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Industry Results: Genre and Platform Preferences (Age & Gender)

About The Sample:

This is only a small taste of an even bigger report that we have in store for the future. Consider it a teaser for our report that was developed with the aim to better understand gamers and the gaming community as a whole. We present in-depth data on gamers over a wide range of metrics, from preferred gaming genres to gamer personality types. The data comes  from 100,000 gamers engaged in sessions involving over 200,000 games on the GameTree platform. The data collected comprises of inputs shared by gamers for our personality and gamer DNA surveys. As gamers are matched to other gamers/recommended games based on their inputs, they are incentivized to provide authentic answers and as such, it can be assumed that the data generated is accurate and reliable.

All data presented in this report is available for public use. As we are established as a Public Benefit Corporation, which is acknowledged as a charter purpose. Our hope is that this report will be beneficial for gamers, game developers, researchers, journalists, investors, and anyone involved in or interested in the gaming industry. Again, there is even more information to come. For inquiries and database queries, write to help@gametree.me

Platforms

In terms of platform popularity, gamers appear to still prefer gaming on a PC when compared to other consoles. At present, 71.4% of users use the PC as one of their gaming platforms. However, gaming on mobile is rapidly gaining in popularity and with an increase in mobile games development, we can expect this figure to continue to rise. With the proposed launch of Google Stadia in Nov 2019, increasing access to cross-platform gaming, the significance of a preferred platform may decrease in the coming years. As of now though, PC is king.

 

Difference in Platform Preferences by Gender

With regards to platform preferences based on gender, female gamers prefer console gaming compared to their male counterparts who are sticking by the PC. Female gamers also appear to prefer tabletop gaming and have a slight preference of 0.5% for mobile gaming. Female gamers are 7.5% more likely to choose PlayStation than male gamers while male gamers are 5.7% more likely to game on computers. Studies have shown that the access to different platforms has contributed to the rise in female gamers.

 

Difference in Platform Preferences by Age

A look into platform preferences by age reveals a marked preference for the mobile at 7.3% for the teenager age group between the ages of 13 to 17. With greater access to the mobile platform compared to previous generations and the availability of quality games with great graphics, the youth of today appear to embrace gaming on the mobile and this trend is set to continue as highlighted above as game developers continue to increase mobile games development while enabling new games to be playable on mobile platforms as well.

For the ages between 18 to 22, the preferred platform is PC at 1.4% with mobile being the least preferred platform at 3.0%. A couple of factors could be contributing factors for this outlook: the access to different platforms and the genre of games preferred. As we will examine later in the report, the genre preferred plays a role in the type of platform preferred as some platforms are currently not fully optimized to provide the ideal gaming experience for some genres.

As we examine the young adult age group of 23 to 27 year olds, PlayStation appears to be the most preferred platform at 4.7% followed by tabletop at 4.3% with mobile being the least preferred once again at -5.3%. As part of the generation that grew up with consoles, it is no surprise that PlayStation features as the most preferred platform. The surprise here is the preference for tabletop gaming. It appears tabletop gaming is regaining its popularity in recent times with professional dungeon masters; a noteworthy addition to the tabletop gaming communities.


Similar to the previous chart, for the age group of young adults between the ages of 28 to 32, PlayStation appears to be the preferred platform at 10% followed by tabletop gaming at 8.3%. Mobile gaming is once again the least preferred platform at -6.5%. While the overarching statistics appear to be similar to the previously discussed age group, one interesting point to take note of is the difference in percentage preference. We see a preference of nearly 2 times that of the previous chart for both PlayStation and tabletop gaming, while there appears to be a slightly lower preference for mobile gaming among this age group as well.

The age group of 33 to 42 is the pioneer generation for console gaming. The chart clearly reflects this with PlayStation being the most preferred at 21.1%, followed closely by other consoles, and then mobile gaming is the least preferred platform among all age groups at -9.7%. With studies showing the average age of a gamer at 34 years of age, this is the ‘gamer’ age group that potentially is the largest and most influential among all the age groups as this group has high spending potential and is usually the decision-maker for game purchases for their households and as such is the age group that game developers should work with and appeal to.

Here we delve into the older generation of gamers as we look at the age group of 43 to 52 year olds. For this group, tabletop gaming is the most preferred at 10.3% with console gaming preferred next while the computer is the least preferred platform at -9.2%. As games development for the PC was still in its infancy during this age group’s teenage years, the preference for tabletop gaming is a reflection of the gaming scene prior to our digitally-focused present. Console gaming, on the other hand, is on the rise among this age group as high quality games of a wide variety with ease of controls are available on consoles, allowing older gamers to jump in with little difficulty.


The final age group we will look at is that of the senior gamers of the age group 53 years old onward. As expected, tabletop gaming is the preferred platform at 8.4% with PC being the least preferred platform for all age groups at -12%. One statistic of note here is the apparent rise in mobile as the next most preferred platform at 6.6%. This could be due to easy access to the mobile platform as well as availability of easy, short-term games available on mobile.

 

Genres

For genre popularity, Action is rated as the most popular at 90.3% with the Music & Party genre as the least popular at 14.1%. Adventure and RPG genres are also rated highly at 68.3% and 65.8% respectively while all other genres have a less than 50% preference rating. A key contributor to the popularity of the Action genre is Battle Royal-esque games such as Fortnite– appealing to all age groups, the Fortnite effect is cited as a trend that is expected to continue rising in popularity in the years ahead.

 

Difference in Genre Preferences by Gender

An in-depth look into genre preferences based on gender reveals that male gamers are 13.6% more likely to choose the Action genre when compared to female gamers while the reverse is true with the Casual genre where female gamers are 16.8% more likely to choose it. This appears to be aligned with the availability of more casual, short-term games of a wide variety that can be easily accessed on various consoles and mobile, contributing to a rising number of female gamers. One other point of note is that Strategy and Fighting genres appear to be commonly favored among both genders.

 

Difference in Genre Preferences by Age


In the age group of 13-17, most prefer the fighting and action genre, the preference rating standing at 2.6% and 1.3% respectively. Those are also the only genres to show a positive preference rating; sports and racing as well as music and party show a small negative trend being -0.4% and -0.6% less likely to be played by 13-17 year olds. The least preferred genre by far is RPG at -8.3%. With reference to the platform preference dataset for this age group, we observe a clear preference for mobile gaming- as strategy and RPG games are, at present, usually designed for PC and consoles, this could be a contributing factor in terms of genre preference.

