Gaming dynamics
Gaming Dynamics are incentive systems used in successful games to motivate players to keep playing the game. They are often simple feedback loops that encourage the player to strive toward certain goals, but can also involve other types of incentive systems. SKVNGR provides a set of these dynamics in their company playdeck:
2. Appointment DynamicDefinition: A dynamic in which to succeed, one must return at a predefined time to take some action. Appointment dynamics are often deeply related to interval based reward schedules or avoidance dyanmics.
Example: Cafe World and Farmville where if you return at a set time to do something you get something good, and if you don’t something bad happens.
21. Free Lunch
Definition: A dynamic in which a player feels that they are getting something for free due to someone else having done work. It’s critical that work is perceived to have been done (just not by the player in question) to avoid breaching trust in the scenario. The player must feel that they’ve “lucked” into something.
Example: Groupon. By virtue of 100 other people having bought the deal, you get it for cheap. There is no sketchiness b/c you recognize work has been done (100 people are spending money) but you yourself didn’t have to do it.
33. Progression Dynamic
Definition: a dynamic in which success is granularly displayed and measured through the process of completing itemized tasks.
Example: a progress bar, leveling up from paladin level 1 to paladin level 60.[1]
While games tend to have the connotation of being frivolous activities, these dynamics apply on in a variety of activities to motivate people. With the proliferation of mobile devices it will become easier to embed games into all types of activities, creating a "game layer" on life.
