PERSONALITY AND FANTASY GAME CHARACTER PREFERENCES

Transcription

1 IMAGINATION, COGNITION AND PERSONALITY, Vol. 27(1) 37-46, PERSONALITY AND FANTASY GAME CHARACTER PREFERENCES ANNA E. PARK TRACY B. HENLEY Texas A&M University-Commerce ABSTRACT The present study examined the relationship between personality and character preferences in fantasy computer role-playing games. Subjects were required to complete two measures: The Big Five Inventory and a survey designed to determine character preferences in fantasy computer role-playing games as well as relevant fantasy/gaming experiences. Several correlations were observed that generally support the hypothesis that individuals choose characters that are reflections of their own personalities. For example, individuals who scored high on extraversion tended to prefer characters that were described as charismatic. Likewise, agreeableness was correlated with preferences for characters with helping occupations and negatively correlated with more deviant occupations. INTRODUCTION What shall we call our self? Where does it begin? Where does it end? It overflows into everything that belongs to us and then it flows back again. I know a large part of myself is in the clothes I choose to wear. I ve a great respect for things! One s self for other people is one s expression of one s self; and one s house, one s furniture, one s garments, the book one reads, the company one keeps these things are all expressive (Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady). 2007, Baywood Publishing Co., Inc. doi: /IC.27.1.d 37

2 38 / PARK AND HENLEY Madame Mearl s description of identity suggests that judgments might be inferred about an individual s personality based on preferences for such matters as personal appearance and surroundings. Indeed, Interactionist theories (e.g., Buss, 1987) hold that we select friends and situations compatible with our own personalities. For example, Botwin, Buss, and Shackelford (1997) report that people have clear ideas about the traits they desire in mates, preferring partners like themselves, and actually tending to have such partners. Related, Gosling, Ko, Mannarelli, and Morris (2002) studied offices and bedrooms by having participants make judgments about the inhabitant s personality, with results showing that observers were generally accurate. Subsequently, Vazire and Gosling (2004) investigated personality as expressed through personal Web pages. Again, judgments made by subjects viewing the pages were generally accurate. Similarly, entertainment preferences have also been associated with personality. For example, Rentfrow and Gosling (2003) found that preferences for music genres correlated with several traits. Likewise, Gackenbach (2007) reports numerous possible connections between various forms of entertainment oriented Internet use and personality. One form of computer-based entertainment that has become wildly popular in recent years is computer games. Indeed, Microsoft reported that Halo 2 sales reached $125 million within 24 hours of release. The most lucrative computer games are Internet-based persistent-worlds wherein players pay $10 to $20 in monthly fees. Persistent-world games allow players to develop a character that resides in a complex, highly evolving, yet persistent, virtual world. Some games (e.g., Ultima Online) have worlds already a decade old and include not only persistent characters but virtual possessions (clothing, houses, furniture, garments, books, etc.) as well. Current data suggests over 12,000,000 subscribers to these games worldwide (Woodcock, 2006). Although such games exist across many genres, sword and sorcery fantasy games are overwhelmingly the most popular. Despite this popularity, there has been little psychological research regarding these games. Yee (2001) has looked at several aspects of the game EverQuest, including which individuals prefer which characters. For example, he found that women preferred Wood Elves (a species known for its attractive appearance) and men preferred Humans, the default species. Although Yee established relationships between character preferences and various demographics, he did not look at relationships between character preferences and personality. The present study focuses on personality and fantasy role-playing game character preferences. Although this type of computer role-playing game has become very popular in recent years, they are themselves derivative of older, table-top, role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons. Any fantasy role-playing game requires that players take on a new role in a virtual environment be that environment computer-based or existing only in imagination. Another defining feature of such games is that they involve detailed character

