How I Used A Love Of Games To Make Me A Better Learner
Using Dr. Stuart Brown’s Play Personalities to Make Studying More Engaging and Effective
When you think of studying, “play” probably doesn’t come to mind. Many of us approach studying as a necessary (and often dull) task that we just have to get through. But what if you could turn studying into something personalized and fun?
Dr. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist and researcher, has spent years exploring the vital role of play in human development. Through his work, he identified eight distinct “Play Personalities,” each reflecting unique ways people find joy and engagement through play. His research suggests that play isn’t just for children — it’s crucial to how humans learn and grow at any age. By aligning your study habits with your Play Personality, you can make learning more engaging and effective.
The Importance of Play in Learning
Before diving into the Play Personalities, let’s first understand why play is essential in learning. Neuroscience shows that play stimulates creativity, enhances problem-solving skills, and improves motivation — all critical factors in successful studying. Play lights up the brain in ways that promote curiosity and connection. However, more traditional study methods can often feel rigid and repetitive, leading to procrastination or burnout.
Traditional study methods can feel rigid and uninspiring. Flashcards, rote memorization, and repetitive exercises often strip the joy out of learning. However, by incorporating playful elements tailored to our natural inclinations, we can create study sessions that are both productive and enjoyable. Play personalizes learning. It lets us harness our strengths and make the whole process rewarding.
Play is a form of intrinsic motivation. When you enjoy what you’re doing, you’re more likely to stay focused and retain information. You’ll even start to look forward to your next study session. By incorporating play into your study routine, you’re not just tricking your brain into learning — but making the learning process more effective.
What Are Dr. Stuart Brown’s Play Personalities?
Dr. Brown identified eight Play Personalities, each representing how people naturally engage in playful activities. These personalities can also guide how you approach learning and studying. Here’s a brief overview of the eight types:
The Joker — Loves humor, jokes, and silliness. Finds joy in making people laugh.
The Kinesthete — Enjoys physical movement and engaging the body.
The Explorer — Thrives on discovery, whether it’s intellectual, emotional, or physical exploration.
The Competitor — Motivated by challenges, games, and winning.
The Director — Enjoys planning, organizing, and leading projects.
The Collector — Finds satisfaction in gathering, categorizing, and organizing things.
The Artist/Creator — Loves making, designing, and expressing ideas visually or creatively.
The Storyteller — Engages deeply with narratives through telling or imagining stories.
Each could be an entire genre of video games unto itself, so it’s common to resonate with more than one Play Personality. You can tailor your study methods by understanding which ones align with you.
How to Identify Your Play Personality
The first step is to identify how you like to play. Think about the following questions:
What activities do you naturally gravitate toward when you have free time?
What are you usually doing when you feel most energized and absorbed by a task?
Do any of the eight Play Personalities immediately sound like you?
For example, you may be a Joker if you find yourself cracking jokes to lighten the mood during group projects. If you love stationary and cataloging your life in notebooks and journals, you might be a Collector. And if you’re always itching to move while you work, chances are you’re a Kinesthete.
Once you identify your Play Personality, you can adapt your study habits to align with what brings you joy and energy. Let’s dive into how each personality can reshape the way you learn.
Tailoring Your Study Methods to Your Play Personality
1. The Joker
Jokers find joy in humor and playfulness. Studying doesn’t have to be serious for this personality — it can be fun and lighthearted.
Use jokes, puns, or memes to reinforce key concepts. For example, if you’re studying biology, make a meme about mitosis.
Create funny or inappropriate mnemonics to help you memorize tricky material.
Find more lighthearted study materials on YouTube or other social media platforms.
By injecting humor into your studies, you’ll associate learning with laughter, making even dry subjects more enjoyable. Plus, evidence shows the more ridiculous your notes and flashcards are, the easier the information is to remember!
2. The Kinesthete
Kinesthetes love movement, so sitting still for hours on end in a lecture hall or library is torture. If this sounds like you, incorporate physical activity into your study sessions.
Study while walking around or pacing (e.g., read notes aloud as you walk).
Use hands-on tools like models or physical objects to interact with the material.
Take regular movement breaks — stretch, dance, or do jumping jacks between study sessions.
