If you find this interesting, you will love his book "Designing Virtual Worlds". The first chapter covers the types of players in much greater detail. Its a fantastic book and I enjoyed reading it. Richard Bartle does a great job of explaining his points and backing everything up with references, so even if you don't agree with some of his observations, you can see why he thinks so and perhaps learn from it. Definitely a must read if you're developing a MUD or MMO game, but a good read even if you're not. </advertisement>
I second that. As I recall, it's a very enjoyable 700-page brain dump by someone who's really into his subject. The writing has a personal voice; there are lots of asides, dry wit, and typos that suggest restrained editing. The discussion is intelligent and often theoretical (and Bartle is not scared to use mathematical metaphors), but the tone is not academic.
