, Strategy, Sports, Puzzle
Top features: Levels, ranks, milestone rewards, leaderboards
The Explorer persona represents mobile gamers who have an innate curiosity and a thirst for discovery. These players enjoy really diving into the experience and exploring everything the game has to offer.
Explorers are motivated by finding and collecting something valuable that other players are unaware of, like extra equipment, resources, easter eggs, or upgrades.
This type of player will interact with all aspects of a game, not just the core gameplay. Because of this, they prefer games that have plenty of content, always providing something new to discover and collect.
Favorite genres: Open-world RPGs, Adventure
Top features: Diverse environments, hidden collectibles, side quests, regular content updates
Killers are player personas that thrive in beating the competition, driven by a strong psychological survival instinct. They enjoy the feeling of power that comes from outsmarting, outmaneuvering, or outlasting other players. Whether they are playing against friends, acquaintances, or completely random opponents, the Killer seeks to assert dominance and prove their superiority in the game over others.
These players tend to be very valuable to the developer. Thanks to their desire to prove their worth over and over again, they come back to play on a regular basis.
To cater to the needs of this common player persona, game developers are including competitive features in all kinds of games – from casual to mid-core.
Favorite genres: Shooters, MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), Strategy, Racing
Top features: PvP modes, leaderboards, tournaments, skill-based matchmaking
The Adrenaline Junkie mobile gamer persona doesn’t care for slow-paced games and strategic thinking – they crave immediate action. This type of gamer plays games to get transported to new worlds full of action and excitement. They are drawn to dynamic, fast-paced games that deliver a rush of adrenaline and suspense.
Among Adrenaline Junkies, you will find a lot of “Gamblers.” These are the players who enjoy activities like spinning a wheel or rolling dice, embracing the thrill that stems from the element of chance.
Favorite genres: Casino, Action, Arcade
Top features: Fast-paced gameplay, instant rewards, thrilling audio and visuals, gambling features
People are social creatures. Therefore, it’s not surprising that many players find social interactions essential to their gaming experiences – and these are deemed the Social Butterfly. Social Butterflies enjoy games that allow them to communicate, team up or play against other players. However, compared to “Killers”, Social Butterflies are less focused on winning. These players enjoy the process and interactions that may or may not result in a victory.
Interestingly, many of these players are introverts that find it easier to communicate in games than in real life.
Social Butterflies are a popular group, especially in the post-COVID era of gaming that introduced mobile games as a new way to connect. For this reason, more and more developers are recognizing the need to introduce social gaming features to their titles. According to data.ai, ⅔ of top mobile games have at least one social feature.
Favorite genres: MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games)
Top features: Clans, guilds, teams, PvP modes, chat
👀 Related reading: How mobile game communities fuel growth today
Strategists are players who enjoy strategic thinking, planning, and gameplay optimization. A Strategist player prefers games with long-term progression systems that reward their strategic decision-making. These players excel in managing in-game resources such as currencies, items, or equipment. They have an economic mindset, distributing limited resources efficiently to achieve their goals.
Things that Strategists want from games can usually be found in games with complex gameplay and many layers of depth. In most cases, such games additionally provide competitive or co-op gameplay, which these players also like.
Favorite genres: RTS (real-time strategy), TBS (turn-based strategy), Tactical RPGs
Top features: Resource management, base building, long-term progression
Zen gamers are people who enjoy the calming and soothing aspects of gaming. In a stressful world, games can provide us with a safe space to relax and unwind. Similar to rewatching a beloved comfort show, playing relaxing games offers a form of escapism and a chance to disconnect from the demands of everyday life.
However, it is important to note that Zen gamers don’t only play relaxing games – they also enjoy other types of games. However, at specific times when they simply want to play and relax, they turn to games that can deliver this experience.
Favorite genres: Simulation, Puzzle, Casual
Top features: Story modes, calming visuals and music, repetitive tasks
This type of player likes games in which they can express themselves and their personal taste through gameplay. Expressionists are attracted to games that provide them with some type of creative outlet. For example, they like games that contain decorating, designing, or storytelling features.
However, this doesn’t mean they only play decoration and design games. Expressionists play all sorts of games – they just focus more on customization features. For example, if they play an RPG game, they will pay extra time and attention to skins and avatars than the average player.
Favorite genres: Design, Simulation, Lifestyle, Puzzle, Casual, RPG
Top features: Character customization, decoration meta, sharing options
Thinkers are player personas who like games that provide mental stimulation and cognitive challenges. They take pleasure in dealing with puzzles, riddles, brainteasers, and similar tasks that require problem-solving skills. When a Thinker successfully solves a problem by using their intellect, this gives them a strong sense of accomplishment.
It’s important to understand the distinction between Strategists and Thinkers. While Strategists prefer mid-core games, Thinkers lean towards casual titles that allow them to play for shorter periods of time. They usually play games as a form of leisure and look for games that offer them a quick mental challenge while they unwind.
Favorite genres: Puzzle, Trivia
Top features: Brain teasers, riddles, wordplay, memory exercises
Have you identified the different player personas in your game?
Typically, a single game attracts at least three core user personas. However, remember that an individual can fit into multiple player personas, as every individual is unique. For example, you might have both a harsh competitive side alongside a desire for expressionism, so you enjoy both competitive challenges and customization.
Your goal is to identify which of these user types are most likely to play your game and provide them with features that will satisfy their needs.
Different player personas call for different UA, retention, and monetization methods. If you feel like you could use some expert help with this, we’re here to help.
Mistplay’s solution is designed to attract quality users, maximize your ad revenue, and elevate your entire app business. Free to reach out for more information!
