1. Scott Rigby www.immersyve.com

2. The never-ending challenge of online games Your GameYour Player What You Want What You Fear

3. www.immersyve.com The value of sustained engagement Goal: Maximum Subscriber “Area Under the Curve” VS. SUBSCRIBERS

4. www.immersyve.com To achieve this isn’t easy Games have only recently focused on long-term engagement Longitudinal studies: “Fun” alone often isn’t enough Developers face a significantly growing psychological challenge with their players Month 1 Month 9

5. www.immersyve.com Rewards Rewarding vs. The two are often completely unrelated, and even opposed

6. www.immersyve.com What are Rewards? By virtually all definitions: Something given from one party to another in consideration for performance In Behavioral Psychology: Rewards = Reinforcement Goooood Wizard…here you go boy!

7. www.immersyve.com Rewards Mmmmm… Rewarding!

8. www.immersyve.com My Work is Very Rewarding!! “I bring in the benjis” “I find work satisfying” OR

9. www.immersyve.com My Work is Very Rewarding!! Rewarding is how we describe experiences that have deeper satisfaction

10. www.immersyve.com SUBSCRIBERS Often

11. www.immersyve.com Motivational Psychology & Rewards Rich literature that looks at how rewards affect motivation It outlines a fascinating paradoxical effect – Giving “reinforcements” often hurts long-term engagement!

12. www.immersyve.com Today we’ll look at… Understanding different kinds of motivation How reward structures can enhance or thwart sustained engagement Examples from RPG genre How to strategize reward structures that are optimal for “rewarding experiences” I’d work here for free! okay Bob…we know…

13. www.immersyve.com Two Types of Motivation Extrinsic Motivation – Behavior that is motivated by contingencies (rewards, punishments) that are separate from the enjoyment of the activity itself Intrinsic Motivation – The activity itself is its own reward because it is inherently satisfying. In particular, humans have specific intrinsic needs that motivate.

14. www.immersyve.com Extrinsic Motivation Includes: External Rewards In RL: Money, Gifts In-game: Gold, Items Punishments Internal Pressures Fail! No Marks of Honor for YOU! If I don’t raid tonight, I’ll feel guilty…

15. www.immersyve.com Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation is when we do things for their inherent satisfactions (e.g. games, sports) Gamers play without external motivators and sometimes through punishment (spouse, parents, boss)

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17. RPG’s and Competence Numerous game mechanics that provide incremental experiences of efficacy Leveling Abilities/Skill Advancement Access to new equipment RPG Hero Motif: Player-Hero is powerful, masterful, and capable – satisfying competence needs

18. www.immersyve.com RPG’s and Autonomy Strong mechanics of choice and opportunity Open World Character Development (class, tree- structure) Varied and non-linear content (e.g. quests) RPG Hero Motif: Player-Hero has a sense of purpose/volition which is highly satisfying to autonomy

19. www.immersyve.com RPG’s and Relatedness Actions have a strong social context (whether NPC or MMO) “Interpersonally” intimate Hero Motif: Player-Hero acts in relationship to others, and for their benefit. The interpersonal/societal connections bring meaningful satisfactions of relatedness

20. www.immersyve.com RPG Structure Trifecta Single-Player FPS Turn-Based Strategy RPG MMO = Competence = Autonomy = Relatedness

21. www.immersyve.com Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic Reward Structures Both Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards Will Motivate BUT – Extrinsic rewards can decrease or undermine intrinsic motivation.

22. www.immersyve.com Does this matter? Yes..because INTRINSIC MOTIVATION is more strongly related to long-term engagement. Month 1Month 9

23. www.immersyve.com Why Intrinsic Motivation Better is Better When questing primarily motivated by…Intrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation Game Enjoyment & Immersion - Likelihood I’ll play tomorrow Likelihood I’ll play next week - I’d like to play more games by this developer - Intrinsic Motivation is a stronger predictor of sustained engagement 2009 Study of 600+ RPG and MMO Players

24. www.immersyve.com This is also why behavioral data alone is not enough Behavioral analysis shows: Activity X is VERY popular with players… Or

25. When Do They Support vs. Thwart?

26. www.immersyve.com Player: Who/What is Causing My Actions?

27. www.immersyve.com Inverse Relationship: Control vs. Autonomy As we experience external pressures to perform and take action (i.e. feel controlled)… …this thwarts our intrinsic need for autonomy, decreasing important aspects of sustained motivation We Feel Pushed Around!

