gameful design: creating engaging experiences

gameful design creating engaging experiences Sebastian Deterding (@dingstweets) Northeastern University May 19, 2015

cb

<1> what?

we are all game designers

Story Rules, Challenge

Safe space Shared toys

Goals Feedback

Gamification The use of game design elements in non-game contexts

Appeared in 2010

Gamification

Serious Games

… In business books …

… and business media …

health

Sustainability

Education

work

Life

The blueprint (still)

points Tracking, Feedback

badges Goals, surprise

leaderboards Competition

incentives Rewards

<2> why?

A

B

from utility and usability …

… to motivation

Buy!new value chains

Upload!

Comment!

Tag!

Digg!Forward!

Invite!

Bookmark!Retweet!

Share!

Add friend!

Design!

Mark as Spam!

Like!

Answer!Vote!

Register Now!

Subscribe!

new markets

health self-improvement green tech

new productivity factors

Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study (2011)

loyalty programs!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diego_rivera/4261964210

extrinsic motivation

Win 1,000,000,000,000 points

Score: 964,000,000,000,000 (You rock!)

intrinsic motivation

http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/308908967

what intrinsic motivation drives the most

passionate customers?

Pop Quiz!

The product is awesome!

The company is awesome!

The experience is awesome!

A B C

Pop Quiz!

I am awesome!D

Better X

Better user of X** aka »competence«

»Learning is one of the fundamental reasons games are so engaging. The more you learn, the better you are at something. The better you are, the more engaging it is. If you can help people have more of that feeling, they won't talk about how good you are – they'll talk about how much they kick ass. And that's a powerful formula for creating passionate users.«

Kathy Sierraupgrade your users, not your product (2005)

Raph Koster

»Fun is just another word for learning.«

a theory of fun for game design (2005)

»Fun from games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. With games, learning is the drug.«

Raph Kostera theory of fun for game design (2005)

Edward Deci, Richard Ryan

»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«

the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)

»This pattern is what we call the progress principle: of all the positive events that influence inner work life, the single most powerful is progress in meaningful work.«

Teresa M. Amabilethe progress principle (2012: 76)

Teresa M. Amabile

»Truly effective video game designers know how to create a sense of progress for players within all stages of the game. Truly effective managers know how to do the same for their subordinates.«

the progress principle (2012: 88)

<3> how?

1 competence

Autonomy2

relatedness3

https://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/2084853203

design4

1 competence

Not fun Funhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sulamith/1342528771/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photonquantique/3364593945/sizes/l/

Raph Koster

»Fun is just another word for learning.«

through interesting challenges

a theory of fun for game design (2005)

Goals ...

+ Rules ...

= Interesting challenges

+ Feedback ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bodgerbrooks/1315419080

= Experiences of competence

Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points

Score: 964,000,000,000,000 (You rock!)

feedback without challenge

Danger

Stand in the user’s way

Ticket

For ticket, drag red dot through labyrinth

Level 2

Ticket

For ticket, drag red dot through labyrinth

Core challenge of E-Mail?

• Maximum output?

• Correct, polite, actionable?

• Prioritized?

• Fast answers?

• Check less often?

• Inbox Zero?

Prioritization

Procrastination

find the inherent challenge

Principle

#1

“juicy” feedback

Principle

#2

Autonomy2

Danger

Johan Huizinga

»First and foremost, all play is a voluntary activity.«

homo ludens (1938/1950: 7)

Edward Deci, Richard Ryan

»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«

the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)

Fun Voluntary

Voluntary Fun

the undermining effect

feedback

perceived as

controllingthwarts

autonomy

motivation

perceived as

informingsupports

competence

+

–

Deci & Ryan 2012

… vs. Quality and Variety

Principle

#1

safe from consequence

meaningful choice

http://ascottallison.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/p1030286.jpg

Principle

#2

relatedness3

»You look especially lovely tonight.«

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beigeinside/50122570/

»Now I feel like you’re just doing it for the points.«

Danger

Donald T. Campbell

»The more a quantitative social indicator is used for social decision-making, the more subject it will be to corruption pressures and the more apt it will be to distort and corrupt the social processes it is intended to monitor.«

assessing the impact of planned social change (1976)

http://www.rasmusen.org/x/images/pd.jpg

reframing as strategic action

creates myopic focus

So you also played EcoChallengeTM?

… vs. Quality and Varietycreates side effects

what values underlie play?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/docentjoyce/3138887652

exploration ...

… mastery, ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulgorman/1392988135

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy/5709372593

… and mutual care.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iboy/5709372593

»It is the nature of a fun community to care more about the players than about the game. ... We are having fun. We are caring. We are safe with each other. This is what we want.«

Bernie de Koventhe well-played game (1978: 19-20)

Edward Deci, Richard Ryan

»An understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.«

the what and why of goal pursuit (2000)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrlerone/405730185/sizes/o/

What we usually design

Who decides how this is used

model the values you wish to see

Principle

#1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2047684/Dangerous-drivers-silent-treatment-Venezuela-employs-mimes-traffic-police.html

“the spirit of the rules”

work play

Other-determined Self-determined

Means to an end End in itself

Consequential Inconsequential

Regulated Open

Care for results Care for each other

Motivation serves function Function serves motivation

work play playful work

Other-determined Self-determined Autonomy-supporting

Means to an end End in itself Learning and quality-oriented

Consequential InconsequentialInviting risk-taking and

failure

Regulated Open Open, trust-based

Care for results Care for each other Socially oriented

Motivation serves function Function serves motivation Value-oriented

Principle

#2

https://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/2084853203

design4

the inherent-additive model of experience

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8147452@N05/2913356030/sizes/o/

experience is emergent

AestheticsMechanics Dynamics

Hunicke, LeBlanc & Zubekmda: a formal approach to game design (2004)

Monopoly

aesthetic

Frustrating end game

mechanic dynamic

Slow poverty gap

+$ !+-$ !-

the systemic-emergent model of experiencehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/2084853203

easily exportable surface features ...

… instead of systemic architectures

easily exportable surface features ...

points Tracking, Feedback

badges Goals, surprise

leaderboards Competition

incentives Rewards

instead of …?

your mission, should you choose to accept ithttps://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/2084853203

A possible joint agenda • Government, enterprise, end users: explore

game design for well-being, productivity, learning, engagement, …

• Industry and university researchers: Identify and validate systemic architectures for motivation, methods for designing them

• Design agencies, software houses: Develop and deploy methods and tools

in summary

in an age of motivation ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diego_rivera/4261964210

… move from extrinsic ...

… to Intrinsic motivations ...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/areyoumyrik/308908967

to create truly engaging experiences.

I am awesome!

Earn 1,000,000,000,000 points

Score: 964,000,000,000,000 (You rock!)

Instead of shallow progress wars...

build systems to master,

… and a free space to play ...

… that are truly meaningful.

… vs. Quality and Varietydon’t just set up point systems:

to model the values you wish to see.

and this cake does need many bakers.https://www.flickr.com/photos/benimoto/2084853203

sebastian@codingconduct.cc

@dingstweets

codingconduct.cc

Thank you.