7 Psychological Tactics Used in Games

7 Psychological Tactics Used In Games

Successful F2P games are a brew of persuasion techniques designed to achieve fast engagement and revenue.

Love it or hate it, you have to acknowledge it.

Here’s a short list of the 7 most notorious persuasive methods that can be found in casual games today:

Loss AversionPeople strive to avoid pain. And losing is painful. We experience loss in twice as intense a manner

than we enjoy a possible gain.

A classic “loss aversion trap”. Players are reluctant to lose the progress they have made in a level and pay to avoid loss.

Game: Love Rocks Starring Shakira

Notice the strong language, “Don’t abandon the baby pandas!” that aims to trap users in the loss aversion corner.

Game: Panda Pop

Timers are often used to stress users into a quick decision.(BTW, nothing happens when this timer hits zero).

Game: Panda Pop

No wonder Tinder is charging for the undo functionality.People pay to avoid loss!

Game: Tinder

READ MORE about loss aversion and more psychological tactics you can’t afford be ignorant of!

See how I persuaded you to click my link? Such a cunning chap!

Moving on.

Endowed ProgressPeople who feel they’ve made some progress toward a goal

are more committed to achieve that goal.

Level systems are made with the endowed progress effect in mind.A “progress” is made immediately after the first play.

Game: Temple Run 2

All “timer based” games are built around starting processesthat players feel compelled to finish, only because they started.

Game: Minions Paradise

Progress bars, especially those who offer concrete milestones backed by rewards work wonders on players.

Game: Minions Paradise

Milestones

Rewards

Ever wondered how come you always have some of the ingredients needed to complete a mission? Now you know why.

Game: Hay Day

Simple, concrete goals can do wonders to boost retention.

Game: Elevate

Envy/EmbarrassmentAn emotion which occurs when a person lacks another’s superior

quality, achievement, or possession.

World building games often show players their neighbours’ achievements to tap on their envy - embarrassment axis

Game: Simpsons Tapped Out

Some games would let players play with superior equipment during tutorial phase, only to take it away on the first level.

Game: CSRacing

Watching your friends progress while you lag behind is a classic envy - embarrassment motivator.

Game: Candy Crush Saga

Finally, leaving your awkward family group on Whatsapp is too damn embarrassing for you to even think about it.

Game: Whatsapp

ReciprocityResponding to a positive action with a positive action. When

someone gifts us we feel obligated to give something in return.

Receiving gifts on Candy Crush would make players more probable to return the favour when their friends are in need.

Game: Candy Crush Saga

This is such a strong social norm that some games would force players to give gifts.

Game: Angry Birds 2

On this game, friends can retrieve gems that were stolen from a player’s treasure. The grateful owner would feel obligated to

return the favor.

Thank You!

Thank You!

Return Favor

Game: King of Thieves

ScarcityWe automatically desire items that are scarce or unique.

Many items in games are considered “rare” just so players would desire them.

Game: Fallout Shelter

“Special offer” with “limited time to purchase” makes the offer seem unique. This is known as false scarcity.

Game: Hay Day

That what happens when false scarcity meets loss aversion.

Game: King of Thieves

Players that won that gun have only 1 hour and 39 minutes to use it. A tactic made to enforce play.

Game: Shooty Skies

TriggeringUnderstand players’ motivation first, then trigger them to a desired action.

Game: Best Fiends

Player’s motivation: more keys!Developer’s motivation: Like on FB

Game: Best Fiends

Player’s motivation: more gems!!Developer’s motivation: follow on

Instagram

Player’s motivation: more lock picks.Developer’s motivation: Show ads.

Game: King of Thieves

Player’s motivation: to play more.Developer’s motivation: Players to enable push notifications.

Game: King of Thieves

Bad triggering: Waze offering me to stop by Whole Foods when they know I’m on my way to someplace else. (And I’m late!)

Game: Waze

Endowment EffectWe overvalue things just because we own them.

That’s why it’s so hard to leave a game we’ve invested in.

Every completed level makes it harder to leave the game.

Game: Candy Crush Saga

So much work went into building this farm, it’s very hard to leave that behind.

Game: Hay Day

Hard earned collections seems too valuable to leave behind.

Game: Dungeon Boss

SO!Think you got all of that?

How about a little..

QUIZ

Name the psychological tactics you see in this screenshot.

Endowed Progress

Triggering

Triggering

And here?

Scarcity

Endowed Progress

Endowed Progress

And here?

Endowed Progress

Loss Aversion

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