Achievements Considered Harmful?

Achievements Considered

Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?


Harmful?

Achievements

Considered Harmful?

Achievements

Considered Harmful?

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Achievements Considered Harmful?Achievements Considered Harmful?

Achievements Considered Harmful

?Achievements Considered Harmful

?

1. I am not a psychologist.1. I am not a psychologist.

2. The psychologists don’t agree.2. The psychologists don’t agree.

““Despite the seeming Despite the seeming objectivity of this objectivity of this

technique, these meta-technique, these meta-analytic reviews reached analytic reviews reached

markedly different markedly different conclusions.”conclusions.”

http://www.behavior.org/education/bhan-24-1-1.pdf

3. There are no direct 3. There are no direct studies.studies.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/11/21/magazine/1194833565213/immersion.html

Double Header Analysis: Xbox Double Header Analysis: Xbox Live Achievement Data and Live Achievement Data and Intellectual Property Trends in Intellectual Property Trends in Video GamesVideo Games Geoffrey Zatkin and Jesse Divnich, Geoffrey Zatkin and Jesse Divnich, EEDAREEDAR Friday 4:30pm — 5:30pmFriday 4:30pm — 5:30pm Room 130, North HallRoom 130, North Hall

Disclaimer:Disclaimer: This This lecture is not about lecture is not about

how to sell more how to sell more games.games.

Confession: Confession: I ignore I ignore achievements while I’m achievements while I’m

playing games.playing games.

Alfie KohnAlfie Kohn

Burrhus Frederic Skinner Burrhus Frederic Skinner

““Pop Behaviorism”Pop Behaviorism”

Daniel Pink @ TEDDaniel Pink @ TEDhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

numbingly repetitivenumbingly repetitive

filled with anecdotesfilled with anecdotes

blatantly biased agendasblatantly biased agendas

ten·den·tiousten·den·tious also also ten·den·ciousten·den·cious (tn-dnshs)(tn-dnshs) adj.adj. Marked by a strong implicit Marked by a strong implicit point of view; partisan: point of view; partisan: a a tendentious account of the tendentious account of the recent elections.recent elections.

But, they reference a But, they reference a lotlot of research. of research.

““On the other hand, physicists like to say On the other hand, physicists like to say physics is to math as sex is to physics is to math as sex is to

masturbation.”masturbation.”http://xkcd.com/435/

However, it’s psychology research.However, it’s psychology research.

fMRIfMRI

Let’s talk about the research…Let’s talk about the research…

The research shows that The research shows that in most cases, in most cases, extrinsicextrinsic

motivators are motivators are ineffectiveineffective and actually and actually

decreasedecrease intrinsicintrinsic motivation on motivation on

interesting tasks.interesting tasks.

Studies covering…Studies covering…

drawingdrawingpuzzlespuzzlesIQ testsIQ tests

wearing seat beltswearing seat beltstrying new foodstrying new foodscommissions & commissions &

bonusesbonusesreading booksreading books

etc.etc.Even Even thinkingthinking about rewards before task appears to about rewards before task appears to do harm.do harm.

Extrinsic vs Intrinsic MotivationExtrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic Motivation appears to be appears to be superior:superior:creativitycreativity

problem solvingproblem solvingqualityqualityspeedspeed

CategoriesCategoriestangibltangibl

eeverbalverbalsymbolsymbol

icic

free-choicefree-choiceself-self-

reportedreported

expectedexpectedunexpecteunexpecte

dd

informationinformationalal

controllingcontrolling

task-task-contingencycontingency

non-non-engagemenengagemen

t-t-completion-completion- performancperformanc

e-e-

dulldullinterestinginteresting

transitorytransitorylong-long-

lastinglasting

endogenouendogenouss

exogenousexogenous

Deci, Koestner, Ryan 1999

Deci, Koestner, Ryan 1999

Cameron, Banko, Pierce 2001

Skinner, 1953 - Deci, 1971 - 100’s Skinner, 1953 - Deci, 1971 - 100’s of Othersof Others

……Rummel and Feinberg, 1988Rummel and Feinberg, 1988

Wiersma, 1992Wiersma, 1992Cameron and Pierce, 1994Cameron and Pierce, 1994

Tang and Hall, 1995Tang and Hall, 1995Eisenberger and Cameron, 1996Eisenberger and Cameron, 1996

Deci, Koestner, Ryan, 1999Deci, Koestner, Ryan, 1999Cameron, Banko, Pierce, 2001 Cameron, Banko, Pierce, 2001

Hecker 1999

What they What they cancan agree on: agree on:

1.1.Tangible, Expected, Tangible, Expected, Contingent Rewards Contingent Rewards Reduce Free-Choice Reduce Free-Choice IMIM

2.2.Verbal, Unexpected, Verbal, Unexpected, Informational Informational Feedback Increases Feedback Increases Free-Choice & Self-Free-Choice & Self-Reported IM Reported IM

For interesting tasks,For interesting tasks,

Even just these Even just these two results are two results are

huge.huge.How do they extend to games?How do they extend to games?

