Gameful Design: Creating Engaging Experiences

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

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

The blueprint (still)
points Tracking, Feedback
badges Goals, surprise
leaderboards Competition
incentives Rewards

AB
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!
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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 motivationhttp://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)

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 users 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
Princi
ple
#1

juicy feedback
Princi
ple
#2

Autonomy2

Danger

Johan Huizinga
First and foremost, all play is a voluntary activity.
homo ludens (1938/1950: 7)

Fun Voluntary
Voluntary Fun

the undermining effect

feedback
perceived as
controllingthwarts
autonomy
motivation
perceived as
informingsupports
competence
+
Deci & Ryan 2012

vs. Quality and Variety
Princi
ple
#1
safe from consequence

meaningful choicehttp://ascottallison.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/p1030286.jpg
Princi
ple
#2

relatedness3

You look especially lovely tonight.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beigeinside/50122570/
Now I feel like youre 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)

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
Princi
ple
#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
Princi
ple
#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 Varietydont 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.