In contrast with the previous group, the greatest preference amongst 18-22 year olds is for RPG with 1.8% being more likely to play it. Action is once again a popular genre at 1.0% while the least favorite among this age group is sports and racing at -0.8%. It should be noted that the extent of preference is smaller for this group with most preference ratings being in the range of 1%.

Similarly to the previous age group, RPG comes out top with the preference rating standing at 8.6%. Casual, strategy and adventure likewise show a strong positive rating while the least preferred genre is fighting at -3.7%. The extent of preference for this group is higher than for 18-22 year olds with most percentages coming in the range of 5%.

RPG is once again the most preferred genre at 9.3%. Only Action and Fighting genres have a negative preference rating, at -3.1% and -4.0% respectively.  Casual, strategy and adventure were quite popular amongst this age group with around 6-7% of 28-32 year olds being more likely to play them. 

Strategy was the most preferred genre for this age group standing at 13.6% with RPG, Adventure and Sports and Racing also scoring similarly highly, all at around 10.5%. Action was the only genre with a negative preference percentage (-4.9%).

Casual was the most popular genre amongst 43-52 year olds with the least popular genre by far being Action at -16.8%. More action-intensive genres such as fighting and adventure likewise showed a negative rating, of -6.0% and -2.2% respectively. The growing popularity of Casual genre amongst the older populations is most likely due to increased responsibilities that do not allow to spend as much time and energy on getting into a complex, time-intensive games. The decline of popularity of Action and other competitive genres can be partly explained by a general decrease in competition as a motivating factor to play amongst the older demographic.

The least popular genre amongst this age group was Action, with the highest negative preference rating yet of -28.4%. Most other genres were also less likely to be played by people over 53 with only casual, music and party and sports and racing gaining a positive score. The most popular genre for this age group just as for the last one was Casual at 9.2%.

 

General Trends Summary:

The popularity of the Action genre seems to decline with age and the popularity of the RPG genre shows a bell curve relationship with age, peaking at 33-42.

We hope this small portion of our report provided you with a better understanding of gamers and the gaming community as a whole. Moving forward, we believe the insights shared will be of value for any endeavors undertaken in the gaming industry. For an in-depth discussion on the report, feel free to write to us in the comments below, or to help@gametree.me

On a related note, this report would not be possible without our GameTree users. As such, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them in every part of the world for their continued support for GameTree. If haven’t had the chance to get to know our community, we would like to invite you to join us at GameTree and become a part of our community.

 

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What your personality type says about your gaming tastes

The best thing about horoscopes, besides the fact that they’re fun, is that they feed the vain hunger we all have for self-analysis. There’s a reason Buzzfeed personality tests have been so popular, just as there’s a reason people read their horoscopes regularly. People like to be told things about themselves: how they think and how they dream, their strengths and weaknesses, their goals and passions.

 

Until now, these Buzzfeed quizzes and horoscopes have been largely hunches, or even drawn out by reading the stars – which is all well and good, but what if there was a legitimate, scientific way to discover who you really are, and more – what games you’d really like?

 

That’s what we’re here to delve into today. What does your personality type say about your gamer DNA? Luckily for you, GameTree has crunched the numbers and drawn out the game genres best suited to each personality type.

 

The personality types are based on the Jungian typography personality framework, which has splintered into many schools to become the most widely used in the world. Click here to read up about the type of personality analysis GameTree uses. For a quick run-down, people of each of the 16 personality types prefer a different set of thinking processes for taking in and processing information. From this you can tell a lot about what a person is like. This knowledge is useful in every facet of life including personal development, dating, jobs, and yes, you guessed it, friendships and gaming.

 

Not sure which personality type you are? Just jump over to GameTree and take the 21-question test! Click here to take the test!

 

The below guide is a preliminary analysis with room for future improvement. It’s worth noting that the personality scores are indicative and represent tendencies across people’s general behaviour. It would be unrealistic to categorize all human behaviour into only 16 categories that are applicable to every person in every situation!

 

If you’re in the throes of an existential crisis, on the hunt for new games you’d like, or just looking for games you actually enjoy playing, you’ve come to the right place. GameTree can help you understand yourself, while helping you discover friends, games, news, events and more, based on your unique tastes and personality. We’re here to show you that AI isn’t all that terrifying!

So, let’s get to it!

INTP

If a player comes across someone exploring the remote, outskirts of Skyrim, or architecting an 11th Century style castle in Minecraft, it’s most likely an INTP. INTP’s are objective, analytical, and logical. Being an explorer is something that comes naturally to them. INTPs function best in situations that permit them to pace themselves, play by their own rules, and creatively find their way out of tricky situations. It should be no surprise that the genre most preferred by INTPs is ‘casual’, but don’t be fooled by the low learning curve of casual games. INTPs apply their ability to explore new theories and think flexibly to bend rules you didn’t even know could be bent and win in ways you never saw coming. 

 

INTJ

A typical portrait of an INTJ would be of someone confident, analytical, and ambitious. They are independent thinkers focused on rigorously solving problems. Their logical minds combined with their ability to back themselves makes ‘strategy’ a strong frontrunner for INTJ’s preferred gaming genre. Give an INTJ a goal and they’ll organize, plan, and execute with vigor! There’s no stalemate an INTJ can’t think themselves out of.

 

INFP

Here’s the thing about being an INFP. They’re probably the most reluctant personality type to engage in conflict. They’re totally drained by rigid or unnecessary routine. Pessimism, and teamwork are also just straight-up frustrating. So, naturally, having to engage in combat with vicious enemies and time-constraining pressure games are just not appealing. Adventure games, however, where they can lose themselves in the narrative, follow their gut instincts, and flex their creativity are where it’s at for an INFP. INFPs far outnumber other personality types in the adventure category, but it’s not about being better. Level grinding and capital-accumulation are not as interesting as a side quest, getting lost, and stumbling on stunning scenery, or exploring never-before-seen territory. INFPs also outperform other personality types in the Casual games category, which demonstrates yet again how unconcerned they are about winning!
 