You’re allowing your mind to stay sharp and focused by engaging your body.
3. The Explorer
Explorers thrive on discovery and curiosity. They love finding new ideas or diving into the unknown.
Use unconventional resources to learn, such as podcasts, YouTube videos, or field trips related to your subject.
Approach studying with a sense of adventure: What can you uncover in this material that you didn’t know before?
Go beyond your syllabus. For instance, if you’re studying history, read about how it connects to modern events.
Explorers excel when they make learning a journey of discovery rather than a checklist of tasks.
4. The Competitor
Competitors are motivated by games, challenges, and winning. If you’re a Competitor, bring your love of challenges into your studies.
Turn studying into a game: Use apps like Quizlet to quiz yourself and time how quickly you can answer.
Set personal goals and “beat” them — like completing a chapter faster or scoring higher on practice tests.
Compete with friends or classmates: See who can master a topic faster or solve problems correctly.
Adding a competitive edge to your study sessions can make them feel thrilling and purposeful.
5. The Director
Directors love organizing, planning, and taking charge. For Directors, structure and leadership are key.
Plan detailed study schedules with clear goals and deadlines.
Organize group study sessions where you take the lead — assign tasks, create an agenda, and keep everyone on track.
Treat studying as a project. For example, create a mock exam or design a presentation to test your knowledge.
For Directors, the satisfaction comes from orchestrating a plan and seeing it through.
6. The Collector
Collectors enjoy gathering and organizing items or information. If you’re a Collector, turn your study material into a personal collection.
Make detailed, color-coded notes or flashcards.
Create charts, graphs, or categorized lists to organize complex concepts.
“Collect” multiple perspectives on a topic by reading articles, watching videos, or listening to experts.
By treating studying as an act of collecting knowledge, you’ll stay motivated and focused.
7. The Artist/Creator
Artists/Creators find joy in making and designing. For this personality, studying should involve creativity and imagination.
Use mind maps, sketches, or diagrams to visualize concepts.
Create metaphors or analogies to simplify abstract ideas.
Turn your notes into an art project, such as illustrated summaries or comic strips.
For Artists, creating helps cement understanding and makes studying enjoyable.
8. The Storyteller
Storytellers love narratives and imagination. If you’re a Storyteller, transform your study material into compelling stories.
Turn dry facts into a narrative: For example, explain a scientific process like a telenovela.
Imagine yourself explaining the material to a fictional character or an audience.
Write short stories where the concepts you’re learning play a central role.
By weaving stories into your studies, you’ll remember the material better and feel more connected to it.
Combining Play Personalities for a Richer Experience
Many people resonate with more than one Play Personality — depending on the study session, I’m all of these — you can combine elements of different types to create a richer study experience. Here are a few examples:
The Joker + The Competitor: Create a trivia game and add humor to the questions to make it fun and challenging. (My students love these until they get tripped up on a joke answer)
The Artist/Creator + The Explorer: Use your creativity to design infographics or visual notes to distill the information you discovered from all over the internet.
The Kinesthete + The Director: Plan a hike or trip to tide pools to better understand the physical worlds you’re studying.
Experiment with blending different approaches to see what works best for you.
Final Tips for Making Playful Studying Effective
While play can make studying more enjoyable, the goal remains to stay productive and retain information. Here are a few tips for success:
Balance play with focus: Use playful methods to keep yourself engaged, but ensure they align with your study goals. Remember, Competitors, the goal isn’t actually about winning.
Track your progress. See whether your new methods are helping you retain material better or complete tasks more effectively.
Experiment: Mix and match and see what resonates with you.
So, if you ever dreaded going to school, these techniques might make studying feel less like a chore and more like something you genuinely look forward to.
By using Dr. Stuart Brown’s Play Personalities as a guide, you can transform how you approach learning. Whether you’re cracking jokes as a Joker, organizing your notes in Notion or Obsidian as a Collector, or creating historical fanfiction as a Storyteller, there’s a playful approach that’s perfect for you.
So, take a moment to reflect on your play preferences, experiment with integrating them into your study sessions, and rediscover the joy of learning. And if you want to learn more about Play Personalities head over to Dr. Brown’s website!