28. www.immersyve.com Rewards and Game Motivation: Research studies Basic Study Design Group 1 Activity Reward Strategy “Free Choice” Time spent on game Interest in continued play Subjective Objective

29. www.immersyve.com Rewards and Game Motivation Group 2 Activity Reward Strategy 2 Group 1 Activity Reward Strategy 1 Group 2 Activity Reward Strategy 3 What strategies contribute or detract from sustained engagement and interest?

30. www.immersyve.com Rewards and Game Motivation Some Early Study Activities: Soma Puzzles Hidden Figure Games What reward strategies support… …and what strategies crush intrinsic motivation

31. www.immersyve.com Four Types of Reward Strategies 1. Verbal (Intangible) Rewards 2. Unexpected and Task-Noncontingent Rewards 3. Task-Contingent Engagement-Contingent Completion-Contingent 4. Performance Contingent Rewards

32. www.immersyve.com Verbal (intangible) Rewards Verbal rewards are generally great for enhancing intrinsic motivation Verbal awards increase both sustained engagement and interest with adults (college age +) Sustained Engagement Interest

33. www.immersyve.com RPG: The Grateful Masses Hey! It’s the Hero of Kvatch! I can’t believe it! Wow!” “…Brave, brave Sir Robin…” Oblivion Fable II

34. www.immersyve.com Recommendations for Great Verbal Rewards Make the positive feedback unexpected Avoid “controlling” language You killed the Balrog! What a Hero!! You killed the Balrog! Just like a Hero should!

35. www.immersyve.com Recommendations for Great Verbal Rewards Positive feedback is effective when it reflects player’s specific choices and actions (contextually accurate) Feedback is most effective in enhancing intrinsic motivation when the task was neither too easy, nor too hard (i.e. optimally challenging) “…Brave, brave Sir Robin…” More findings from our research…

36. www.immersyve.comTask-Noncontingent/Unexpected Core Finding: Tangible rewards that are non-expected or are not tied specifically to a task do not diminish intrinsic motivation Rewards that are not given until after an activity cannot be construed as manipulative or controlling Why?

37. www.immersyve.com RPG – The Random Drop Great example of an Unexpected Reward Particularly good when the reward item enhances intrinsic needs (more on that soon…)

38. www.immersyve.com Exception – The HUNTED Random Drop Not good for intrinsic motivation Player feels controlled by the game’s random number generator Must….get…. Hyacinth…. McCaw Heh

39. www.immersyve.com Recommendations for Unexpected/Noncontingent Rewards “Protect the Unexpected” Give items that are relevant (e.g. no plate armor for priests) and also useful for greater intrinsic need satisfaction (i.e. increase competence, autonomy, relatedness)

40. www.immersyve.com Task – Contingent Rewards Both of these have a negative impact on intrinsic motivation Sustained Engagement Interest

41. www.immersyve.com Engagement vs. Completion Engagement rewards are less controlling than completion rewards BUT – completion awards provide some competence satisfaction Net Result: Similar downward pressure on intrinsic motivation Research consistently shows that…

42. www.immersyve.com Performance Contingent Rewards Performance contingent reward structures give rewards not just based on engagement or completion, but on how well you do Because they are controlling, they negatively impact sustained engagement Research shows people will find the shortest route to the goal (e.g. exploits, gold farming)

43. www.immersyve.com On the bright side… Players can learn and thus improve their competence through the right kinds of rewards – which is intrinsically satisfying Goal is to maximize the perception of the reward as INFORMATIONAL rather than CONTROLLING Remember perceived causality?

44. www.immersyve.com Informational vs. Controlling Feedback *chortle*

45. www.immersyve.com MMO: The ability to provide performance information is a key reward opportunity Performance Contingent Reward Strong Informational Feedback Net Result: Helps the Player to grow and improve their competence/mastery Example: Warhammer Online

46. www.immersyve.com Quests & Motivation Quests are a staple motivational currency of the RPG/MMO Clearly quests motivate engagement How can they be optimized to support intrinsic motivation?