INFJ

The escapist, fantastical worlds created in roleplaying games are very appealing to a private and conflict-averse INFJ. When an INFJ is able to slip behind the mask of a character and indulge in the magic and freedom of an RPG world, insurmountable obstacles can be tackled with quiet mastery. Their commitment to particular moral values and sensitivity to the needs of those around them make RPGs with an emphasis on ‘saving the world’ particularly appealing. Perhaps because of this team spirit, according to the data, INFJs dislike games in the sports and racing genre. If striving to be better and better the world around them are part of their nature, measuring their success in this is not done by coming in first place! INFJs can truly find their heroic side in the noble, enigmatic realms of RPGs.

 

ISTP

There is no typical ISTP. This personality type tirelessly explores the world rationally and with curiosity. Taking things apart to figure out how they work and always on the search for unique solutions to problems make this personality type one of the most innovative and diverse. Their skills are applicable to a range of challenges and the data reflects this. ISTPs perform almost equally well across all gaming genres, but they do tilt the scales ever so slightly towards the adventure category. These naturally routine-averse, independent, creative explorers enjoy the non-linear narrative and freedom of adventure games. This is not unlike the similarly analytical, introverted INTJ personality type; in fact, these two types are frequently mistaken to be the other. ISTPs, however, are rooted in the here and now which is what makes adventure games more fitting for them than the forward-thinking strategy genre that suits the INTJs.

 

ISTJ

If you’re an ISTJ personality type who pays attention to these kinds of articles, you’ve probably been classed as reserved, orderly, and practical before. But even ISTJs need a break from time to time. Games under the sports and racing genre provide the perfect respite. When the lack of structure in the real world becomes too much for the ISTJs, the easy-to-learn and defined rules of sport and racing games are too good to resist. Plus, their ability to stay calm in high-pressure situations, clearly defined goals and shorter duration of these games make them ideal for ISTJs. However, an ISTJ’s gamer ID is not completely void of their methodical and logical nature. This personality type show the lowest rates of interest in the Music and Party genre of all personalities!

 

ISFP

Being unconventional is what ISFPs do best. This is a personality type that thrives in environments where they are free to be spontaneous. ISFPs, from Picasso to Hagrid in Harry Potter to Michael Jackson have never been afraid to stand out and go against the grain. If a designer has prescribed certain movements to level up, an ISFP is likely to just walk the other way altogether. This is the reason why ISFP types enjoy sports and racing games the least: strict rules, straight forward progression sequences and a win/lose outcome are a nightmare for them! ISFPs are the bush bashers, the path forgers, the adventurers. So what is the game genre best suited to ISFPs? You guessed it… Adventure games.

 

ISFJ

For a guardian or defender personality type who takes pleasure in making positive contributions to the world around them and energetically takes care of others, it isn’t surprising that this personality type has a marked presence in social gaming. An ISFJ’s inbuilt ability to check-up on friends or family means their time investment in chat functions and emphasis on the online community takes priority over winning or losing. This makes sense for a personality type geared towards being supportive and benevolent. What does come as a surprise, however, is that ISFJs find games in the fighting genre just as appealing. Perhaps this personality type is a true dark horse. This duality doesn’t only occur in gaming though. ISFJs are as commonly found working as nurses or social workers as they are as judges or bankers…take from it what you will.  

 

ENTP

Though this personality type’s chief skill is debating, ENTPs also have incredible, natural confidence in unfamiliar situations. ENTPs do not have the lowest rate of interest in any game genre. This shows they’re more than willing to be thrown in the deep end and give new things a try, and more often than not, they will find enjoyment in the challenge. Adventure and RPG games are equally popular among ENTPs. ENTPs are masters of seeing the big picture and thrive in the spontaneous environment that adventure games offer. They are adept at considering multiple perspectives. This is a skill that RPG games allow them to toy with by putting themselves in another’s shoes and experiencing the world of the game from that particular point of view. Although ENTPs typically struggle with routine and schedules, they at the same time draw energy from creating original and exciting plans. The limitlessness of choose-your-own-adventure and RPG style games is too enticing to ignore!

 

 

ENTJ

ENTJs are often characterized as being cold and serious. However, in the world of gaming, there is really no other personality type better suited to the role of hard-line commanders, savage chiefs, and fiercely strategic tacticians. Perhaps the most revealing data for this personality type is that they recorded the lowest-score preferences of all types for the genres of adventure, casual, and music and party games, whilst performing highly in strategy, fighting, and action genres. High energy ENTJs seek out action and are natural leaders in multiplayer, group situations. ENTJs make their decisions based on cold, rational and tight logic, follow plans to the T, and remain focused in stressful situations. Put any ENTJ in a tough situation that requires perfect strategizing or an attacking role and they will surely master it.

 

ENFP

Judging by the data, ENFP players come off as energetic, adaptable and all-round sociable players! An ENFP enjoys exploring and thinking creatively in the adventure genre, is perfectly happy thrashing about on the battlefield in fighting games, and unsurprisingly enjoys the social mingling in the music and party genre— notably more than other personality types. They’ll take almost anything over an intense strategy game. Their preference for action games is also high[do you mean they DO like strategy games? Sounds like don’t, but then later do], as it is for most personality types, because at the end of the day, who doesn’t enjoy some action! ENFP gamers thrive in social situations where they can bounce ideas off other players. They’re flexible and spontaneous enough to enjoy losing themselves while exploring new territory. The attainable and fast-paced rewards systems in the more competitive genres also feeds their need for admiration from others.

 

ENFJ

In action games, the gamer controls a character who becomes the avatar, or protagonist. This protagonist must be always prepared, organized with the right tools or weapons in hand, able to take initiative to go out and make things happen, and follow their intuition when put on the spot. The protagonist must be able to connect with the right characters to make alliances, and sometimes to break through enemy lines to corrupt and manipulate. An ENFJ’s ability to empathize, organize, and understand the environment they’re in makes them the ideal personality type for action games. As protagonists, ENFJs will seek to protect the underdog and stand up for their team in the necessary circumstances, meaning they frequently take up the role of the hero. *Cue ‘I Need a Hero’ by Bonnie Tyler*.

