If we ask students who start playing games during class, "why do you play games" they would probably say “Because the class is boring”, if we ask doctor, who just got back home after completing a hard surgery, he might say “To clear my mind and finally relax”. There was a study done in a medical field which identified, that after a tragic accident patients who played video games in a waiting room had suffered much lower long-term psychological damage than those who didn’t play games while waiting. So people tend to play games to get away from reality, cope with their stress. But it would be a mistake to assume that over 2 billion video gamers worldwide are playing only to escape their miserable reality. In order to answer to this question we have to dive into human psychology. There are a number of studies done on this topic and it all comes down to the fundamental human needs. Every one of us has their own needs that can be categorized in Maslow's hierarchy and games target several of them perfectly. If we look at gamers psychology through the lens of self-determination theory we find, that games perfectly fit to the frames of innate psychological needs: Competence - an ability to do something well is one of the most important factors contributing to psychological well-being. Controlling the situation, mastering your field enhances your self-esteem. Game designers always try to achieve game equilibrium, the perfect balance between skills of a player and difficulty of a game. Game must be not too hard to be unbeatable and yet, not boringly easy. Achieving this state, players feel that they are in control of the game. Beating 100th level in Candy-Crush Saga, finally killing that hard boss in Dark Souls or beating your friend in Mortal Kombat with that insane combo move that you have just learned. All of the given examples boost your self-confidence through the sense of mastery. Relatedness - socializing, connecting, feeling that you matter to someone. These fundamental needs can be found in every multiplayer game such as Counter Strike or League of Legends, where a teamwork is necessary to win. Nowadays even small games exploit sense of connection by implement social features with ability to share achievements or communicate with others in-game. Relatedness is present not only in communication with others, but also when emerging into game and connecting with a played character. “the World is going to an end and you are the one to save it!”, such scenario is common in offline games. Such design gives an impression to a player that one matters and he/she is the only one who is capable of saving it. Autonomy - a natural need to be in control of our own actions. This is the very same reason, why kids instinctively say “No” to their parents and rebel. They simply desire to be more independent and decide their own actions. In video games such as Skyrim or Witcher a player is able to choose his own destiny, change the course of the game. In these games this innate need which was mentioned above is satisfied. Other games commonly use customization to make their game more appealing, a player can personalize the character in a way that is appealing and unique, such experience makes player feel autonomous. Carefully designed games fulfill all three innate needs motivating player to play it. Such design keeps a player engaged for a longer period of time, satisfies a player and makes him happier after playing. And after all, happiness is what people are craving for, so better question would be: Why one wouldn’t play games? |