Psychology of Gaming - Part II

Fact no 5

Games are addictive simply because they offer achievements and awards.

People gained satisfaction and confidence when they achieved something. In a fast pace society, everybody wants achievements quick. Traditional games offers bonuses and items when you play through the game, but are quite challenging, thus not appealing to the wide casual audience.

Facebook games (e.g. Mafia Wars, Restaurant City, Pet Society etc.) are mostly achievement based. They offer a wide variety of short quest and are easily completed in short amount of time. Awards can be obtained by completing simple quest, thus encourage gamers to invest more time in the game. You might be asked to do simple missions like buying your first item or watering a plant, and WALA! You've earned yourself a medal!

What's more, you can even Brag and show off the achievements to your friends ^^

Congratulations! You have bought yourself a pair of bunny ears!
Here's your celery^^

Addictive Level: 4/5

Fact no 6

Games are addictive simply because they are darn expensive and you want to play the game over and over again just to get enough value out of it.

So you've bought yourself a game and found out that it is totally not your kind of game. Instead of getting a refund, you simply torture yourself by playing through the game and trying to convince yourself that the game is not that bad. You don't want people to laugh at you for spending so much money and getting a crappy game that you don't deserve. You want to prove to others that you have invested good value of money into it.

This kind of situation often happens during the first launch of a new generation consoles. Most new launch titles has top notch graphics, but are simply crap when it comes to game play. Apart from one or two exclusives, most of the titles are either rushed or for game developers to test out the capability of the new hardware.

In fact, you will wow yourself for the first few hours admiring the graphics, then regret the next day condemning your impulse buying act.

The Bouncer for the PS2 is just an eye candy, nothing more.

Addictive Level: 2/5

Fact no 7

Games are addictive simply because they keep updating and add new items and quests. There is no way you are going to finish it!

E.g. World of Warcraft... One sentence...

THIS GAME WILL SUCK YOUR LIFE DRY! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

WOW! WOW! WOW!

Addictive Level: 5/5

Please share your views and comments.

Psychology of Gaming - Part I

Fact no 1

Games are addictive simply because they are challenging.

In platform games like Megaman and Contra, you DIE A LOT! Good reflexes, memory and timing is required to understand your enemy's attack pattern. Gaining these skills require a lot patience and practice. To beat the game one will have to invest huge amount of time and take the game seriously because

DYING A LOT IS SERIOUS BUSINESS HERE!

Timing and reflexes are key to beating Megaman games

Even with the 30 lives cheat code, Contra is still a tough game to beat

Addictive level: 5/5

Fact no 2

Games are addictive simply because they require skills.

In fighting games, you won't beat a skillful opponent by simply mashing buttons. If you happen to beat a veteran gamer by button mashing, the game DOES NOT REQUIRE SKILLS!

The fact is, people invest a lot of time practicing their hadokens, mastering combos, and timed their counters right. To them, launching a hadoken or super combo becomes a habitual practice, like flushing a toilet after use.

Mastering a 10 hit combo is no joke in Tekken

Mastered Hadoken? Its just the beginning...

Addictive Level: 4/5

Fact no 3

Games are addictive simply because they offer great re-playability.

In puzzle games like Tetris, Bejeweled and Solitaire, the rules are simple, easy to understand, and fun to play. Most puzzle games are either given time limit, or endless. The objective of the game is to score as much points as possible.

Such simple game, surprisingly, can be quite addictive. Many gamers spent countless hours replaying the game over and over again, just for a single goal: To Beat The High Score.

Block drops faster as level increases in Tetris makes it more challenging

Challenge friends online and score as much points as possible in Bejeweled Blitz

Addictive Level: 3/5

Fact no 4

Games are addictive simply because they have intriguing story and action

Modern games like, well, Modern Warfare provides the so call 'Hollywood Blockbuster' experience by throwing you into a battlefield full of chaos, explosion and intense action. Combined with mind blowing effects and sound, the game will keep you on the sofa even if you want to go pee pee.

So intense because you are part of the action

Addictive Level: 2/5

Please share your views and comment if any ^^

to be continue...