Features

Mind of the Player: The Motivations for
Video Game Use

Results

Of the twenty concepts the survey tested, nineteen of those were analytically grouped into the final factors. Only the concept of completion – that players are motivated to complete the experience once they have begun it – failed to group into any of the factors on a statistically significant level.  The survey produced seven distinct factors, each of which explains a need within players that is fulfilled through video game use. These factors, underlined by the components of which each factor is comprised of are:

Immersion (α = .712): People are motivated to play video games because of the aesthetic components which help to immerse them in the activity. They enjoy experiencing beautiful art, music and a well-crafted and engaging story line, all of which work to seduce them into a world that is not their own. The components grouped into this factor are:

• Art:  Video games often contain fantastic images and sounds of beauty. Users play in order to experience this sort of artistic stimulation.
• Story:  More and more, games incorporate high quality stories. Players are motivated to play because they enjoy discovering the development of the characters with whom they interact and the progression of their stories.
• Role Playing:  Playing games allows the player to take on a desired role and immerse themselves in that character and the world that they inhabit.

All of these factors combine to draw the user out of their everyday life and engross them in the alternate reality space that the game creates. Because of its interactive nature, playing games is an experience that does not require fulfillment of each of these categories to captivate the user. For example, although the game is eighteen years old, Mega Man 2 still engages me just as intensely as the most recent episode of Half Life.

Mega Man 2 as an immersive experience.

Fantasy Fulfillment (α = .709): Playing videogames allows users to transcend the reality of their everyday lives by allowing them to experience first-hand those things that are unattainable in the real world or that exist only in their dreams. These games allow users to test their thoughts or desires in a safe and controlled environment. The components grouped into this factor are:

• Fantasy:  Games allow players to interact with and fulfill desires from their fantasies.
• Simulation:  Games simulate real world activities in which players wish to or enjoy participating.
• Boundary Breaking: Video games allow players to do things which they can not or dare not do in the real world, in a completely safe and consequence free environment.

Whether a player chooses the accurate racing simulations of Forza Motorsport or spending time slaying monsters in WoW’s Azeroth, he or she is fulfilling the same intrinsic desire to see those things they dream about enacted. I believe the key component to the factor of fantasy fulfillment - and much of play in general - is the idea of boundary breaking. In the real world, there are potential repercussions for each action that we take. Games provide a simulacrum of almost any situation or fantasy that we can imagine, and they allow us to attempt these scenarios over and over in a perfectly safe environment. Thus, whereas players would never take certain actions in the real world for fear of the negative repercussions, they can attempt these actions in almost any permutation possible by engaging in Grand Theft Auto, The Sims, Madden or Oblivion. 

Human Interaction (α = .704):  Video games offer a great platform with which to interact with other people. A person can socialize and compete with friends - both in person and online - make new friends through interactions on multiplayer games, and even take part in the communities that build up around and within popular games. Playing against a computer opponent can be fun, but few things match the thrill of competing against a person in the flesh and blood. The concepts grouped into this factor are:

• Socialization: Players use games as a platform through which to interact with their peers, whether through head-to-head or communal experiences, and use the medium to make new friends.
• Competition: Playing games allows users to enjoy the excitement of competition, whether against a real individual or a simulacrum of one.
• Community: Some players enjoy taking part in the communities that build up in and around the world of a game.

For some, the experience of playing a game does not start and stop with the flip of the power switch. Human interaction can help expand the scope of a game far beyond the player’s physical time with the product and heightens the emotion he or she feels while playing the game. So whether someone is experiencing Halo 2 by passing controllers around a crowded living room, playing against complete strangers on XBL, talking about the game over lunch, joining in a team of competitive players or posting about tactics on a message board, they are using the game as a platform for human interaction and communication.

Excitement (α = .685): If there is one thing that video games tend to offer, it is heart pounding excitement. The central focus of the majority of hardcore games on the market seems to be eliciting the “flight or fight” type of response that creates excitement, whereas the rest of the factors seem ancillary to this adrenaline rush of playing. The concepts grouped into this factor are:

• Power: Whether they allow players to take their favorite football team to the championship, single-handedly stop an alien invasion or conquer the world, games have the ability to make the user feel power on a scale unimaginable to them in their day-to-day lives.
• Violence: Playing video games allows players to fulfill any violent desires or inclinations they may have in a safe and controlled environment.
• Fright: Some video games have excitatory or suspenseful aspects on par with watching a scary movie or riding a roller coaster.
• Action: Playing games can be an exciting and action packed experience. Some players are motivated to play in order to experience this particular form of adrenaline rush.