47. www.immersyve.com Quests: Motivational Pros and Cons Quests are task-contingent Rewards are expected Quests provide clear goals Rewards can also be supportive of intrinsic needs These elements thwart intrinsic motivation These elements support intrinsic motivation

48. www.immersyve.com Tuning Quest Rewards: Recommendations Maximize the Unexpected Making quest-givers “vending machines” competes with the substance of quests (contributes to content skipping) Unexpected rewards will minimize the negative impact on intrinsic motivation Remember the power of verbal rewards…

49. www.immersyve.com Tuning Quest Rewards: Recommendations Rewards that have a natural/logical connection to the quest are more intrinsically satisfying Logical Rewards Trump Arbitrary Awards “A Rare Bean” Autonomy Feeling Controlled

50. www.immersyve.com Tuning Quest Rewards: Recommendations Rewards that offer direct Need Satisfaction = Greater Value Focus on reward qualities that enhance: Competence Autonomy Relatedness “I wish there was some way …to turn in and repeatedly get these. Forget underwater breathing potions! And I’m saying that as an alchemist” “I'm 70 for some time now and I still have about 14 of these left. They're really useful for prolonged time underwater and it saves getting underwater breathing potions!”

51. www.immersyve.com Intrinsic Satisfactions In Item Rewards Competence Increase power/abilities Provide tactical advantages Increase efficiency Autonomy Expands players choices and opportunities Relatedness Enables deeper interaction between players Allows players to (playfully) surprise one another

52. www.immersyve.comSnowballs

53. Intrinsic Satisfactions Quests/Events Competence Focus on intangible (verbal) rewards that reflect player’s achievement Provide feedback that is useful to improve skills Autonomy Give players a strong rationale for the task Avoid controlling language (e.g. “should” “must”) Relatedness Does the player feel like he/she matters to the task-giver? Does the quest foster meaningful interaction between players?

54. www.immersyve.com Many items/activities provide multidimensional need satisfaction Activity PENS Competence PENS Autonomy PENS Relatedness Explored New Zone/Area- Acquired New Weapon/Armor- Acquired Rare Item Acquired Epic Item- Completed Solo Quest-- Completed Group Quest

55. www.immersyve.com Epic item acquisition Autonomy satisfactions are low Epic Items are mainly obtained through raids What is the “intrinsic reward profile” of raids?

56. www.immersyve.com Raids miss on autonomy… Raid for Equipment Raid to Improve Skill = Competence = Autonomy Etc… A: End-game raids are not satisfying to a core intrinsic need… Thinking in terms of intrinsic rewards helps to identify “tuning” opportunities and design for greater reward value Q: Why aren’t more people in end-game groups?

57. www.immersyve.com Vetting reward value… e.g. Features/ContentPENS Analysis Sustained Enjoyment New Feature 1 New Feature 2-- New Quest 1- New Quest 2-- New Instance 1-- New Feature 3 Comp.Aut. Rel. Motivational assessment assists with trade-off analyses Assists in understanding why players are enjoying/not enjoying features and content

58. www.immersyve.com Summary: All Motivation is Not the Same Knowing the quality of player motivation is as important as knowing the data on player behavior in assessing what is rewarding Understanding principles of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can be extremely valuable in designing/vetting mechanics and reward structures

59. www.immersyve.com Extrinsic Rewards Will Motivate…But Extrinsic rewards can sabotage your greatest and most deeply rewarding game experiences They undermine long-term engagement They can encourage the very problems you are trying to fight (e.g. exploits)

60. www.immersyve.com Intrinsic Rewards are Preferable The trick is to support/facilitate these needs, and not shoot them down with your reward schemes

61. www.immersyve.com Intrinsic Reward Benefits Experiencing intrinsic need satisfaction enhances player enjoyment and value Intrinsic rewards satisfy players at deeper levels that naturally lead to sustained engagement Intrinsic rewards foster a respect and enthusiasm for the game that players more readily embrace and evangelize through social networks

62. www.immersyve.com My fortune at lunch two hours ago… Don’t pursue happiness – create it. Lucky Numbers: 10, 14, 27, 33, 35, 41

63. Scott Rigby scott@immersyve.com Ryan, R., Rigby S., & Przybylski, A. (2006). “The Motivational Pull of Video Games: A Self-Determination Theory Approach”. Motivation and Emotion, Springer Science (reprints available from Immersyve or at www.springer.com) Rigby, S. (2007) “The Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS)”. Immersyve white paper (email info@immersyve.com, or scott@immersyve.com for a.pdf) Additional Resources…