3 PERSONALITY AND COMPUTER GAME CHARACTERS / 39 creation. For example, in most fantasy role-playing games an individual chooses a species, occupation, and several dozen attributes and skills for their character. The range of options is relatively consistent across games within the genre, as they are all based on classic (usually Western) mythology and fantasy literature (e.g., The Lord of the Rings). In sum, research indicates that people usually choose to make their environment reflect their personalities. Given this, we hypothesize that there will be correlations between personality and character preferences. Specifically, consistent with Interactionist theory, we would expect that virtual game-selves would resemble real selves. That is, that people would likely create a character that was a reflection of their own personality. As such, this study will explore another possible example of personality expression in virtual environments, as well as extend our understanding of psychology and gaming. METHOD Participants The sample was 233 student volunteers from a large Texas university recruited from psychology courses. Participants included 154 women and 79 men; 33 African Americans, 17 Hispanics, 172 Caucasians, and 11 individuals of other ethnicities. Age ranged from 18 to 49, with a mean of Materials To assess character preferences, participants completed a multipart instrument requiring them to make the same basic decisions they would when beginning an actual game in this genre. Part one contained a list of species common to most fantasy games. Each species had male and female illustrations adapted from Sony s EverQuest II Website. Additionally, each species was described in terms of their persona, strengths and weaknesses, and occupational predispositions. Persona denotes the species typical alignment (e.g., good, neutral, or evil) and stereotypic traits. For example, Dwarves are typically neutral; viewed as serious, sincere, stern, hardworking, and uniformly gruff. Occupational predispositions refer to occupations that the species is well suited for, e.g., Elves are ubiquitously associated with archery, and most excel at nature-oriented occupations like that of a ranger. This section required participants to evaluate each species, and then rank-order the species as they would most like to play them. The next section asked participants to rank-order the factors that were most important as they chose the species in the previous section. Factors included appearance, persona, mental/physical abilities, and occupational predispositions. This allowed us to consider what facets of the species were most salient to participants when making their selection. The inclusion of this section also allowed us some control for the images, as we considered if participants were just ranking the attractiveness of the graphics used in this study.

4 40 / PARK AND HENLEY Part two was a new task, and utilized a list of character occupations and brief descriptions. For example, Battlemage: The battlemage is part warrior and part magic user, though seldom a true master at either. Trained and employed as a fighter, the battlemage has an arsenal that includes various spells for the job of warcraft. Instructions told participants to evaluate each occupation and then rank-order them as they would most like to play them, while using a Human character. The reason for using a Human character is that typically in these games non-human species are optimized for specific occupations. For instance, since Gnomes are always portrayed as creative, they tend to make good alchemists. But, being small and slight, they are not well-suited for melee fighting. Humans are typically depicted as the norm, in that they have no advantages or disadvantages. The edge for a Human character then is that while they have no positive predispositions, they also start with no negative ones either; that is, they are equally adept at any occupation. Thus, we wanted participants to imagine a Human character so they would not confound occupation preference with a species preference. The final part of the instrument contained a list of standard character attributes. Each attribute was accompanied by a definition and a description of how it aids in game-play. Instructions asked participants to rank the attributes in the order they would most like their character to exhibit those characteristics. Although some species may come with a set of attribute bonuses (e.g., Elves and Dexterity), in these games players typically assign values to the attributes allowing them to customize their character s abilities. Importantly, game designers go to great lengths to establish balance between the attributes with respect to game-play. That is, being Intelligent is not innately better than being Strong or Charismatic. However, attributes are important to the type of character that a person plans to play. For example, a character could rise to be a leader by outsmarting rivals, by brute force, or by charm and charisma. The instrument ended with questions regarding sex and alignment. The first asked participants if they had a male or female character in mind during the attribute assignment process. The last asked participants if they wanted their character to be good, neutral, or evil. These alignment terms are widely used in such games. A demographic measure was included that covered participant sex, age, ethnicity, as well as series of questions about experience with fantasy books, movies, and games. These later questions were used to group participants along a continuum of little, to substantial, exposure to the fantasy genre as well as to these specific sorts of games. The Big Five Inventory To assess personality subjects completed a Big Five Inventory (BFI) consisting of 44 items that required participants to rank themselves on different behaviors.

