Role-playing games (RPGs), where someone takes on the role of a character in a fictional world and often interacts with other players to cooperatively create stories and act out scenarios, are insanely popular.
This isn’t just a random observation. To begin with, RPGs are a billion-dollar industry, but even our own survey data backs up the popularity of the genre. At the time of this writing, 30,000 people have participated in our “Gaming” survey, where we ask what kind of games people enjoy the most. Out of seven popular gaming categories, RPGs rank as the clear favorite for most personality types.
One of the best things about RPGs is that they can be played in different formats. Some people prefer the intimacy of a text-based role-play in their favorite online forum, while others are more attracted to the rich, interactive worlds of video games. For those who prefer to play offline and in person, there are tabletop games or free-form play that encourage the imagination to run wild. There is, quite literally, an RPG for every taste.
Considering the popularity of role-play, it would be easy to assume that the attraction to this genre is universal. And to be frank, it mostly is.
The key word here is mostly.
Some personality types are just not as fanatical about the genre as others, which lets us know that certain personality factors can and do influence a person’s attraction to this particular form of entertainment.
But First – To Understand Who Role-Plays, It Helps to Understand Why
If you talk to people who enjoy RPGs, you’ll quickly realize that there are some prevalent reasons why people enjoy them so much. These commonalities seem to unite role-players of every personality type in a loosely knit subculture.
Social Connection
Yes, there are single-player RPGs that require no real social interaction. Many role-players, however, find that multiplayer games are a bridge to finding like-minded people. This social connection may be crucial for gamers who struggle to relate to or identify with the people they are surrounded by in real life. Lifelong friendships are forged in forums or on quests through online fantasy universes. For those who role-play offline, in-person games are a fun way to bond with friends and build a sense of community.
Escaping from and Rehearsing for Reality
Many people also appreciate the mental break that RPGs provide from their day-to-day routine. Role-play is a safe form of escapism, allowing people to tap into that sense of thrill and adventure that normal life often lacks.
Not only that, but the fictional realm of role-play provides a pressure-free space to explore and work through hypothetical situations that may be – either now or in the future – relevant to real-world experiences. While this may not be something that players are completely conscious of, many of them will affirm that certain useful skills may be learned during gameplay, such as collective problem-solving, teamwork, and compromise.
Participative Storytelling
Storytelling may be considered as essential to the human experience as social connection. Captivating narratives provoke emotional responses and engage the imagination. People love how a good book can transport them to another world or how movies explore abstract concepts and deep themes.
But these forms of entertainment are not exactly engaging in a literal sense. Role-play allows people to actively participate in creating stories in which they can become fully immersed. Players take a decisive role in the action and, in doing so, can explore human nature through cooperative story-building.
Exploring Personality
One part of human nature that role-players like to delve into is personality. RPGs are built around the exploration and understanding of different personality traits and how they interact within a single character – and between multiple players – to influence the action in their gameplay.
Character-building is the first step to getting any RPG off the ground. At the heart of every game is the interplay of personality traits and how they are interpreted by each player as they bring their fictional character to life. For many players, this aspect of role-play allows them to fully relax into their own personality or temporarily adopt a personality that may be the polar opposite of the one that they have in real life. This also allows players to safely explore how different personalities act, react, and interact in sometimes difficult or complex situations.
So How Does Personality Type Influence Whether Someone Likes RPGs?
Now that we’ve come full circle back to the topic of personality, we can take a look at how personality traits influence whether or not someone may get sucked down the RPG rabbit hole.
According to the “Gaming” survey previously mentioned, out of all 16 personality types, Mediators (INFPs) and Advocates (INFJs) are the most likely to say they enjoy RPGs – and by a solid margin. In fact, Diplomats as a group are about 10 percentage points more likely to prefer RPGs than Analysts, the Role with the second-highest agreement. That means that Diplomats are likely to be the most represented Role in the RPG community.
Diplomats’ notably higher preference for RPGs is likely thanks to the fact that these personalities share two key traits that may influence how they relate to those “why” factors mentioned above.
The Intuitive Trait
Intuitive personality types, which include both Diplomats and Analysts, are known for their vivid imaginations. They are significantly more likely to say they can easily picture themselves within scenes conveyed only by words or visual prompts, and envisioning fictional worlds tends to come more naturally for them. The Intuitive trait is also one of the key factors in determining how likely a person is to connect with made-up characters, and it underlies their curiosity when exploring other people’s perspectives and beliefs.
The Feeling Trait
The ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes – something inherent in role-play – is closely linked to the Intuitive trait. But it’s the Feeling trait that transforms open-mindedness into true empathy.
Feeling personality types include all Diplomats as well as Defenders (ISFJs), Consuls (ESFJs), Adventurers (ISFPs), and Entertainers (ESFPs). People with this trait are likely to appreciate how the subtleties of human emotion and expression influence character development and their character’s interactions with other players as the gameplay advances. This empathy also likely enhances the social relationships between players as they interact outside of gameplay online or in real life.
Other Personality Traits and the Role They Play in Role-Play
It’s not just the Intuitive and Feeling traits that hold sway over a person’s preference for RPGs. Other personality traits also seem to have some influence over the likelihood that someone will be attracted to the genre.
The Introverted Trait
Introverted personality types are more likely than Extraverted personalities to enjoy RPGs. This may be, at least in part, thanks to a stronger tendency for Introverts to feel like they need to adapt their personalities to their work or school environments in real life. Escaping into the world of role-play may be an attractive option for them to decompress or wind down as they take off whatever mask they had to wear to get through their day.
They may also appreciate the relative anonymity that role-play provides, giving them the opportunity to be more open with others and lean into or explore those aspects of their personality that they may keep more guarded in everyday life. It’s also possible that, through RPGs, Introverted players are able to find a safe space for social connections with like-minded people.
The Turbulent Trait
Regardless of personality type, players with the Turbulent trait are more likely to be into RPGs.
This is likely because Turbulence accentuates the tendency of any personality to adjust core aspects of their identity according to their environment or to mirror the behaviors of the people around them. This likely has something to do with a pervasive sense of not fitting in or belonging despite having a stronger need to do so, compared to their Assertive counterparts. As previously mentioned, role-play can provide a strong sense of community, becoming a refuge for those who feel like there are few places where they can truly be themselves.
Final Thoughts
RPGs are an outlet for unwinding, connecting with others, exercising the imagination, and exploring the ins and outs of the human experience. To some extent, the need to do these things does line up with certain personality traits.
But the general popularity of RPGs among all personality types speaks to the universal nature of those deep-rooted needs that role-play satisfies. Different aspects of role-play can be tied to different personality traits, but in the end, there’s something in it for nearly everyone.
Due to its impressive popularity and the incredible diversity within the genre, it’s next to impossible to create a comprehensive personality profile of the typical role-player.
This is where it would be great to get some feedback. Does role-play appeal to you? Why or why not? Do you feel that your personality plays a role in that? If so, does it impact which format you prefer? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
Further Reading
- Did you know that we have a vibrant role-play forum in the Community section of 16Personalities? If you want to get involved, everyone is welcome!
- How to Create a Better Team Using Personality Traits
- Personality Theory in Fiction Writing I: Making Characters Personal
- Might or Magic? A Study of Gamers’ Personality Types
- The 16 Cosplay Personalities and How to Spot Them
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