BRB, Strawberries!

It’s no surprise that we’ve been up to something. Being perfectionists, we of course want it to be something awesome that you’ll love. So we decided to take a look into what elements would make an app addicting and fun. What better way than to look at games?

Games offer players an escape from reality. Why slave over the essay due next week when you could be mining for diamond to craft a full suit of armour in a matter of hours? With a suit of diamond, as with a high grade, comes a sense of accomplishment. The reward from mining is obtained quicker with less effort, just as intangible as the grade, and damn, it’s even shinier! Who doesn’t love shiny?

This armour is now diamonds! Second from the left.

Let’s take a step back from the shiny objects and take a look at what we’ve really been doing: clicking a button to create something that ultimately means, well, not much. Sure, we’re super proud to play a character now encased in diamonds, but was that really worth the all-nighter you didn’t have to pull writing an essay? Procrastination seems to have some burning love for us. So, what is it that keeps up playing for hours on end?

The concept behind getting players hooked to games is known as conditioning. There are two famous names attached to conditioning, B. F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov. The Skinner box involves a rodent in a box and demonstrates operant conditioning which uses positive and negative reinforcements and punishments to alter behavior. You’ve probably heard of Pavlov’s dog, which refers to an experiment using stimuli to alter responses.

Now, I could ramble on for the next 250 words to give an in-depth view of how these work, but frankly, you’re probably not interested in reading it and I’m not interested in working to bore you. Instead, I’ll let a more cunning man demonstrate the concept to you in a more entertaining way. You’ve probably heard of him. His name is Sheldon Lee Cooper B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D.

Operant Conditioning – The Big Bang Theory from Robin van Emden on Vimeo.

So actually, turns out conditioning works. Very well.

It’s a combination of several patterns of dropping rewards that keeps the player engaged: in fixed and variable ratios and at fixed and variable intervals. The rewards come quickly at first, showing the new player exactly why the game is so fun, but as the game continues, the rewards come after longer intervals and require much more work.

In many cases, games run in real time. This means that working to obtain a reward doesn’t just require effort. It requires the player put in effort at specific times. Failure to do so results in the loss of potential gain.

A widespread case of hooking players by use of real time is Farmville, which has its players constantly keeping track of times during which the player must play again. For example, strawberries, the most beneficial crop in terms of investment, are at the peak of their ripeness after four hours of growth. At any time beyond the four hour point – a variable interval – the strawberries, which the player has already invested time into planting, will begin to wither if neglected. The player once again puts real life on hold while he reaps the rewards of his work: fresh, ripe strawberries. Yum.

Chances are, you, if not, someone you know, has this gaming addiction. We don’t mean to tell you that it’s terrible and will lead you into a spiraling path of doom (not in most cases, at least), but it’s fun to understand the underlying psychology of how games lure us. So enjoy the strawberries and diamonds!