Psychographic profile
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A "psychographic profile" is a "psychological profile" (of a Magic: The Gathering player) or a "player type".
MTG.com columnist and Head Designer Mark Rosewater wrote of psychographic profiles:
| “ | After numerous years, we’ve come to the conclusion that there are three basic types of Magic players. The fancy term for these categories is "psychographic profiles." A psychographic profile separates players into categories based on their psychological make-up. What motivates that player to play? What kind of cards do they like? What kind of things encourages that player to keep on playing?[1] | ” |
Mark Rosewater claims that forthcoming expansions are designed with cards that will appeal to players of all profiles, that Wizards of the Coast categorizes its Magic consumers into three psychographic profiles, and that there are three profiles; Johnny, Timmy, and Spike.
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Types
Johnny
Johnny is a "psychographic profile", or player type, who is characterized by his tendency to build complex and creative decks. He is most commonly known as a 'combo player'. Mark Rosewater wrote of Johnny:
| “ | Johnny is the creative gamer to whom Magic is a form of self-expression. Johnny likes to win, but he wants to win with style. It’s very important to Johnny that he win on his own terms. As such, it's important to Johnny that he's using his own deck. Playing Magic is an opportunity for Johnny to show off his creativity. | ” |
The 'Johnny' profile was represented in the Unhinged card Johnny, Combo Player.
Timmy
Timmy is a "psychographic profile", or player type, who is characterized by his tendency to use big creatures and cast big spells. Large, exciting plays motivate Timmy. Mark Rosewater wrote of Timmy:
| “ | Timmy wants to experience something. Timmy plays Magic because he enjoys the feeling he gets when he plays. What that feeling is will vary from Timmy to Timmy, but what all Timmies have in common is that they enjoy the visceral experience of playing. | ” |
The 'Timmy' profile was represented in the Unglued card Timmy, Power Gamer.
Spike
- For the Spike creature type, see Spikes.
Spike is a "psychographic profile", or player type, who is characterized by his competitive nature. Mark Rosewater wrote of Spike:
| “ | Spike is the competitive player. Spike plays to win. Spike enjoys winning. To accomplish this, Spike will play whatever the best deck is. Spike will copy decks off the Internet. Spike will borrow other players' decks. To Spike, the thrill of Magic is the adrenalin rush of competition. Spike enjoys the stimulation of outplaying the opponent and the glory of victory. | ” |
Melvin
Melvin is a pseudo-"psychographic profile", or player type, referring to Magic players who appreciate cards with delicate and interesting interactions, as well as strong mechanics.
Examples of recent cards that a Melvin might like include Firemaw Kavu and Stuffy Doll from the Time Spiral expansion.
Vorthos
Vorthos is a player type. It is not exactly a "psychographic profile", as such, as the Vorthos player type is about appreciation, not motivation to win. If Johnny, Timmy, and Spike are on a triangle of an x, y axis, Vorthos and Melvin would be on a z axis.[fact? citation needed]
Vorthos' concerns are mostly one of flavor and creative consistency. Continuity and applying a retcon to the past are key aspects of an involved Vorthos.[fact? citation needed] Some discussion has been fostered on whether Vorthos appreciates the theme of art alteration, but overall viewpoints of it are secondary to continuity.[fact? citation needed]
For Innistrad, a "viral story" was created under the pseudoname "Josh Brauer". Ryan Miller led a team that wrote the stories across a variety of media.[2]
The creative team, and those who oversee all things Vorthos are as follows:
- Brady Dommermuth
- Jeremy Jarvis
- Matt Cavotta
- Doug Beyer
- Jenna Helland
- Adam Lee
- a team of freelance writers.
Vorthos Wednesday
A third-party site, GatheringMagic, ushered in a day of columnists, including Brendan Weiskotten, MJ Scott, and Mike Linnemann, to coincide with the Savor the Flavor articles on dailymtg.com. They write about continuity, art, flavor and all things that Vorthos would appreciate.
OMA
A new site dedicated to showcasing original magic art, [originalmagicart.com] is a haven for vorthoses to show their collections. It currently is only an online gallery, with members discussing the art on [themanadrain.com]'s forums.
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater. (Monday, March 11, 2002.) "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Ryan Miller. (October 24, 2011.) "Re: Josh Brauer", Daily MTG, magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- Mark Rosewater. (March 11, 2002.) "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- Mark Rosewater. (March 20, 2006.) "Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- Mark Rosewater. (May 7, 2007.) "Melvin and Vorthos", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- Mark Rosewater. (May 21, 2007.) "Design Language", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- Matt Cavotta. (Wednesday, August 31, 2005.) "Snack Time with Vorthos", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
- Matt Cavotta. (Thursday, May 24, 2007.) "Blood Type V", MTG.com, Wizards of the Coast.
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