 

ESTP

Of all the personality types, ESTPs like fighting games the most. When it comes down to it, what better genre to satisfy their competitiveness and taste for action and adventure? As detail-oriented people, ESTPs make decisions based on logic and pragmatism sooner than emotional biases. They’re both energetic and bold. When the going gets tough on the battlefield, those are two characteristics in an ally that you’d really come to appreciate. An ESTP has a natural will for freedom and detests feeling boxed-in and controlled. So it’s only logical that this personality type thoroughly enjoys the self-determination and rebelliousness of fighting games. One thing’s for sure, you wouldn’t want to cross an ESTP in Tekken.

 

ESTJ

Commonly known as the ‘manager’ personality type, it comes as little surprise that ESTJs dislike the unregimented adventure category and the futility of the music and party genre. In fact, as a type that generally disapproves of trivial pursuits and activities which do not help them work towards their goals in life, an ESTJ may not take much enjoyment from playing video games altogether. Beyond relationship building and practicing social skills, the purpose of gaming for an ESTJ would center more around playing out their natural confidence in their abilities and practice making well-thought-out, practical decisions. An ESTJ may even be aware of their blind spot for adapting to unexpected circumstances and use gaming as an opportunity for self-improvement. As such, this personality type’s data points to no preferred genre when compared to other personality type preferences. Whilst action, adventure and RPG category games are the most popular among this type, an ESTJ is less likely to choose a game based on genre, and more likely to choose a game in which they can exercise their minds and strengthen their weaknesses.

 

ESFP

*Multiplayer – on*. The ‘entertainer’ ESFP personality type is a social player through and through. As naturally routine-averse people, ESFPs enjoy playing a myriad of game genres where they can flex their supportive and gregarious strengths. This personality type is a balanced mix of observant, innovative, spontaneous, and good-humored making them a valuable team player. Interestingly, ESFPs enjoy RPGs the least of all the personality types. Since making personal connections is such an integral part of this personality type’s character, it is logical that they are most at ease when they can get to know others honestly and openly as themselves.

 

ESFJ

ESFJs thrive around other people. They have a knack for ‘owning’ social situations where their empathy, warm-heartedness and care for others attracts many good friends. ESFJs are true team players.They draw their own benefits from cooperating with others, developing strong, loyal relationships, and learning things themselves through coaching and advising others. This personality type enjoys games where the gaming experience is sociable; multiplayer is a necessity. Hence, sports and racing games like FIFA or Madden are hugely popular among ESFJs. However, for an ESFJ, it’s not about winning! It is about everybody joining in and having a blast.

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The Ultimate Guide to Finding Gamer Friends

You got older. Your gaming tastes and your friends’ tastes diverged. Many moved to new cities, people became harder to meet, and the ones you do meet don’t seem to play the same games as you. Even in-game it has become difficult to connect with others. What do you do?

That’s my story—or at least it was.

After the real estate market bottomed out in college, I went from living in a mansion with my best friends to living in a new city for my first big boy job. My “exciting” new life consisted of going to work, going home, playing games online by myself, and then going back to work. I can comfortably say this lonely routine was the worst stage of my life. And this is coming from someone who’s been through fraternity hazing, army officer boot camp, and a few arrests. Something was clearly missing from my overall happiness.

Most of my important relationships growing up were built through play (animals included). Not only that, but my best and most memorable gaming experiences also happened to be shared with the people I cared about the most; even if I wasn’t winning every match.

I realized there must have been hundreds of people in my neighborhood who I would’ve loved to connect and play with, but I couldn’t find any ways to do so. Creating the solution turned out to be a matter of spending a few years studying in Silicon Valley, moving to Ukraine where I could actually afford to hire people smarter than me, and surviving enough winters.

Thus GameTree was born: the ultimate Looking For Group (LFG) app to help you find gamers according to your age, sex, and location. Just joking. Ok, well it does do that, but it brings the gamer social network to the 21st century. 

GameTree is a Public Benefit Corporation, so we’re not legally required to give you sub-optimal results in a sleazy profit-maximization attempt to keep you on the platform. *A-Tinder-Facebook-everybody else-choo!* Sorry, I sneezed. For transparency and accountability, we have a development vlog and made our internal roadmap public.

Read on to learn how to use our groundbreaking methodologies that over 100,000 people  have trusted (with almost zero marketing) to get you the best new gaming friends possible!

The True Path to Friendship

Step 1: Age, Sex, and Location

You can’t bake a cake without sugar. Ok, these days you can… but you know what I mean. Age, Sex, and Location are the base ingredients to our matchmaking formula. Though you’re required to disclose all three, you can hide these demographics later if you want. The following steps are optional but will optimize your custom user experience.

Step 2: Add Your Favorite Games

GameTree not only supports hundreds of thousands of games across computer, mobile, and all major consoles, it is also the first to cross borders with tabletop games. Yes! You can finally find enough people to play D&D or My Little Pony: The Board Game!

Step 3: Take the Personality Test

We designed the test with a preference for quality questions over quantity; the accuracy depends on how precisely (or not) you want to answer. 

Step 4: Take the Gamer DNA Test

So you say you like role-playing games? Are you talking massively multiplayer or Japanese anime choose-your-own-adventure pornos? It turns out it’s better to measure your definition of fun by the types of fun you like, so we developed the Gamer DNA Model that measures 21 of them. No more arguments between casual and competitive players. The answers are in your DNA results.

Step 5: Find Gamer Friends
Now is your opportunity to meet gamers with the highest combination of similar gaming tastes and compatible personalities. There are all sorts of search filters within the app, like finding DOTA or Fortnite teammates, local friends or players of niche games. Set a date and play away!

Before the Big Gamer Date

Avoid Toxicity

Finding potential friends is one thing, but actually making friends with them is quite another. According to hundreds of surveys from GameTree members and general gamers, the number one thing people want in gaming is to play with non-toxic players. The obvious place to start is to… not be toxic. Here’s a video we made about this:

TL;DR: Turns out most toxicity is just everyday people like you and me miscommunicating or having a bad day. 

Self Awareness – Your Personality

Our Personality Test assigns you one of 16 different personality types. A funny meme-alicious video will tell you all the ways you suck and need to be better if you want to have any friends that aren’t you. Here’s an example:

Personalize Your Approach – Their Personality

Those same videos also tell you about your gamer matches—what they are like in games, reasons you’d want to be friends with them, and relevant tips for not messing things up. For example, if you’re interacting with someone who tends to be very reliable and dependable, don’t be late to your planned date or you run the risk of alienating them.

