Games have long recognized the truth that comes from The Kurt Lewin EquationThe Kurt Lewin Equation
Kurt Lewin’s equation, B=f(P,E), states that a person’s behavior is a function of who they are as a person and the contextual factors of their environment.
Kurt Lewin’s Equation is commonly misunderstood as saying B=P+E. This is lazy behavioral science.
The combination of the two factors is not a summation. Behavior is a function of the interplay between person-side factors and the contextual factors of their environment.
Who the person is impacts how they respond to environmental factor...:
- The player is interacting with the in-game world in order to get what they want and further their goals.
- Game thoughtfully designs rules and interactions to influence how you get what you want
As such, they The goal of game design is to influence user behavior to create an intended experienceThe goal of game design is to influence user behavior to create an intended experience
See Mark Brown's brilliant video on protecting the player from themselves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L8vAGGitr8::rmn Game designers recognize that they can't just design a game and expect the player to enjoy it. If you play Xcom in a risk-averse way, then you won't have as much fun as if you lean into risk and play aggressively. However, the rules of the game and its feedback systems shape the most likely playstyles.
See: Progress monitoring and feedback systems
See MDA: A Formal A.... People need to play games in certain ways to make the game fun for themselves, so games are designed for behavior change.
Out of necessity, Game designers and behavioral scientists are asking many of the same questionsGame designers and behavioral scientists are asking many of the same questions
Game designers have been designing for digital behavior change for longer than just about anyone. They design the environment that the users interact with and the rules through which all of the user's actions are interpreted. The goal of game design is to influence user behavior to create an intended experience. They are doing Behavioral Product Strategy.
As such, game designers are asking many of the same questions as applied behavioral scientists.
How do we design meaningful choices? A fr....