Of all the motivational factors, this is probably the one which current market offerings are the best at delivering. This may be because the need to test one’s survival skills in flight or fight scenarios is not only one of our most basic animal instincts, but also the one that we encounter the least in our modern, day to day lives. In a world where the greatest test of Westerners’ predatory skills is which type of burger to order at McDonalds, playing a game like God of War or Resident Evil 4 may be necessary to stimulate those parts of the brain that no longer get that much exercise, but are necessary evolutionary tools for our survival.

Reward (α = .663): Many games clearly and consistently reward the player for meeting their goals, performing spectacular feats, or simply for exploring the depth of the game world which has been created for them. In addition, they offer a large variety of rewards, compelling many to continue playing in an attempt to enhance their collection.  This clear and consistent reward structure is one that keeps players coming back time and time again, as they tell themselves, “I’ll just finish one more level.” The concepts grouped into this factor are:

• Reward: Many video games reward the player constantly for their progress.  Some play to experience the joy that comes from constantly being rewarded for a job well done.
• Collection: Many games allow the user to collect a series of objects or in-game rewards.  Users are compelled to play by the urge to collect these rewarding objects.

I believe that one of the most important aspects of video games’ reward structure is that playing a game is a challenge that users have chosen for themselves. People so rarely receive positive reinforcement for their day to day activities - many of which are completed out of some form of necessity instead of choice. When playing games, the rewards not only come in avalanches or sound effects, visual effects, points and new content, but, to the player, they also feel that much more meaningful because the challenge of a game is a self-assigned task.

I believe two genres of games – RPGs and Casual Games - do particularly notable things with their reward structures that help to make them extremely addictive. RPGs like Final Fantasy use an inconsistent reward scheme, which, according to classical conditioning, creates the most addictive pattern of behavior. Because of this reward structure, players troll trough dungeons and forests for hours on end, battling the same monsters over and over again in the hopes that they will drop the rare item rewards that the players crave. Casual Games like Diner Dash 2 create an optimized system of rewards.  Since every action has a direct reward, and thus a direct result on the win/loss state, players are constantly making fear-versus-greed decisions an effort to squeeze every last point out of the system.

Diner Dash 2 with reward and challenge.

Challenge (α = .635):  Playing video games offers players a clear challenge, one that they have chosen for themselves and are highly committed to overcoming. It allows them to flex their mental muscle in overcoming obstacles, solving puzzles and thinking strategically to defeat their enemies. The concepts grouped into this factor are:

• Strategy: Playing games allows users to exercise their strategic thinking skills, and rewards them for their efforts.
• Puzzle Solving: Playing games allows users to flex their mental muscle to solve puzzles and challenges of varying degrees of complexity.

Challenge is one of the hardest and most important aspects of a game to nail from a design perspective. Challenge is what personalizes the experience for the player in a way that makes their success or failure meaningful. If a player is not appropriately challenged by the task that a game puts before them, then they probably won’t have enough motivation to continue interacting with the product. It is also important to note that difficulty and challenge are not the same thing; a game can be appropriately challenging even though it is not difficult to beat, or it may be so difficult that the player does not feel appropriately challenged because he or she  perceives the system as unfair.  Walking this delicate balancing act is one of the designer’s most arduous tasks in creating an appealing product.

Addiction (α = .540):  Many players, whether they admit it or not, are simply addicted to playing video games. They play as a diversion from the real world, they play instead of fulfilling their responsibilities, they feel compelled to play at inappropriate times, and once they start playing they have a difficult time stopping. For many, playing games is a more fulfilling way to spend their time than any other activity. The concepts grouped into this factor are:

• Addiction/Compulsion: Those who play video games feel the urge to play them constantly, shirk other responsibilities in order to play games and have a difficult time stopping once they begin a gaming session.
• Diversion: Users play games to take their mind off of the pressing needs and responsibilities of the real world.

Like any form of entertainment, playing games is an escapist activity whose draw can become more powerful than a user’s desire to fulfill more productive responsibilities. Although this is a factor that I personally believe is often blown out of proportion for sensationalist or political purposes, it is an element that responsible members of the game development community must take into account when creating and selling their product.

Conclusion

By combining intimate knowledge of the subject matter with academic tools, I was able to produce results which I believe are insightful and meaningful to the game professional and the game scholar in equal proportion. It not only provided me with a great experience, but also generated many avenues of thought on game design theory that I feel are ripe for further exploration. As the study of video games becomes more ingrained in the world of academia, I hope that more of this type of research is undertaken in order to further our understanding of the medium that I have personally come to love so much.

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