What's Your Gamer Type?

Answer honestly — there are no wrong answers. It takes about three minutes.

Illustration of the dog Reggie from the book cover.

Gamer types tend to shift over time, so as you answer, think about how you’ve been playing over the past month rather than your gaming life overall.

Your age

Some of my favorite games this month were

This won’t be scored — it’s just here to help you calibrate. Keep these games in mind as you go through the questions below.

Playing games is a little ritual I do for myself.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

The games I play do not substitute for activities that I can no longer do in real life.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

The games I play connect to a strong interest I have outside of the game.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

Games are part of who I am.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

Playing something purely for entertainment leaves me feeling guilty.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I choose games I believe are good for me.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I usually play games because of someone else.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

If I stopped playing tomorrow, I would really miss it.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

If no game existed about my other interests outside of games, my interest in games would disappear.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I play only when there are no other activities that I would rather be doing.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

Playing games replaces another activity that is not available anymore.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

If the person/people I play with stopped, I would probably stop too.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

A life without playing games would be a smaller life for me.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I started playing my current games because someone I knew was already playing them.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I feel better about the time I spend playing when I can point to something it did for me.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I protect and cherish my playing time.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

The time I spend playing is just for me and nobody else.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

If my calendar were fuller or the weather were better, I would play much less.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I follow games as a medium; what is coming out, who makes them, how they are put together.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

I also read about, watch, or collect things related the subjects of the games that I play.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

Games allow me to do things I can no longer do in real life.

Strongly disagree

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly agree

Your name (optional)

Optional — add your name if you’d like a shareable link to your results afterward.