Identifying and understanding target audience behavior is one the most critical steps before validating the business case for gamification. Any gamification strategy can succeed only when the business objectives and the user objectives overlap. A user is usually referred to as a player in the gaming context. While talking of player types, we are naturally reminded of Richard Bartle and the Bartle test that was created by Erwin Andreasen and Brandon Downey, based on a paper written by Bartle.
Bartle's test identifies four types of game players as depicted:

Achievers: They seek rewards and would be inclined to accumulate points and climb higher levels because of the pride associated with the achievements.
Explorers: These players are more of the adventurous kind who love to discover things by traversing through uncharted territories or love to uncover something that is hidden.
Socializers: Socializers derive lot of pleasure through...