Determination of player types and motivation sources of university students

This study aims to determine the motivations of university students to play games and their player types according to the Gamified UK User Type Test. Player types in gamified systems were identified as Socializers, Free Spirits, Achievers, Philanthropists, Players, and Distruptors. While Socializers, Free Spirits, Achievers, and Philanthropists are more intrinsically motivated, Players are extrinsically motivated. In gamification systems, different game mechanics motivate users in different ways. Therefore, the general purpose of this study is to examine the gamification user types hexad of university students in the context of their motivation sources. Descriptive research method, one of the quantitative research methods, was adopted in the study. The sample of the study consists of 410 students attending İstanbul Gedik University in the fall semester of 2024–2025. In order to determine the player/user type of the participants in gamification, the “Player Types Scale for Gamification” was applied online. The responses of 356 students who currently prefer to play games were analyzed within the scope of the research. The findings show that male students play computer games more, and the most common gaming motivations of students are competition, fun, progression, and escape. MOBA, FPS, and open-world action games were identified as the most preferred genres. According to the Gamified UK User Type Test results, the most common gamer types of students are Achievers and Free Spirits, with achievement and exploration-oriented motivations coming to the fore. While competitive and multiplayer games are popular, single-player open-world RPG games are also heavily played by a certain segment.