*Jaws theme intestified*
SMILE, YOU SON OF A- (FAMILY FRIENDLY!)
Oh, Hey everyone! did you ever ask yourself? What is it? That made shark?
So darn scary
You know other than of course the combination of being the perfect visible example of a big bad with lots of teeth mixed with deep
social misunderstanding
Well turns out it's important to think about and can actually translate directly to good game design
Why is it that some games hold our attention longer than others
Even if they all have gorgeous graphics stirring stories great gameplay and marvelous music
Why is it that some games are just more exciting and able to lure us back again?
and again
well
one of the secrets lies in two elements of what psychology 101 calls operant conditioning the two elements of which being
variable ratio reinforcement schedules and variable interval reinforcement schedules and the go-to guy who popularized operant conditioning in the
1930s was a harvard professor named bf skinner
And that name probably rings a bell because he's the number one bell ringing pellet dropping inventor of the skinner box
Where rats were taught to hit a lever on a box to score a treat
Now cut to today and really the most forward-facing example of variable reinforcement in gaming is another kind of box
One which shall not be named but we're not going to talk about those today because really they're just the low-hanging fruit
Loot of skinner's principles that more often than not just cater to bite-sized
Microtransactions instead we want to specifically talk about how those same mechanics can be used for gameplay experiences rather than just making a quick buck
the difference is context we can use these principles to keep our gameplay fresh and our players engaged and that's because
Variable reinforcement can easily occur naturally within the world and story of our games
So while skinner's original research was focused on granting or withholding rewards for behavior what we're interested in as game designers
Is how that behavior affects expectation?
For instance if we know that every bag of coins we find in a game
We'll always have three coins inside scoring these bags again, and again will quickly become less and less exciting
It's a feeling kind of akin to peeking at your presents before christmas morning because if you already know what's inside
The excitement in the act of opening them is diminished and that eager feeling of mystery is gone
on the other hand
If the game used variable ratio reinforcement in these cases that would mean that the amount of gold in any given bag
Could be three coins or five or one or a bonanza of ten coins and a pair of magical perpetually clean socks
Jackpot, and it's that very uncertainty that keeps the expectation alive
And therefore in many cases games that vary the size of a reward that players receive
Tend to keep the act of hunting for and receiving those rewards feeling fresher longer in dishonored for instance
In addition to the usual loot like gold. There are also additional collectible items to give players a nice woe moment every now and then
Huh? Um, wait, where was I? Oh, yeah. Now we come to the second cool thing variable interval reinforcement
And here's where also our favorite misunderstood fish returns
One of the reasons that jaws is so nerve-wracking as a concept is that he doesn't bite on a schedule
We don't know when he'll suddenly emerge from the depths and attack his potential victims are all vulnerable all of the time
Turning each attack into a pretty big jump scare and what survival horror game could be complete without a few good jump scares
But if there's a zombie in every closet of that house you really shouldn't have gone into anyway pretty soon
What should be a surprising tense situation turns into a conveyor belt of just hacking and slashing instead
Try varying your schedule of zombie jumping have some closets with loot or maybe throw in a fake jump scare every now and then
Just please no more screeching cats. We've seen that plenty. Also, how do all these cats get in closed lockers without opposable thumbs
Okay, seriously, what are you all looking at is the tub leaking or something whatever okay conveyor belts cats
Oh, yeah
I remember so if your player is clearing a neighborhood of the undead having their occurrence rate vary will always instill a sense of anticipation
No matter if we're talking about attacks from zombies sharks zombie sharks or even just shaking trees and animal crossing to find new furniture
It's the lack of scheduled outcomes that keeps us coming back for more. So whether you're making big
Mmorpgs or simply the cunning dungeon master of a tabletop game give both variable interval reinforcement and variable ratio reinforcement a try
Because they can provide the one-two punch of expectation and surprise that will keep your players enjoying your game for the long haul
But before we go, here's one last demonstration of our super reinforcement duo in action, okay?
I'm gonna step into this bathtub and you're going to have to pretend really hard that there could be a shark in here
Because I mean, how could there be?
I said, how could there be?
How could there be? Oh, come on. That was your cue
Huh, wait wait zoey if you're out there then what is oh, no
Oh, all right, well looks like i've jumped the shark
No, was that too much? Was that no now you're leaving wait now audience. You're not gonna really
I thought it was pretty funny
jump in the shark
Legendary thanks to ahmed. Ziad turk. Alicia bramble casey muscha dominic valenciana gunner clovis
Kyle murgatroyd and oreos1 for helping to make this show possible
You