Build Your Reputation

You can prove you’re a reliable non-toxic player by leveling up with experience points. Leveling up unlocks more advanced features, like the ability to change your search location, for example. Or, if you can’t find matches near you for a niche game, you can discover strong matches who are predicted to like it. Experience points are mostly earned from playing games with people.

 

Connect with Pre-existing Friends

You may already know people who want to play the same games you do. In this case, GameTree is a great way to keep these relationships alive. The app allows you to sync with Facebook, Steam, and other platforms turning GameTree into a gaming-focused social network.

 

What’s Next

Our vision is constantly expanding while we are searching for all the ways we can help you find the best possible gamer friends and teammates. Instant matchmaking, matchmaking based on personal values, gamer dating, more game/platform account synching, and expanded gamer social network features are just the start.

What GameTree really is to us is curation. It’s better to personalize the world to your unique self. It’s delivering honest recommendations from all the world’s options instead of just whatever is most popular or will maximize our profit. GameTree already provides the best player matchmaking along with the most accurate game recommendation engine in existence, but we’re ready to go further. We’d like to give you control over your data to discover the best of what the world has to offer: events, streamers, news, and whatever else is on the horizon for data optimization.

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Introducing the Game of Friendship: GameTree Gamification

The biggest complaint we hear at GameTree is “not enough people to play with!”. The problem was having a “leaky bucket” app where people usually:
A) find what they want, and leave happy.
B) don’t find what they want, and leave upset.
Either way there was little reason to stay.

Though it’s just phase I of some innovative roll-outs, this new gamification system patches the bucket so GameTree is now a better app than ever. It gives higher meaning to all your social play sessions by granting points, makes playing with good people quicker and easier, adds powerful new functionalities that only make sense to give you once you have proven yourself, tracks and incentivizes being a non-toxic and reliable gamer, gives you beneficial reasons to use the app and invite friends so there won’t be a shortage of players, and generally makes using GameTree a more fun and interesting experience.

We really hope you enjoy it, and are open to feedback. It’s been a longer crawl than necessary to get to this stage; we hope you forgive us. What most companies do with recommendation apps is try to seem like they are giving great results while purposely providing minimal value. They will do things like build addictive mechanics and not optimize the best matches so you are continuously searching or unsatisfied and coming back for more.

As a founder, I’d rather do nothing than operate a business that way, even though it’s often required to maximize profit for investors. As a Public Benefit Corporation though, we are legally allowed to sacrifice on some profit to provide more value.

We have a big vision for how GameTree and gaming can help shape and improve the world. Looking forward to making this reality with you!

 

 

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The Social Benefits of Online Gaming Communities

Forget the stereotype of the lonely teen gamer in his parents’ basement, playing alone for 12 hours a day. Enter the modern gamer – connected to gaming communities through an array of digital social tools built right into the system, with people who share the same passions. Evident by the breadth of research on the topic of game-based social interactions, plenty of health sciences and information technology experts almost always point to a Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC) that’s present in both old and new forms of gaming. While some of the earliest social studies on gaming tend to zero in on how games can intensify loneliness and anti-social personality traits, even the experts can no longer ignore how gaming can foster fellowship and genuine social interaction.

Level Skip points to a joint survey by Pew Research Center and the MacArthur Foundation on the cooperative nature of console games. Two-thirds of the young gamers they surveyed said that they play video games as a way to socialize with friends and family face-to-face, including the opportunity to discuss game strategies for either competitive or cooperative play – ultimately a way to improve young people’s conversation skills. And indeed, just like any social activity, games are a great excuse to interact with other humans over a shared interest, regardless of age, race, or background. Today, the connected technologies that are available to modern gamers create even more opportunities for such interactions.
This is actually what GameTree is all about. Whether you’re trying to find the best strategies for PUBG Battle Royale, looking for the best RPG or action games on mobile, or want to be the best Dungeon Master you can be, we’re the online social network you’re looking for. This is where you can get smart recommendations on which games to try out next – both by the algorithm and fellow gamers – covering over 200,000 games for consoles, PCs, mobile, or tabletop – yes, including board games. The goal is to get you playing the games that can offer you the best experiences based on your personal goals and preferences – through engaging with a live and evolving gaming community who shares your passions.
Even in the highly competitive world of Esports, the social benefits of online gaming communities are highly apparent. Apart from providing both young and old gamers plenty of opportunities to earn a paycheck via their skill in a popular game, the burgeoning communities around Esports allow even more people to participate in the joy of healthy competition. Nick Murphy’s Esports guide on Ladbrokes sheds some light into just how large this community has become, with tens of thousands of players competing in tournaments worldwide. In the US, there are over 9,500 registered professional players, while it’s 2,685 in China, 2,579 in Korea, and 2,479 in Germany. There are a lot fewer pros in the UK, but almost every Premier League soccer club now has its own professional Esports player, connecting the UK’s most coveted soccer players to a new breed of digital fans. Meanwhile, the popular game streaming site Twitch now boasts 299 million viewers, with expert estimates saying that the number could balloon to 427 million worldwide by 2019, thanks to Esports.

Gaming has come a long way from its dark, dank, Mountain Dew-addled days on the stained couch in your parents’ old basement. Today, that basement has been remodeled into a sleek, air-conditioned, and connected game room. In it, players share strategies and insights face-to-face, stream League of Legends or Fortnite Battle Royale and check on the current stats of their favorite Esports athlete from overseas. They’re also reading reviews of the next games on their GameTree recommendations and creating and developing a digitally connected community of like-minded individuals in the comfort of their own homes.

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The Gentleman’s Guide to Multiplayer Total War Campaigns

Many do not realize, but multiplayer campaigns are the Holy Grail of how to keep Total War campaigns fun, fresh, and interesting after the boring plateaus of early-game snowball, predictable AI, and artificially unfair difficulty adjustments.

Multiplayer campaigns can be an improved gaming experience whether you are roleplaying, challenging each other directly, or even just filling in for AI in each other’s “single-player” campaigns. It is only in the last six months that I myself have discovered this Grail, and I have been blessed with the best Total War experiences I’ve ever had just when I thought the glory days were behind me.

 

Why multiplayer Total War campaigns are the way to go:

1. Improve Your Skills

You will learn more about, and have a higher appreciation of, Total war game mechanics and strategies by playing with other people.

