Abstract
Player traits are closely related to the personality of a person, which could be also known as the categorization of players based on their interest in certain game elements or game mechanics. Since the debut of gamification and game-based learning, educational institutions had implemented them within the learning context. Such an act had increased the value of the player traits study, as it serves as a guideline for the game designers to suit the players' needs, increasing players' experience, motivation, and engagement. Nowadays, diversity in the classroom is frequent, especially in a school in the era of globalization. However, in the Malaysian context, diversity has existed since the building of this nation. Cross-reference between several studies done by previous researchers will be used in this paper. In this chapter, the authors wish to propose a theoretical conceptual framework by linking diversity to player traits which hopefully can provide a new insight for instructional designers, educators, and lesson planners in the future.
TopBackground
The birth of Malaysia is based on the bedrock of diversity. Cultural diversity is rather crucial in the Malaysian educational system since students come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities, the concept of multicultural education is still relatively new in the Malaysian educational system (Wahab et al., 2018). Normally, Malaysians are divided into three races: Malays, Chinese, and Indians, who make up the majority of the population. Based on the statistics given by the department of information of the Malaysian government in 2021, the Bumiputera population is increased to 69.8% while the Chinese population composition is declined to 22.4%. The Indian population and others remained at 6.8% and 1.0% each (Mahidin, 2021). The natives of Peninsular Malaysia are known as Orang Asli, and they are classified into three groups: Negrito, Senoi, and Proto-Malay. Besides that, Sabah's population is made up of 32 ethnic groups, the most populous of which is the Kadazandusun, while Sarawak's population is made up of 27 ethnic groups, the most populous of which is the Iban. Such diverse background of Malaysia is the reason why it is relatively predominant for researchers to focus on the effect of diversity.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Gamification: The use of game elements in a non-game context.
Player Traits: The separation of players based on the behaviour they possess.
Personality Types: Any of the distinct groups into which humans can be classified based on personality traits, attitudes, behaviour patterns, physical appearance, or other distinguishing features.
Game-Based Learning: The use of the game in an educational setting with the aim of achieving certain teaching and learning goals.
Diversity: Difference between an individual in the terms of geographical, biological, cultural, and psychological context.
Personality Traits: An internal trait deduced from a pattern of behaviours, attitudes, feelings, and habits in an individual that is relatively steady, consistent, and persistent.
Player Types: The general categorization of players into separate groups.