5 PERSONALITY AND COMPUTER GAME CHARACTERS / 41 Item 1, for example, asks participants if they see themselves as talkative. Each item is Likert-scaled from 1 (Disagree Strongly) to 5 (Agree Strongly). Despite the BFI being short, it is reliable (alpha.83) and demonstrates convergent validity (.92) when compared with other Big Five scales (John & Srivastava, 1999). Procedure Participants were tested in small groups on weekday afternoons in classrooms reserved for this study. Each session included both males and females, as well participants of different ages and different races. Participants understood that they were completing a task highly analogous to creating a character for a computer fantasy role-play game. Participants were not led to believe that they would subsequently play such a computer game. Each participant received: a consent form, the Fantasy Role-Playing Game Character Preference Inventory, the demographics/experience measure, the BFI, and a page with images of all the character species. Completion of all measures took no longer than 30 minutes for any participant. All subjects were given the option for debriefing and further information following their participation. RESULTS Our initial analyses were exploratory and focused on documenting participants preferences for such matters as character species, occupation, attributes both in general, and by various demographics variables. These descriptive data provide a context for our subsequent analysis of the BFI results. The overall most popular species was Elves (M = 3.05); the least popular was Orcs (M = 8.05). ANOVA revealed that males were more likely to prefer Dark Elves F(1, 231) = 9.15, p <.003, Orcs F(1, 231) = 23.02, p <.0001, Ogres F(1, 231) = 18.65, p <.0001, and Lizardmen F(1, 231) = 8.18, p <.005, whereas females were more likely to prefer Elves F(1, 231) = 17.53, p <.001, Half-Elves F(1, 231) = 39.76, p <.024, and Halflings F(1, 231) = 39.76, p <.001. There were no significant differences by participant ethnicity. There was a.202 (p <.002) correlation between age and preferring Dark Elf, as well as a.136 (p <.039) correlation between age and preferring Orc, indicating that younger individuals were more likely to rank these favorably. When picking the species of the character, mental and physical attributes (M = 1.83) and appearance (M = 2.25) were the most important factors for the participants followed by persona (M = 2.53) and occupational predispositions (M = 3.37). Trends notwithstanding, means did not significantly differ by age, gender, or ethnicity. Overall, the most preferred occupation was Ranger (M = 4.43), whereas Necromancer was least preferred (M = 9.58). Males were more likely to prefer Thief F(1, 231) = 10.45, p <.001, Assassin F(1, 231) = 53.41, p <.0001, Necromancer F(1, 231) = 6.83, p <.01, and Battlemage F(1, 231) = 6.13, p <.014.