2. More Interesting/Less predictable Campaign Evolutions

With another player expanding and influencing the campaign map, the power dynamics will shift in new unique ways, and all sorts of memorable landscapes will emerge.

3. More Interesting/Less Predictable Battles

You get to experience a wide variety of authentic battles against other generals instead of a computer re-running the same scripts and calculations to (im)perfection.

4. More Faction Variety in Battles

It gets tiring using, and battling against, the same units over and over. In a multiplayer campaign you get to try your hand at using different factions across the map.

5. More Battle Challenge Without Unimmersive Buffs/Debuffs

A live-human will be adapting to your tactics, and parrying with their own, so you no longer need to crank-up the battle difficulty to have a challenge or rely on un-immersive heroic victories.

6. More Campaign Challenge Without Unimmersive Buffs/Debuffs

You can play on Normal difficulty without all the artificial player debuffs and enemy buffs, while still having a challenge due to harder battles, a late-game player threat, and someone working against you diplomatically to make sure you don’t snowball.

7. Greater Sense of Pride

Whether you win or lose, playing with others results in better stories and a greater sense of fulfillment.

8. Make Friends

At the end of the day, our relationships with our co-stars are the most important thing in the world. Multiplayer gaming is a great way to keep in touch with friends or make new ones.

 

But I don’t have friends to play multiplayer campaigns with!

There are plenty of forums and their linked Discord channels to find gamer friends. You can also recruit your existing friends or download GameTree, an app we made for this exact purpose. It’s the best option because it considers your overall tastes, personality, and play styles when making matches, in addition to filtering options like age and location.

But Total War campaigns are not balanced for multiplayer!

Read on below, and they WILL be balanced for multiplayer!


The 5 Commandments of Multiplayer Total War Campaigns:

The commandments are derived from four veteran players playing in over twenty campaigns. Many of those campaigns were ruined due to cheese and balance issues from not following the commandments. We have iterated from the experience of our own failures, so do yourself a favor and learn from them.

1. Thou shalt not ghost upon thy enemies.

Life gets busy, your mood changes, or you’re not having fun, and you don’t want to play anymore after the first session of your campaign. Don’t burn the bridge by ghosting on the other player, it’s bad karma and you may decide you want to play with them later. If it’s the player you don’t want to play with, do them the courtesy and favor of letting them know why.

2. Thou shalt conduct thyself with honor.

Don’t spring an ambush from triple speed. Don’t bore your enemy to death by running out the clock. If you are considering a strategy your opponent will consider game-breaking unimmersive trolling: don’t do it.

3. Thou shalt ensure balanced start positions.

Total War factions are not the same. Consider initial, expansion, and faction match-up difficulties when deciding your starting factions. Custom rules are allowable to offset the asymmetrical imbalances.

4. Thou shalt autoresolve trivial battles.

If the balance of power bar is more than 70% in one side’s favor, auto-resolve it, even if it will result in your taking more losses than fighting it would. Multiplayer games are harder to coordinate by their nature, so keeping things fast will ensure progress, while also not boring your enemy with repetitive fights they are guaranteed to lose.

5. Thou shalt respect house rules.

Creative Assembly focuses on the singleplayer campaign experience, so house rules are necessary to have a fun balanced multiplayer game. Honor those rules! Without them, you are less than a barbarian.

The following are house rules we use in Rome 2 campaigns. Most of them can be adapted to all Total War games or otherwise serve as good inspiration for your own campaigns. We play with the Divide Et Impera [DEI] mod, the biggest mod ever made for a Total War game. We highly recommend trying it.

 

Example House Rules (Rome 2):

1. No sieging with tiny armies.

It’s a cheesy unimmersive way to prevent attrition on a larger supporting army. Alternatively, it is used to halt enemy building/recruitment and lower their income. The AI/player must then attack on their turn and a swift mounted solitary general can run away then continuously re-siege.

2. Wait until Imperium 2 to initiate hostile actions against one another.

This allows time to expand a little and build up your economy. Otherwise, the game can degenerate to a low-tech slug-fest with constant frustrations.

3. No allying, client stating, or otherwise baiting Rome into declaring war.

Rome is the most powerful faction in the game, so getting it on your side can be more important than all the other actions you actually do. Using Rome eliminates the need for, and importance of, skill at the game when Rome can just do everything for you while spamming massive armies. Tip: Give money/gifts to big nations without any enemies to prevent your opponent from coaxing them into declaring war on you.

4. No diplomatic missions.

This is a recently implemented mechanic. It is essentially a lottery bag of random rewards and punishments that has no place in a strategy game. The results can be game-breaking such as getting gifted free regions next to your enemy.

5. Three trade agreement limit per Imperium.

With infinite trade agreements the whole world loves you, you get huge amounts of free trade deal income, and whoever declares war first pisses everybody else off resulting in diplomatic snowballs that can end games before wars even start. Games are more fair, balanced, and interesting by limiting trade agreements. This rule also allows landlocked factions to compete with those starting with a coastal region.

6. Autoresolve Civilized vs Uncivilized faction naval battles.

A well-micromanaged civilized faction navy can unimmersively and brokenly defeat an infinite number of uncivilized faction ships due to their slow move-speed and inability to ram.

7. In forts + small towns, whoever holds the point is the defender.

Running around the map indefinitely until the clock runs out for a win is bad sportsmanship.

8. No Night Commander talent.

The ability for a general to isolate one force from a reinforcing one right next to it is too unimmersive and overpowered, especially for just one skill point.

As you can see, it doesn’t take too many house rules to clean up some rough edges that can bring a multiplayer campaign from toxic to immersive and fun. Discord is a good communication app so you can chat during each other’s turns. Doing so helps with coordinating stuff, learning from each other, not getting bored, and creating friendships. I’ve spent hours talking to people out-of-game after having played with them.

We hope you are inspired to up your game at Total War by playing with friends.  Again, you can download GameTree to meet friends with appropriate skill level, playstyles, and timezones. If you have any good Total War house rules or cool stories, please share below; we’d love to hear them!

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How To Get the Most Out of Dungeons & Dragons With Personality Psychology

Dungeons and Dragons, the tabletop game that inspired the RPG industry as well as countless books, movies, and shows, is meant to be played orally in the imaginations of you and your friends. In this game, the personalities and play-styles of your characters are key to the game’s enjoyment.

