Risk aversion as a factor of player typology

The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between participants' willingness to accept risks in real world situations, as well as within games. Participants in the study responded to a survey regarding their attitudes towards risky behaviors, their willingness to engage in those behaviors, and their preferences and motivations for playing video games. The study found that, while teamwork was not a significant factor for risk-seeking gamers, relationship building was. Further, positive risk-attitude was not related to self-reported skill, but was related to the amount of time participants spent playing games. Risk-seeking players also valued competition and role-playing, alongside the development of strong social relationships.These results could affect the way in which developers advertise their products, as well as how they design their games. This research offers valuable insights into the habits of gamers, and serves as a counterexample to the "lone gamer" stereotype. Limitations include how well participants understand their own online behaviors, as well as how they view themselves. For example, participants that expressed antisocial behaviors online may have chosen to express more prosocial behaviors to alter the way they appeared in the survey. Future studies may examine the relationship between gender identity and gameplay preferences, as well as the potential relationship between age and gameplay risk-attitudes. Research is also being considered on "trolling" behavior and its relationship to real world behaviors.