04. Why Should a Simulation Engage All Player Types?
Eliza Helweg-Larsen
Published Date
Choosing a business acumen simulation means considering how people learn—and also, how people play.
In 1996, Richard Bartle introduced a taxonomy of player types that has since influenced the design of everything from video games to learning simulations. These categories help us understand how different people engage with games—and why good simulations should be designed to include all of them.
Why Player Types Matter Just as Much as Learning Styles
Here are Bartle’s four Player Types, adapted for Business Learning:
Killers (Competitors): Enjoy challenge and head-to-head matchups. They thrive when simulations track performance or pit teams against each other. For a corporate training environment, it’s probably better to think of "Killers" as "Competitors."
Achievers: Focus on goals, metrics, and results. They want to improve the balance sheet, climb the leaderboard, or hit a business target.
Collaborators: Seek teamwork and shared decisions. They enjoy discussions, role clarity, and a strong sense of team contribution.
Explorers: Love discovering new strategies or unfamiliar mechanics. They want to test ideas and see what happens.
People aren’t locked into a single player type or role. Over the course of a simulation, participants often move between modes depending on the activity or group dynamic. Good game design anticipates this: it builds opportunities for competition, achievement, collaboration, and exploration into the experience.
Key Questions to Ask About a Simulation
- For Collaborators: Does it allow real team-based decision-making?
- For Explorers: Can players test ideas and try different strategies?
- For Achievers: Are results measured and visible? Is improvement possible?
- For Competitors: Is there a meaningful way to compete?
- For Everyone: Is the team held accountable for its collective results?
Too many simulations focus only on Competitors and Achievers OR they only provide the Explorer role. But if you want your program to resonate broadly—and drive retention across all participants—you’ll need a simulation that invites everyone to play in their own way.
Where Things Go Wrong
A single-player type focus can lead to disengagement. If the game feels like it rewards only competition or metrics, Collaborators and Explorers may tune out.
If the game is a guided exploration of business scenarios and results, the Achievers and Competitors/Killers will not engage.
These are both missed opportunities.
Simulations that support multiple play types invite more people to participate fully, on their own terms. They don’t just learn better—they enjoy the experience more.
Bottom Line
Playful learning is most effective when participants can engage in the mode that fits them—or their mood—at any given moment. Great design recognizes that.
|
|
|
Avoid: Game design that only focuses on Competitors and Achievers Because… it will only satisfy and engage some participants, some of the time. |
Look for: Playful Learning design that also includes exploration and collaborative decision-making Because… it allows participants to play and learn in the mode that best engages their personality and their “mood of the moment.” |
🎧 Listen to This Topic on the Podcast
Prefer audio? This episode covers the same topic as this article.