A technique to quickly design such characters, used by many veteran authors, screenwriters, and yes, even Dungeon Masters, is to utilize pre-existing personality archetypes based on the psychology framework commonly known as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Jungian Typology, and the 16 Types. You can read here to learn more about this psychology and to discover your personality type.

What many don’t realize is that, in D&D, you can enhance a game by applying this psychology directly to yourself and the actual players in the game. In this article, we explore the races and classes people with similar personalities to you enjoy playing most, as well as the ways to Dungeon Master a game to maximize its enjoyment for your players.

 

Four Categories of Players


Explorers

People who are are highly practical and spend a lot of their time in their senses are known as Explorers. As a Dungeon Master for this down-to-earth type, you should expect them to remember small details like retrieving a rope, using a potion when it’s needed most, and so on, and to also reward them accordingly. Keep them in situations where they can succeed in the allocation of limited resources, such as rations and arrows, and require of them keen observations and quick thinking. As survivalists, they will seek self-preservation over good and evil. Explorer types are known to be highly into character design aesthetics, putting time and effort into the creation process while also describing everything their character does in all of its gore and glory. Make them happy by bringing to life a vivid and detailed world in similar terms.
     
Preferred Races & Classes
Since Explorers relish immersing in their senses and want to be prepared at any moment, they are often seen playing as the following:


ESTP – The Dynamic Maverick

Races: Half-orc, Goliath, Human, Dwarf

Classes: Barbarian, Monk, Fighter


ISTP – Capable Pragmatist

Races: Gnome, Human, Dwarf, Kenku

Classes: Ranger, Fighter, Rogue


ESFP – Enthusiastic Improviser

Races: Elf, Human, Tiefling, Tabaxi

Classes: Bard, Rogue, Barbarian


ISFP – Sensuous Protector

Races: Elf, Halfling, Gnome, Tabaxi

Classes: Rogue, Ranger, Monk

 

Guardians

Ready to protect, Guardians are known to be lawful, virtuous, and traditional. Play with themes of law and justice, chaos versus order, tribe vs the greater good, and tradition versus progress to maximize their fun. Do make sure there are always clear goals though. You can make things interesting by bringing in divine beings while fighting for the holy missions of gods, serving as their hands of judgment and always ready to take an ultimate sacrifice for the well-being of the team. Every DM should know that they draw lessons and inspiration from familiar tropes as starting points, so begin campaigns and sessions in more vanilla ways before descending deeper into the occult. Beware that this type has a strong memory for details, so use consistency in your game mechanics, plot, characters, and world design.

Preferred Races & Classes
Since Guardians are a shield of any party, they are most frequently seen playing one of the following:

ESTJ – Efficient Driver

Races: Aasimar, Triton, Human, Hobgoblin

Classes: Paladin, Fighter, Monk


ISTJ – Responsible Executor

Races: Aasimar, Triton, Human, Dwarf

Classes: Paladin, Fighter, Monk


ESFJ – The Committed Altruist

Races: Aasimar, Human, Dragonborn, Dwarf

Classes: Bard, Cleric, Paladin


ISFJ – Compassionate Steward

Races: Aasimar, Human, Merfolk, Halfling

Classes: Cleric, Paladin, Monk

 

Diplomats

These players enjoy abstract puzzles, especially with personal and large-scale moral implications; that’s why they are known as the Diplomats. They will tell you the most important part of an adventure is the mission. These players want to feel like their cause is super important and can be counted on to help a bunch of people along the way, so make sure to place many opportunities for this into your game and show gratitude for their help. They will come alive most in non-linear plots with a lot of roleplaying and unpredictable tangents. As a game master – don’t expect them to take as many harsh and cruel actions, since they will often solve a problem with minimal to no fighting, or utilize their powerful magic or guerilla tactics to come up with unexpected solutions. They are as likely to feed and befriend those wolves in the forest, as slay them.

Preferred Races & Classes

Since Diplomats like to have many ways of overcoming obstacles besides direct conflict, they are most frequently seen playing one of the following:

ENFJ – Engaging Mobilizer

Races: Half-elf, Dragonborn, Human, Tiefling

Classes: Bard, Cleric, Fighter


INFJ – Insightful Supporter

Races: Half-elf, Elf, Gnome, Merfolk

Classes: Bard, Cleric, Wizard


ENFP – Impassioned Evangelist

Races: Elf, Tabaxi, Anything but Human

Classes: Bard, Druid, Sorcerer


INFP – Inspired Idealist

Races: Human, Elf, Genasi, Drow

Classes: Rogue, Druid, Cleric

 

Rationals

Don’t be afraid to get technical if you are playing with Rationals, because they definitely will. Representatives of this group adore having their limits pushed with puzzles and encounters, just make sure no two are the same. They love strategically combining things, so give them a lot of utility they can use. Let them taste extreme levels of power, but only as a reward for being clever. Even though they may forget to do these things in real life, streamline the game by assuming they will do potentially obvious actions like refilling water at a stream. This part of D&D isn’t fun for them unless you explicitly push it to an extreme. Rationals may fight for either good or bad, without pledging too much of an allegiance to any side of the conflict, so keep an open and flexible mind when preparing your sessions.

Preferred Races & Classes

Since Rationals delight in designing powerful, but fragile, characters with a lot of utility, they are frequently seen playing one of the following:

ENTP – Innovative Explorer

Races: Halfling, Human, Gnome, Tiefling

Classes: Fighter, Wizard, Sorcerer


INTP – The Expansive Analyzer

Races: Kenku, Drow, Human, Elf

Classes: Warlock, Wizard, Rogue


ENTJ – Strategic Director

Races: Dragonborn, Human, Half-elf, Goliath

Classes: Bard, Fighter, Paladin


INTJ – The Visionary Mastermind

Races: Human, Elf, Tiefling, Drow

Classes: Wizard, Warlock, Sorcerer

Playing Outside the Box

Despite all these tendencies, for many players the beauty of roleplaying games is to try new perspectives and ways of thinking. As such, you may very well enjoy playing races and classes quite the opposite of your personality — and that’s great! Living life as an alternative version of yourself in a vibrant fantasy, or as a tool of exploring new sides to yourself and pushing the flexibility of your thinking, are both great ways to enjoy D&D and other roleplaying games.

