Recently I've been reading some articles about the eight types of fun and how these are applied to tabletop roleplaying games.
Even though I have been playing with the same people for quite a long time, I can't really grasp what some of them want. On the other hand, some others are really easy.
For example, Alistair likes repetitive micromanaging tasks and straightforward simple combat; he's into challenge and submission. Becky likes to enact dramas around tragic events that happen to her character and NPCs she created; she's clearly into fantasy and expression. There's Cecilia, who doesn't even count her own dice and doesn't care about the story but will jump off her seat excited if you ask her to do something for you; she's there for fellowship.
On the other hand, Dustin's only constant trait is to hoard aimlessly (items, power, info, everything he can get to himself and not share with others is fair game), and I don't really know what to make of that. He does have very strong opinions of things he doesn't like, but he's not as open about what he likes, and he's unpredictable and hard to read.
There are a couple others who also have me guessing, albeit not as hard as Dustin. The thing is, how can I read my players better so I can give them a better gaming experience?