““Gameification” & “Pop Behaviorism”Gameification” & “Pop Behaviorism”

““We don’t have any issues with We don’t have any issues with rewards that are even more rewards that are even more tangible, like giving your kid tangible, like giving your kid

money for a straight-A report money for a straight-A report card… as long as we are card… as long as we are

comfortable with who is setting comfortable with who is setting up the reward and what criteria.” up the reward and what criteria.”

– Raph Koster– Raph Koster

Jesse Schell’s DICE 2010 Talk

““Gameification”Gameification”

Jane McGonigalJane McGonigal

““It would be brilliant if you got, It would be brilliant if you got, say, money credited to your say, money credited to your PSN account for finishing PSN account for finishing games - you know, a real-life games - you know, a real-life reward. That'd get you reward. That'd get you playing.” playing.”

- Mike Jackson, CVG UK - Mike Jackson, CVG UK



I’m not saying these I’m not saying these people are wrong. I people are wrong. I

don’t know.don’t know.

I’m saying there is a lot I’m saying there is a lot of data out there that of data out there that implies they might be implies they might be very wrong, and very wrong, and we we need to study thisneed to study this to to

keep our art form keep our art form healthy.healthy.

Games are the only art Games are the only art and entertainment form and entertainment form where the opportunity where the opportunity

and mechanism for and mechanism for feedback feedback is built intois built into

the form itself.the form itself.

Note: Note: These results These results are for “interesting are for “interesting

tasks”.tasks”.

I was going to I was going to present the data for present the data for

“dull tasks”…“dull tasks”…

Why are you making games?Why are you making games?

If you’re intentionally making dull If you’re intentionally making dull games with variable ratio extrinsic games with variable ratio extrinsic motivators to separate people from motivators to separate people from

their money, you have my pity. their money, you have my pity.

If you’re making intrinsically If you’re making intrinsically interesting games and want to make interesting games and want to make

them even better, be very careful with them even better, be very careful with extrinsic motivators.extrinsic motivators.

RousseauRousseau

AristotleAristotle

Csikszentmihalyi Csikszentmihalyi autotelicautotelic

virtuevirtueergonergon

amour-de-soiamour-de-soiamour-propreamour-propre

The Nightmare Self-Fulfilling ScenarioThe Nightmare Self-Fulfilling Scenario

1. make an intrinsically 1. make an intrinsically interesting game, interesting game, congratulations!congratulations!

2. use extrinsic motivators to 2. use extrinsic motivators to make your game bettermake your game better

3. destroy intrinsic 3. destroy intrinsic motivation to play your motivation to play your gamegame

4. metrics fetishism pushes 4. metrics fetishism pushes you towards designs where you towards designs where EM worksEM works

5. BONUS: women lose even 5. BONUS: women lose even more IM than men do given more IM than men do given EM!EM!

Common ButsCommon Buts

Players like them!Players like them!

Our data shows they Our data shows they work!work!

We make lots of money!We make lots of money!

Just ignore them if you Just ignore them if you don’t like them! don’t like them!

They show players They show players different way of playing!different way of playing!

But if all this research But if all this research applies, players who aren’t applies, players who aren’t

ignoring them are ignoring them are (unwittingly) being (unwittingly) being affected by this IM affected by this IM

reduction, which changes reduction, which changes everything about the play everything about the play

environment.environment.

But, Just Ignore Them!But, Just Ignore Them!

I used to play Gears of War on-line. That game had a restriction where you couldn't get achievement points for on-line play unless you played ranked matches. I don't give a fuck about achievements, but I had to play ranked matches all the time anyways, because no good players would ever play unranked. But of course, ranked matches don't allow you to play with your friends, because that might aid you in cheating, so, you'd have to do ridiculous machinations to actually play a decent game with your friends (like trying to narrow the possible servers, then joining and unjoining games before they started until you saw your friend pop up on the board). Casey Muratori

But, They Show Different Playstyles!But, They Show Different Playstyles!

There is nothing that There is nothing that says pointing out a says pointing out a potential alternate potential alternate

playstyle needs to be playstyle needs to be tied to a reward, and tied to a reward, and it wasn’t, historically.it wasn’t, historically.

SpyParty SpyParty (prototype)(prototype)

So, what’s my plan?So, what’s my plan?

1.1.Hope Hope somebody somebody publishes a publishes a study.study.

2.2.Hope they Hope they become become optional.optional.

3.3.Follow some Follow some guidelines…guidelines…

““Minimizing the Damage”Minimizing the Damage”

Don’t make a big fuss about Don’t make a big fuss about them.them.

Use unexpected rewards.Use unexpected rewards.

Use absolute, not relative Use absolute, not relative measures.measures.

Use endogenous rewards.Use endogenous rewards.

Make them informational, not Make them informational, not controlling.controlling. Kohn, p. 92

Call to Action!Call to Action!

The industry needs to The industry needs to start studying the long start studying the long

term impact of term impact of achievements on players.achievements on players.

Developers need to be better Developers need to be better versed in the literature and versed in the literature and more thoughtful about the more thoughtful about the consequences of extrinsic consequences of extrinsic

motivators.motivators.

Thank you.Thank you.

http://chrishecker.comhttp://chrishecker.com

Achievements Considered Harmful?

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Achievements Considered Harmful?