At first glance, it may seem that this class of emotions is only important for multiplayer games. Not so. The environment that your compulsions evolved in never included any computer-simulated people, so your genes lack a system to differentiate between simulated and real human interaction. As a result, these compulsions can be triggered by computer-generated people (although only in certain ways, and the emotions will tend to be less poignant).

These are some of the ways we are compelled to gain social status:

The Compulsion to Gain Social Status by Showing Impressive Skills

Being impressive is a great way to gain social status. Even if you logically know that a high Counter-Strike kill count is never going to get you laid, the drive to be perceived as exceptionally skilled remains. Any game with a skill component triggers this compulsion. It's even more powerful in online competitive games since there are human opponents, who provide an audience and a social ladder to climb.

_{These guys loved performing. This feeling of enjoyment evolved to make them perform, thus increasing their social status and getting them lots and lots of girls.}

This compulsion often overlaps the compulsion to defeat competitors. A group of musicians will naturally compete to be seen as skilled -- especially if there are attractive mates listening.

The Compulsion to Gain Social Status by Defeating Competitors

Remember the scene in Braveheart where Wallace stands on the field of English dead and screams at the sky? Imagine how that felt.

Since people who have a compulsive desire defeat competitors will tend to win more competitions than apathetic people, they will reproduce more. Over time, the compulsion to win has proliferated. The word triumph describes your programmed emotional reward for defeating a competitor. Wallace got a big dose of that when he defeated the English -- and he sure enjoyed it.

Competition doesn't have to mean combat. Contests of ability appear everywhere. An apparently benign conversation often has an undercurrent of social competition just under the surface. School grades, athletic skills, pain thresholds -- nearly anything can become the basis for a competition in the right social context.

This compulsion often overlaps the compulsion to show impressive skills.

The Compulsion to Gain Social Status by Acquiring Cool Stuff

Material wealth and social status are closely connected. As a result, we are compelled to acquire things.

A long time ago, I played the original NES. There were lots of beat-em-up games for this system. There was one game called River City Ransom. The combat in this game was not that great. I became hooked on it not because the combat was interesting, but because it was possible to acquire stuff. I kept coming back to the game so I could feel the emotional rewards of buying new things -- even though those things did not physically exist.

This compulsion shows up in any game with an inventory or array of stuff. The obvious examples are RPGs like Diablo. These games are very carefully tuned to constantly dangle new and better loot in front of the player, never frustrating them with slow progress, but never allowing them to get all the items and finish, either. By keeping the player in a middle ground, they maintain the compulsion to acquire almost indefinitely.

The compulsion can be amplified when other players are involved. Games like World of Warcraft are based on this. Other players provide a social ladder to climb, and associate positive social reactions with the acquisition of new items. This amplifies the compulsion.

The Compulsion to Gain Social Status by Building Impressive Things

Creating something really cool is a good way to get social status.

Consider this essay as an example. I'm enjoying writing this. Writing these words could even be described as compulsive. I don't really think my ramblings are particularly impressive, but the compulsion to do something that I self-identify as being good at is strong in me as anyone else. In this case, the compulsion will hopefully will result in an eventual increase in social status upon publication of this article.

Devious game designers can take advantage of this compulsion and trigger it deliberately. Example games include obvious world-builder games like The Sims or SimCity. Less obvious examples appear in certain ways of playing low-pressure or turn-based strategy games in which players have a chance to build a beautiful base or a cool custom-designed warrior.

This compulsion can commonly overlap with the compulsion to acquire cool stuff.