{"id":14143,"date":"2019-09-04T09:30:31","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T14:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/?post_type=articles&p=14143"},"modified":"2020-07-07T00:18:06","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T05:18:06","slug":"why-do-we-game-the-expectations-of-enjoyment","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.meeplemountain.com\/articles\/why-do-we-game-the-expectations-of-enjoyment\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do We Game? – The Expectations of Enjoyment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some time ago I wrote a piece titled the Top 6 Types of Gamers<\/a>. Since then I\u2019ve often thought about that concept, not necessarily as it relates to fitting people into conceptual boxes, but rather about our gaming motivations: Why do we game? What are we hoping to gain from the experience? Are we all seeking the same thing? Should we be? What implications do these questions present us? In a hobby that relies on interaction, these are the questions that keep coming back to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cto have an effective discussion, we must agree upon our terms<\/i>\u201d.<\/div>\n

So why do<\/i> we game? The short answer: because it\u2019s fun. But what constitutes fun? To paraphrase one of my favorite podcasters<\/a> on The Secret Cabal, \u201cto have an effective discussion, we must agree upon our terms<\/i>\u201d. Something that is fun generates some level of happiness within us; physiologically it activates the pleasure centers within our brains. Therein lies the difficulty in defining fun. We can universally describe how fun feels and we can discuss its effects, but determining its cause is a different story. Each of us may have a different idea of what activities generate the enjoyment that we call fun.<\/p>\n

This leads me to the intersection of enjoyment and motivation. If a thing that we are expecting to produce enjoyment succeeds in doing so, we register that as an enjoyable activity, i.e. fun. If it fails to deliver on that promise of satisfaction, we don\u2019t find it as fun.<\/p>\n

What fuels our expectations of enjoyment?<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s talk about three main motivators that I have seen from myself and others.<\/p>\n

Social Experience<\/h3>\n

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Cognitive Reward<\/h3>\n

One characteristic of modern games that stands out to me is that of meaningful decision-making. That\u2019s not to say that classic games don\u2019t have some level of choice, or that every game necessarily needs to have a complex decision tree to provide enjoyment. I\u2019ve found that nearly all of the games I enjoy involve meaningful choices, more often than not difficult ones. There is an undeniable level of satisfaction that occurs when we are presented with a difficult decision, make a choice, then see a successful outcome as a result of our selection. We feel that our choices are validated and that in and of itself is rewarding.<\/p>\n

The Thrill of Victory<\/h3>\n

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Board games generally involve some element of competition. Whether you are competing against your fellow gamers, cooperating with them against the game, or even just competing against yourself and your ability to navigate the systems of the game to achieve the most positive outcome, it feels good to win. Winning is certainly not necessary to enjoy a game; there are plenty of games that I never win that I still love. Some people however find their play experience soured if they lose the game, or see no viable path to victory, be it due to their own erroneous choices or the random chance of a die roll or card draw.<\/p>\n

Obligatory Caveat<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t mean to reduce a person\u2019s gaming motivation down to a single agenda. I doubt that many people fall solely into one category, rather some mix of the three. If I had to parse it out, I\u2019d say that I\u2019m around 60% social, 30% cognitive, and 10% competitive. My wife, contrastingly, is probably closer to 50% competitive. It doesn\u2019t mean that either one of us is any less a gamer, or any less enjoyable as a gaming partner.<\/p>\n

So what does this thought exercise mean for the hobby? What are the practical applications?<\/p>\n

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