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Competition and comparison

• If the player can be acknowledged by others he will be motivated to continue and strive to perfection. This acknowledgement could be in the game or outside. Of course this is not applicable to everyone but surprisingly many of us.

  Remember the example of rewarding with a flashy effect? Well, if the other players see the effect, and the player knows others can see it, it will have its strength every time the player is rewarded by it (that is, if others see it at that given time).

• If the player feels (is reminded) that she is getting better at the game, the motivation factor is increased also.

Anticipation

Small, frequent hints about what is to come build anticipation and provide very good way of building motivation. The important thing about anticipation is the trust between the player and the game. The player needs to be rewarded a few times to come to trust the game. Then a positive spiral is created and the player and the game will steadily climb into a memorable experience. Alas, beware, once the player is betrayed by the game, the relation has to be crated all over again.

An example

The player has previously helped a village and the reward was a unique item and a nice story revelation. Before that he helped a little kid find his lost dog, and the reward was a very funny story and some very tasty candy. Now the player trusts the game.

If you give him a hint of some event, or a quest or whatever, the player will anticipate the ending and strive to achieve it. Also some hints here and there of the grand content of the game will lead to an ever present, underlying anticipation.

The hardest part is to reuse the material used for the anticipation.

Never, ever send a player on a quest/task without designing the harvest of her labors.

Participant ship

If the player feels that he is a part of the world and that he is affecting the course of events, the motivation to continue is greatly increased. Here we give the imagination of the player a chance to be one with the game world. The UI (user interface) is one of the important parts of this. If the UI is out of line it will interfere with the "becoming one with the game" part.

A good example is when you are watching a movie and you are enthralled by it, and a friend asks you something. Now it will take you some time to get into the movie again. Think of a UI that shatters the flow of the game on every turn.

In addition, the player should not be hindered from using his abilities. For instance, if the player is very good at a fast 3D shooter with a really high speed, he will find himself limited when playing another 3D shooter which is slow. The problem in this example is hard to get around. Often the target group is chosen and the issue is solved. Still there are some given standards, and one should think twice before aiming lower than these standards, especially with a sequel.

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