6 42 / PARK AND HENLEY Females were more likely to prefer Bard F(1, 231) = 24.48, p <.0001, Cleric F(1, 231) = 11.29, p <.001, Druid F(1, 231) = 5.88, p <.016, Magician F(1, 231) = 7.26, p <.008, and Alchemist F(1, 231) = 14.58, p < Differences between ethnic groups obtained for Monk F(3, 229) = 2.72, p <.045; which was most popular among Hispanics, and Bard F(3, 229) = 2.72, p <.033, which was not popular among non-caucasians. There was also a.248 (p <.0001) correlation between age and Assassin, with younger individuals more likely to play Assassins. The most preferred attribute overall was Intelligence (M = 2.71) with Charisma (M = 5.77) being least preferred. Males were more likely to prefer Dexterity F(1, 231) = 6.37, p <.012 and Strength F(1, 231) = 5.73, p <.017, and females were more likely to prefer Intelligence F(1, 231) = 3.93, p < There were no significant differences by ethnicity. Younger individuals were more likely to prefer Mobility (r =.155; p <.018) and Strength (r =.137; p <.037). Table 1 includes the correlations between species preferences and personality, with correlations representing the relationship between the mean character ranking and BFI trait score. For the group that indicated that the mental/physical abilities factor was most important (N = 90) there was a.21, p <.04 correlation between agreeableness and Half-Elf, and a.29, p <.004 correlation between openness and Dwarf. For the group that indicated that Appearance was the most important factor (N = 76), there was a.35, p <.001 correlation between extraversion and Human; for agreeableness there was a.24, p <.03 correlation with Elf; a.26, p <.01 correlation with Dark Elf, and a.22, p <.04 correlation with Lizardman; openness had.23, p <.04 correlation with Half-Elf, and a.25, p <.02 correlation with Ogre. For the group that specified persona as the most important factor (N = 58) there was a.29, p <.02 correlation between Halfling and agreeableness and a.44, p <.0001 correlation between Dwarf and openness. There were several statistically significant correlations between occupation preferences and personality traits, and all were sensibly associated. Although there is always the possibility of finding significant correlations spuriously, or that some correlations may be statistically significant but not meaningful, what is most striking here is the clear pattern of results. For example, agreeableness was positively correlated with Paladin, Monk, and Cleric all church related occupations but negatively correlated with Assassin and Necromancer, occupations focused on death. Table 1 also shows these correlations as well as the correlations among character attributes and personality. Regarding sex, 47% wanted their character to be female while 52.8% wanted their character to be male. Some women (28.6%) preferred a male character, whereas 100% of men wanted a male character. Overall, 54% wanted their character to be good, 38% wanted their character to be neutral, and 6.9% wanted their character to be evil. Most females preferred their character to be good (64.9%), however 31.2% wanted their character to be neutral and 3.9% wanted their character to be evil. In contrast, most males wanted their character to be

7 PERSONALITY AND COMPUTER GAME CHARACTERS / 43 Table 1. Correlations between Species Preferences, Occupational Preferences, Character Attribute Preferences, and Personality Personality attributes Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness Species Human Elf Half-Elf Dark Elf Halfling.213** * * * Dwarf Orc Ogre Lizardman Catman ** Occupations Fighter Paladin Monk Ranger Thief Assassin Bard Cleric Druid Magician Necromancer Battlemage Alchemist *.204** ** *.148* ** *.233** * Attributes Intelligence Wisdom Dexterity Mobility Strength Constitution Charisma Perception * ** * **.139*.140* ** **.077 *Represents a significant correlation at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). **Represents a significant correlation at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

8 44 / PARK AND HENLEY neutral (51.9%), while 35.4% wanted their character to be good, and 12.7% wanted their character to be evil. To analyze how experience with various aspects of the fantasy genre affected character preferences, the sample was divided into five groups ranging from those with no experience with fantasy games, books, or films (N = 32) to those who had seen and read The Lord of the Rings, read other books in the fantasy genre, played table-top fantasy role-playing games, and played computer fantasy games (N = 35). Somewhat surprisingly, the only significant effects were that participants with more experience were inclined to prefer Assassins, Bards, and Magicians. Indeed, there were no age, sex, or ethnicity differences as a function of experience. Likewise, there were no significant personality differences among participants as a function of experience with the fantasy genre or with fantasy role-playing games. DISCUSSION The results suggest that individual differences such as age, sex, race, and personality relate to character preferences. The most preferred species by males was Human and the most preferred species by females was Elf; findings consistent with Yee (2001). Males were more likely to prefer traditionally evil species (e.g., Orc,) than females. Perhaps males, who are normally less compliant than females, were less concerned about taking on deviant roles (Prentice & Carranza, 2002). These species could be less appealing to females due to their appearance, as excepting Dark Elves, these were the most monstrous options and many females had indicated appearance was an important factor when choosing their species. Differences between males and females were also reflected in occupation preferences. Again, males were more likely to prefer deviant options like Thief, Assassin, or Necromancer. Females were more likely to prefer social and helping professions such as Bard, Cleric, Druid, Magician, and Alchemist. Bards are social entertainers (e.g., story tellers) whereas Clerics use religious magic to heal wounds and function in these games like medics. Druids are similar, however they serve nature rather than a God, and often have animal companions. Magician and Alchemist may have been appealing because they don t require brute strength and are not closely associated with melee combat. This is supported by females being more likely to choose Intelligence as their favorite attribute, whereas males were more likely to choose Strength and Dexterity. In general, all these results are consistent with longstanding perceptions of gender (e.g., Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974). Correlations between the BFI and character options generally supported the hypothesis that individuals prefer characters reflecting their own personality. For example, extraverts were more likely to prefer gregarious Halflings and tended to favor Charisma as one of their character s primary attributes. Agreeable

