MUDS

Richard A Bartles article 'Players who suit MUDS' was definitely an interesting one. Bartle describes (in a nutshell) that there are four main types of players who play MUDs. These are:
The Killers. The people who go online and slaughter as many unsuspecting victims as possible. These are the aggressive players who if you have ever been unlucky enough to meet on an online game will show you no mercy. Funnily enough I have a couple of friends who play World of Warcraft and fit this category quite nicely.
The Socialisers. The people who see the game as a back-drop and use the online freedom to make friends, chat and discuss like a forum. These are some of the people who make fresh meat for our guys in the first category.
The Achievers. These players like to rack up the points. They exhaust every quest, tutorial, side quest, raid etc to level up, show off their stuff and be the best the game has to offer. Killers can fit into this category if they are feeling bored, how sensitive of them.
Last but certainly not least, the Explorers. Personally sitting on this side of the fence myself, explorers like to make their way from one end of the world to the other, finding the secrets and bounties of unexplored areas. Not without its risks, for sure, but can be very rewarding.
After being discussed in groups, it was decided that this might not necessarily be 100% accurate. I mean players most definitely suit one of these styles but something that personal experience has taught me is that mood plays a vital role in MUDs. With such a vast array of varied possibilities, a player isn't going to stick to one category for too long. I mentioned that I'm more of an explorer, which is true, but I've also had days where I want to play in the shoes of an achiever, just get on with the game and make a place for myself amongst the hundreds of thousands of competing players running past you, all with their individual agendas.
And every single player has an impact on the MUD. Every player is waltzing around enjoying their personal experience of the game, doing their own little thing. This is why it helps to categorise the players and their styles, to break up the immense numbers of what player is doing what in the game. Granted you could probably break these groups down even more, but as a basic means to comprehend whats going on in the MUD it's a great system.