Exploring the existence and variation of Game Player Traits among Undergraduate students in Malaysia

The use of game has become a norm for generation-z, whose live revolves around technology. The ease of access towards games via handheld devices such as tablets or smartphones cultivates a specific type of motivation among students. These motivational goals will indirectly influence the ways students investigate tasks that may or may not have a snippet of game-like environments. As such, it will be vital to identify the player motivation among these students. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a one-group post-test-only design. Participants from a tertiary institution were tested using an adapted Bartle Player Motivation questionnaire after learning via an e-learning platform. The overall findings showed that all students have a higher tendency of Achiever player motivation followed by Explorer, Killer, and Socializer. This showed that players go for individualistic games that are played for fun, personal gain, or occupying their time, thus the low level of preference towards socialization. Meanwhile, when differentiating among genders, female students' Achiever Player motivation tendencies are higher than male students, while the Killer Player motivation tendencies of male students are higher than female students. This can be attributed to the morale of female students leaning towards proving or achieving something in a game. Meanwhile, male students have gaming intentions to not only win but dominate others. As such, identifying students' motivation in learning and using technology can guide them in the right path of interest, leading to a personalized learning path.