9 PERSONALITY AND COMPUTER GAME CHARACTERS / 45 individuals were more likely to play Clerics and Druids (the helping professions), not favoring Assassins or Necromancers (the most malicious occupations). Since the agreeableness dimension includes complacency and kindness, this pattern of correlations seems suggestive. Open individuals tended to prefer Elves, which are described as intelligent and creative. Open individuals did not tend to like Dwarves described as a stern, gruff, and universally portrayed as rigid. Openness was associated with being a Thief, however a thief in fantasy games is often an adventurer (albeit a larcenous one) in the mold of Indiana Jones, or Lara Croft. Open individuals did not prefer Fighter, an occupation that relies more on strength than subtlety, and is the default character type in most fantasy games. This is further supported by the fact that openness and Strength were negatively correlated. In sum, this study generally favored the Interactionist hypothesis that individuals create characters that reflect their own personality. When choosing the species, occupations, and attributes, participants were inclined to choose characters like themselves as measured by the BFI. Such results are consistent with a growing body of research regarding personality and various environments and individual preferences (e.g., Vazire & Gosling, 2004). Additionally, these results make a modest contribution to the study of psychology and gaming. For example, the finding that there were no significant differences (in demographics or personality) among participants with respect to gaming experience or the fantasy genre was somewhat surprising (see Gackenbach, 2007). In part this may just reflect the popularity of recent films such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the ubiquity of computer games in the present day. Still, the increasing popularity of such games may also suggest that the demographics of gamers is widening. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank Steve Ball, Raymond Green, and Mei Jiang for their assistance with this study. REFERENCES Botwin, M. D., Buss, D. M., & Shackelford, T. K. (1997). Personality and mate preferences: Five factors in mate selection and marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality, 65, Buss, D. M. (1987). Selection, evocation, and manipulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, Gackenbach, J. I. (2007). Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications (2nd ed.). San Diego: Academic Press. Gosling, S. D., Ko, S. J., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A room with a cue: Judgments of personality based on offices and bedrooms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82,

10 46 / PARK AND HENLEY John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality theory and research (pp ). New York: Guilford Press. Maccoby, E. E. & Jacklin, C. N. (1974). The psychology of sex differences. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Prentice, D. A., & Carranza, E. (2002). What women and men should be, shouldn t be, are allowed to be, and don t have to be: The contents of prescriptive gender stereotypes. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, Rentfrow, P. J., & Gosling, S. D. (2003). The do re mi s of everyday life: The structure and personality correlates of music preferences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, Vazire, S., & Gosling, S. (2004). e-perceptions: Personality impressions based on personal Websites. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 87, Woodcock, B. S. (2006). An analysis of MMORPG subscription growth, Version Retrieved September 17, 2006, from Yee, N. (2001). The Noranthian scrolls: A study of EverQuest. Terra Incognita. Retrieved September 17, 2006, from Direct reprint requests to: Tracy B. Henley Department of Psychology Texas A&M University-Commerce Commerce, TX thenley@tamu-commerce.edu