Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Psychology in Games

Psychology in Games



I’m in a course called Digital Arts & Entertainment. We recently got our first Psychology lesson and I must say it astounded me that it had such an impact on gamers. Here are some facts/thoughts and bits of information about our first lesson on this topic.


Most gamers don’t look behind the game mechanics. They play their games, have their favorite genre’s and are looking forward to the release of that new game.

But behind this tension and amusement lies something more, something game designers know about. Without influencing the costumer psychologically, he won’t play your game.

It might sound like a bad thing if you’re a gamer. “What?? He’s playing with my mind?? F**** him and his stupid game!!” is a reaction that would happen in most of the cases. But as a game developer/designer, you must think the other way around. You got to think and know about psychology to keep the player occupied and/or interested in future releases.

The most common way to do this is the reward/punishment method.

When the gamers passes a certain obstacle, he earns points, finishes a level or gets some nice looking graphics/animations (Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball). But when he fails to keep his health up, hits an obstacle or just doesn’t get the picture, he loses the level and/or dies.

Lots of games put this into context with a trial-and-error learning curve in their games. For example: Streetfighter 2. Most people who played this game didn’t read the full manual or all the button combinations, they just started key-bashing. That leads to frustration in the beginning but that also helps to keep the player playing. He wants to win the battle.

After a while, the player will start seeing that a certain button in combination with an other button gives a much bigger blow. The player has learned a new move, is rewarded for that because of the bigger damage he deals, and is happy about it and starts to be better in the game. This all leads to the player playing the game, and keeping him play. The player feels good about himself because of the points he finally scored.

These are just basic examples of what happens inside the mind of a gamer, but it’s all in this general direction. The human behavior in this is predictable (with a certain margin of error), and will give almost the same results with other people.

The main goal of every game developer (huge company/small indie) is/should be to get into the mind of the gamers and use psychological tricks to convince the gamer that it is a good game, they are doing good and the developer did a great job.

The margin of error on this does tend to make some gamers complain about the game, no game will be that good that every gamer in the world would buy it and be hooked on it. The margin just doesn’t allow it.


When speaking about gamers, I tend to use the male form. I know there are female gamers and I apologize to them. It’s no discrimination, just my writing style.

All products mentioned above are property of their respective owners. My views do not, in any way, represent the views of products/companies mentioned above/holding copyrights on any information in this document.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a very interesting concept, yet I think the word "tricking" isn't the right word here. You're not deceiving the player, what you're doing is using his psychological mechanisms to stimulate him and create a pleasurable experience. It's comparable to other forms of entertainment, Movies, comic books, novels, board games, etc. all make use of basic neurological mechanisms to stimulate pleasure.
So in a way, yes you are "messing" with their mind because you're exploiting the way the mind works by making it respond to artificial stimulae, but this is true of all forms of modern media and hardly constitutes ill intentioned trickery.
Could it be used for something else? Obviously. Simulation, comparable to what little children do when playing house or doctor, has long been used for learning and for intensive training exercises. "Games" are often used in competitions and evaluations to encourage players to do better. At the most basic level, even the most trivial trial and error processes are comparable to what we call "just messing around". This is because fundamentally playing is the natural human mechanism for learning, and it's pleasurable to a person whenever he learns something new or completes an activity which he thinks is meaningful. So when someone plays street fighter 2 and suddenly discovers that a certain sequence of keys makes Ryu shoot a hadoken from his hands, he feels pleasure, and when he beats a character he feels it too, more so if in the process he manages to beat his own best score (This is why score keeping is so important in gaming, it constitutes a numerical, and thus comparable, representation of your level of achievement. By simple nature a player will always try to get the best score he can, thus adding replayability and encouraging competitiveness.)
I believe video games are much more important than we understand. Like alchemy before chemistry or physics before quantum physics, I think video games are scraping the surface of a much deeper and more meaningful as of yet untapped technology.

Anonymous said...

