So I have been on holiday in Sunny Tennerife the past week. On my holidays I tend to download some fun games to play whilst I travel
and during my down time. I tend to find myself always getting addicted to a mobile game. So I wanted to delve a little bit deeper
as to why addictive games are so addictive. We have all
played at least some addictive mobile game. Whether it be Candy Crush to Angry
Birds. All these games have the ability to get us hooked but why is that?
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Often addictive apps stray true to KISS “Keep it simple
stupid”. Apps like Flappy Bird, Doodle Jump or Paper Toss have a very simple
goal and interface. Everyone can understand it which means everyone can play
it. The ease of use many of these games provide make anyone want to join in on
the fun. No one needs a high level of skill to access or use it.
Another key feature I have found in my experience of playing
these games. For example the game I have recently been playing is called Head
Ball 2. The game offers leaderboards, connect with Facebook and play with your
friends as well as being able to chat in game. Social interaction is
a massive desire for every human being. The ability to send simple chat messages to
other users creates an interactive way to play which makes you feel
more engaged in the gameplay. Knowing you can beat an opponent and let them
know about it gives additional motivation. It creates an illusion
of social interaction which keeps on bringing users backs.
Another observation I have found in playing these games is
that many games allow you to create an account, name your character, customise
what they look like and have your own personal record. This autonomy and
freedom of choice gives users happiness that they have control in the choices
that they are making. It is an illusion of control that they feel they have a
personalised account but in reality they are being sucked in to this addictive
game unknowingly. This choice of self-expression makes us feel satisfied that
we are receiving a personalised game.
There is a lot psychological design choices and features
that deliberately go in to the creation of these games. Limited time frames and
certain amount of tokens to play allow these games to almost force users in to
paying for in-game benefits or watching adverts. Loss aversion is a
psychological effect that encourages repeated use and addiction by making us
believe we can re-gain what we’ve lost if we keep investing more. Very much
like gambling, if a user has lost points or for example in the case of Farmville
has forgot to harvest their crops in a specific time-frame, they lose the resources they had previously invested. The game makes you
crave and want to regain the loss of those rewards.
My final point on addictive games, is that they are
generally reward-based. Whether it be you beat your highest score, you receive a
rare item or you gain a higher level. Consistently chasing rewards and
attaining those rewards so quickly at the touch of your fingers creates
dopamine in the brain. This keeps users coming back. This positive
reinforcement makes users feel good about themselves. I certainly know it kept
me hooked, knowing that I was the best in my league, knowing that I was going
to receive a great reward for this kept me coming back.
In conclusion the mobile games revenue in 2017 was over 40
billion US dollars according to Statistica https://www.statista.com/topics/1906/mobile-gaming/.
If developers get it right and get people hooked. They are on to a gold mine. For me personally it is interesting to see the similarities in addictive mobile apps to gambling. The psychology behind game design and human computer interaction is a really interesting topic. One that will continue to advance over the years. After all this and understanding what developers do to get you hooked I still will continue to play these games. One because they are fun and two there are a lot worse things to be addicted to!
If developers get it right and get people hooked. They are on to a gold mine. For me personally it is interesting to see the similarities in addictive mobile apps to gambling. The psychology behind game design and human computer interaction is a really interesting topic. One that will continue to advance over the years. After all this and understanding what developers do to get you hooked I still will continue to play these games. One because they are fun and two there are a lot worse things to be addicted to!
This article was great for helping me write this blog:
https://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/10/28/10-ingredients-concoct-subconsciously-addictive-mobile-app/
https://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/10/28/10-ingredients-concoct-subconsciously-addictive-mobile-app/
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