Remember while playing that you are in a tribe, and to appreciate the diversity and new experiences that different people bring to the table. An Explorer may bring more vivid imagery and immersion to the game, a Guardian may sacrifice themselves for you in a sentimentally beautiful way, a Diplomat may deliver a speech so rousing that a skill check isn’t even needed, and a Rationalist may give you tips to get the most out of your equipment and abilities to survive the toughest situations.

If you are looking to create an awesome party and find teammates for your upcoming D&D adventures – you can find your tribe at GameTree. 

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Personality Psychology and RPGs: Interview with GeekPsychology

Recently we’ve had an incredible experience talking to Matt from GeekPsychology, a YouTube channel where he is combining gaming and personality psychology in an interesting way for years already while living in Japan.

We’ve used this time to ask Matt about how he got to where he is and keeps developing the projects he’s working on, including his YouTube channel, a book, that’s going to help beginners in psychology and a game made to be suitable for the real world.

He says, that knowing your type and other’s people type gives you permission to be yourself, embrace who you are, and grow as a personality. For Matt himself, the journey into psychology has given motivations, freedom to be who he really is, and open up to new possibilities. One of his brightest achievements is a framework comparing types to races, classes, and monsters in games (RPG’s in his case). It actually changes the way how one thinks, perceives, sees the world.

Matt is comparing life to a questing raid, with obstacles, trials and bosses – and that’s where personality psychology really shines. Not everybody is the same “class” as you, and it goes a long way to bring together other people’s skills and use those to help yourself and others. The point is, that only through specializing, putting all your “points” and effort into one field a person can achieve success.

As well as that, Matt is working on a game, that’s going to take those classes and bring them to a tangled world with decision making, changes, and evolving them. He believes, that his game is going to be great for anyone trying to explore himself, because it gives real-life lessons, that hold incredible value.

You are welcome to watch our latest video and join us for some awesome time with GeekPsychology!

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Better Together – The Top 5 Anticipated Co-Op Games

A new year has begun, and it’s already quite promising! Here are five awesome upcoming coop games that we are definitely looking forward to. Those titles are a great opportunity to hang out and play with your friends, and that’s why we love them!  

Anthem Suit LFG

#5. Our number five is “Anthem” by EA. In the world of Anthem, you and your friends are Freelancers – heroes who leave the walls of safe cities to explore the world and protect humanity. Sounds great, huh? Add insane mech-like suits and you’re set to go! The world looks truly beautiful and fun to explore with mates while taking on vicious beasts and ravaging marauders. Looks like the developers are making this game to stick for a while – keeping up with players who want to play both solo and in groups. Overall – we are cautiously excited since it is coming from EA and we’re still sore over Battlefront 2. Still, if you want to become amongst first players to get on top of leaderboards you may want to find people to play Anthem with beforehand, since the release date is already said to be in early 2019 – we can’t wait for it!

 

A way out

#4. “A Way Out” Now this is a truly unique game to keep your eye on. This action title has two players escaping prison and living life on the run from the authorities. What makes this game interesting is how it manages to synchronize both players’ actions on a split-screen or online, with one occasionally watching a cutscene while the other is busy completing the task for their good. Acknowledging potential problems of requiring two players to progress, Hazelight studios made it so you can play the game either locally or via the internet with just one copy – way easier to LFG!    

 

State of decay

#3. Get ready for some zombie co-op action “State of Decay 2”!  If you’re curious about how you and your buddies would survive a zombie apocalypse and you’re not satisfied by the other games in the genre – this one’s for you! Up to four players can team up to gather resources, build and protect shelter and, overall, survive in this harsh world. This includes great character customization and progression, as well as hard decisions: do you wish to keep up with your group or betray them for supplies? Well, anyway, at some point in time you might have to overstep any differences and decide, if your buddy is going to live or die, for example – if he or she gets bitten. Anyway, this is a great overall experience and coop is just the thing that the first game lacked, so if you find some awesome teammates for it – there will be fun time for everyone.

 

Sea of Thieves LFG

#2 Yarr! Buckle up for the “Sea of Thieves”!  While there are many games that allow you to tackle campaigns and side missions with friends, there are few that have fully settled into the good old pirate theme (not counting space pirates, of course). You and a couple of friends are able to head out to an open sea, sink other ships, battle for gold and reputation, and discover great treasures! This Xbox One / Windows 10 exclusive is the first game developed by Rare after those awkward years of making Kinect games. They are now ready to set sail for a new legacy, and so are we!

 

Red Dead Redemption 2, RDR2, people to play with

#1 And our number one pick is, of course, “Red Dead Redemption 2”! It has been a long time since we’ve seen a Red Dead franchise. The first game was an immersive open-world set in the wild west, where players could become infamous outlaws – robbing trains, playing poker and needlessly challenging others to deadly duels. Those were the days! Now, take those same experiences, update them with modern-day graphics and technologies and then – add your friends to the mix! Now we know that the single-player aspect is going to be great, but Rockstar is making emphasis on online and coop features of the game, and we already can see ourselves spending hours messing around with our buddies doing outlaw stuff. According to the recent leak, Red Dead Redemption 2’s online component will feature ‘Battle Royale’, ‘Revive and Survive’, and ‘Money Grab’ modes – and that’s exciting!

  • It remains unknown whether Battle Royale will operate in a similar fashion to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or Fortnite, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Rockstar hopes to capitalise on the popularity of those two titles.
  • Revive and Survive pits two teams against each other as they try to stay alive. You’ll have a limited amount of time to revive your teammates before they are eliminated.
  • Finally, Money Grab features two teams fighting to procure bags of money in a central location. You’re expected to collect and return them to your base as quickly as possible.

Playing co-op games surely doesn’t have to be hard, and we hope you are as excited as we are about those titles. Even though game developers are leaning towards online multiplayer features for their new releases, some of them still aim for audience that wants to play together, not against each other. Furthermore, those titles are incredibly fitting for any “lan-party” or simply staying at home with your buddies, and focus on people, that will not simply play around for a week or two, but will continue doing so for quite some time. This list of games, of course, can be expanded, and we hope new games will be coming out later this year and later. Prepare yourselves, and also make sure to hang out and play them with some friends, and if you are looking for some – GameTree app has got you covered with advanced personality psychology algorithms, that help you find your perfect co-op team!