Interesting post... Looks like solid-state memory is finally starting to take off. Hopefully we'll start seeing a drop in SSD prices soon. $5 32 gig Micro SDs for your Nintendo DS flash card... sounds good to me!

(Posted from Net10 for R4i Nintendo DS.)

Anonymous said...

Howdy,

I keep coming to this website[url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips].[/url]You have really contiributed very good info here gamedevtheory.blogspot.com. Frankly speaking we really do not pay attention towards our health. Let me present you with one fact here. Recent Research shows that nearly 80% of all United States grownups are either fat or weighty[url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips].[/url] So if you're one of these citizens, you're not alone. Infact many among us need to lose 10 to 20 lbs once in a while to get sexy and perfect six pack abs. Now next question is how you can achive quick weight loss? You can easily lose with with little effort. You need to improve some of you daily habbits to achive weight loss in short span of time.

About me: I am webmaster of [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/lose-10-pounds-in-2-weeks-quick-weight-loss-tips]Quick weight loss tips[/url]. I am also mentor who can help you lose weight quickly. If you do not want to go under painful training program than you may also try [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/acai-berry-for-quick-weight-loss]Acai Berry[/url] or [url=http://www.weightrapidloss.com/colon-cleanse-for-weight-loss]Colon Cleansing[/url] for effortless weight loss.

Anonymous said...

sale ugg boots
Your secure, trendy and just as popular Uggs is constructed from ugg lining for your premium quality use. Both are versatile and incredibly functional. You can also use them with out clothes on. Troubles only arise when in most cases you mark your important Ugg boot. Such a problem for some to try to get rid of the stains from other Ugg boot diploma shoes, but don't worry since there are fail secure methods that you can do to lose stubborn staining from the Ugg sheepskin boots Australia boots.


noot [url=http://www.bootswould.com]cheap ugg[/url]
Doing away with amazing adorns, Hawaiian flatsoled shoes or boots provide consumers more choices. Cunning people with exposed degree on occasion search stylish and stylish with approximately any wardrobe. you could under no circumstances exaggerate lavish even even so a prosperous design preferences can be found in your degree footwear. Generally, you might display the bunch a trendy somewhat elegant overall look. This will make you assured to utilize these footwear for almost any function.


ugg boots on sale
Searching for digicam, especially the one with 10 Member of parliment promises, is completely an ideal Holiday present for girls. Why? Associated with basic. A digital digital camera will help ladies get all precious and memorable instances, for example, getting a picnic, retaining a party, using a atmospheric supper, etc. Therefore get her be sure you digital camera is another wise decision.

Yunardy said...

I just recently got interested about this topic, my personal experience about game there's one aspect intrigue me (so far). I was playing Far Cry 1 back in win 95 era (with amd barton processor, read: its very old), there was a waiting period when you try to load a savegame that's understandable. Now, I play the same game with much much much powerful machine, why there's still a waiting period as it load the savegame? I noticed during progress bar moving there is NO activity in my hard drive or anything. Is waiting period also makes us eager hence psychology effect?

Anonymous said...

bridges of madison county ebook http://audiobooksworld.co.uk/Administrative-Justice-Central-Issues-in-UK-and-European-Administrative-Law/p224901/ ebook and copywriting [url=http://audiobooksworld.co.uk/Psychology-and-Counseling/c1321/?page=5]halo contact harvest ebook[/url] sexologia ebook seres cortados

Anonymous said...

Αlthough you cаn't go back to any songs, you can skip songs, mark them as ones you like or dislike, and browse the names, bands, and CD the song is on of all the songs that have played already. Another thing you'll
need is some strеngth to endure, beсause therе's a good chance you'll be your own proԁucer for the show or pегhaps the best ρroԁucer the shoω has.
Thе Public Radio Тunеr from Ameriсan Public Media mаy bе one of the best radio applications уou can get.


Feel free to viѕit my websitе: spiele spielen

Anonymous said...

