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Download Addictive Games and Software from the Software Marketplace

Addiction is without a doubt the most highly sought-after element in modern gaming; achieved by few, this elusive factor-x can transform a 5-minute distraction into a compulsive time killer, and despite the perceived immorality of enslaving the masses to a cash-churning mmorpg, or satisfying the incomprehensible urge for casual gamers to click on shiny things with a string of hypnotic match-3 games, we all secretly aim to imbue our games with this mysterious property.

So why are addictive games such a mystery? Why do so many developers spend an inordinate amount of time polishing every aspect of the game, only to rely on good luck for something as fundamental as addiction? It’s almost like the responsibility for becoming addicted is being placed on the gamer, with ‘fingers crossed’ that it can be marketed to those with an addictive personality.

In my own attempt to understand this phenomenon, I’ve tried to pin down 5 triggers which contribute to the success of addictive games, and how they feed this insatiable need to be rewarded…

1. Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement can be defined as ‘encouraging the desired repetitious behavior with positive feedback’, such as stimulating the need of the player to be told how well they are doing with audio/visual cues (“Well Done!”, “Congratulations!” etc..), instead of giving negative feedback for failing to adapt, or punishing undesirable behavior with frustration.

"I'm so smart for figuring this out.. tell me I'm good!"

A great example of this is Valve’s Portal, which precedes each level with a discouraging statement (like “This level is impossible”), and upon completion rewards the player by making them feel genuinely smart for completing it. The result is, that the player craves this encouragement, while the only punishment for failing a level is to try again – there is no feedback whatsoever for a failure. If you completed Portal in a single sitting, and wished there was more.. now you know why (other than it being way too short).

2. Frequent Goal Based Rewards

Rewards are pretty meaningless unless they can be accumulated to purchase some benefit. For example, getting a high-score is no longer enough of an incentive to keep playing, and scores themselves tend to play a rudimentary role in gameplay that seems outdated by today’s standards. On the other hand, rewarding the player with desirable objects (coins, rings, gems) that can be exchanged for a greater reward or goal (such as a gameplay element, or advantage) seems to satisfy a need to acquire wealth, status and power – even if these rewards only exist in the imagination.

Having a tiered rewards system also allows for small rewards to be given frequently, increasing the need to perform repetitive actions without having long (and unrewarding) pauses between them. In an article on ‘Behavioral Game Design’, John Hopson, a games researcher at Microsoft Game Studios said..

The more certain [..players..] are that something good or interesting will happen soon, the harder they’ll play. When the player knows the reward is a long way off, such as when the player has just leveled and needs thousands of points before they can do it again, motivation is low and so is player activity.

3. Audio-Visual Feedback

This is about more than just presentation; providing feedback for performing certain actions, such as the sound of glass breaking and an explosion of particles when a player smashes gems in a puzzle game, or the gratuitous sparkling of a collected item gives the brain a short burst of the stimulation it craves. These ‘micro-rewards’ are almost subliminal, and unlike the rewards mentioned in #2 they are not accumulative, nor do they contribute to the player’s progress, but they are like crack to the player, who unwittingly spends hours seeking out ‘just one more hit’.

Click, click, click.. *foom*.. click, click..

The introduction of ‘combos’ and chain reactions further encourages players to delay these small rewards in the hope of obtaining a cascade of stimulation offered by increasingly intense feedback, which might go some way to explain the popularity of sparkly puzzle games amongst those with a short attention span.

4. The Zeigarnik Effect

This is just a fancy name for suspense; or the anticipation caused by an interrupted task, and desire to know an outcome or complete an objective. First observed by Soviet psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, the theory describes how unfinished tasks (such as unpaid drink orders) are remembered much more clearly than finished ones, meaning that regular stopping points (or breaks from the action) makes the need to continue more vivid, even when the outcome is predictable.

When applied to games, the result is a “just one more level” mindset in the player, and this can be achieved by adding gameplay elements, rewards or progression at regular intervals after a pause in the action, so that players come to expect something new after each level without knowing exactly what it will be. This can be something as simple as a new graphical theme, a new puzzle shape, or the introduction of a new set of goals. When the interruption becomes a positive reinforcement (see #1) and not a frustration, the cycle of anticipation and reward is complete, and addiction results.

5. Community

The popularity of social games like Farmville, or the notoriously addictive World of Warcraft can’t be ignored, and if we are to understand the driving forces of gaming addiction, games with a social element have hit the mother-load when it comes to compulsive, even antisocial addiction.

The secret ingredient of this type of game is not in the content or the themes themselves (as many failed clones will attest), but it seems to be the ability to share your rewards and achievements with others in a way that affects not only your progression through the game, but also your ‘status’ in a social setting that mimics the real world.

"Hey everyone.. look at my mount! Look at it." etc..

All of the rewards mentioned above become even more important to the player, who is now under the influence of external trends, social standing, and peer competition. Stop playing for any length of time and you’ll fall behind.

With that said, not every genre is suitable for an integrated community, but many single-player games have recognised the need to share rewards with others, even if this is reduced to bragging about unlocked achievements.

Final Thoughts

Addictive gameplay is an exact science, even if many developers stumble upon it by accident, and many more think that jumping on the latest bandwagon is a shortcut; and if we’re to learn anything from the successes of others, it’s better to understand why games are addictive, rather than which games are addictive.

See Also: Jewels of Egypt