OF A CONCEPT It doesn’t distinguish the unique psychological experience of gameplay that leads to SUSTAINED ENGAGEMENT. See: Raph Koster – A Theory of Fun in Games Nicole Lazzaro – Four Keys to Fun Marc Leblanc – Eight Kinds of Fun
by the possibility of reward or punishment, or the attainment of recognition, achievement, or approval. « Behaviors cease when reward or punishment is not explicitly applied. « People typically feel controlled or alienated when performing externally controlled activities.
a behavioral goal « Individual "identi es with" or personally values the behaviors they engage in « Ways of thinking and behaving are seen as personally important « Behaviors persist independently of environmental rewards
or challenge rather than because of external prods, pressures or rewards. « Feelings of satisfaction when engaged in interesting activities. @DU5TB1N | #hxdconf
seek out (and continue to engage in) activities if these promise (and succeed) to satisfy 3 intrinsic motivational needs: COMPETENCE: (MEANINGFUL GROWTH)
“Path To Mastery” is an experience over time + Nested, short-term achievable goals that lead to success of the overarching long-term goal. + Wherever a player is on their quest there should be a next goal just around the corner. + Design appropriate challenges and rewards for all players along Player Experience Lifecycle. N00B –> Intermediate –> Master
actions simple to engage players early + Accelerate the level of challenge as they gain mastery to keep them engaged + Optimal challenge stretches player ability but doesn’t overwhelm + Allow players to fail gracefully if it can provide an opportunity to learn and grow MAKE PROGRESS VISIBLE + Provide real-time granular, sustained and cumulative feedback on overall performance + Ensure that progress data is actionable and meaningful to player competence, during immediate play and long-term engagement + Plan milestone-markers of achievement and recognition along the way + Measure to measure the things that matter & reward for true accomplishment
allow players to enjoy and express their dominance + Sustained engagement is more a function of continued success than feeling continually stretched + Ease-off dif culty for a short term – Let them Coast + Provide social outlets for bragging & peacocking + Big “Juicy Feedback” for a job well done COMPETENCE
seek out (and continue to engage in) activities if these promise (and succeed) to satisfy 3 intrinsic motivational needs: AUTONOMY: (MEANINGFUL CHOICE)
Choice, control and personal preference lead players to deep engagement and loyalty + Experience pathways can be designed “on rails” to limit or give the illusion of freedom + Volitional Engagement: “I nd value in the Actions I am taking.” + “Want to.” vs. “Have to.” OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION! + Create “What If?” moments: “What if I did X instead of Y?” + Provide a variety of ways to engage + Provide a sense of increasing opportunities of action that motivate sustained interest: (Unlocks, privileges, new modes of play, wider social network, more challenges) + Design multiple pathways leading to the desired end-state AUTONOMY
seek out (and continue to engage in) activities if these promise (and succeed) to satisfy 3 intrinsic motivational needs: RELATEDNESS: (MUTUAL DEPENDENCE)
intrinsically motivated to seek meaningful connections with others + Data shows that allowing players to connect with others and build relationships energizes, and sustains ongoing engagement + Focus on social mechanics that allow players to both give and receive support of their goals BEYOND OTHER PLAYERS + Provide value to your audience beyond the mechanics that run your system. + Tap into content that people are passionate about (Health, Wealth, Career, Arts, Pro-Social) + Provide recognition for actions that matter to your players not just to the business + Check out the CSCW movement (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) + Allow users to inject their own long & short term goals into the system RELATEDNESS
of games is based on the psychological need satisfaction that playing games provides. + Game design elements and applied learning from games can positively impact participation, sustained engagement and enjoyment for the people interacting with gameful systems. GAMES ARE MOTIVATION ENGINES + The predominant implementation of game design elements focuses largely on one-sided mechanisms of control with little understanding (or consideration) of user needs and motives. + Focus on shallow extrinsic controls will undermine intrinsic motivation and preclude sustained engagement and enjoyment. + By shifting this focus to target intrinsic need satisfactions of Competence, Autonomy and Relatedness, we can deliver motivating and engaging experiences that drive us closer to the ideals of pleasurable and meaningful products, software and systems. SUPPORTING NOT CONTROLLING
cation” past operant conditioning tactics and towards a more motivationally balanced “gameful design.” « Provide real value for your customers and end-users. « Go forth and design genuine, lasting engaging, pleasurable and rewarding experiences.
The Handbook of Self-Determination Research : Games satisfy intrinsic psychological needs Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. M. (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 627–668. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268. Przybylski, A. K., Weinstein, N., Ryan, R. M., & Rigby, C. S. (2009). Having to versus wanting to play: Background and consequences of harmonious versus obsessive engagement in video games. Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 12, 485–492. Sherry, J., & Lucas, K. (2003, May). Video game uses and grati cations as predictors of use and game preference. Yee, N. Motivations for Play in Online Games. Cyber Psychology & Behavior 9, 6 (2006), GAME RESEARCHER
“Yes, but is it a game?” from Games : Required essay from a not so required book. Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design : Fun arises from Learning & Mastery James Paul Gee, What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning & Literacy : Pairs nicely with Koster’s book Mihály Csikszentmihályi, Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience : Many implications for creating engagement architectures Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens, A Study of the Play Element in Culture : “All play means something.” Caillois, R. Man, Play, and Games. Builds on Huizinga’s Theories of Play. GAME THINKER
– A Book of Lenses : Tactical and practical Tracy Fullerton, Game Design Workshop : Techniques for Of ine Prototyping and Testing Hunicke, Leblanc, Zubek, MDA a Formal Process of Game Design : Origin of the Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics framework Bateman, Boon, 21st Century Game Design : Pragmatic approach to Game Design GAME MAKER James Paul Gee, On Video Games & Situated Learning [VIDEO] : http://bit.ly/jpgee The Pac-Man Dossier – A detailed study of every mechanic: http://bit.ly/vzI2QC A mathematical analysis of Candy Land: http://bit.ly/zeos34 BONUS PLAY REFERENCES: A PATH TO MASTERY
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Health Behavior Change A high level look at the psychology of motivation highlighting key points to consider when creating systems to bridge the gap between people’s intentions and their actions. http://bit.ly/GXBvc9