5. com’s report. It's a competitive world out there on the world-wide web, but SEO consulting can help you dramatically improve your odds of being found in the din and getting your message across. While you’re at it, remove all or fix 404 errors. Since Google organic rank can bring in thousands of potential customers, search engine position service firms have made a business of promising high positions in search engine results pages. It would cut the marketing project to fit it into your budget. While these 5 truths may seem self-evident, it is the astonishing fact that they are contradicted, and even outright disputed, in the greater SEO debate. When SEO services are working for you, you should always be ready to capitalise on innovations and fresh marketing opportunities. Make buying easy for the customer and they will return often. This helps auto dealership websites rank higher in the search engines results and get more traffic to the website. Thus, if your charges are overly cheap, this might cause doubts and worries from their mines regarding the quality of the service they get. The growth management of small business can be accomplished with SEO as an integral part of your overall Internet marketing strategy. Their success is based on how many sales and customers you bring. Regardless of whether you like it, love it, or hate it, social media has become a major player in the SEO world, and it is a costly mistake to ignore it. Learn from other people's
mistakes and experiences rather than destroying your own skills and wasting your
time on experiments. Originally posted at: digitalmoz.
4) Managing your online business. However with passing time the complexity in this field has
increased and performing an SEO task is not a simple thing to do.

The internet has become an integral part of our lives that according to
the latest statistics, almost 1 billion Americans access
the internet. SEO requires understanding of various algorithms.


Feel free to visit my web blog; http://babyfacemonster.blogspot.com/2012/07/live-8pm_27.html
Also see my website - afreeca-server.net

Anonymous said...

Do you mіnԁ if I quοte a few of your posts as long as I pгoviԁe credіt and
souгces back tо уour sitе?
My blog sіte іs in the exact same аrеa of
interest аs youгs and my visіtors would truly benefit from some оf thе informatіon you
ρroѵidе hеre. Pleaѕe let me know іf
this alгight with уou. Тhanks a lot!


Fеel free to viѕit my web раgе :
: youtube videos downloaden

Anonymous said...

Tomb Raider, Mega Moolah, Mermaid's Millions, and Blackjack are some of the new Android game apps that have been released from Microgaming's partner, Spin 3.
Real game, real people, real thrill and of course real money; is all about online gaming, the
perfect place to fulfill your desire to be a multi millionaire.
A Twitter app for Zune has been created and is now available for download
through Microsoft's Marketplace.

Take a look at my weblog; videos von youtube downloaden

Anonymous said...

Few travellers on a Mashobra tour can resist the temptation
of seeking blessings at the Mahasu Devta Temple. If you look around your community, our country, and the world,
there is little evidence of loving actions. Wherever
you click you are instantly overwhelmed with special offers: book this, buy that, fly with us, hop
on this, reserve that. As a rule of thumb, if an app has been successful in i - OS or Android format, it is likely to also be found on Windows Marketplace.
An analysis this change will give us insight into the supposed benefits they entail.
It is hard to believe that we are unable to provide the minimum required comfort to our
old ones, destitute women and even orphans. Today, the scenario is entirely
different. In an effort to counter the lack of support from
Microsoft, an SVG plug-in for Internet Explorer was developed
and supported by Adobe. Today, the company has over 1.
Two people have a heated argument, voices raised, vocalized obscenities, hearts racing ' obvious discord all rooted in fear.

My weblog :: crysis aimbots

Anonymous said...

Asking questions are actually good thing if you are
not understanding something entirely, however this
paragraph presents pleasant understanding yet.

Have a look at my blog http://mirwifi.org/wiki/index.php?title=Ideas-For-A-Dynamic-Online-Marketing-Strategy
My web site :: video downloader

Anonymous said...

I think the admin of this web site is actually
working hard in favor of his website, since here every stuff is quality based information.


Also visit my webpage ... youtube downloader online

Anonymous said...

Greate ρieсеs. Κеeρ wrіtіng such kind οf infoгmation on yοuг page.
Im rеally impressed by уour sіte.
Hello thегe, Yоu've performed an incredible job. I'll
ceгtаinly digg it аnd ρersonally recommend to
my frіends. I'm sure they'll be benefiteԁ from
this ωеbsіtе.

Loоκ intο my webpage radio sender

Anonymous said...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made available
to communities literature which provides guidance and technical information educating communities on
how to become disaster resistant in the face of natural disasters.
Hold your device on end to locate two small screws on either side of the dock.
If a LED is used instead of a bulb, the connections
will require a bit more attention.

My site - radio sender

Anonymous said...

With dozens of radio aρps fοr i - Phοnе available in i -
Τunes, therе is аn aρp for everу categorу of music loνer to love.
Τhe bгoadcasting process is not complicated as all the equіpments essеntial are easilу avаilable
but with nеw ideaѕ coming up every day, new requirements riѕе with new criterіa οf trаnsmission liκе Dab Dіgital Radio
and DRM. In much the same ωаy, twο-wаy rаdio rental offers
buѕinessеs and indiviԁuals substantial sаvіngs in money, time and resourceѕ that equipment ownership nevеr will.


Alѕо viѕit my web page .
.. Recommended Web page

Anonymous said...

Und dieser erste Schritt ist im Internet das Ansprechen mit der
ersten Mail. People can control their blood sugar levels regularly
according madhunashini Vati. Dieses Produkt gelangt in den Magensaft und wird zu elektropositiver Gelatine,
die die Fettmasse einschließt.

My web page - Igra3k.ru

Anonymous said...

The particular electronic cigarette ego basic starter kit is fantastic for
new users. Remove other nearby wireless devices,
such as a cordless or cellular telephone and make sure the mouse is at least eight inches away from a wireless keyboard.
For the first generation, you'll need to release the back cover from the unit by running a shim along the edge of the unit to release all of the clips holding the backing on.

Here is my weblog :: gratis spiele spielen

Anonymous said...

When you quit, you can immediately feel its decision within 24 hours, health benefits, which can cause you to
not smoke forever. Remove other nearby wireless devices, such
as a cordless or cellular telephone and make sure the mouse is at least
eight inches away from a wireless keyboard. Both Intel and AMD contain information built in the processor
to allow the processor to be used efficiently with mobile computing saving on battery life while giving the best performance.


My web-site http://www.dyca.org.uk/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=22465&Itemid=0

Anonymous said...

When you quit, you can immediately feel its decision within 24
hours, health benefits, which can cause you to not smoke forever.
Remove other nearby wireless devices, such as a cordless or cellular telephone and make sure the mouse is
at least eight inches away from a wireless keyboard.

Both Intel and AMD contain information built in the processor to allow the processor to be used efficiently with mobile computing saving on
battery life while giving the best performance.


My site :: http://www.dyca.org.uk/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=22465&Itemid=0
Also see my web site - online radio

Anonymous said...

Its the effective game design which will result in effective game development.
The pinnacle of sprite-based video gaming was achieved by Capcom with their later iterations of the Street Fighter Alpha series, and also by many SNK
fighters. San Juan is a card game derived from this revolutionary board game and designed
by the same creator Andreas Seyfarth.

Also visit my web blog ... city of gangsters

Anonymous said...

Τhе pоst offeгs pгοven useful to us.
It’s reаlly helpful аnd yоu're naturally very well-informed in this area. You have exposed my eye to be able to different thoughts about this particular subject matter using intriquing, notable and reliable content material.

Here is my weblog http://moodle.iteach.ru/

Anonymous said...

fish n the sea and dating http://loveepicentre.com/faq/ 100 totally free single dating
dating sites cost comparision [url=http://loveepicentre.com/]dating free internet online service[/url] dating india cochin girls
christian internet dating sites [url=http://loveepicentre.com/]free trial site for dating[/url] dating woman josh groban [url=http://loveepicentre.com/user/singlelovecute/]singlelovecute[/url] dating just jules